So Thought Bubble came and went, and I'm left wondering how in the hell I got through it all in one piece. On Saturday night there was some measure of alcoholic beverages which were partaken of at a party in a big round room, and thus I spend most of Sunday desperately trying to hold myself upright. I'm too old for such excess these days.
That being said, it was a phenomenal weekend. Highlights included: Finally meeting Cy Dethan after missing him at the last few shows and picking his not-inconsiderable brains for advice about pitching to publishers; listening to Jon Lock and Lucy's bizarre and hilarious idea for a time travel story that had me in stitches; and dancing Gangnam Style with Karen Rubins for as long as our enthusiasm could maintain (which admittedly wasn't very long.)
Big thanks to everyone for making the experience so great, especially on a Sunday that could very easily have just become a nausea-fuelled blur. I really wasn't very well at all.
Mostly, it was fun to catch up with folks, see their new projects and pick up a few copies while my cash lasted. They know who they are, and the list is long, so I won't name names. Needless to say if you read this and a small part of you goes "D'aww," I mean you. Hugs all round.
I came away from Leeds exhausted, but inspired to throw myself back into my writing at a time when I have admittedly become a bit lazy and lethargic about the whole thing. I've made a list of things to do over the coming months, and although Christmas is looming there is no need for me to check it twice. Everything on it needs to be done, and so I have some goals which I just have to spin into a schedule of activity and on I go.
Happy times.
Darren Ellis writes, except when he doesn't.
When he doesn't he's more than likely doing something sedentary and fun, like playing video games or reading a book. Or procrastinating over what he's supposed to be writing.
Oh yes. He does that last one quite a bit.
Monday 19 November 2012
Tuesday 30 October 2012
Dead Roots - The launch
Just leaving this here for folks to see:
Imminent zombie outbreak! I only received the news myself this evening so this is very much hot off the presses. Indeed, awooga awooga.
Just in time for the scary season. That was curiously well timed, wasn't it? One might almost think ...that it was planned...
(I am stroking my beard and arching an eyebrow now, in an attempt to look enigmatic and knowing. It loses much in the translation to a blog post, but I feel it important to convey the information. Perhaps if feedback indicates that it's necessary I will, at a later date, upload a photo of said beard stroking and eyebrow arching for your continued reference.)
Sunday 9 September 2012
Relatively dull update.
Work continues at a gentle pace. Telling a story with just words is very hard after so long of basically describing pictures and having other people do the storytelling. Fun though. I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now.
Basically, I'm looking at a schedule of a chapter a week. If I can stick to that, by the end of the year I'll have another sixteen chapters done. I'm expecting some will be shorter than others, so maybe more than sixteen. Hopefully that'll be a full book. Draft 1, of course, but just in time to meet the deadline. I can spend next year on, you know, making it good.
In other news, I had a Calippo today. It was nice.
Sunday 2 September 2012
Blimey...
So, August went by quite fast, didn't it? I don't know if it's got anything to do with my computer woes keeping me away from internetty things or what, but it feels like I blinked and I missed an entire month. I do not like it when things like that happen. No blog entries for a month? Tsk, tsk, Darren, you should feel shame for being so naughty.
So then, with four months left of the year, I find myself with an insurmountable obstacle in front of me - to write a novel in that time. It's not going to happen, is it? Still, I shall endeavor to get as much of it done as possible. If I set myself the goal of at least one chapter every week, I can get the best part of the first draft finished by Christmas. Hell, If I'm lucky I might manage to get the whole thing done. If that happens, it's getting entered into the Pratchett competition, even if it's in the form of a ragged-around-the-edges first draft. It'll stand about as much chance of winning as monkeyscribbles in crayon and poo have of winning the Turner Prize, but the important thing is that I'm writing prose again. Maybe that means that sometime during the first half of next year I can call it done and start pitching it.
Which is where I'm rubbish, I have realized. Good at writing, terrible at selling scripts to folks. I seriously need to work on that aspect. I''m not looking forward to having to do that, I can tell you.
On the writing side, things are happening again. Hudson Falls is getting done, slowly, although it'll pick up speed soon enough. The Dead Roots anthology from Mike Garley has begun the countdown to wising fwom its gwabe, and I'm awaiting with baited breath for an imminent update regarding my contribution on that. There's no news on the Murder, Malice & Teeth or Bayou Arcana fronts as yet, although with the winter season of comic book events about to begin shortly, I'm sure there will be things to report in the weeks and months to come.
Oh, and there's also something going on with Harrowing of Hell, but Jack is handling that and it's all very hush hush. So shhhh. You ain't seen me, right?
Anyway, I must get back to Hudson Falls. It's not going to write itself.
So then, with four months left of the year, I find myself with an insurmountable obstacle in front of me - to write a novel in that time. It's not going to happen, is it? Still, I shall endeavor to get as much of it done as possible. If I set myself the goal of at least one chapter every week, I can get the best part of the first draft finished by Christmas. Hell, If I'm lucky I might manage to get the whole thing done. If that happens, it's getting entered into the Pratchett competition, even if it's in the form of a ragged-around-the-edges first draft. It'll stand about as much chance of winning as monkeyscribbles in crayon and poo have of winning the Turner Prize, but the important thing is that I'm writing prose again. Maybe that means that sometime during the first half of next year I can call it done and start pitching it.
Which is where I'm rubbish, I have realized. Good at writing, terrible at selling scripts to folks. I seriously need to work on that aspect. I''m not looking forward to having to do that, I can tell you.
On the writing side, things are happening again. Hudson Falls is getting done, slowly, although it'll pick up speed soon enough. The Dead Roots anthology from Mike Garley has begun the countdown to wising fwom its gwabe, and I'm awaiting with baited breath for an imminent update regarding my contribution on that. There's no news on the Murder, Malice & Teeth or Bayou Arcana fronts as yet, although with the winter season of comic book events about to begin shortly, I'm sure there will be things to report in the weeks and months to come.
Oh, and there's also something going on with Harrowing of Hell, but Jack is handling that and it's all very hush hush. So shhhh. You ain't seen me, right?
Anyway, I must get back to Hudson Falls. It's not going to write itself.
Sunday 29 July 2012
Of Couse I'll Wonder
It's been of a bit of a mad week, truth be told, and not for writerly reasons. However, for those non-writerly reasons I unfortunately have nothing new to report. Curses.
One thing I did do was watch the Olympic "Isles of Wonder" opening ceremony. That was interesting. I was a bit pissed when I did, so at the time just let the noise wash over me and assumed that it'd probably make sense later. Then I watched it again and realised: Oh, no. It genuinely was that odd. Liked it, though.
Which is strange because I don't think I was supposed to. It'd be easy to be very cynical about it. It gave the cynic a lot of ammunition with which to be cynical - it was cloying, twee and occasionally a bit smug. But that's the point of Olympic opening ceremonies and criticising them for that reason is like slagging off the sea because you went for a swim in it and got your hair wet.
An Olympic ceremony basically broadcasts a nation's self-image to the world, and what Danny Boyle chose to broadcast was garish, eclectic and just a little unfathomable. So job's a good 'un, then. God help the overseas commentators trying to explain some of that to their home audiences.
The Industrial Revolution section was the highlight. Mostly because it played out like a live production of The Scouring of The Shire. Kenneth Brannagh's sideburns were a happy bonus.
But there was a disappointing lack of Iron Maiden. Gutted.
One thing I did do was watch the Olympic "Isles of Wonder" opening ceremony. That was interesting. I was a bit pissed when I did, so at the time just let the noise wash over me and assumed that it'd probably make sense later. Then I watched it again and realised: Oh, no. It genuinely was that odd. Liked it, though.
Which is strange because I don't think I was supposed to. It'd be easy to be very cynical about it. It gave the cynic a lot of ammunition with which to be cynical - it was cloying, twee and occasionally a bit smug. But that's the point of Olympic opening ceremonies and criticising them for that reason is like slagging off the sea because you went for a swim in it and got your hair wet.
An Olympic ceremony basically broadcasts a nation's self-image to the world, and what Danny Boyle chose to broadcast was garish, eclectic and just a little unfathomable. So job's a good 'un, then. God help the overseas commentators trying to explain some of that to their home audiences.
The Industrial Revolution section was the highlight. Mostly because it played out like a live production of The Scouring of The Shire. Kenneth Brannagh's sideburns were a happy bonus.
But there was a disappointing lack of Iron Maiden. Gutted.
Sunday 22 July 2012
You don't frighten me, sunshine.
It seems I'm suffering a crisis of confidence of some sort. After several years of writing nothing but comics, my ability to write simple prose has taken a bit of a hit. Doing it is also giving me the fear.
I was not expecting to be so nervous about doing this. Methings there will be much agonising over details in the weeks and months to come. I also can't help but feel it might be silly of me to bomb straight into writing a whole book without first warming up on something shorter and easier. That would be the sensible option.
But screw it, where's the fun in being sensible
So it's a novel and it currently feels quite intimidating, and what I have written so far is bloody awful. Bring it on, bitch. I will soon be eating through your pages like a mad thing.
I was not expecting to be so nervous about doing this. Methings there will be much agonising over details in the weeks and months to come. I also can't help but feel it might be silly of me to bomb straight into writing a whole book without first warming up on something shorter and easier. That would be the sensible option.
