tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20157607168097864602024-03-05T03:19:51.747-08:00My Insane RamblingsA blog to document the writing and works of Ben GuilfoyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-15670562264810709802014-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:002014-10-14T10:29:18.724-07:00Weirdo Company: Volume 2 is now available!The second volume of <b>Weirdo Company</b> chapters is now available in print. Buy it here from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weirdo-Company-Volume-Ben-Guilfoy/dp/1496144996">Amazon.com</a>.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>After the dragon incident in Boston, Lt. Paul Harper and his squad are taken off active duty. When another team runs into trouble in Mexico, Harper defies orders and leads his team into action. On the run, without support, the team gets closer to cracking the enemy plan that threatens to unleash an unstoppable army of evil upon the world. But a spy within their ranks might end all hope of saving our world...</i></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-57033461004853034792014-05-17T10:45:00.001-07:002014-05-17T10:45:56.784-07:00Saturday Scenes 03 - Weirdo Company: Bounty Hunters of the DeadIt's time for Saturday Scenes again. Don't know what Saturday Scenes is? <a href="https://plus.google.com/115270351257026959175/posts/WVaeKRkoTce" target="_blank">Check out this post to find out</a>.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, it's an excerpt from the next <a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/p/weirdo-company.html" target="_blank">Weirdo Company</a> adventure I've been working on. In the first part of the novel, our heroes have been captured by the werewolf terrorist Rupert (who first appeared way back in "<a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/p/weirdo-company.html" target="_blank">Ninja Werewolf Assassins!</a>") while investigating a series of mysterious deaths across Asia. General Thibault has sent in Lt. Kent, recently imbued with superpowers thanks to a series of medical experiments, to rescue them. Kent has infiltrated Rupert's base and found the team in an underground prison, but now Rupert has found him.<br /><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“But now it’s time to see if you can play with the big dogs.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rupert launched himself forward, clothes tearing, wolf form expanding in mid-air. The room filled with a howl. Kent put his hands up and met Rupert’s claws. He clamped down hard on Rupert’s wrists and squeezed. At the same time, he fell back into a roll, planted his boot in Rupert’s chest and kicked.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rupert slammed into the far wall, yelping in pain. He hit the floor on all fours and charged at Kent a second time. He came up on two legs and swung hard, claws slicing loudly through the air. Kent ducked under the swipe and landed a savage punch to Rupert’s gut.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wolf flipped into the air and crashed through the transparent door to Davis’ cell. Davis jumped up on the cot as the wolf crunched against the toilet in a shower of tempered security glass. She leapt over it and out into the bay, past Kent, who stalked toward Rupert with purpose. Davis ran for the cell door controls.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kent grabbed Rupert’s head by the hair and slammed his face down into the toilet, shattering it. Then he pivoted and threw Rupert back out into the bay. The wolf skidded across the concrete. He came to a stop and pounded his fist into the floor, enraged. It spun and charged at Kent once again, but this time ducked low at the last second and swept its leg out, knocking Kent off his feet.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wolf caught Kent mid-fall, spun, and slammed Kent’s body against the wall.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Hey!”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He turned just in time for Harper to slug him across the snout. Rupert growled and knocked Harper aside. He couldn’t recover quickly enough to avoid Davis swinging hard with a metal chair, right in the face. Rupert stumbled back, and Kent wrapped his arms around Rupert’s thick neck.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wolf began to thrash, swinging Kent around on his back.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By now, Rupert’s men had heard the commotion. They poured into the cell bay, weapons ready. Spike had grabbed up an AK from one of the men who’d dragged Kent in and let rip. The spray of bullets tore up the floor and walls and men, spraying dust and blood into the air.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The mag clicked empty, and Flint, with perfect timing, took up the slack. He stitched a line of bullet holes up the side of the door frame, driving back a second wave of reinforcements. Harper rushed past them, yanking the pin on a grenade.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Where’d you get tha--” Flint began.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Fire in the fuckin’ hole!” Harper cried. He hurled the grenade through the door then kicked it shut and spun to the side.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kent jumped into the air and kicked Rupert in the chest with both feet.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The grenade detonated, blowing the door inward.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It struck Rupert mid-air and knocked the wolf face-first into the concrete. Rupert didn’t move.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Damn, dude,” Harper said, coughing and waving dust out of his face. The smoke in the room cleared gradually. He looked down at the unconscious werewolf. “That was baller.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“So, are you gonna tell us how you’re suddenly Superman?” Davis asked.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Um, I was also wondering that myself,” Harper said, raising his hand.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kent said calmly, “We should get out of here. Mason is waiting outside for extraction.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Let’s bag this one,” Harper said, giving Rupert a light kick in the ribs. Kent nodded, bent down and hefted the wolf over his shoulder.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The team scavenged weapons and ammo from Rupert’s fallen guards, and headed out the door.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As they stepped over the burnt, shredded bodies, Davis said, “I guess we should be thankful they weren’t all wolves.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Or at least not yet,” Harper said. “Whoever or whatever is after him, he was really scared. He wasn’t raising an army, he was creating a protection detail.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Against what?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They rounded the corner and stopped dead.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A figure stood at the other end of the corridor. It was tall, skinny, wearing a dark coat over simple clothing - dark pants, dark shirt. It had human ears and unkempt human hair. And it had the face of a horse sticking out the front of its head. It’s hands were around the neck of one of Rupert’s guards. The man made wet choking noises. The figure jabbed its right arm into the man’s head, piercing right through the skull. The man’s entire body began to shudder and quake, while the creature’s arm rooted around in its brain.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After a moment, it dropped the man’s dead husk of a body. It turned slowly toward them, and the entire team shuddered. The lights flickered above it.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Okay,” Davis said, “what in the breakfast-roasted fuck is that?!”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Not long for this Earth,” Harper said. He took two steps forward and raised his AK-47. He fired a quick three-round burst center mass. Horse-Face took a step back, rocked by the impacts, but steadied itself quickly.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Harper took another couple steps forward and emptied the entire clip into the beast.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It steadied itself again. It poked a finger through the bullet holes in its clothing.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It sniffed. Then, it glared back up at Harper.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“No bueno,” Harper said.</span></blockquote>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-84777394235568302292014-05-10T11:05:00.000-07:002014-05-10T11:05:45.022-07:00Saturday Scenes 02 - A Shot in the Dark<div class="tr_bq">
