You know that feeling? The when you done did somethin’ too stupid for the Twitterverse to forgive?
Yesterday I finished a whirlwind of revisions on part 2 of Rue From Ruin, the new title of my serial story project. I’ve been a little stressed from various work, family, and writing projects, so I was stoked to be mostly done.
I posted as much on Twitter and FB.
Then, realization hit and I remembered that this part 2 is scheduled for Friday. So I wrote a retraction, and my three readers were still understandably confused.
So I’ll say it once more… TOMORROW! I’M SO EXCITED! CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO READ! RUE FROM RUIN – PART 2!
Please accept this GIF of a robot attempting to open a door as compensation for my stupidity:
Well, it wasn’t today that I learned about perseverance. It was last Friday. It was also another time a few weeks before that. Who am I kidding? This is a lesson I’ve learned and apparently unlearned more times that I’m willing to share with you all.
A point. I have one.
Justin S’ua is great at reminding me to persevere and be mentally tough. It seems like I happen across his articles on Twitter right when I could really use a boost. I was lucky enough to meet Justin while living and working in the San Antonio, Texas area a few years ago and I’ve been a better person for it. Currently, he is working for the Boston Red Sox as a Mental Skills Coach. Justin is the real deal, folks.
Granted, I still have my days where I’m not really up for a “pep talk”. I’m a writer. How can I write about bad situations if I’m ALWAYS in a good, positive mood? Right?
Lately, I’ve been depressed concerning my writing. A lot of effort goes into it, and I’m not improving as much or as swiftly as I would desire.
I needed some reinforcement, and Justin had just posted this brilliant article. It made my day. I hope you enjoy it at well: The Law of the Bamboo Tree.
See you all on Friday, when I will have Part 2 of my Serial Story available for your reading enjoyment!
I probably won’t be writing regular Link Pack posts because K. M. already does such a great job of it. Enjoy it today!
So without further hullabaloo, I give you first I Write Sci-Fi Friday Link Pack!
Writing Links
Things You Might Not Know About Orwell’s Animal Farm I was still in elementary school the first time I read Animal Farm. Here are a few things you might not know about it. For example #2 – T.S. Eliot rejected it.
The 2015 Hugo Awards In case you missed all the drama at WorldCon, this is a full replay of the ceremony. It was a strange, sad year as there were many excellent nominations who probably deserved to win but ended up without a rocket because of the way they were nominated. Check out Dan Wells‘ view on the fallout. It mirrors my own.
The Answers You’re Looking For Are Not On The Internet
Lauren Sapala has a great article I read where she talks about why the writer culture on the Internet is broken. Just a little. She suggests we unplug and read more books. I’ve been doing more of this lately myself, and there is merit in the idea!
Soundtracks For Books Using Booktrack
As I write, I often think about the music that would put me in the mood to write the kind of stories I want to tell. Then I’ll make playlists on Spotify or SoundCloud to get me going when I am struggling for inspiration. A. C. Starrling takes the idea of soundtracks for books one step further in her detailed article over at The Creative Penn.
Random Links
Get And Stay Healthy
As a writer and a programmer, health is a constant concern. I spend way too many hours sitting at a desk every week. Reading through Darya Rose’s bio gave me some new ideas and the community on Summer Tomato is incredible.
A Female Doctor? Yes Please!
Hayley Atwell of Captain America and, of course, the EXCELLENT Marvel’s Agent Carter fame wants to be the next Doctor Who. This needs to happen, world. Make it happen.
Beautiful Bookcases
If you’ve ever seen my office or living room, you would know that I’m a fan of books. My home is covered in them. Walls are filling up with shelves, and shelves are filling up with books. These are some interesting and unique ideas for storing those beautiful dead trees.
GIFs of the Week
I’m a fan of GIFs, so you get TWO this week. The first is my impression of myself posting a Link Pack that K. M.’s readers will read. He does the hard work of creating great content and cultivating followers, and then you all come here and read my post. So thank you all and thanks to K. M.!