But screw it, where's the fun in being sensible
So it's a novel and it currently feels quite intimidating, and what I have written so far is bloody awful. Bring it on, bitch. I will soon be eating through your pages like a mad thing.
Sunday 15 July 2012
Hudson Rises.
My computer appears to be briefly behaving itself, so last night I
spent a little time writing Hudson Falls - as a novel. It was just an
experiment to see it it'd work more than anything, and as it turns out
it feels pretty natural and I think I might give it a try.
I'm playing a little with a semi-epistolary form, staggering newspaper stories and press articles in between chapters, and it seems to give the story a bit of extra body. I've not written much of it so far so there's no major changes to report, but I'm already tinkering with the idea of ramping up the fantasy quotient and having a denouement that resolves the story in a more unreal, anthropomorphic way.
It'll be a while yet before I can get back into it properly, but when I do I think I shall be having a real go at this novel thing. Hell, if it doesn't work out, I can always re-convert it to a comic book. In any case it felt good to be writing again, although I'm woefully out of practice writing prose after so long concentrating on comics.
I'm playing a little with a semi-epistolary form, staggering newspaper stories and press articles in between chapters, and it seems to give the story a bit of extra body. I've not written much of it so far so there's no major changes to report, but I'm already tinkering with the idea of ramping up the fantasy quotient and having a denouement that resolves the story in a more unreal, anthropomorphic way.
It'll be a while yet before I can get back into it properly, but when I do I think I shall be having a real go at this novel thing. Hell, if it doesn't work out, I can always re-convert it to a comic book. In any case it felt good to be writing again, although I'm woefully out of practice writing prose after so long concentrating on comics.
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Stupid technology...
It seems my break from writing is becoming even longer than anticipated. Unforeseen problems with my email account and general PC troubles are getting in the way. In short, there are issues with my domain which mean I currently can't send or receive any emails, and my computer appears to be melting, albeit quite slowly.
I'm sorting everything out gradually, but apart from the odd foray that I can steal while my PC is working, or on someone else's rig, radio silence is to be maintained for a little longer.
Frightfully sorry, old beans. I know you must miss me so.
I'm sorting everything out gradually, but apart from the odd foray that I can steal while my PC is working, or on someone else's rig, radio silence is to be maintained for a little longer.
Frightfully sorry, old beans. I know you must miss me so.
Sunday 24 June 2012
Hell is Harrowing.
Just thought I'd put this up here - collaborator, co-conspirator and all round good egg Jack Tempest has posted to the great wide internets part 1 of "Harrowing of Hell," our submission to Clint for their new character initiative. Cheers to Jack for tweeting me the link.
The story would continue beyond this should it get picked up. Thought it might be of interest for some of you guys to read some material from my not-yet-published pile. Have a looksee. You might enjoy.
The story would continue beyond this should it get picked up. Thought it might be of interest for some of you guys to read some material from my not-yet-published pile. Have a looksee. You might enjoy.
Wednesday 20 June 2012
Rewrites are hard sometimes.
Started the process on Hudson Falls tonight, and it's already apparent that it's going to be a bigger job than I originally thought, or maybe hoped. A lot of it is quite weak, to be honest. My lead is inconsistent in characters and fairly unappealing, some of the supporting cast are a bit thin and thematically it needs to be retooled.
I sat down and worked out a new structure, just roughly for now, but I'll be expertly moulding it into a compelling narrative over the coming days and weeks. A lot of the scenes work when taken individually, but don't really fit together very well, and certainly not in the order in which they currently occur. There's going to be a lot of rejigging of the chronology to make it a bit firmer and more focused. There's now a steady acceleration of urgency in the events until they reach the climax, which is quite different to the original. A bit more open ended and a bit less trite.
All in all, From the feel of the new outline the end result is going to be less sluggish altogether and more of a thriller than an outright drama.
One interesting thing - I'm not 100% convinced it's a comic book any more. Part of me is saying it might work even better as a novel, but that's probably just me getting ahead of myself. Needless to say, I'll be writing it as a comic book first and will see how it comes out.
I sat down and worked out a new structure, just roughly for now, but I'll be expertly moulding it into a compelling narrative over the coming days and weeks. A lot of the scenes work when taken individually, but don't really fit together very well, and certainly not in the order in which they currently occur. There's going to be a lot of rejigging of the chronology to make it a bit firmer and more focused. There's now a steady acceleration of urgency in the events until they reach the climax, which is quite different to the original. A bit more open ended and a bit less trite.
All in all, From the feel of the new outline the end result is going to be less sluggish altogether and more of a thriller than an outright drama.
One interesting thing - I'm not 100% convinced it's a comic book any more. Part of me is saying it might work even better as a novel, but that's probably just me getting ahead of myself. Needless to say, I'll be writing it as a comic book first and will see how it comes out.
Monday 18 June 2012
Ahh, silence.
My computer has stopped making funny noises for the time being. You can all relax, I'm still here for now.
As I was saying, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when reporting on my progress with Hudson Falls. I guess I'll just bomb into the rewrite and do what seems best at the time.
As I was saying, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when reporting on my progress with Hudson Falls. I guess I'll just bomb into the rewrite and do what seems best at the time.
The storming of the brains.
I was thinking today about what to do about my blog posts as I rewrite Hudson Falls. I tried to be a bit more in-depth with the reports of the writing process of Murder Malice & Teeth, but I kind of don't want to do the same thing again. Pretty sure there's only so many ways I can write about how difficult the writing process can be before it starts to sound a bit self-indulgent and whiny.
I was toying with the idea of writing blog entries in character as the protagonist of Hudson Falls, chronicling the events of the story as I write them. "The Secret Diary of Eric Hudson, aged 28 & 3/4" sort of thing. It seemed nicely meta, and I figured it'd be a good idea to get my hand in with prose again before I slog into that elusive novel I keep mentioning.
I dunno. My brain kind of feels like it's stuck in neutral at the moment.
Erk, hang on, my PC has just started making weird noises. I think that means it's time to put it to bed for the night. Will have to cut this week's entry a bit short.
I was toying with the idea of writing blog entries in character as the protagonist of Hudson Falls, chronicling the events of the story as I write them. "The Secret Diary of Eric Hudson, aged 28 & 3/4" sort of thing. It seemed nicely meta, and I figured it'd be a good idea to get my hand in with prose again before I slog into that elusive novel I keep mentioning.
I dunno. My brain kind of feels like it's stuck in neutral at the moment.
Erk, hang on, my PC has just started making weird noises. I think that means it's time to put it to bed for the night. Will have to cut this week's entry a bit short.
Sunday 10 June 2012
Back to The Front
So, then. A blog entry. Finally. As you might have guessed, I've had a couple of weeks off from all things writery. This has not been deliberate.
Well, I say that, but at least the first week was on purpose. I wanted to take a step back from everything after Kapow and just ponder things for a bit while I planned ahead. Through my natural laziness that one week became three. Oops.
On the plus side, I watched a lot of Jackie Chan movies and played a fair bit of Star Wars: The Old Republic. So it's not like I sat there doing nothing.
So to catch up, Kapow was - as you probably all know by now - awesome. The weekend went by in a bit of a blur in hindsight, but the running highlights included hanging out with that lovely Bayou Arcana lot, sitting in baffled silence on our panel while other people talked, and meeting Glenn Fabry. That last one was a bit of a shock. I was genuinely starstruck and lost for words when he handed me his work-in-progress and asked me what I thought. I managed to hastily cobble together some comments that possibly made sense, but there's an equal chance that they were gibberish. I shall have to make more of an effort to not react that way when people I admire and respect ask me things.
It was great to see all those I saw. Overeager puppydog wavings go out to all, including Jon Lock, Corey Brotherson, Yomi Ayeni, Lynsey Hutchinson, Dan Hartwell, Karen Rubins and of course Jimmy Pearson for making Bayou Arcana happen. If I missed anyone out, next time I see you I will make it up to you by picking you up in a warm embrace and shaking you until you go limp.
I won't dwell any more on Kapow, because everyone is probably sick of hearing about it at this stage. I will instead look ahead, to that vast horizon that beckons from the other side of my keyboard, where magnificent stories unfold and I make big bags of cash. To that end, I'm once again postponing the novel I was supposed to start in April to get another comic book project going.
I know, I know. At this rate I'll never start that book. But this comic project is hopefully not going to be an enormous undertaking. It's a rewrite and possible retooling of Hudson Falls, my project from last year, which I will be aiming at a new publisher. Nothing definitive yet, as I wasn't able to pitch it to the publisher at Kapow, but I remain optimistic about its chances. There's no artist attached to it yet so once the new version of the script is properly underway I shall be going on a bit of a talent search.
Well, I say that, but at least the first week was on purpose. I wanted to take a step back from everything after Kapow and just ponder things for a bit while I planned ahead. Through my natural laziness that one week became three. Oops.
On the plus side, I watched a lot of Jackie Chan movies and played a fair bit of Star Wars: The Old Republic. So it's not like I sat there doing nothing.