This is a couple of scenes I wrote as part of a project I've been working on for over a decade. It's taken on many different forms, beginning life originally as a screenplay for a film, then morphing into a TV mini-series, a graphic novel and a prose novel. </div>
<br />
It's one of those projects that's been rattling around in my head for a long, long time that I pick up occasionally and then ultimately fall off of. But it's a premise I really like, which is probably why it's stuck with me for so long and gone through so many revisions. Some day, I hope I get to release some finished form of it, whatever shape it may take.<br />
<br />
So here's an excerpt from <b>The Valiant</b>. These two scenes focus on Amanda Benes, a detective and single mom, and her teenage son, Alex. They live in a city that's about to be turned upside down by a vicious gang war and the appearance of a mysterious vigilante.<br />
<br />
<br /><br /><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The alarm had been going off for three minutes.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Amanda Benes’ still form was curled under the sheets of her queen-sized bed, on the side furthest from the window, one arm spread across the cool, unoccupied side. The alarm had been going off for three minutes, and still she didn’t wake.<br />Outside, a black and white roared through the neighborhood, the siren wail mixing in with the aggravating electronic alarm.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Benes opened one eye, saw red and blue flickering just outside her window, then receding as the black and white raced away down the avenue. With a grunt, she rolled toward the alarm clock and slapped it silent. She moved into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, not even looking over at the empty side, alone in the slatted darkness of her bedroom. The morning light, warm and orange, didn’t even register for her.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She stood and walked into the shower and turned the water up as hot as it would go.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Steam filled the small room until she could barely see the tiled wall next to her. She leaned against it, her face resting on her forearm as the water poured hot and stinging over her. She sighed loudly, trying to empty her mind for a moment, then stretched.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Twenty minutes later, she clipped on her holster and slipped in her 9mm. She walked into the kitchen, and she rolled her eyes when she saw what was going on there.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Feet off the table,” she said, moving toward the coffeemaker on the counter behind her son, Alex. He rolled his eyes, and put all four feet of his chair back on the floor. He continued to munch on cereal without saying anything intelligible to her.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The decade-old coffeemaker chugged to life and Benes rinsed out her travel mug. She noticed the paint on the wall was peeling above the sink again. Without turning, she asked, “What time did you come home last night?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Dunno,” Alex answered. “Late.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Your curfew is eleven,” Benes said. “There’s nothing worth doing out there past eleven.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alex twisted in his chair toward her. “I don’t even want to go out <i>until </i>eleven!”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Benes stuck her mug under the spout, and hot coffee filled it. “Be home by eleven.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alex grunted. It might have been a swear.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Hurry up,” Benes said. “I’m driving you to school today.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’ll take the bus.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m driving you to school today, Alex,” Benes repeated. “Get your stuff.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alex stood, a sour look on his face, and walked out of the room. The cereal bowl stayed on the table. A drop of milk fell from the spoon. Benes grabbed it and put it in the sink as if by reflex. She heard Alex stomp through the living room, exaggerating his movements as he packed his bag for school. He tapped his foot waiting for her by the door. She took her first sip of the strong black coffee, made a face, then sealed the mug and walked out of the kitchen.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
----</div>
<br />In the car, Alex stared out the passenger window, not saying a word. Even getting him to put on a seatbelt felt like a chore. Benes sat silently frustrated, weaving her way through the morning traffic, occasionally glancing over at him from behind her sunglasses. As usual, she let him choose the radio station, and as usual, he’d chosen some hard rock song that grated on her ears and raised her blood pressure.<br /> <br />He didn’t even really like that kind of music; he just chose it to bother her.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Amanda Benes was a good detective.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Or a mom,” her partner had said once.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Same thing,” she’d replied.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Her cell phone rang. She silently thanked whoever was calling and tapped the ‘Phone’ button on the steering wheel. The music cut out.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Benes.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was her partner, Ed Nguyen. Speak of the devil. His voice filled the car. “Where are you?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“On my way to school.” Alex turned and gave her a scowl.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Great. Body in Dumper’s Alley.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“A body in Dumper’s Alley. Stop the goddamned presses.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m there now,” Nguyen said. “See you when I see you.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Sure. Later.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The rock music returned as Nguyen ended the call. Alex reached over and turned the volume knob higher. Benes’ jaw clenched. She knew saying something would just cause him to push further. Every morning was like this. At least, the mornings when he didn’t just grab his bag and run out the door to the bus stop down the block. The silence between them was longer than she’d realized.