My girlfriend recently showed me the website 43things.com. I was impressed with the website and decided to add my own personal list of things I want to do, places I want to go, and people I want to meet. Unfortunately, the website itself is fairly slow and it took me a lot of time to add what I did. I expect to add more things, places, and people in the future ... but for now, enjoy reading the shorter list of my interests in life: My 43things.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
And so it begins
Thus far I have received only one Internet vote and two in-person verbal votes for which story I should write. At the moment, "In the Shadow of the Sun" is ahead by 1 vote. If this makes you unhappy, please voice your opinion on my last post. On the other hand, if this darker story intrigues you, please let me know you feel that way by voting as well. I'll keep listening for votes for another week (October ends next Tuesday), but then I start my marathon writing endeavor. For now, enjoy some disjointed samples from the story ("In the Shadow of the Sun") that I want to test out before I actually put them to use.
The sun was warm in an empty sky of clear blue, suggesting the fog Martin now saw in the valley was an impossibility. It was an inky black mist that seemed to cling the ground and flow, though not downhill but upwards. Hugging the bases of trees and moving in unnatural ways away from the stream bed hidden beneath it.
A small reddish bird flew down from a branch towards the fog and let out a shrill chirp as it disappeared into the fog. Martin could have sworn the fog reached out to grab the bird as it flew overhead, but he dismissed the thought from his head as quickly as it had risen.
Martin slowly scanned the area around his blind, confirming once more that he was utterly alone on the hill. He flicked the safety on his rifle and, after carefully covering the eyepiece on his scope, slung the rifle behind his back and took out his sidearm. The artificial bush he had erected had covered him for three days; a short while and an eternity at the same time. Four soldiers had met their end while Martin had occupied this hill, a number he would not soon forget. Rather than tempt his fate to the same end, he quickly gathered the rest of his field equipment and looked hastily at his topo map. Thinking for only a moment, he started to walk Southeast, the direction of his next nest, leaving the mysterious black haze in the valley
below him.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Writers of the Future
So I picked up a copy of the latest Writers of the Future anthology this weekend. I have to say, it's pretty good. I just started into it, but the idea of eight well-written science fiction/fantasy stories in one book is amazing!
It has inspired me to actually finish one of my own and submit it. As we all know, though, my time is somewhat limited lately, and I don't want to start in on something only to find I have a lack of interest in it or no one will want to read it. Therefore, I've decided to let all who venture to this shadowy corner of the internet to take a vote. Just leave a comment with your choice of which story I should bring to fruition...
1) A Dream of Remembrance Lost
I've been working on it for quite some time. It's the story of a man whose brother died when he was younger, but who takes in a young boy later in life who bears a striking resemblance to his dead brother. The street kid gets to know the main character's daughter fairly well and eventually breaks the snobbish character she has and they become friends. She convinces her father to let her attend public school ... but then dies shortly thereafter in a tragic accident. The street kid tries to find her body, but instead finds an abandoned infant girl. The entire point of the story is reincarnation. Interested?
2) In the Shadow of the Sun
A man goes to war as a sniper but goes crazy. He comes home and battles with his sanity for some time and then rejoins society. Turns out, he was subjected to some military doomsday weapon. After he's back in the flow of things, the weapon is unleashed on the public. Since he'd already been exposed once, he's somewhat immune from the effects and works to rescue survivors and save those affected by the weapon. Interested?
3) untitled vampire story 1
About the birth of vampires ... kind of. A man dies and goes to what heaven really is. Decides he still needs to do something on Earth and rejects paradise by returning and tricking someone into giving up their own life. With a newfound knowledge of the workings of the universe and the comparable powers of god on earth, he strives to do something virtuous, only to realize that he can never return to heaven and when he dies he'll simply cease to exist. He is forced to sustain himself by slaying and consuming (not eating, more like inhaling) living souls ... which drives him to madness ... Interested?
4) untitled vampire story 2
Either story 1 is a prequel or this is a sequel ... visits the world later when the man from story 1 has been around for a few years and comes up against other vampires. There's no logical reason to think he was the first. He's also made a few of his own (more like zombies, but oh well). Battle of evil vs. evil but both really think they're good. Interested?
5) Suggest your own ...
I'll give it to the end of October before I start writing in earnest. Please let me know ASAP what you think I should do so I can get started just as soon. I'll even post snippets on here when I get going on it.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Syndication?
This is just a quickie update that I decided to put up before class. I have been given the opportunity to post over on Aberdoober.com as well as here. I will not be leaving this blog to the dust, though, just keep in mind that there are now two places you can go to read my work. I'm trying to work on a piece that's a bit longer than what I've posted, too. This is why I've had the long delay. My apologies. Stay tuned for part 1 of whatever it is I'm working on ... it's a surprize!
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