The only truth we ever really need to know.
Erat niger atque turbulentus nox et Beagle (a parva albus canis) sibi habebat manuscript recusatus tempore novissimo. Ipse cordule rumpebantur et in snapping determinetur, ut undique eum patiatur, et morietur. Ille erat unus ad minimum opus esse, ut sciat plus sibi aliquis vult facere. Magister quippe alio modo posset? De rotunda grandis calvus caput et striata niger et flavum shirt erat valde aperti ad suggestione, maxime dum dormivit.
Erat enim et noctes et somnia XX Caroli noctibus Beagle susurros animum. Et dormivit et vidit dominus mortis, et color flavus, caedem furor. Vicesimo denique nocte ecce dominus exortus et egressus stetit in via ita ut omnes conquoring mundus intereat.
Primis parentibus, quibus ille genu poplite flexo ante eum. "Wahwahwahwahwah, whawhawha, OH DEUS!" et butyrum cum ferro caesa. In Beagle placuit ei. Tum Carolus versa sororis, ipsa crine flavo nomine eruptionem nec quis arcu. Caesa est cum Capsicum annuum peeler, unum exuo carnis procul a vicis.
Multi diem obiit. Strepitumque os Lucy qui conservavit felis ab eo. Spork interfecta est in oculo. Linus conatus ratio cum insanum unum, sed ille suffocatus est cum suo stragulum '. In piano ludio ludius fuerat nervorumque caesionem incidi et erat insertis, a platea lucerna. Paulatim collegerunt exercitum, et primi illius Pigpen conscribere. In omnibus eorundem Beagle observabant a tenebris, strepere.
Donec senatus a die sedit huius rei magno Calvi unum Dominum Deum nostrum et parvi canis albi. Olympus resurrexit.
Hoc est verum. Hoc quotidie mane referimus vitae. Serviamus imperatoris. Nos iussa facessunt. Vivemus ad serviam. Perfect ministerii perfectae beatitudinis.
Finished retranslation: The very act we only really swept Neath to know.
It was a dark and stormy night, and the Beagle (the small white dog) had had a manuscript rejected for the last time. He snapped, broken and determined that he must cause all around him to suffer or die. He was but one dog and could not do this.... But Master on the other hand? The one of the large round bald head and black and yellow striped shirt was very open to the suggestion, especially while sleeping.
For a night and 20 nights into the mind of Charles did the Beagle whisper. And he slept and he saw the lord of death, and the color yellow, and the fury of slaughter. And it came to pass, on the twentieth night, lo, the lord of the rising and went out and stood in the way of the world, so that all may be conquored and killed.
parents, who submitted on bended knee in front of him. "Wahwahwahwahwah, whawhawha, OH GOD!" and with a butter knife were cut. The Beagle was pleased. Charles turned to his sister, the one with the poofy yellow hair and a bow. She was slain with a potato peeler. She was but the first to fall.
Many have died. Lucy, of the loud mouth and keeper of the large cat. She was killed with a spork to the eye. Linus tried to reason with the mad one, but he was choked with his blanket. The piano player was cut and strung from the street lamp. Gradually, Charlse gathered an army, and his first recruit was Pigpen. All the while the Beagle watched from the shadows, cackling.
Until the day he sat in the Senate from the one Lord, our God, the Bald one and the great white little. Olympus rose again.
This is true. This we cite every day of our life. Hail the emperor. We do his bidding. We live to serve. Perfect service is perfect bliss.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
[World Building] Fractal Chaos
Math reflects everywhere in our world if you know how to look for it. Once you know what a Fractal is, you see it reflected everywhere and it is SO cool. I'm not going to explain what it is here, look it up. But the REASON you see it reflected everywhere is because it is in some ways the mathematical representation of cycles and opposing forces. Nature and circles are reflected all around us, and they have to. Cycles are the nature of life, birth and death, seasons, breath, etc.