<br /> <br />In a few minutes, Alex got out of the car in front of his school without even looking at his mother. She just drove away.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dumper’s Alley was buzzing with activity. The yellow police tape always brought out the neighbors, even in an area that goes through a lot of it. Dumper’s was the widest alley in the neighborhood, and lined on both sides with dumpsters, a popular place for everyone and every scumbag in town to drop their trash and unwanteds. Benes parked her car next to a couple of black and whites with their flashers on and walked toward the tape, pulling on a pair of plastic gloves.<br /> <br />Nguyen met her at the edge of the crime scene, steaming mug of coffee in his hands, as usual. Also as usual, he was wearing a crisp dark suit with a red tie.<br /> <br />He’d fill that mug four more times before their shift was over.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He lifted the yellow tape for her, then followed her into the alley.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“What’ve we got?” she asked, ducking only slightly under his arm.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He didn’t miss a beat. “Body. ME’s probably gonna call gunshots as COD.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“There’s another shocker.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Just wait.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Partway down the alley, slumped up against a rust-rotted, scuffed yellow dumpster, was the body of a man in a sharp business suit. There were two holes in the man’s chest, blood pooled all over his stomach and the ground beneath him.<br /> <br />“Hello,” Benes said.<br /> <br />She checked his pockets, though she was sure Nguyen had already done so.<br /> <br />“No wallet,” she said to herself. “No ID.” She stuck a finger in his mouth and opened it slightly. “Teeth are smashed to shit. Hopefully his prints are in the system?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yeah,” Nguyen said. “What are the chances of that?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Right. Doesn’t look like he bought this at Jose’s Thrift,” Benes said, standing.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Still, you never know.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nguyen scoffed. “Because we’re that lucky.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Benes heard the clicking and snapping of the crime scene photographer behind her. She hoped he was getting the right angles this time. She glanced around the body.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“No sign of the gun,” she said. “Tons of blunt-force trauma. Someone beat the shit out of him before he was killed. Executed?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yeah,” Nguyen said, with a strange tone. “About that...” Benes knew she wasn’t going to like what he said next.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nguyen turned and pointed toward a nearby dumpster, which had a perfect impression of a boot pounded into the side of it. Benes walked over and knelt down by it, running her hand along the side of the impression. “What the hell...”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yeah,” Nguyen said. “What do we do about this?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Benes shook her head in disbelief.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Box it.”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The entire thing?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The entire thing.”<br /><br />Nguyen nodded toward the CSI team waiting by the coroner’s van. “Shit. They’re not gonna like that.”</span></blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-48015811307422422182014-05-03T07:06:00.002-07:002014-05-03T07:06:49.368-07:00Saturday Scenes 01 - Such failureIt's time for Saturday Scenes. If you don't know what that is, <a href="https://plus.google.com/115270351257026959175/posts/WVaeKRkoTce">check it out here</a>.<br /><br /><br />I initially wrote this as the prologue for a novel I've been working on intermittently. It works basically along the premise of, what if a James Bond-like spy had lost his mission and the megalomaniacal madman had succeeded in dominating the world. It alternates between flashbacks to that failure and its immediate aftermath and the present day, years later, as the spy attempts to start up a rebellion to overthrow the madman's regime.<br /><br />Here goes:<div>
<br /><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">PROLOGUE - THEN<br />Richter made a slight sniffing noise. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You reek of failure,” he said, his voice barely more than a grunt.<br /> Small fires crackled around the room, a two level cylinder with rings of computer banks around the walls. Control consoles belched out smoke, blackening the walls. The plastic frames of the monitors above them curled. There was an office off to the side, now smashed, the desk within overturned and burning. The walls were riddled with bullet holes from the gun battle that had just ended. Richter stood in the center of it, this ruined cathedral of technology. His body broad and tall, exuding the energy of victory. Richter, who had just murdered billions of people and brought civilization to its final gasp, took in a long breath but didn’t smell the reeking, acrid smoke.<br /> <br />Behind him, Reid Erekson stood, barely. On a normal day, Erekson looked typically heroic. Dark hair, intense eyes, chiseled jaw. On this day, his hair was matted to his head with sweat and grime. A thick line of red cut across his forehead and down his left cheek. His square jaw was bruised, slack with fatigue. Two of Richter’s thugs held him up, his bruised and broken body supported between them. His left leg was broken, a shard of bone sticking through the skin of his thigh. It sent burning tendrils shrieking up through his body with even the most minute movements. He stared at Richter, hatred hotter than his own pain. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Richter was a fine form. He stood out from the destruction around him. Somehow, his clothes didn’t look rumpled or ruined; his crisp, pressed suit seeming impossibly immaculate. Even the strict part of his slightly-graying hair was unmolested. The man was impeccable, in both form and attitude.<br /> <br />Erekson wanted to tear him in half for it. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Nietsche said that man is something to be overcome,” Richter announced, pacing slowly. A show of ego for Erekson. “Today, I have done so. I overcame all the prejudices, all the silly wars and squabbling, economic nonsense.” He turned back to Erekson. “I overcame you.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Erekson spat blood on the floor at Richter’s feet. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Richter let out a small chuckle in response. He got close to Erekson, his hands cupped before him. “The world is mine, now. Clay to reshape as I see fit!” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He spread his arms wide in the air. On the surviving monitors, red pools spread across an animated map of the globe as the satellites fired their deadly payloads. Richter’s computers had carefully calculated load sizes, wind currents, trajectories, to spread destruction across the greatest area. There was no escape, not even the wide, empty plains of Africa. The United States, for so long such a powerful, envied nation, fell first and quickly. Across the oceans, the other powers, China, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, all began to glow red on the screens. Erekson knew that in each of those places, human beings cried out in fear and pain, huddled together in their final, sad moments.