So to catch up, Kapow was - as you probably all know by now - awesome. The weekend went by in a bit of a blur in hindsight, but the running highlights included hanging out with that lovely Bayou Arcana lot, sitting in baffled silence on our panel while other people talked, and meeting Glenn Fabry. That last one was a bit of a shock. I was genuinely starstruck and lost for words when he handed me his work-in-progress and asked me what I thought. I managed to hastily cobble together some comments that possibly made sense, but there's an equal chance that they were gibberish. I shall have to make more of an effort to not react that way when people I admire and respect ask me things.
It was great to see all those I saw. Overeager puppydog wavings go out to all, including Jon Lock, Corey Brotherson, Yomi Ayeni, Lynsey Hutchinson, Dan Hartwell, Karen Rubins and of course Jimmy Pearson for making Bayou Arcana happen. If I missed anyone out, next time I see you I will make it up to you by picking you up in a warm embrace and shaking you until you go limp.
I won't dwell any more on Kapow, because everyone is probably sick of hearing about it at this stage. I will instead look ahead, to that vast horizon that beckons from the other side of my keyboard, where magnificent stories unfold and I make big bags of cash. To that end, I'm once again postponing the novel I was supposed to start in April to get another comic book project going.
I know, I know. At this rate I'll never start that book. But this comic project is hopefully not going to be an enormous undertaking. It's a rewrite and possible retooling of Hudson Falls, my project from last year, which I will be aiming at a new publisher. Nothing definitive yet, as I wasn't able to pitch it to the publisher at Kapow, but I remain optimistic about its chances. There's no artist attached to it yet so once the new version of the script is properly underway I shall be going on a bit of a talent search.
Sunday 13 May 2012
Bristol Comics and Swampy Frolics, part 2
Part 1.
Once the Bayou Arcana event itself began, things picked up. Harry Markos was obviously incredibly busy, keeping everything running smoothly, but he still made time to talk to everyone and I had a brief chat with him and Roland before the panel began.
There were a lot of the creators there, as you can expect, and I doubted they'd need any more people up there this time. So I stayed in the crowd for the talk. This time. I'm on the Kapow panel next weekend, and I thought that would be sufficient for someone like me, who is a bit introverted and unaccustomed to public speaking. I failed to hide myself entirely however, as Jimmy was kind enough to point me out to everyone.
And of course, then there were the signings, which were all kinds of awesome. The regrets of not seeing all the people I wanted to see melted away and I just enjoyed being there with other creators and signing our comic book. Made me feel like a proper writer, especially the bit shortly before the event when Harry came round with a bunch of the hardcovers for us to sign to be sold as limited editions. I definitely want more of that, thank you very much.
So, all in all, the launch event was great. Loved every second of it, and got to meet lots of new people and introduce myself to Harry. Any downsides to the weekend about not getting opportunity to talk to people due to the relative brevity of my stay will, I'm determined, be resolved and sorted at Kapow, which I will be at for more than a measly half a day. I will be able to drink in the evening for a start, which will be a new and novel experience and I genuinely hope I don't make a tit of myself by getting pissed and throwing up on somebody's shoes.
So, on the itinerary for next weekend is a panel and any attached subsequent events and more chatting and networking with chums old and new. It's going to be a busy one, but if it's anything like as good as Bristol, it's going to be a corking show.
Once the Bayou Arcana event itself began, things picked up. Harry Markos was obviously incredibly busy, keeping everything running smoothly, but he still made time to talk to everyone and I had a brief chat with him and Roland before the panel began.
There were a lot of the creators there, as you can expect, and I doubted they'd need any more people up there this time. So I stayed in the crowd for the talk. This time. I'm on the Kapow panel next weekend, and I thought that would be sufficient for someone like me, who is a bit introverted and unaccustomed to public speaking. I failed to hide myself entirely however, as Jimmy was kind enough to point me out to everyone.
So, on the itinerary for next weekend is a panel and any attached subsequent events and more chatting and networking with chums old and new. It's going to be a busy one, but if it's anything like as good as Bristol, it's going to be a corking show.
Bristol Comics and Swampy Frolics
It's Sunday afternoon, and the Bristol comics show is still going on, but as I was part of the Saturday-only crowd, I had a nice long lie in this morning and an opportunity to reflect on the events a bit sooner than most people. The main news is that Bayou Arcana has now launched, and it appears to have been quite a successful one. If you were unable to pick up a copy at the show I'd suggest that you pick up a copy on Amazon or through Markosia's own website, because it has come together as a complete book very well. Even better than anyone had hoped, in fact.
My mate and graphic designer-type person Chris Jones was generous enough to give me a lift to and from the event. He can be thanked for the photos from the day, by the way. Chris isn't a comic nerd by any stretch of the imagination, and it was his first comics show, but he was enthusiastic about going and I wasn't about to turn my nose up at an opportunity to avoid a four and a half hour long train journey twice in one day. Twice in one day it would have been, too, because I haven't yet got the hang of spending entire weekends at comic shows. Bristol taught me I have to get out of that habit at least.
So, the day began rather early and rather peculiarly - counting
the corpses of animals exploded by cars as we drove past them along winding country roads. We'd been on the road nearly two hours before we hit the first motorway, so as you can imagine, we saw a lot of dead badgers. It was just before 11 when we finally found ourselves at the venue, and I had time for one quick circuit of the hall itself before the busy time began. I stopped by Jon Lock's table, where he was flogging copies of his book Afterlife, Inc, a copy of which I spectacularly failed to pick up due to the almost total absence of nearby cash machines. I shall purchase one soon, Jon, I promise.
Shortly afterwards I met up with Jimmy Pearson, editor and boss of the Bayou Arcana group and my good chums Roland and Caz, and we collectively moseyed on over to the Ramada for the Markosia afternoon. Once the event got started I quickly realised how full the day would be, and I felt slightly regretful that my all too brief time in the hall in the morning was all the time I'd be able to spend there. As a result, I only had time for a quick chat with Jon and the folks on the neighbouring table, and completely missed out on looking for some of the people I had hoped to catch up with. Mostly I'd hoped to see Mike Garley and Jack Tempest again, so if you were there sorry I missed you, guys. Hopefully I'll run into you at Kapow next weekend.
And the Markosia event began. And it was super. After helping to set up the Bayou Arcana table (I use the term 'helping' rather loosely, for I am a klutz and a lummox) there was a chance to meet and chat with some of the other contributors to the book, who I've never had any contact with before outside of Facebook. It was the first time that many of us had met face to face, and I think everyone especially appreciated the effort that Patricia Echavarri-Riego had gone to, flying over from Mexico for the show.
Bayou Arcana wasn't the only book Markosia launched, and the other books seemed to be of an equally high standard. I especially liked the look of White Knuckle, by Cy Dethan and Valia Kapadai. I had the privilege to meet Valia and look through the stunning artwork in her portfolio, which was something to behold. Needless to say, White Knuckle is a breathtakingly gorgeous book. You should buy it and shower Cy and Valia with praise and money.
Cy, however, went on the list of people I regrettably didn't get a chance to meet. I wanted to, as he raised some very good points during his panel and I wanted to pick his brains a little for advice regarding pitching to publishers. But as the day wore on there were fewer and fewer opportunities for a one-day wonder like me to get things done and talk to folks. Hopefully Cy will also be at Kapow, so I can shake him firmly by the hand all manly like and mine his brains for the informations.
When I eventually got home and began reflecting on the day, I realised that I'm going to have to start spending entire weekends at these events in the future if I want to accomplish all I want to in the time allowed. I think it's a blessing in disguise that I'm having to do so for Kapow. Maybe there I'll get the things done that I failed to at Bristol.
Anyway, to be continued...
My mate and graphic designer-type person Chris Jones was generous enough to give me a lift to and from the event. He can be thanked for the photos from the day, by the way. Chris isn't a comic nerd by any stretch of the imagination, and it was his first comics show, but he was enthusiastic about going and I wasn't about to turn my nose up at an opportunity to avoid a four and a half hour long train journey twice in one day. Twice in one day it would have been, too, because I haven't yet got the hang of spending entire weekends at comic shows. Bristol taught me I have to get out of that habit at least.
Shortly afterwards I met up with Jimmy Pearson, editor and boss of the Bayou Arcana group and my good chums Roland and Caz, and we collectively moseyed on over to the Ramada for the Markosia afternoon. Once the event got started I quickly realised how full the day would be, and I felt slightly regretful that my all too brief time in the hall in the morning was all the time I'd be able to spend there. As a result, I only had time for a quick chat with Jon and the folks on the neighbouring table, and completely missed out on looking for some of the people I had hoped to catch up with. Mostly I'd hoped to see Mike Garley and Jack Tempest again, so if you were there sorry I missed you, guys. Hopefully I'll run into you at Kapow next weekend.
Bayou Arcana wasn't the only book Markosia launched, and the other books seemed to be of an equally high standard. I especially liked the look of White Knuckle, by Cy Dethan and Valia Kapadai. I had the privilege to meet Valia and look through the stunning artwork in her portfolio, which was something to behold. Needless to say, White Knuckle is a breathtakingly gorgeous book. You should buy it and shower Cy and Valia with praise and money.
Cy, however, went on the list of people I regrettably didn't get a chance to meet. I wanted to, as he raised some very good points during his panel and I wanted to pick his brains a little for advice regarding pitching to publishers. But as the day wore on there were fewer and fewer opportunities for a one-day wonder like me to get things done and talk to folks. Hopefully Cy will also be at Kapow, so I can shake him firmly by the hand all manly like and mine his brains for the informations.