At some point we may break this cycle through technological immortality, but that won't stop the cylces for everything, and life without death had better have a lot of room to expand, because a species that does not reproduce will die.
But what I'm talking about is a way to make your world BETTER...and its a pretty simple principal. You don't have to be a master sociologist to know some of the simpler rules of sociology and you don't know need to be a master biologist to know some of the rules about life. Apply a bell curve, and understand that there will be opposing factions.
In other words, anything you create, ANYTHING, that isn't the borg, that has single minds will have factions in those minds, particularly humans, but I would argue, any intelligent species. What that means is, if your society, whether it is a far and distant alien world, or simply a slightly different 20th century...or even the real world with a slice of life mentality, understand that while stereotypes exist for a reason, people rarely fit into equally pegged holes.
Indeed, just because people might act like cartoon characters with the simplicity of their actions, doesn't mean they usually THINK of themselves as such. If your world, or your village or your setting doesn't have a compassionate end of the curve vs a cruel one, and having them both conflicting with each other on some level, then you're really not reflecting nature, and your writing will come across as such.
Living is conflict, whether that conflict is verbal, physical or otherwise. In a bell curve, there are going to be the most brave members of a society, and the most cowardly. Now, your story can be about one of those, both, the guy in the middle that thinks the brave and cowardly are both stupid, or all of the above. But your setting requires in any natural situation with time, differentiation and conflict. It could be a very one sided conflict, where the brave tell the cowardly what to do and the cowardly just do it...but they will still need to TELL them to do that.
In other words, shades of gray for shades of gray itself are pointless, but differentiation and conflict make a world real. When does this even matter?
I think a really good indicator is a series I like a lot that upplays the specialness of the non humans by making humans by and large bland and cowardly sheep, while making all of her supernatural monsters some aspect of humanity. I like this series but this really annoyed me because it didn't seem natural, and it wasn't. Sometimes making flat characters in the background can make your main ones seem to have more depth, but it shows holes in your world.
I argue that one reason for the success of Game of Thrones is that people sense the realism of the world. Part of that is because there are heroes, villains, bastards and people in between but there are also factions. People do not exist in a vacuum. The 'other' probably have reasons we haven't seen but all of the human factions have things that make them tick. There are good Lannisters and bad (or at least stupid) Starks. Shades of gray exist, but there is a REASON for each of them, even if that reason is that some one has slacked off and they just don't care any more.
Apply the bell curve to any species or society...if you can, apply multiple bell curves. You can adjust the middle...for example, elves may AS A WHOLE, be weaker and more cowardly than humans, but there is still a variety within them. Failure to have this makes that part of the world as dead as a downtown city block with no people in it.
At some point we may break this cycle through technological immortality, but that won't stop the cylces for everything, and life without death had better have a lot of room to expand, because a species that does not reproduce will die.
But what I'm talking about is a way to make your world BETTER...and its a pretty simple principal. You don't have to be a master sociologist to know some of the simpler rules of sociology and you don't know need to be a master biologist to know some of the rules about life. Apply a bell curve, and understand that there will be opposing factions.
In other words, anything you create, ANYTHING, that isn't the borg, that has single minds will have factions in those minds, particularly humans, but I would argue, any intelligent species. What that means is, if your society, whether it is a far and distant alien world, or simply a slightly different 20th century...or even the real world with a slice of life mentality, understand that while stereotypes exist for a reason, people rarely fit into equally pegged holes.
Indeed, just because people might act like cartoon characters with the simplicity of their actions, doesn't mean they usually THINK of themselves as such. If your world, or your village or your setting doesn't have a compassionate end of the curve vs a cruel one, and having them both conflicting with each other on some level, then you're really not reflecting nature, and your writing will come across as such.