<br /> <br />Just before the pain finally caused his exhausted mind to shut down, he thought of Lauren, of the last time he saw her. He thought of her standing at the door, watching his car back down the driveway. She had that look on her face, the one that silently asked, “Is this the time you won’t come back?” She had that look on her face every time. Erekson’s heart screamed at the irony, clawing at his own collapsing consciousness. She grew smaller in his mind, and everything disappeared. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Richter watched Erekson lose consciousness, and chuckled again. “Get him to the infirmary.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His men hesitated, looking at each other in confusion, then at Richter. Why not kill him? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Get him to the infirmary,” Richter repeated, slower and more forceful.<br /> <br />The two men merely shrugged, and hauled Erekson out of the room. Richter turned back to the map, now nearly covered in red, and thought about his new world. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Around him, his staff sprang back into action, putting out the last of the fires. Others began to reboot the failing computers. The sense of victory in the room was palpable to all, but Richter had gathered his people carefully - they got down to work immediately, eagerly. These were no mere thugs and workers, they were followers. They believed in what they were doing. They knew, like Richter, that in order to make the world a better place it had to be cleansed. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Richter watched one of his followers work on something under the console. The man sat up straight and reached over and hit a button marked ‘reset.’ </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And he had to smile at that.</span></blockquote>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-67395883884792354452014-02-10T20:16:00.002-08:002014-02-11T13:59:06.668-08:00Gender equality, you say?This picture was posted on my Facebook timeline:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZCWzSoNEuI9wrk8tUJh2kVZb4p50ykBHoqF0Z6BJMooRJKcCUBWp70gXlPCaR4xhlXB2JlFXJR1_loxAng1-dINQnCPTE1RzannyR3BOVz8FMpqDtU1glTjdX7gB04Dh5dq95vtsXS4/s1600/add+women.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZCWzSoNEuI9wrk8tUJh2kVZb4p50ykBHoqF0Z6BJMooRJKcCUBWp70gXlPCaR4xhlXB2JlFXJR1_loxAng1-dINQnCPTE1RzannyR3BOVz8FMpqDtU1glTjdX7gB04Dh5dq95vtsXS4/s1600/add+women.png" height="400" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Click to enlarge)</td></tr>
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I think that's pretty important, <a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/2014/02/of-women-and-refrigerators.html" target="_blank">especially after my last post</a>. Sort of like the next logical step. And I have to admit that, as with the last post, it has a sort of <b>"oh, duh"</b> quality to it.<br />
<br />
And I have to admit, also, to being somewhat hesitant about it. And here's why: <b>I don't feel that violence against women is ever justified</b>. I've never hit a woman, I often feel that men who do are to be loathed. The flipside of that is that the characters in my novel are predominantly in the military, so violence is going to happen to them.<br />
<br />
So as I'm going through it and changing the gender of a character here or there, the problem becomes that many of them are injured or killed in violent sequences. <b>And I feel bad about that.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Should I? </b>As I said, these are characters who are in the military, and it is absolutely an action/adventure novel, so violence is part of the quotient here. I feel an awkward guilt over it, and I'm not even sure that's justified.<br />
<br />
In the end, I think I'll be okay - it's not like I'm going out of my way to be extra cruel towards these female characters. <b>I'm putting them there because I want to be inclusive</b>, even though that awkwardly means that they're included in violence.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What say you?</span></b><br />
<br />
<u>UPDATE:</u> I'm going to post a few responses that I've received.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Jessica:</b> Important questions to ponder. I think if the violence they suffer (and dole out) is equal then it's ok. Still tough though because of how prevalent violence against women is. I would encourage an author's note perhaps that offers a trigger warning?</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Nichole:</b> see, in the context that you write the stories in, i don't see it as an issue, because it's not like you deliberately write about women getting assaulted without defending themselves. these women are enlisted in the military or something very similar and get into situations where they are likely to be involved in some sort of violent combat. your female characters are usually rather badass and are more than capable of defending themselves.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Masha:</b> I always understood the phrase "violence against women" to not just mean what the words say, but to refer to a specific set of behaviors where women are targeted because of the uniquely vulnerable position women occupy. For example in domestic abuse, or in cases of rape.<br />
<br />
I don't think there is anything inherently more wrong in a man attacking a woman, than a man attacking a man. But when he does so in a context when his violence is not judged, when his violence is seen as acceptable, because of attitudes people have about men and women- "she asked for it" or "she belongs to him" or "he cant help himself, he is a man and men cannot control themselves after all" it becomes something different. It's not just the violent act itself that is wrong, it's the context in which men feel justified in taking out their rage on women, free from blame.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Martin:</b> I think as long as your violence isn't consistently driven by gender then the violence itself in the narrative shouldn't be a problem no matter who it's against.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Karen:</b> Seems to me that violence is part and parcel of being in the military, in a combat situation. Women in combat? They're going to get wounded, maimed, killed. It goes with the job.</blockquote>
<br />
<b>Sound off in the comments if you agree or disagree. </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-78281412097677051692014-02-05T19:29:00.003-08:002014-02-05T19:29:32.649-08:00Of Women and Refrigerators<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPU8mfAczN-n6ImXt4PeeHbSA_UyflOPpKXw4kq9ULCiDTkBgraU9T2z9EIZA2PZwTvi0lfTkyicEK3hwkOpJDZ7ULOibIMU1iPvaDR-ih8sfgOSr6PIgjk74QjMMmyrqA1hWAq5oOyS4/s1600/refrigerator+by+jemelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPU8mfAczN-n6ImXt4PeeHbSA_UyflOPpKXw4kq9ULCiDTkBgraU9T2z9EIZA2PZwTvi0lfTkyicEK3hwkOpJDZ7ULOibIMU1iPvaDR-ih8sfgOSr6PIgjk74QjMMmyrqA1hWAq5oOyS4/s1600/refrigerator+by+jemelle.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(Image: stock xchng/jumelle)</i></span></td></tr>