When I eventually got home and began reflecting on the day, I realised that I'm going to have to start spending entire weekends at these events in the future if I want to accomplish all I want to in the time allowed. I think it's a blessing in disguise that I'm having to do so for Kapow. Maybe there I'll get the things done that I failed to at Bristol.
Anyway, to be continued...
Monday 7 May 2012
Gearing up
I'll level with you - not very much is going on at the moment. I'm mostly chilling out and gathering together the stuff I'll be taking to the comic shows in Bristol and London over the next two weekends, so not very much progress is being had in other areas.
I should have a better write up next week - I'll have the Bristol show to talk about, at which I'm sure goings on will be going on, so until then I don't have anything to report.
Been getting caught up with a few TV shows I've been meaning to catch up on and get some reading done. This week I finally get through Dorian bloody Grey, I promise myself that. I know it's Wilde, and it's a classic and all, but it's not really my cup of tea. I'm going to get it done, however. Not letting the thing defeat me, no siree.
I should have a better write up next week - I'll have the Bristol show to talk about, at which I'm sure goings on will be going on, so until then I don't have anything to report.
Been getting caught up with a few TV shows I've been meaning to catch up on and get some reading done. This week I finally get through Dorian bloody Grey, I promise myself that. I know it's Wilde, and it's a classic and all, but it's not really my cup of tea. I'm going to get it done, however. Not letting the thing defeat me, no siree.
Monday 30 April 2012
I have no hands!
Or at least it feels that way. My keyboard has died and I'm typing this with the on-screen keyboard, which is slow and rubbish. Must get new one. This will not do...
Monday 23 April 2012
...and a tardy slip for you, Mr. McFly. Four in a row.
Sorry, this blog entry is a day late. I got distracted by all the nothing I was doing this weekend, and forgot to write it. My bad.
So, Murder, Malice & Teeth (or MMT as I will refer to it from now on) is done and done. There were some last minute changes that I had to make, and there were several setbacks along the way, but done is done and I can now sit back and keep my fingers crossed for some good news.
These blog entries have been useful. They basically kept me going just so I'd have something to report each week, so terrified was I of lagging behind and having nothing to report. It wasn't exactly to the schedule I planned - I hoped to have it done by the end of March - but three weeks late isn't bad for a self-imposed deadline. The important thing is that I got it done, and the blog entries helped a lot. Even if they were of interest to nobody else, they at least partially served their purpose.
I think I might do something similar with future works, because if they can provide anything like as much of a kick up the arse for every project, my output will increase tenfold. Which would be nice.
So seeing as my current project is done, I'm taking this week off from all things writerly to catch up on my TV and my gaming. I've got a stack of DVDs and a brand new membership of Netflix to put to good use, and I've redoubled my efforts to fire up some of my lonely, neglected consoles to get through some of my back catalogue of games. First stop is Bayonetta, which I understand is a bit like Devil May Cry, only even more bonkers and pervy.
Which sounds like a fantastic place to spend my evenings before starting preparations to write a children's novel. It's called "Empty" and it's not going to be very nice.
While that's going on, I have a few other things to consider. I've not given up on my collaboration with Jack Tempest that was originally written for Clint, so you may see more of that in the coming months. Plus there are the Bristol and Kapow shows next month, and I'm attending both. Don't forget on Sunday 20th May I'll be on the Independent Comics Panel with a few others of the Bayou Arcana crew, which should have a blog entry in it at the very least. My first appearance at a comics show as a guest and not a punter. Result.
So, Murder, Malice & Teeth (or MMT as I will refer to it from now on) is done and done. There were some last minute changes that I had to make, and there were several setbacks along the way, but done is done and I can now sit back and keep my fingers crossed for some good news.
These blog entries have been useful. They basically kept me going just so I'd have something to report each week, so terrified was I of lagging behind and having nothing to report. It wasn't exactly to the schedule I planned - I hoped to have it done by the end of March - but three weeks late isn't bad for a self-imposed deadline. The important thing is that I got it done, and the blog entries helped a lot. Even if they were of interest to nobody else, they at least partially served their purpose.
I think I might do something similar with future works, because if they can provide anything like as much of a kick up the arse for every project, my output will increase tenfold. Which would be nice.
So seeing as my current project is done, I'm taking this week off from all things writerly to catch up on my TV and my gaming. I've got a stack of DVDs and a brand new membership of Netflix to put to good use, and I've redoubled my efforts to fire up some of my lonely, neglected consoles to get through some of my back catalogue of games. First stop is Bayonetta, which I understand is a bit like Devil May Cry, only even more bonkers and pervy.
Which sounds like a fantastic place to spend my evenings before starting preparations to write a children's novel. It's called "Empty" and it's not going to be very nice.
While that's going on, I have a few other things to consider. I've not given up on my collaboration with Jack Tempest that was originally written for Clint, so you may see more of that in the coming months. Plus there are the Bristol and Kapow shows next month, and I'm attending both. Don't forget on Sunday 20th May I'll be on the Independent Comics Panel with a few others of the Bayou Arcana crew, which should have a blog entry in it at the very least. My first appearance at a comics show as a guest and not a punter. Result.
Friday 20 April 2012
It Is Done.
What the title says. Murder, Malice & Teeth is finished.
I'll give it a proper write-up on Sunday. Right now I'm off for a drink to congratulate myself. Feeling a bit exhausted mentally and need to go numb my thinking parts so they don't hurt no more.
I'll give it a proper write-up on Sunday. Right now I'm off for a drink to congratulate myself. Feeling a bit exhausted mentally and need to go numb my thinking parts so they don't hurt no more.
Sunday 15 April 2012
Murder, Malice and Teeth
Work continues. I now have only one or two things left to do and the script is done. Unfortunately one of those things is to go through the panel descriptions and rewrite them so they actually make sense. On the last rewrite I noticed that some of them don't even make sense to me, and I wrote the damn thing.
That's the task for this week, and barring a few additional things like character profiles and that, it'll be done.
Figured it was time to unveil the title, too - as the subject of this post says, it's now known as "Murder, Malice and Teeth." It sums up the events of the story nicely, I think.
That's the task for this week, and barring a few additional things like character profiles and that, it'll be done.
Figured it was time to unveil the title, too - as the subject of this post says, it's now known as "Murder, Malice and Teeth." It sums up the events of the story nicely, I think.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Whoops.
Had to dive back into draft 3 tonight to perform some emergency surgery on the basic plot. I realised with a start in the middle of the night that my rewrite yesterday had created an enormous plot hole. It meant that the main character had no motivation to do what he did, as he was actually doing pretty alright for himself. Kind of hard to have a roaring rampage of revenge that means anything if there's no reason for the character to feel hard done by.
It's corrected now. I just had to revise the back story and relevant dialogue to make the character a hopeless loser again. All sorted. Phew!
It's corrected now. I just had to revise the back story and relevant dialogue to make the character a hopeless loser again. All sorted. Phew!
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Well, that didn't take long.
Draft 3 sorted - that was a much shorter process than I expected, and just a few little turns and changes to dialogue and individual panels have made all the difference. It's brought some themes out to much greater emphasis, while keeping the shape of the script intact.
It's also given me a potential title! Nothing definite yet, so I'm not quite ready for the reveal. I'll save it for when the script is properly done, which is a way off as I've still got a pretty big job in the form of the final rewrite. I realised when going through it this time that a lot of the panel descriptions need work. The information is all there, but a lot of it is clumsy and cumbersome. It's also riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, so that'll keep me busy for the rest of the week.
Fingers crossed it'll be done and done by Sunday!
But enough for today. I've been so wrapped up in the script tonight that I've only just realised I've completely forgotten to have any dinner. Oops.
It's also given me a potential title! Nothing definite yet, so I'm not quite ready for the reveal. I'll save it for when the script is properly done, which is a way off as I've still got a pretty big job in the form of the final rewrite. I realised when going through it this time that a lot of the panel descriptions need work. The information is all there, but a lot of it is clumsy and cumbersome. It's also riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, so that'll keep me busy for the rest of the week.
Fingers crossed it'll be done and done by Sunday!
But enough for today. I've been so wrapped up in the script tonight that I've only just realised I've completely forgotten to have any dinner. Oops.
Monday 9 April 2012
Second Pass
I did a little tinkering on the script over the weekend when I wasn't lolling around gasping for breath or nursing my aching head. Not a huge amount, as I'm still a bit poorly, but progress of a sort was made. Draft 3 is about a quarter done. Still on schedule to have it done and ready for the final draft next week.
I'm astonished at how well it's starting to come together. When I rewrote a good deal of the opening narration, I stuck to the "every scene must be multi-purpose" system I've spoken of before. In the new draft, by page three you have a good deal of relevant character info on both hero and villain, the hero's motives are alluded to, the past of the characters leading up to that point are touched upon and two of the central themes are raised for the first time. I'm quite pleased that it manages to work as well as it does with all that information included. It doesn't feel cluttered or busy at all.
I just have to apply that to the rest of the script this week and we're nearly done.
I've also, once again, been searching for a new title. I think I'll leave it as it is for now. Maybe one will come to light when the writing is done, but if not "Broken" will suffice. I refuse to agonise over that more than I have done already.