Living is conflict, whether that conflict is verbal, physical or otherwise. In a bell curve, there are going to be the most brave members of a society, and the most cowardly. Now, your story can be about one of those, both, the guy in the middle that thinks the brave and cowardly are both stupid, or all of the above. But your setting requires in any natural situation with time, differentiation and conflict. It could be a very one sided conflict, where the brave tell the cowardly what to do and the cowardly just do it...but they will still need to TELL them to do that.
In other words, shades of gray for shades of gray itself are pointless, but differentiation and conflict make a world real. When does this even matter?
I think a really good indicator is a series I like a lot that upplays the specialness of the non humans by making humans by and large bland and cowardly sheep, while making all of her supernatural monsters some aspect of humanity. I like this series but this really annoyed me because it didn't seem natural, and it wasn't. Sometimes making flat characters in the background can make your main ones seem to have more depth, but it shows holes in your world.
I argue that one reason for the success of Game of Thrones is that people sense the realism of the world. Part of that is because there are heroes, villains, bastards and people in between but there are also factions. People do not exist in a vacuum. The 'other' probably have reasons we haven't seen but all of the human factions have things that make them tick. There are good Lannisters and bad (or at least stupid) Starks. Shades of gray exist, but there is a REASON for each of them, even if that reason is that some one has slacked off and they just don't care any more.
Apply the bell curve to any species or society...if you can, apply multiple bell curves. You can adjust the middle...for example, elves may AS A WHOLE, be weaker and more cowardly than humans, but there is still a variety within them. Failure to have this makes that part of the world as dead as a downtown city block with no people in it.
Whoa - Heavy, Man!
[Written for Write Club ATL's 'Heavy' Writing Prompt.]
When you can take a loaf of wonderbread and condense it with both hands to the thickness of an Ipad 3, you must ask yourself of the value of fluff. Weight, Heft, Heaviness, Substance, these are the things that give meaning to our lives. It is not to say that the opposite does not have its place. Sane individuals do not exist in binary universes where it is either black or white, dark or bright etc. You cannot have one without the other, but the argument is there to be had on how MUCH there should be of either.
And I for one, am tired of popcorn in our society. Reality Television has no reality to it whatsoever. It is mindless, scripted entertainment that doesn’t really have a script and only kind of entertains. Art should be about elevation rather than degradation to the lowest common denominator.
There are times to be light, let go, stop caring, but the best parties are built around the moments where you have real meaning, real substance to your life. What is that? Everyone has their own path to meaning…their own path to substance. And too much substance can kill.
“Hey Babe, what’s your sign?”
“Did you know that there are children starving in Africa?”
This is not a good way to get fucked. In fact, it can be a really good way to make a happening party slowly die as it crawls up in the paper bag of awkwardness. Too much heaviness makes the weight of the world crush down on your shoulders, towering heights of impossible devotion and death to which you seek to escape at any price. You would spork anyone in the eye, any time, any place, any how! The phrase that says Duty can be a mountain isn’t kidding and that mountain sucks when it hits you in the gut.
But….
BUT…
Have you ever seen that look in someone’s eyes, when they’re lost? Even the most supposedly irresponsible person has it, even when they’re masters of hiding it. This is not a case of not taking themselves too seriously, but a chronic understanding that they want some meaning to their lives and have a thorough understanding that they don’t have it.
Meaning, of course, must be earned. We define it ourselves and can validate it in those around us. Every life is unique, just as every story is unique. The Mythic Imagination Institute’s motto is, “Every Life is a Story, and a Story can change the world.”
That’s some pretty heavy shit right there. And it is easy enough to ignore it.
But…
BUT…
You can run away, but really? You can’t succeed at running away from yourself. “Wherever you go, there you are,” said Yogi Berra and he was right.
The light makes the heavy bearable. It lets you forget about your troubles for a while. But the heavy? The heavy is there when you’ve partied all weekend and you know that job saving orphan seals in the Himilayas is waiting for you and that it was all totally worth it man as your life flashes before your eyes just moments before you are hit by that truck full of monkeys.