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A while back, I went to my friends on Facebook and said, "I want to create a strong female character. Where do I start?"<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The best response I got was the simplest: <b>"Create a strong character. Then make it female."</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I mean, <b>whoa</b>, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I felt stupid for not having thought of that initially. But, of course, it's totally true. And when I began working on <a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/p/weirdo-company.html" target="_blank">"Weirdo Company,"</a> I knew that the Davis character was going to be a major focus and <b>I wanted to make sure that <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WomenInRefrigerators" target="_blank">I never made her a victim</a></b> - that she was always proactive in these adventures - even though to some extent, bad things have to happen to her and she will suffer through emotional crises.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes, she's the newbie. She's inexperienced - but we quickly find that she's capable. Throughout the 10 parts of the serial, Davis crisis is whether or not she belongs in this group, not whether she can cut it. <b>I felt that was important, that her competence was not the question</b> - it was whether she felt this was the right direction for her life and her career to go in.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Later, as her romance with Colin 'Rhymes' McCollin blossoms, one of the things <b>I wanted to tackle with the characters was the concept of someone "needing to be rescued."</b> And because I was actively trying to make Davis a "strong female character" that meant I had to struggle with how to explore that dynamic both in the context of a (fairly) light-hearted action/adventure setting and also by not ruining the Rhymes character by doing to him all the things that have been done to women characters throughout the years.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And the question seemed simple enough: Why does she <b>"need"</b> to be rescued? Why does <b>anyone</b> think that she does? And what does it to do her relationship with Rhymes if she doesn't?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the things I hate about TV shows is that many of them seem to build drama out of the "will-they-or-won't-they" concept - A romance between two characters who may or may not end up together. Think Ross and Rachel on "Friends." But what always bugged me about that show, and others, is that <b>oftentimes the two characters will finally get together and then the writers simply have no concept of what to do with them</b>. Because the entire relationship so far has been built on suspense! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't want to fall prey to that trap with Davis and Rhymes, either, and I think strengthening their relationship was key to that. Ross and Rachel went through an aggravating cycle of getting together and immediately breaking up, but I<b> was far more invested in the relationship between Monica and Chandler</b> on that show. Two people who fell in love and went through trials and tribulations without any of the immature nonsense that Ross and Rachel went through. Instead, <b>their problems were all about figuring out how they would move forward together.</b> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In my mind, that's a much harder drama to get correct. It feels easier to go the Ross and Rachel route because it generates quick and easy interest. And it's a tried-and-true formula. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I'd much rather that Davis and Rhymes be more like Monica and Chandler. Their troubles are about <b>learning what the other is capable of and sticking by each other</b>, not about me trying to drive a wedge between them to manufacture drama.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm very happy with how Davis turned out. Is it all perfect? No. There's probably a couple of parts in some of the earlier stories where I slipped up with her, but my own journey as a writer and writing her as a character continues. In writing the "Weirdo Company" followup, I included a scene in which Davis is injured and is then upset that Rhymes doesn't get adequate justice for that act. <b>I've decided to remove that scene</b>, or at the very least, alter it to remove that part of it<b>.</b> On a technical level, it all works. But I think in doing so <b>I betrayed the character</b> and my goals in writing her. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because I'm past creating a "strong female character." I'm just working on a strong character.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-86441679406105956602014-02-02T20:07:00.002-08:002014-02-02T20:07:58.178-08:00It's the economy (of words), stupid!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAah6cZrPjEY1cRVgcOls-PqrJAS_vaELf2vM0f8tPEmSuPDIQtGRgk6jiTfWX2KhVYujIb0smXyPwHTRpa7lvyEWklII7JXTG0KeBrd9JT0q3kBmfSdFQEm0hkcmik1Lr9HA3dAumPzc/s1600/scissors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAah6cZrPjEY1cRVgcOls-PqrJAS_vaELf2vM0f8tPEmSuPDIQtGRgk6jiTfWX2KhVYujIb0smXyPwHTRpa7lvyEWklII7JXTG0KeBrd9JT0q3kBmfSdFQEm0hkcmik1Lr9HA3dAumPzc/s1600/scissors.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(image: stock.xchng/id_charlz)</i></span></td></tr>
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You don't realize it, but there are a lot of words you don't need in your novel.<br />
<br />
In my earlier post about writing the Weirdo Company serial, I talked about focusing more on actions than descriptions as one way to keep the word count down and keep the plot moving swiftly.<br />
<br />
But, there's more to economy of words than just that. Even in describing actions, you're going to run into superfluous words that are going to bog down your sentences. What are these junk words? They're pretty simple.<br />
<br />
Boot up your word processor of choice and go to the "find" function. In the search field, type in "then." How many times did it come up?<br />
<br />
Searching through just the first part of my new Weirdo Company novel, the word "then" appears 34 times out of a total of 15,159 words. That might not seem like much, but trust me, "then" is a word you can get rid of without really missing it.<br />
<br />
Here's what I mean:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But then her eyes snapped open, big and blue and whip-smart.</span></blockquote>
Or, we can just say:<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Her eyes snapped open, big and blue and whip-smart.</span></blockquote>
The effect is subtle, but it works. The sentence is punchier. To the point. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, <i>sometimes</i> "then" is useful when describing a sequence of events. As with all things, consider this on a case-by-case basis. Don't just obliterate every usage of the word on my say so. But make finding these junk words part of your editing process.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You'll be surprised by how much you don't need "then" or "seemed" or lots of words that end in "-ly." </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-65822229380637442372014-01-30T07:15:00.000-08:002014-01-30T07:21:19.778-08:00Breaking up is hard on the keys<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uiTWx7ZwvZgoInNwPfCxNAvwXfRf9lj6oAmRb6Z5iD1UzfIw8HXpy4bZT_kP-dwbeF9OhY7bI3UrY8LRdiV8vG5cWqlr4ebD-W-leMlqBoiMd_3ixrJMV8LzUUYOCvyIFiguQpSMctI/s1600/sad+baby+by+milan6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="milan6" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uiTWx7ZwvZgoInNwPfCxNAvwXfRf9lj6oAmRb6Z5iD1UzfIw8HXpy4bZT_kP-dwbeF9OhY7bI3UrY8LRdiV8vG5cWqlr4ebD-W-leMlqBoiMd_3ixrJMV8LzUUYOCvyIFiguQpSMctI/s1600/sad+baby+by+milan6.jpg" height="211" title="milan6" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(Image: stock.xchng/milan6)</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />
I don't think using real conversations I've had to help spruce up my dialogue is a bad thing. I do it all the time. I'm not talking about taking whole conversations and changing the names. Occasionally using a phrase or sentence someone actually said can help make your fake conversations feel more real.<br />