I'm astonished at how well it's starting to come together. When I rewrote a good deal of the opening narration, I stuck to the "every scene must be multi-purpose" system I've spoken of before. In the new draft, by page three you have a good deal of relevant character info on both hero and villain, the hero's motives are alluded to, the past of the characters leading up to that point are touched upon and two of the central themes are raised for the first time. I'm quite pleased that it manages to work as well as it does with all that information included. It doesn't feel cluttered or busy at all.
I just have to apply that to the rest of the script this week and we're nearly done.
I've also, once again, been searching for a new title. I think I'll leave it as it is for now. Maybe one will come to light when the writing is done, but if not "Broken" will suffice. I refuse to agonise over that more than I have done already.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Another Step Forward
Draft 2 of 'Broken' is complete! The 'Chronological Edit' is now done, and all that remains is to reassemble it into the original order and give the dialogue the once over.
This stage of the process was quite educational. I realised a few of the things I'd been doing were a bit redundant. There was a lot of repetition in there, mostly because I lost track of who had said what and when, so I had a few instances where the characters would go over the same material. It's given me a chance to edit that out and replace it with more pertinent character information and exposition. Now I know nothing occurs out of sequence, and everything that's there needs to be there.
I've used the opportunity to further explore some of the themes that underline the story itself, so that the villain's irritating habit of smugly smiling at the hero is given more emphasis. It makes him seem that much more of a patronising arsehole. I also found room to slip in a few references to the idea of wasting your second chances, which heightens the notion that the hero has become so obsessed with the past sins committed against him that he may well have been squandering other opportunities to turn his life around. I'm not sure if I've made enough of it to make the grade, but it's an interesting notion nonetheless and it currently forms the backbone of the ending and gives him a bit more character growth.
There's a few more things to do once I've rebuilt it into its proper shape. Some of the dialogue is a bit unconvincing - my working class squaddie character has a tendency to become a bit sesquipedalian, which is a bit out of character, and I'd like to slang up his dialogue a bit more. There's less work to do with the other characters, but they could probably use a lick and spit, too.
And there it is - quite a productive week so far. Roll on Draft 3!
Still no new title, though...
This stage of the process was quite educational. I realised a few of the things I'd been doing were a bit redundant. There was a lot of repetition in there, mostly because I lost track of who had said what and when, so I had a few instances where the characters would go over the same material. It's given me a chance to edit that out and replace it with more pertinent character information and exposition. Now I know nothing occurs out of sequence, and everything that's there needs to be there.
I've used the opportunity to further explore some of the themes that underline the story itself, so that the villain's irritating habit of smugly smiling at the hero is given more emphasis. It makes him seem that much more of a patronising arsehole. I also found room to slip in a few references to the idea of wasting your second chances, which heightens the notion that the hero has become so obsessed with the past sins committed against him that he may well have been squandering other opportunities to turn his life around. I'm not sure if I've made enough of it to make the grade, but it's an interesting notion nonetheless and it currently forms the backbone of the ending and gives him a bit more character growth.
There's a few more things to do once I've rebuilt it into its proper shape. Some of the dialogue is a bit unconvincing - my working class squaddie character has a tendency to become a bit sesquipedalian, which is a bit out of character, and I'd like to slang up his dialogue a bit more. There's less work to do with the other characters, but they could probably use a lick and spit, too.
And there it is - quite a productive week so far. Roll on Draft 3!
Still no new title, though...
Monday 2 April 2012
A Week of Doing Nothing
Last week was my week off, so there's no progress to report. Rather than slogging my guts out, I sat around eating takeaways, playing video games and watching episodes of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. It was bliss, and Bruce Campbell is the man.
This week will be back to work, however. Boo.
This week will be back to work, however. Boo.
Monday 26 March 2012
Ahhh...
All done. Gosh, is there anything that feels quite as glorious as finishing a first draft of a script? The relief and satisfaction are immense.
Admittedly there's a lot of work still to go. The rewrite process is going to take me into April, and I'm estimating that I'll have something in decent shape, ooh, let's be daring and say three weeks from now.
It's a layered process, my system for rewriting. Firstly I strip the script down and rebuild it in chronological order to make sure it all makes sense and follows. When I'm confident it is I'll put it back together as originally. Once that's done, I give the characters a once over, tightening up dialogue and making sure each voice sounds unique, and making sure nobody says or does anything inappropriate for any given scene. Then finally, a last lick of polish to make sure it flows well as a story.
Three tasks, three weeks. I should be able to manage it okay. Taking a few days off for now, though. I find it's always a good idea to take a step back from something before starting to change it up. It gives you a better sense of the big picture. When I'm writing I tend to get consumed by the details and the whole thing becomes a bit blurry in my head.
Oh, and then I have to come up with a new title. "Broken" just feels a bit lazy, and not really what the story is about.
But still - draft one is done! Woo, yay, etc.
Admittedly there's a lot of work still to go. The rewrite process is going to take me into April, and I'm estimating that I'll have something in decent shape, ooh, let's be daring and say three weeks from now.
It's a layered process, my system for rewriting. Firstly I strip the script down and rebuild it in chronological order to make sure it all makes sense and follows. When I'm confident it is I'll put it back together as originally. Once that's done, I give the characters a once over, tightening up dialogue and making sure each voice sounds unique, and making sure nobody says or does anything inappropriate for any given scene. Then finally, a last lick of polish to make sure it flows well as a story.
Three tasks, three weeks. I should be able to manage it okay. Taking a few days off for now, though. I find it's always a good idea to take a step back from something before starting to change it up. It gives you a better sense of the big picture. When I'm writing I tend to get consumed by the details and the whole thing becomes a bit blurry in my head.
Oh, and then I have to come up with a new title. "Broken" just feels a bit lazy, and not really what the story is about.
But still - draft one is done! Woo, yay, etc.
Sunday 25 March 2012
The End of The Tunnel
Almost there, but not quite. The final scene for 'Broken' is written, but it's not quite as final as I'd expected. The fight has been won, but something more like a proper, independent denouement is required to draw together the themes and give the story the closure it needs.
I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting everything to be tied up in the final moments as written, but unfortunately it didn't work out like that. All relevant plot and character points have been covered, but where it is doesn't feel like the end of the story. It's odd how sometimes that happens and you realise you still have a little more to do.
It's no bother. As it is, it's only 47 pages long, so I've got a couple of pages spare. I've also stripped the last moments of the final confrontation of dialogue almost completely, leaving me with room to caption the ending, so all in all I've got about 4 pages to work with. I think I can do it in two.
I think it might work out well - the opening scenes are narrated via captioning, which fell by the wayside not far into the story as the dialogue ended up doing a lot of its work. It might be a nice echo to the first scenes to bring it back for another internal monologue at the end of the story.
I'll get it done tomorrow night. My brain is fried from today's efforts already, and I don't have it in me to do any more. And then it's on with the rewrite. That's going to be fun...
I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting everything to be tied up in the final moments as written, but unfortunately it didn't work out like that. All relevant plot and character points have been covered, but where it is doesn't feel like the end of the story. It's odd how sometimes that happens and you realise you still have a little more to do.
It's no bother. As it is, it's only 47 pages long, so I've got a couple of pages spare. I've also stripped the last moments of the final confrontation of dialogue almost completely, leaving me with room to caption the ending, so all in all I've got about 4 pages to work with. I think I can do it in two.
I think it might work out well - the opening scenes are narrated via captioning, which fell by the wayside not far into the story as the dialogue ended up doing a lot of its work. It might be a nice echo to the first scenes to bring it back for another internal monologue at the end of the story.
I'll get it done tomorrow night. My brain is fried from today's efforts already, and I don't have it in me to do any more. And then it's on with the rewrite. That's going to be fun...
Wednesday 21 March 2012
But for me, it was Tuesday.
Cor, today was busy. I got through a big 9 page splurge on Broken, and I've finally reached the final confrontation bit. I'm going to have to work hard to make sure I tie up as many loose ends as I have space for. There is much for my characters to discuss as they beat the tar out of each other on the edge of a cliff.
Like money and power. Friends. Traps. And teeth.
Actually I'm not sure I have space for that last one. There's a subplot about the villain's smile that I haven't had much of a chance to develop as much as I would have liked, so I'm not sure if it'll make the final cut. But meh. It's a first draft. I can cut it out or add more stuff in at the redraft stage if it doesn't work as it is.
I did a quick scan through the scenes in chronological order tonight too, just the see if they made sense. They pretty much do. There are a few things here and there that I need to tinker with, but for the most part it seems to flow well. That spreadsheet I made in the early days of all the events and how they relate to the characters really came in handy.
Sometimes having OCD is a boon.
12 pages to go. I should get it done by Sunday, fingers crossed. Go me.
Like money and power. Friends. Traps. And teeth.
Actually I'm not sure I have space for that last one. There's a subplot about the villain's smile that I haven't had much of a chance to develop as much as I would have liked, so I'm not sure if it'll make the final cut. But meh. It's a first draft. I can cut it out or add more stuff in at the redraft stage if it doesn't work as it is.