Without Heavy, or even just the search for it, there will always be that lingering doubt in your mind of, “you didn’t even try!”
Now, to be fair, this guy sounds dangerously close to the asshole who says, “You didn’t matter. You didn’t amount to anything.”
Voice #1 is your inner light helping you to seek your path. Your destiny. Your true self. If you ignore her there is a part of you that will always hunger. You do not have to find what you seek, but you MUST Seek, for in seeking, you Find. Metaphorical enough for you? Well…that’s the nature of the beast. Heavy is HEAVY for a reason after all.
Voice #2 on the other hand is nothing. It’s an illusion and vapor created by the shadow in your own mind of what you think you should have been, largely built on expectations. When you learn to listen to the unseen world, the difference between Voice #1 and Voice #2 could not be more contrasted. But it’s a learned skill.
In sunlight, they both sound awfully much the same, but in the stars and under the moon and the dancing flocks of birds at sunset, you know, you know man that there is something there.
“Hey babe, what’s your sign?”
“It depends on the context of the question.”
“Right. Good point.”
“Let’s go Fuck somewhere. I feel my destiny has been fulfilled.”
“Me too!”
When you can take a loaf of wonderbread and condense it with both hands to the thickness of an Ipad 3, you must ask yourself of the value of fluff. Weight, Heft, Heaviness, Substance, these are the things that give meaning to our lives. It is not to say that the opposite does not have its place. Sane individuals do not exist in binary universes where it is either black or white, dark or bright etc. You cannot have one without the other, but the argument is there to be had on how MUCH there should be of either.
And I for one, am tired of popcorn in our society. Reality Television has no reality to it whatsoever. It is mindless, scripted entertainment that doesn’t really have a script and only kind of entertains. Art should be about elevation rather than degradation to the lowest common denominator.
There are times to be light, let go, stop caring, but the best parties are built around the moments where you have real meaning, real substance to your life. What is that? Everyone has their own path to meaning…their own path to substance. And too much substance can kill.
“Hey Babe, what’s your sign?”
“Did you know that there are children starving in Africa?”
This is not a good way to get fucked. In fact, it can be a really good way to make a happening party slowly die as it crawls up in the paper bag of awkwardness. Too much heaviness makes the weight of the world crush down on your shoulders, towering heights of impossible devotion and death to which you seek to escape at any price. You would spork anyone in the eye, any time, any place, any how! The phrase that says Duty can be a mountain isn’t kidding and that mountain sucks when it hits you in the gut.
But….
BUT…
Have you ever seen that look in someone’s eyes, when they’re lost? Even the most supposedly irresponsible person has it, even when they’re masters of hiding it. This is not a case of not taking themselves too seriously, but a chronic understanding that they want some meaning to their lives and have a thorough understanding that they don’t have it.
Meaning, of course, must be earned. We define it ourselves and can validate it in those around us. Every life is unique, just as every story is unique. The Mythic Imagination Institute’s motto is, “Every Life is a Story, and a Story can change the world.”
That’s some pretty heavy shit right there. And it is easy enough to ignore it.
But…
BUT…
You can run away, but really? You can’t succeed at running away from yourself. “Wherever you go, there you are,” said Yogi Berra and he was right.
The light makes the heavy bearable. It lets you forget about your troubles for a while. But the heavy? The heavy is there when you’ve partied all weekend and you know that job saving orphan seals in the Himilayas is waiting for you and that it was all totally worth it man as your life flashes before your eyes just moments before you are hit by that truck full of monkeys.
Without Heavy, or even just the search for it, there will always be that lingering doubt in your mind of, “you didn’t even try!”
Now, to be fair, this guy sounds dangerously close to the asshole who says, “You didn’t matter. You didn’t amount to anything.”
Voice #1 is your inner light helping you to seek your path. Your destiny. Your true self. If you ignore her there is a part of you that will always hunger. You do not have to find what you seek, but you MUST Seek, for in seeking, you Find. Metaphorical enough for you? Well…that’s the nature of the beast. Heavy is HEAVY for a reason after all.