<br />
In my current case, it's also helping me tap into the emotions I'm trying to evoke in a particular scene. Today, it's a break-up between two characters who were in a romantic relationship.<br />
<br />
Now, this scene had always been part of the plot of the novel - it's one of the motivating factors for one character's actions in the rest of the novel. Jacob Kent gets dumped by his girlfriend, Rachel, and in his sorrow makes a fateful decision. But I've littered it with bits and pieces from a couple of real breakups I've been through, and at least for me personally, I think it helps sell the emotions of the characters.<br />
<br />
They say "write what you know," and in this sense, I think that phrase is true.<br />
<br />
Here's <i>part</i> of the scene in question: (Keep in mind, it's still a first draft)<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Hey,” said the voice on the other end. Kent’s voice. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Hey,” she said. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You wanted to talk.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I did,” she said. “You can probably guess…” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Well, no good conversation ever started with, ‘soooo we need to talk,’” he replied. “Historically.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She chuckled. “That’s accurate.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then she let out a long sigh. She could feel the tears coming. She could hear his breath catch on the other end of the line. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You’re dumping me,” he said. It wasn’t a question. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m sorry,” she told him. “It’s just…” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Just what?” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You’re not... here.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You did call me on the phone.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She closed her eyes, hard, trying to seal in the tears. “You’re wonderful, Jacob, really, I want you know to know that,” she said, voice cracking. “But… You’re so distant. You can’t ever tell me anything. It’s been nearly a year, and for all I feel, for all the good times we’ve had, I feel like I’ll never really know you.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He said nothing. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’ve tried for months to get you to open up to me,” she said. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You know my work is classified.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m not talking about your work,” she said. “I know what you do. I know where you go for days at a time. But I want to know what you think. What you feel. And I can’t keep going like this. I can’t keep dating you and feeling more and more like it’s just work.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Do you love me?” he asked. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She blinked. The tears streamed down her face. “Yes.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Then why does it matter?” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Because it’s not enough. Not for me. Not anymore.” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He said nothing. She sobbed. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Please don’t do this,” he said quietly. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She wept. “I don’t want to,” she said between racking sobs. “I don’t! But you can’t promise me you’ll change, can you?” </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He said nothing. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I didn’t think so,” she said. She pressed the phone against her hot cheek, running her other hand through her hair. She gripped a handful of it and squeezed, feeling the tug on her scalp. But it was impossible to distract the tears. They kept coming. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a long time, neither of them said anything. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But then he said, “I don’t want to hang up the phone.”</span></blockquote>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-19a9db32-e3ac-e20d-4ffe-a4c1fd0d87b0"></span><br />
<br />
In writing fiction, even fiction as fantastic as something involving magic or aliens or mythical creatures, the concept of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verisimilitude_(narrative)" target="_blank">verisimilitude</a> is key. If the reader can't get involved in the story, if some part of it doesn't ring true or real to them, they may give up.<br />
<br />
I can't say that I often aim for deep philosophical truth in my writing, or even real emotional resonance in many cases, but I do want the reader to be engaged. That means that for all the fantastical, ridiculous things that are happening, it has to seem like it could really happen to these characters, and that the characters respond to these events in the manner that they should.<br />
<br />
And one way to do that, as I said, is to draw upon my own memories and emotions. If it's real to me, the chances are someone out there can relate to it and it will feel more real to them.<br />
<br />
So what if it happens to involve zombie Franken-dinosaur assassins?<br />
<br />
<i>Current Soundtrack:</i><br />
"Dark Void" by Bear McCrearyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-63375580599389894772014-01-28T17:32:00.003-08:002014-01-28T17:32:44.771-08:00Cast of Dramatis Personae Characters<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDFlJgadKpBnQHJO2dHlIX1LOWJGJyh4r3jpcZNJagIqb0wbrnLUpLirHwxjUCtKIvRasfu_GPCj6EWsTQ02Gq17jjKzAU-mXIxnzCjX5Iwz3tJBcbwl9MuvwBsReNAWY2STNu45M878/s1600/paper+by+michaelaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDFlJgadKpBnQHJO2dHlIX1LOWJGJyh4r3jpcZNJagIqb0wbrnLUpLirHwxjUCtKIvRasfu_GPCj6EWsTQ02Gq17jjKzAU-mXIxnzCjX5Iwz3tJBcbwl9MuvwBsReNAWY2STNu45M878/s1600/paper+by+michaelaw.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image: stock.xchng/michaelaw)</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />
So, here's something sorta embarrassing... I was having trouble remembering the names of some of the characters in my novel.<br />
<br />
Yeah. I know.<br />
<br />
They're totally minor characters, basically just <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3cL1Aofy90" target="_blank">red shirts</a>. But, it's important to keep that sort of thing consistent throughout the entire piece, right?<br />
<br />
So I did something that I really ought to have done from the start - create a list of characters and their associations. I know, I know, Writer 101 stuff. But, I've never really been one for taking copious notes or planning things out with more than just a bare outline and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4AmLcBLZWY" target="_blank">my brain</a>.<br />
<br />
In some circles, this is called "pantsing." People who do this are "pantsers." I realize how very 7th grade that sounds, but really, we're just trying to reclaim it.<br />
<br />
But there it is. Look at me like a cautionary tale. Your novel will be full of strangers if you don't do things right. It doesn't have to be terribly in depth, just a straight up list. Is there a family, or groupings you need to keep track of? Go for it. Because most of my characters are in the military, I organized it by their squads.<br />
<br />
Effort: Five minutes.<br />
Not having to keep looking back through old chapters to remember character names: Priceless.<br />
<br />
<i>Current Soundtrack</i><br />