I did a quick scan through the scenes in chronological order tonight too, just the see if they made sense. They pretty much do. There are a few things here and there that I need to tinker with, but for the most part it seems to flow well. That spreadsheet I made in the early days of all the events and how they relate to the characters really came in handy.
Sometimes having OCD is a boon.
12 pages to go. I should get it done by Sunday, fingers crossed. Go me.
Monday 19 March 2012
Oops, a bit late.
I've slacked off immensely this week.
It was my birthday this weekend, so I was unable to do any writing due to being hungover for most of it. I've also developed a really weird sleeping pattern that doesn't appear to pay any attention to the day-night cycle. I should probably work on that.
So, no progress to report on Broken. I'm getting the first draft finished this week, come hell or high water, so at least next week's progress report will be a bit less sparse.
As predicted, I've been feeling very sorry for myself this weekend, brightened up a bit by seeing some of the finished pages from Bayou Arcana, which looks sensational. My contribution has been pared down to a single preview page, which is a little disappointing, but it can't be helped. I sat around sulking about that for some of this week, mostly because sometimes you just have to let yourself be miserable for a bit. I'm fine now, and I'm looking forward to the launch. Hopefully it will sell really well, rain down money on us all and turn us into superstars.
In other news, I've heard sniffs of Mike Garley's Dead Roots going digital for iOS, and the ball is rolling again on Accent UK's Victoriana book. I'm due to make appearances in both, with two very different scripts. The one for Victoriana is daft as hell, and should be a real challenge for Roland to draw.
There's still been no word from Clint about the submission myself and Jack Tempest sent to them, which I guess means there won't be one. I've had a brief chat with him about its future, and I'll be going to Bristol and Kapow armed with a copy of the submission to see if we can garner interest in it elsewhere.
So anyway, I've got writing to do, and I've got a copy of Mass Effect 3 to try not to play until the writing is done. Wish me luck.
It was my birthday this weekend, so I was unable to do any writing due to being hungover for most of it. I've also developed a really weird sleeping pattern that doesn't appear to pay any attention to the day-night cycle. I should probably work on that.
So, no progress to report on Broken. I'm getting the first draft finished this week, come hell or high water, so at least next week's progress report will be a bit less sparse.
As predicted, I've been feeling very sorry for myself this weekend, brightened up a bit by seeing some of the finished pages from Bayou Arcana, which looks sensational. My contribution has been pared down to a single preview page, which is a little disappointing, but it can't be helped. I sat around sulking about that for some of this week, mostly because sometimes you just have to let yourself be miserable for a bit. I'm fine now, and I'm looking forward to the launch. Hopefully it will sell really well, rain down money on us all and turn us into superstars.
In other news, I've heard sniffs of Mike Garley's Dead Roots going digital for iOS, and the ball is rolling again on Accent UK's Victoriana book. I'm due to make appearances in both, with two very different scripts. The one for Victoriana is daft as hell, and should be a real challenge for Roland to draw.
There's still been no word from Clint about the submission myself and Jack Tempest sent to them, which I guess means there won't be one. I've had a brief chat with him about its future, and I'll be going to Bristol and Kapow armed with a copy of the submission to see if we can garner interest in it elsewhere.
So anyway, I've got writing to do, and I've got a copy of Mass Effect 3 to try not to play until the writing is done. Wish me luck.
Sunday 11 March 2012
Quick quick hurry just type it and hit post already...
Just a quick flying visit to the internet this week, as my head is still full
of hangover after birthday frolics and I'm incapacitated beyond the
point of rational thought.
It isn't actually my birthday until next weekend, but I had my celebrations this weekend for various reasons. Strap yourself in for next week's post, as it's likely to be full of self-pity. I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself being another year older.
Progress chugs along on Broken, much as it has been chugging. I might actually get it finished by the end of the month, as I've only got another 18 or so pages to do. It's not leaving me any rewrite time, but I'll decide what I'm doing with that when this draft is done.
It's certainly been an odd one to write so far. Sometimes it's felt really easy, other times less so. I did a semi-rewriter this week, as I originally wrote it with captioned narration where the main character directly addresses the reader, but it didn't really work so I'm trying to revise it into a kind of 'ranting and raving within his own head' sort of narration that works a bit better with his character.
This week I also changed a pretty major twist in the story. It was intended to weave a few extra layers of betrayal and scheming into the story, but I realised that it's not really needed and it works better if it's a bit more straightforward. I'm getting pretty confident that the end result is going to be very good.
Now that I've written that, I mist go lie down. My brain has an owie.
It isn't actually my birthday until next weekend, but I had my celebrations this weekend for various reasons. Strap yourself in for next week's post, as it's likely to be full of self-pity. I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself being another year older.
Progress chugs along on Broken, much as it has been chugging. I might actually get it finished by the end of the month, as I've only got another 18 or so pages to do. It's not leaving me any rewrite time, but I'll decide what I'm doing with that when this draft is done.
It's certainly been an odd one to write so far. Sometimes it's felt really easy, other times less so. I did a semi-rewriter this week, as I originally wrote it with captioned narration where the main character directly addresses the reader, but it didn't really work so I'm trying to revise it into a kind of 'ranting and raving within his own head' sort of narration that works a bit better with his character.
This week I also changed a pretty major twist in the story. It was intended to weave a few extra layers of betrayal and scheming into the story, but I realised that it's not really needed and it works better if it's a bit more straightforward. I'm getting pretty confident that the end result is going to be very good.
Now that I've written that, I mist go lie down. My brain has an owie.
Sunday 4 March 2012
I'm too sexy for my shirt.
This weekend was a little embarrassing. Yesterday morning I got dressed up in a big coat and went up a variety of Welsh mountains for a photographer chum of mine to take a series of photos of me for author shots, the website-in-progress, etc. It was fun, but I don't exactly photograph well. The photographer was quick to explain to me his strategy for the shots, which was to find a background that looked nice and just keep the button on the camera held down until I stopped looking like a tool.
Charming.
Nevertheless, we got some decent shots of me looking a bit more presentable than usual. For my part I just had to suck in my gut as best I could and try not to smile. The true ethereal majesty of my dazzling smile is too much for cameras to pick up, you see, and it tends to register through the feeble lens as some sort of mad grimace. I assure you it's the camera's fault, not mine.
I shall be updating blogs and such with new pics soon enough, but in the meantime, here's a taster, and you'll be seeing more of dashing short-haired me in the weeks to come:
The wide shots look great. The close ups, not so much.
They need to be fed back to the photographer for some tinkering with the contrast and colour levels before they're ready to be seen, but I'm quite happy with how well some of them have come out. They're all a bit moody and interesting.
And for the record, I have definitely not spent the weekend being really vain and pretentious, and I resent the accusation.
In other news, I've pretty much hit the halfway point of 'Broken' and I continue bashing through it. One more scene to get through and I hit the 'angry final confrontation' part of the story, so I should be getting a bit more enthusiastic about it in the next couple of weeks.
Charming.
Nevertheless, we got some decent shots of me looking a bit more presentable than usual. For my part I just had to suck in my gut as best I could and try not to smile. The true ethereal majesty of my dazzling smile is too much for cameras to pick up, you see, and it tends to register through the feeble lens as some sort of mad grimace. I assure you it's the camera's fault, not mine.
I shall be updating blogs and such with new pics soon enough, but in the meantime, here's a taster, and you'll be seeing more of dashing short-haired me in the weeks to come:
They need to be fed back to the photographer for some tinkering with the contrast and colour levels before they're ready to be seen, but I'm quite happy with how well some of them have come out. They're all a bit moody and interesting.
And for the record, I have definitely not spent the weekend being really vain and pretentious, and I resent the accusation.
In other news, I've pretty much hit the halfway point of 'Broken' and I continue bashing through it. One more scene to get through and I hit the 'angry final confrontation' part of the story, so I should be getting a bit more enthusiastic about it in the next couple of weeks.
Sunday 26 February 2012
You are feeling sleepy...
Bayou Arcana now has a Wikipedia page! Not much new to report on that front, except I hear sniffs of the possibility of a table at Kapow for the creators. No idea bout Bristol yet, but Markosia will probably be making a small fuss over it for its launch.
Work on Broken continues, albeit rather grudgingly. I'm in the middle of the 'crushing slog' part of the writing process which takes up the middle section of the story, and I'm basically writing streams of dialogue, making sure it contains the relevant information. Then I'm assembling pages out of it, building in the dramatic notes and beats as I do the panel descriptions.
It's a method I've employed before to good effect, especially with scenes that are absolutely dependant on exposition, which have a tendency to be really flat if you don't pay close attention to their structure. However, having done it before doesn't mean it's not a massive ball ache.
That being said, I'm making good time. I should be hitting the halfway point in the script by the end of the month, which will leave me with all of March to try to complete it. I was planning to have it finished by then, but I'm not going to be surprised if it slips into April during rewrites. Not that I'm not going to try my damnedest to have it finished before then.
Yeah, see my determination. Grr. I am a lion.
Will be glad when this evening's activities are over, though. I'm feeling pretty drained at the moment and it's proving difficult to not just sit here and dribble. I have the script open on my desktop now, and I'm currently looking at seven pages of solid dialogue to translate into scenes. Tonight, when my brain is barely working.
In hindsight having a valerian tea before getting to work might have been an error in judgment...
Zzzz....