Voice #2 on the other hand is nothing. It’s an illusion and vapor created by the shadow in your own mind of what you think you should have been, largely built on expectations. When you learn to listen to the unseen world, the difference between Voice #1 and Voice #2 could not be more contrasted. But it’s a learned skill.
In sunlight, they both sound awfully much the same, but in the stars and under the moon and the dancing flocks of birds at sunset, you know, you know man that there is something there.
“Hey babe, what’s your sign?”
“It depends on the context of the question.”
“Right. Good point.”
“Let’s go Fuck somewhere. I feel my destiny has been fulfilled.”
“Me too!”
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Have Started Part 2 of FW
And so far, it is coming out pretty dark. I had known, in my originally planned arc, that this part of the novel would be the darkest...our heroes at their direst position, but....well...to say that it has gone a bit mariana's trench is an understatement...
But the uprise will be all the more dramatic as a result....there is a part of me that wants to defy normal convention and either do a gradual rise or simply maybe consider having them all die...after all, if every story ended happily, there would be no suspense...still, I'm trying to do something more identifiable by folks...
Which fortunately still allows me to kill some or all of them...
My I guess I am evil about my characters after all....
But the uprise will be all the more dramatic as a result....there is a part of me that wants to defy normal convention and either do a gradual rise or simply maybe consider having them all die...after all, if every story ended happily, there would be no suspense...still, I'm trying to do something more identifiable by folks...
Which fortunately still allows me to kill some or all of them...
My I guess I am evil about my characters after all....
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Forever Editing
So I've done the first edit pass on the first half of Forever west. I've sent it to Mom and Skip and a friend of mine. I'm going to be restarting the podcast in March but recording it in Feb all at once so I don't have to care about the numbers of subscribers.
For the all none of you who follow this blog on a regular basis if you see this in the next week or two, email or message me and I'll send you the first half as well. Feedback is always welcome.
I admit, there is still a LOT of work to do but I like how this is shaping up so far. :D
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
A Poll to the the audience: Leauge of Christmas Darkness
I am looking to write 12 poems about the League of Christmas Darkness. Your input would be appreciated.
There are 8 open slots. Four have already been filled by:
*The Elf Shelf Defenestrator (name to be fixed)
*The Matches made from the Wood o...f the World Tree used by the Little Match Girl
*Ooala the Zombie, who had the flesh from his back forged into a drum used by the Little Drummer Boy and was reanimated the Night Of.
*Krampus (it would be like having the Legion of Doom without Luthor)
Potential Candidates include
1) The ghost donkey that took the holy couple to the nativity, imbued with bitter vengeance after it was glueified by Herod in retaliation.
2) The magician who's hat was stole by Frosty.
3) The Mangler who is responsible for Tiny Tim's Leg
4) Mr Industry, the corporate villain in half the christmas movies ever made who wants to militarize or sell Christmas
5) Mr Potter - Nemesis of George Bailey
6) The Evil Hobo - Nemesis of Children on the Polar Express
7) Bully the Reindeer - The one who led the other reindeer to cull the weak from the heard (he also ran over Grandma)
8) The Snow Queen - (probably an amalgam of the Snow Queen and the White Witch)
9) Hans (or rather someone like him) from Die Hard
10) The Star itself (a sentient star of Death, inspired by "The Star" by Arthur C. Clarke)
11) A cracked and insane Charlie Brown (or rather someone like him) after the Christmas Special
12) Lord Voldemorte (or rather someone like him) (since there were christmas elements in most of the books)
13) The Rat King from the Nut Cracker
14) Darth Vader (or rather someone like him) (A Star Wars Christmas Special)
15) Most any Doctor Who Villain (or rather someone like them)
Any proprietary villain will of course have the serial numbers filed off before Poetized.
Your input and/or help is appreciated.
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