"Black Sails" by Bear McCrearyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-4341506472311477762014-01-27T12:49:00.001-08:002014-01-27T15:34:07.282-08:00Oh, hello there 2014<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPnS93mw5rzmjcl2CXn1IuJbo9eqDrhs38BCbXxTHloq63sDOicNjsO_3da0lQiy68molJ5ZaOlTtQEzfhSbG7iOwP1NafNaQjNYFw4X3mj3oEChHPrR6pWO3iAk3AbTPyOTpLlmi1_s/s1600/typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPnS93mw5rzmjcl2CXn1IuJbo9eqDrhs38BCbXxTHloq63sDOicNjsO_3da0lQiy68molJ5ZaOlTtQEzfhSbG7iOwP1NafNaQjNYFw4X3mj3oEChHPrR6pWO3iAk3AbTPyOTpLlmi1_s/s1600/typewriter.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image: stock.xchng/nh313066)</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />
It's apparently been an entire year since I updated this blog. Many things have changed since then.<br />
<br />
Many things have also stayed the same.<br />
<br />
I finished the <a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/weirdo-company-linkstravaganza.html" target="_blank">Weirdo Company serial</a>! That was a huge moment for me, hitting the "publish" button on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZTKX9G" target="_blank">last of 10 parts</a>. I had such an incredible amount of fun writing that story and creating those characters. I initially told myself that I was done with it for a while, and went to work on another project.<br />
<br />
But the problem is, ideas for more Weirdo Company kept nagging at me. So I abandoned the other project and threw myself whole hog into a new Weirdo Company novel. I haven't settled on a title yet, but frankly <a href="http://beninsaneramblings.blogspot.com/2012/01/of-titles-and-men.html" target="_blank">that's not surprising</a>.<br />
<br />
Along the way, other life things happened. I went to five weddings last year, three of them in about the span of a month. It was exhausting, and expensive, but at the same time a good deal of fun. My relationship with my best friend deteriorated until it was no more. That was also exhausting. And I got my heart broken, which was even more exhausting.<br />
<br />
In the middle of all that, I got promoted at work. I don't work the night shift anymore, which is huge. I enjoy the work that I'm doing, and I feel like it's another step forward and toward what I would really love to be doing.<br />
<br />
But I keep plugging forward with more Weirdo Company. It's comforting. It's fun. I'm pouring a bit more of my own emotions into this one, so hopefully there will be a little bit more dramatic meat beyond all the swearing and explosions and strange monsters.<br />
<br />
It's also not a serial, it's a novel, though it keeps a lot of same serial format. I think fans will find a lot to like, and maybe I'll attract some new ones. Maybe.<br />
<br />
I'm also writing this post from the very awesome <a href="http://www.danishpastryhouse.com/" target="_blank">Danish Pastry House in Medford</a>. It's a fine little place that has lots of baked goods, sandwiches and really excellent coffee and tea options. I wrote a <a href="http://marinepolymer.com/blog-post.php?id=23&title=Your_poor_sleep_is_aging_you_prematurely" target="_blank">blog post for my second job about sleep deprivation </a>while I was pounding back a chai latte. How's that for funny?<br />
<br />
But, ultimately... How I'm feeling is this: 2014 will be big. Bigger than 2013. More things are going to change for me. I'm making that happen, rather than waiting for them. This is the next step that I've been building toward since I started self-publishing. Taking that leap was me beginning to do something different with my life than simply go to work, come home and do it all again the next day.<br />
<br />
It's a little weird.<br />
<br />
<i>Current Soundtrack</i><br />
"Inception" by Hans ZimmerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-24958070654114667672013-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:002013-01-21T14:03:43.542-08:00Weirdo Company linkstravaganzaSo I'm officially halfway through my big "Weirdo Company" project. That's five stories of about 15,000 words apiece or roughly 75,000 words. Whew. I realize I haven't updated this blog as well or as often as I should. <br />
<br />
So here's a rundown of where you can find all these stories and how you can tell me how much you love them.<br />
<br />
<b>Zombies vs Unicorns: </b><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UHJQAA" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a> for your Kindle, PC or mobile device.<br />
Add it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15813955-weirdo-company" target="_blank">here on Goodreads</a> to review and rate it and ask me questions and such.<br />
<br />
<b>Ninja Werewolf Assassins!</b><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FUA14Q" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1113014526?ean=2940015619713" target="_blank">here on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
Add it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16044649-weirdo-company" target="_blank">here on Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
<b>Hellshark</b><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YOQJSK" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1113688294?ean=2940015928099" target="_blank">here on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
Add it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16119455-weirdo-company" target="_blank">here on Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
<b>Blood of the Keres</b><br />
<br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AE07V6M" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1114051374?ean=2940016151052" target="_blank">here on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
Add it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16176417-weirdo-company" target="_blank">here on Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
<b>The Great Dragon Egg Robbery</b><br />
<br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AV28TIW" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1114051372?ean=2940016151045" target="_blank">here on Barnes & Noble</a><br />
Add it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17225928-weirdo-company" target="_blank">here on Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
Additionally, there is the paperback collection <b>Volume 1</b> which contains all five stories in one very cool book.<br />
Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weirdo-Company-1-Ben-Guilfoy/dp/1481811010/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358797741&sr=1-2&keywords=ben+guilfoy" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><br />
Buy it <a href="https://www.createspace.com/4105806" target="_blank">here on CreateSpace</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-67201797608172575352012-12-14T15:08:00.000-08:002012-12-14T15:15:29.573-08:00How I Wrote a Serial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpFzlESrmZoQqJFvCUsaRp91zJNq3Wa1a1y_4DcDwqPQmGJ_ZR-Tbz6YqaqbUKTzw7S427sTuK7nc-BL8dEjC7Q85_SsoJVDbwSpVQRbqTiyzmE7n_-xf5FbPe4fyX3LpThiumeyVslk/s1600/ZvsUcover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpFzlESrmZoQqJFvCUsaRp91zJNq3Wa1a1y_4DcDwqPQmGJ_ZR-Tbz6YqaqbUKTzw7S427sTuK7nc-BL8dEjC7Q85_SsoJVDbwSpVQRbqTiyzmE7n_-xf5FbPe4fyX3LpThiumeyVslk/s200/ZvsUcover2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8622738320846111" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part One: Formulaic Nonsense</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m already five-deep into the “Weirdo Company” 10-part serial. When I first started, I did a little research and I looked up some monsters that I thought were either interesting to build an action/adventure story around or that I’d simply never heard of before and thought would be cool. (“Hellshark” was an idea I came up with a couple years ago as a joke, and it fit right in.) So I found 10 monsters as I had already decided I wanted to write 10 chapters of this story.