Work on Broken continues, albeit rather grudgingly. I'm in the middle of the 'crushing slog' part of the writing process which takes up the middle section of the story, and I'm basically writing streams of dialogue, making sure it contains the relevant information. Then I'm assembling pages out of it, building in the dramatic notes and beats as I do the panel descriptions.
It's a method I've employed before to good effect, especially with scenes that are absolutely dependant on exposition, which have a tendency to be really flat if you don't pay close attention to their structure. However, having done it before doesn't mean it's not a massive ball ache.
That being said, I'm making good time. I should be hitting the halfway point in the script by the end of the month, which will leave me with all of March to try to complete it. I was planning to have it finished by then, but I'm not going to be surprised if it slips into April during rewrites. Not that I'm not going to try my damnedest to have it finished before then.
Yeah, see my determination. Grr. I am a lion.
Will be glad when this evening's activities are over, though. I'm feeling pretty drained at the moment and it's proving difficult to not just sit here and dribble. I have the script open on my desktop now, and I'm currently looking at seven pages of solid dialogue to translate into scenes. Tonight, when my brain is barely working.
In hindsight having a valerian tea before getting to work might have been an error in judgment...
Zzzz....
Sunday 19 February 2012
Happenings on and off the Bayou
The Bayou Arcana machine continues to trundle along, garnering more and more attention. I've been confirmed as a guest at Kapow in London in May where I'll be one of the panellists for the BA talk. Here's hoping I don't make a tit out of myself. I have a feeling that the majority of the questions will be directed at and fielded by the female creators and by Jimmy, so I'm not worried too much.
The official announcement on the Kapow webisite is here.
Some more Bayou Arcana links to throw down here, too.
Preorder at Amazon.
...or at Markosia's own website.
And finally, the official Blog/Website of the creative group behind it.
In other Bayou Arcana news, it's not all been ice cream and balloons. Regrettably, "Comfort and Joy" - the story I wrote for it - will not appear in its entirety. Instead, several pages will be included as a lead-in preview-type-thing for Volume 2, in which it will appear. It's disappointing, and the reasons why are things I think everyone would prefer me to not broadcast online, but there is a significant upside to the situation. I still get credit, I still get whatever cut I was originally due to receive, and I now have a guaranteed place, credit and payout for a volume 2 that I didn't even know was happening. So every cloud and all that.
Outside of the swamp, work advances slowly but surely on "Broken." I'm into the meat of the story now, having got a good introductory sequence sorted, and now I can get properly stuck in. It's been an extraordinarily precise business to write, this one - because the plot is dependant on the slow release of pivotal bits of information as the story progresses, and because of the very narrow page count, I've had to keep extremely focused on hitting all the points I need to cover in each scene as efficiently as possible.
The end result, so far, has been a story that doesn't mess around, gets straight to the point, builds the characters into the story rather than the story around the characters, which is how I usually work, and despite being my usual wordy stuff, is pretty visual as befits my 'show don't tell' rule. I'm really enjoying the way it's coming together. The pace of the work isn't as fast as I'd like, and I'm still only about a fifth of the way through draft 1, but I think the work will start coming a bit thicker and faster from now on.
In any case, I'm tired, so I'm spending the rest of my weekend dossing around and playing video games, so be off with you.
The official announcement on the Kapow webisite is here.
Some more Bayou Arcana links to throw down here, too.
Preorder at Amazon.
...or at Markosia's own website.
And finally, the official Blog/Website of the creative group behind it.
In other Bayou Arcana news, it's not all been ice cream and balloons. Regrettably, "Comfort and Joy" - the story I wrote for it - will not appear in its entirety. Instead, several pages will be included as a lead-in preview-type-thing for Volume 2, in which it will appear. It's disappointing, and the reasons why are things I think everyone would prefer me to not broadcast online, but there is a significant upside to the situation. I still get credit, I still get whatever cut I was originally due to receive, and I now have a guaranteed place, credit and payout for a volume 2 that I didn't even know was happening. So every cloud and all that.
Outside of the swamp, work advances slowly but surely on "Broken." I'm into the meat of the story now, having got a good introductory sequence sorted, and now I can get properly stuck in. It's been an extraordinarily precise business to write, this one - because the plot is dependant on the slow release of pivotal bits of information as the story progresses, and because of the very narrow page count, I've had to keep extremely focused on hitting all the points I need to cover in each scene as efficiently as possible.
The end result, so far, has been a story that doesn't mess around, gets straight to the point, builds the characters into the story rather than the story around the characters, which is how I usually work, and despite being my usual wordy stuff, is pretty visual as befits my 'show don't tell' rule. I'm really enjoying the way it's coming together. The pace of the work isn't as fast as I'd like, and I'm still only about a fifth of the way through draft 1, but I think the work will start coming a bit thicker and faster from now on.
In any case, I'm tired, so I'm spending the rest of my weekend dossing around and playing video games, so be off with you.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Back to work
...so now that I am finally back online I've been able to start writing Broken again. I haven't managed to do a lot - mostly just getting through the opening scene. I've been trying to make sure enough relevant information about the plot is there to make what's going on clear, but still leave a lot unexplored in order for it to be revealed later. I think it's going quite well. The opening is punchy, visual and interesting.
In the dark days before my internet was reconnected, I didn't do any writing - I tried, but I did't realise how often I have to look things up online as I write. It made the whole process incredibly frustrating, so I made the decision to do a little pen-and-paper work instead. It was all about working out the order of events, structure of the story and when certain things will be revealed, etc.
The story has wound up as another 'dual timelines running in parallel and intercutting' type of story, which is a device I use a lot. It works and I like it, and although I may use it a bit too often in my writing, it's a good way to add an additional layer to the story and to keep the reader wanting to move forward through it. It also allows you to build a series of mini-cliffhangers into the story as it progresses, which can help build a sense of intrigue/suspense/whatever you want to call it. It's not easy to get the structure right, and one little change can seriously screw everything up, so the order of events needs to be carefully plotted out beforehand. So that's been keeping me busy.
In other news, Come & See was unfortunately rejected, which was disappointing but not a total surprise. It got some good feedback, which was encouraging, but basically it still doesn't have a home. Another thing I'll have going on while writing Broken will be to compile a list of alternative publishers for Come & See and start sending the submission pack out to them. It's not an enormous list, but it should keep me occupied for a while.
There have also been some developments in the world of Bayou Arcana that have been a bit disappointing. I'm not sure how much I can talk about, but suffice to say I'm still very much in the book, and have volunteered my services for May's Kapow show, where the book has a panel going on.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a teensy hangover and need to go lie down for a bit. You have no idea how difficult it has been to make this blog entry even this coherent...
Friday 10 February 2012
Backstreet's Back, Alright?
Phew! After over a week of being utterly internet-less which almost sent me off my nut, I'm back among you fine web folks.
I feel like I've been wandering directionless through fog, and now I can finally see clearly again.
Minor blip in the schedule of blog posts notwithstanding, I shall be spending some of this weekend catching up with stuff and I shall report back with my rather tardy weekly update.
Sunday 29 January 2012
Trying something new
Another week rolls by, another submission is sent - Come & See is once again done with for the time being, leaving me to soldier on with 'Broken,' my next project. Still a working title, natch.
I'm going to try something a little different with the blog entries for this one - I've noticed in the past that I've not been particularly specific about things until I'm done with them. I guess I like to play things pretty close to my chest. This time I'm going to try to change that, and make much more specific entries that dig into the minutiae of the writing of the script. That way the blog will not only include the usual progress reports, but will also chronicle the writing process, its missteps, dead ends and various other warty bits. The intention is to give people a much clearer picture of how I get through the writing process.
I thought it might be interesting to try it - being fully open about what I'm finding fun, what's proving to be a ballache, etc. Never let it be said I'm afraid of trying new things.
'Broken' then. It's a revenge story about a former soldier who gets volunteered for a super-soldier type program like Captain America. Only in this case, the powers manifest unpredictably and end up crippling him the first time they kick in, killing both his superhero and his soldier careers in one fell swoop. Then the man learns that he was volunteered for the program by his superior officer for exactly that purpose, to get him out of the way for nefarious reasons. The theme is the man learning to turn his powers to his advantage, taking a curse and it turning into a blessing in his pursuit of retribution.
Firstly, I'm fairly constrained by a limited page count of 40-50 to tell what could, if left unchecked, develop into a much more convoluted story that's just too long. I already have a lot of plot that I'm going to have to cut, as I originally conceived it as a story of intrigue that I just don't think I'll be able to tell in the pages I have. To that end, I'm going by the rule of "show, don't tell" to avoid it getting too wordy, and streamlining the story to cut out the stuff I don't need.
I've already thrown out what little I wrote last year and come up with a punchier opening that in one page exactly defines the man, his powers and his mission. That's what I'll be going for in this script - if a scene isn't doing at least two or three different and relevant things, it's getting the elbow and I'll be searching for some other way to tell the story.
So it's going to be a challenge. I actually think that keeping these blog entries is going to help. Being quite neurotic, I may not be able to cope with the guilt of not having anything new to report in my weekly posts. That should keep me writing.