The second is Tom Cruise (yes it is, look it up if you don’t believe me). This guy is one of the biggest movie stars in the world and yet he isn’t afraid to make a fool of himself. I admire that.
“So okay― there you are in your room with the shade down and the door shut and the plug pulled out of the base of the telephone. You’ve blown up your TV and committed yourself to a thousand words a day, come hell or high water. Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Disclaimer: I’ve yet to buy or read this book by Mr. King.
Don’t let that fool you. Every quote I’ve read or heard from On Writing causes outcries in my brain, “You need to study this book and internalize all of its goodness! NOW.”
Guess what my next book purchase is going to be?
The theme that Mr. King expresses so well in the quote above is that my writing is first and foremost for me or my children or my wife. No one else. There should be only one distinct person I’m writing for as I’m drafting something new, and it should be someone very close. And that is the lesson I still have to get through my thick skull.
Revisions are for other the rest of you. I’ll get to those; first I have to finish!
Late addition: I’ve just bought On Writing. Excited!
Without further baiting or delay, here is part one of my new serial story. No… It doesn’t end at the end. Like life, there will be more. See currently published parts and planned parts on the Rue From Ruin page.
Rue From Ruin – Part 1
Bordeaux Will Pay
Bordeaux.
I despise Bordeaux. It’s so… so warm. Warm and… beautiful. The sun mocks me with its cheerful rays making my customary black overcoat intolerable. Give me a chilly highland night or even an early summer evening in Seattle over this rubbish any time. Aside from that, Bordeaux is French, and I never fancied the French with their stinky cheeses and wines and their turned up noses. Still, here I am. Smack in the middle of the south of France searching for him.
He had been here; that much is obvious. I turn a corner, following my instincts and almost walk straight into it. A SIGN. Funny thing about signs is that, sometimes, they actually, really, and truly are signs, and not just portents of something mysterious or sinister. This one’s blue and white like all the street signs in the area. Of course, it doesn’t look out of the ordinary to anyone without the sight. Even to me it seems innocuous enough unless I read the pale words. The grit and grime of years clings to it and yet the painted metal is not old at all compared to the wall where it hangs. Being from the new world, it has taken some time to get used to how ancient everything is in Europe. After traveling here many times on my hunt, I’m now shocked by the appearance of something new and modern among the decay.
I turn my attention back to the sign and read the words inscribed though each one hits me like a left jab to the gut. Rue Professeur Demons. He has been here and left his mark.
I haven’t learned yet if it is intentional, the way his trail taunts me, or if he has no control over it himself. I only know the grief-stricken agony it causes me when I think of the way this monster took me in as an “apprentice” and then killed my family and tried to kill me. By tried, I mean nearly succeeded. I still have to drink a tincture of foul-smelling (and tasting) liquid each night, or I can’t even move the next day. It’s the only thing that protects my sanity.
To confirm my discovery, I pull aside a man passing on the adjoining street and point, asking him in my broken, Googlized French, “S’il vous plaît, ce qui est cette rue?” Roughly: what is the name of this street, please?
He looks at me in that disgusted way that French people reserve specifically for large, gruff outsiders who pull them aside and ask them silly questions. A sprig of something forgotten and green dances in his teeth as Mr. Stereotypical replies, pointing with a jabbing finger. Pointing to the plainly visible sign he says, “Rue du Professeur Demons.” He spits at my feet before wrenching free of my grasp and hurrying on his way leaving me dumbfounded.
No.
NO!
A dead end? How is this possible? There is an actual street in this city with this name? He must have known. He must be onto me. It’s too good, too well planned, to be otherwise. His trail brings me to Bordeaux and is going cold while he slips by on the merest technicality. Hell, maybe this is even where his curse originated.
Tomorrow is going to be a waste now. Tomorrow I’m going to be a wreck.
I’ll have to forgo the tincture and Bordeaux will likely pay for my choice, but it will be worth it when I pick up the trail.
Tonight, the moon will rise. Tonight, I will track by scent.
Stories. Games. Storygames. 