In other news, I'm regrettably shelving my plans to attend the London Super Con in February. Unexpected expenses and London prices are not compatible. Hotel prices for that weekend are just bloody stupid. Unfortunate, but it didn't look like it was going to be much cop anyway (excluding Stan Lee), so I'm not losing any sleep over it.
I'm going to try something a little different with the blog entries for this one - I've noticed in the past that I've not been particularly specific about things until I'm done with them. I guess I like to play things pretty close to my chest. This time I'm going to try to change that, and make much more specific entries that dig into the minutiae of the writing of the script. That way the blog will not only include the usual progress reports, but will also chronicle the writing process, its missteps, dead ends and various other warty bits. The intention is to give people a much clearer picture of how I get through the writing process.
I thought it might be interesting to try it - being fully open about what I'm finding fun, what's proving to be a ballache, etc. Never let it be said I'm afraid of trying new things.
'Broken' then. It's a revenge story about a former soldier who gets volunteered for a super-soldier type program like Captain America. Only in this case, the powers manifest unpredictably and end up crippling him the first time they kick in, killing both his superhero and his soldier careers in one fell swoop. Then the man learns that he was volunteered for the program by his superior officer for exactly that purpose, to get him out of the way for nefarious reasons. The theme is the man learning to turn his powers to his advantage, taking a curse and it turning into a blessing in his pursuit of retribution.
Firstly, I'm fairly constrained by a limited page count of 40-50 to tell what could, if left unchecked, develop into a much more convoluted story that's just too long. I already have a lot of plot that I'm going to have to cut, as I originally conceived it as a story of intrigue that I just don't think I'll be able to tell in the pages I have. To that end, I'm going by the rule of "show, don't tell" to avoid it getting too wordy, and streamlining the story to cut out the stuff I don't need.
I've already thrown out what little I wrote last year and come up with a punchier opening that in one page exactly defines the man, his powers and his mission. That's what I'll be going for in this script - if a scene isn't doing at least two or three different and relevant things, it's getting the elbow and I'll be searching for some other way to tell the story.
So it's going to be a challenge. I actually think that keeping these blog entries is going to help. Being quite neurotic, I may not be able to cope with the guilt of not having anything new to report in my weekly posts. That should keep me writing.
In other news, I'm regrettably shelving my plans to attend the London Super Con in February. Unexpected expenses and London prices are not compatible. Hotel prices for that weekend are just bloody stupid. Unfortunate, but it didn't look like it was going to be much cop anyway (excluding Stan Lee), so I'm not losing any sleep over it.
Sunday 22 January 2012
Demons! I have slain your mighty guards!
...God, I love writing lines like that.
So, after a week or so of fretting over lettering, the submission I was working on with Jack Tempest is complete and submitted to Clint. Now it's in their hands and we just have to wait and see, but now that it's finished I don't feel at all hesitant about putting samples up here, so this blog is about to get a bit more colourful, with pictures and everything.
So, after a week or so of fretting over lettering, the submission I was working on with Jack Tempest is complete and submitted to Clint. Now it's in their hands and we just have to wait and see, but now that it's finished I don't feel at all hesitant about putting samples up here, so this blog is about to get a bit more colourful, with pictures and everything.
See?
Jack's art has been great on this one, as you'll be able to see in this blog entry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Clint feel the same way. You can check out more of Jack's work, and news about his upcoming projects on his blog.
In other news, things chug along. I'm not mucking about, and next week I get on with the next submisson, which is the new submission pack I prepared for Come & See, off for it's second attempt with some American publishers after a number of years on standby. I've decided I've had enough of faffing around. This year I want progress, and if it means I have to bombard publishers with my stuff then so be it.
Once the Come & See thing is done, which should be by this time next week, it's time to get stuck into the script for Accent. I still have Hudson Falls, which was the original script but turned out too long, but that's not one I'd like to cut down. So onto the backburner it goes, waiting for the time to be right. I have a new script to write for Accent, and I want to crank this one out hard and fast with no procrastinating or messing around so I have a good few months to do something else.
And by something else, I mean a novel. I was supposed to start it last year, but one thing after another happened and I had to shelve a lot of my schedule. Getting back on track I learned that Terry Pratchett has an award this year for new writers' debut novels, with a deadline of New Year's Eve.
So I have a deadline. I can DO deadlines. Less time wasting, a definitive deadline, and a net result of a completed book. Even if it doesn't win, I'll be armed with something I can do something with in 2013.
Beyond that, in comic book terms this year is all about exploration and putting feelers out. I'll be attending as many cons as it is economically responsible to, and I'll be at those events with my game face on, looking to aquire further projects to keep my comic book momentum going while the majority of my runtime is devoted to the novel.
It may sound like I'm planning on spreading myself a little thin, and maybe I am. Time will tell. But it's a definite improvement on last year, where I didn't spread myself at all.
Indeed. And of course, in amongst all this mighty guard-slaying I'll be doing, I'll have to find time to indulge in my gaming/DVD/reading habits, which I haven't been doing anywhere near enough of.
Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City, Picture of Dorian Grey and season 3 of Northern Exposure all sit around me, wondering why I'm not giving them the attention they deserve. I need to start getting paid for this writing schtick so I can free up more time for all my hobbies...
Saturday 14 January 2012
Weekly Is Unlikely At Best
Don't hold me to this, but I'm going to try to keep regular posting reports on this blog. I'm aiming for weekly, but knowing how prone to distraction I am and how slowly things can move for writers sometimes, I probably won't be keeping to that. Bi-weekly is probably the best I'll be able to manage, and then only if I'm in the mood. I dare say it'll become more or less frequent based on how much there is to report.
On the writing front, my collaboration with Jack Tempest nears completion. I've seen most of his coloured pages and they look great, and once it's complete I'll ask him for permission to show a sample panel or two here, so people can gawp at them.
I've been keeping up my end, and am currently going through the laborious process of rewriting a synopsis of the continuing story. It's not the most thrilling part of prepping a submission, truth be told, but it needs to be done and it's given me an opportunity to work a little bit on the central role's character arc. I'm about halfway through the second rewrite, and I think it's going to need at least another once-over when that's done before I can safely call it finished. Then, it'll be onward with the lettering.
Looking forward to sending it off. Once that's done; along with the other submission previously mentioned; I can get started on the Accent thing again. That should keep me busy up to and beyond the London Con in February, at which I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some more possibilities will arise.
And amongst all this writing, I've got to find room for sitting around doing a little reading and playing some video games. That copy of Uncharted 3 sitting on my shelf isn't going to play itself, you know.
Thursday 5 January 2012
The Unknown Future Rolls Toward Us
Well, the year has gotten off to a fine start! After an extended Christmas period of doing sod all, which followed a bit of a rubbish year to be honest, 2012 has started with a lot of activity. Go Seahawks, etc.
Bayou Arcana continues to get press attention from all over the place. Everyone from The Canberra Times in Australia to Wired magazine in the UK seems to be inquiring about the project, which of course everyone involved is made up about. Well chuffed, in fact. You can follow out the latest news and developments on the public page on Facebook at this location. My contribution is proving to be an interesting experience - my artist is Davina Unwin, who is so talented it's almost obscene. Her art is heavily stylised, with heavy Japanese watercolour influences, which should give the story a beautiful aesthetic. Samples of her art can be found here.
Davina works in quite an unconventional way, which is to paint each panel separately, which Jimmy Pearson; the editor of the book; and I will assemble into the finished comic book pages. I'm very much looking forward to that process - as well as eager to see Davina's wonderful artwork, it's going to be an interesting experience to build the pages from the separate images. Hopefully Jimmy's contribution will compensate for my total lack of visual flair.
You can preorder Bayou Arana here.
You can preorder Bayou Arana here.
In other news, Mike Garley's Dead Roots anthology is chugging along, and I'm now up on the official website as a contributor, so that's all in hand. I've yet to be assigned an artist for my short story, but considering the sheer quality of the samples that are already up, I think my script will be in safe hands. I've got every confidence in the world that Mike will find someone ideal for the script.
It was a tough slog getting through this script, and it went through numerous iterations before I found the one that will be featured. Credit goes to Mike for pushing me in all the right directions.
In addition to those two, work continues slowly on the Clint submission I'm working on with Jack Tempest. Jack only has a couple of pages to colour and his contribution is complete, and I've just got a couple more drafts of the synopsis to do before we can bung that out in the post to them.
And finally there's one more submission that's ready to go. This one is a collaboration with Roland Bird that is pretty close to my heart, so I'm keen on getting this sent out as soon as possible. I'm being realistic about it's chances, but we'll see. Even if it gets rejected I'm not giving up on it. I'm determined to see it published.
Beyond that, once the Clint thing is done, I'll - finally - be soldiering on with the one shot for Accent that just got delayed over and over again last year, which will probably take up the first half of the year. Busy times ahead!
So, there's a lot going on, and my head is swimming with it all. And in between all that I've got to find time to play Uncharted 3 and Batman - Arkham City before Mass Effect 3 is released, so my free time has pretty much been solidly baggsied for a good few months.
And that's before we get to the season of comic shows, which begins with The London Super Con in February. Stan. Bloody. Lee. No way am I missing that. Damn the expense.
I'll check in later this month with more progress updates. Maybe I'll manage to keep posting regularly this year. I should set aside half an hour on a Sunday afternoon just to come here and gibber, even if there's been no news.
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