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While that idea was still forming, I settled upon the idea of mapping out the entire story like it was a season of a television show and treating each chapter of the serial like an “episode.” I looked at my list of monsters and started coming up with basic plots for them. Sometimes these were as simple as “The team is trapped underground with _____” or “zombies vs unicorns.” But as the list went on, I had other elements I wanted to introduce that would link all the stories together until I basically had a short paragraph for each of the ten episodes. From there, I decided on a certain format each episode would (loosely) follow.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The basic formula is that each episode begins with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_open" target="_blank">“cold open.”</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For example, the first story, “Zombies vs Unicorns,” opens with a brief scene of a scientist escaping a facility overrun by zombies, and then we jump a couple weeks later to introduce our characters as that situation has grown out of control. The second story, “Ninja Werewolf Assassins!” begins with a harrowing chase sequence, and then the next scene actually jumps back in time to explain how we got there. So both stories follow the same format, even if the content of the scenes themselves is wildly different - and even the time jump is diametrically opposed. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next, introduce the characters and throw them into the plot. In “Blood of the Keres,” I introduced the characters via a briefing scene, followed by them traveling to Europe and generally getting slowly drawn toward the inevitable final confrontation. That’s fine - I still had a big action-packed opening, and then I built every action sequence larger and larger until the all-out battle at the end. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s the basic formula for each episode. Think of it like a check mark - Start with some big action, then bring it down a little, then build bigger and bigger and bigger. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For “The Great Dragon Egg Robbery,” I eliminated the opening teaser. The story has three major action sequences - a train/highway chase, a truck highway chase, and the finale. In between are sections of plot and character development, but what I wanted this story to be, as the big “halfway there” episode, was essentially an action showcase. So I formatted the story around that. In terms of the plot, we actually open three days after this particular mission has been going on, and the team is frazzled and harried from the last few days. I sprinkle some information here and there in the dialogue to fill us in on what’s happening. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here’s where we get to one of the important things I want to talk about: Length.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Ward asked me to help him understand how to write something and keep it short. He said the temptation for many writers is to expand their story as large and as long as they can make it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each episode of “Weirdo Company” is around 14,000 or 15,000 words. That’s more than enough time for me to develop relatively simple plots, sprinkle in some action sequences, character development and one-liners.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Think about your average TV episode. I’m going to give my college screenwriting professor, Robert Johnson a shoutout here, because he was awesome and so were his classes. I learned a lot of wild stuff in those classes, such as that TV dramas are often split into A-plot and B-plot. The A-plot is the one with the major focus, while the B-plot tends to get less screen time. In the case of CSI, the A-plot is the murder and the B-plot is generally character-oriented, such as one of the investigators is dealing with a family issue or something along those lines.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In “Zombies vs Unicorns,” the A-plot is the mission - Weirdo Company has to deal with the zombies and the unicorns in a little town up in the mountains of New Hampshire. The B-plot is the new recruit, Davis, acclimating to the team and their charter to deal with strange and dangerous monsters. In my chosen format for the serial, the next episode, “Ninja Werewolf Assassins!” sends the team on a new mission, but continues the character arc for Davis, who deals with the emotional repercussions of the first episode. And then the third episode does that again - new mission, coupled with character side-plot. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did that five times. Now it’s time for episode 6, “Chupacabras on a Boat.” My original plot outline had the team hunting Chupacabra through some tunnels and an oil rig, but since I used tunnels extensively in “Blood of the Keres,” I decided I wanted to look at some different locations. Well, where’s one place that Chupacabra absolutely doesn’t belong? On a boat, duh. So now that I have my simple, ludicrous premise... it’s time to get to work.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part Two: Don’t Do What I Do</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OcB995aigvbmOjOVfiG13yB24csJXvejyWed3s7PbupabJPmHMs-FSRSjh5bd89SaXYOA_8ZDlbj_nBzFdfL79hIZK0LhVU7R4I3JKNw1QBogeFhrk_uFL4BQNLjy8cHkOtQmcXEsBE/s1600/Ninja+Werewolf+Assassins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OcB995aigvbmOjOVfiG13yB24csJXvejyWed3s7PbupabJPmHMs-FSRSjh5bd89SaXYOA_8ZDlbj_nBzFdfL79hIZK0LhVU7R4I3JKNw1QBogeFhrk_uFL4BQNLjy8cHkOtQmcXEsBE/s200/Ninja+Werewolf+Assassins.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll admit that a lot of times when I start writing, I don’t really know where I’m going with it. I’m not a fan of outlines, I never have been. That got me into a lot of trouble in school when teachers would force me to outline a paper I was going to write, and it was like pulling teeth. Then, once I’d finally come up with an outline, I’d ignore it completely and get an A. My brain just seems to organize things on the fly, then I go back sometimes and edit.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, and here’s where my process should probably not be recommended to everyone (or anyone) I often just start writing and see where it takes me. While I’m doing this, the story is slowly coming together in the back of my mind. When I finish a scene, I think for a bit about what should logically come next. Sometimes, that works out fine. Other times it doesn’t. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of writers will read this and think, “You’re freaking insane.” So be it. I probably am. But I found that this is what works for me. Some writers will say, “Yeah, me too!” and that’s cool, also. If you’re the kind of person who’s super organized and you need to have an outline, then here’s what I’d suggest: </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teaser</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Act One</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Act Two</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Act Three</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Act Four</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Act Five</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or variations thereof, depending on your story. But try it. This is what’s called “breaking the story” in Hollywood. Tear it up into chunks and put them together in a way that makes sense.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TV dramas, at least when I was learning about them, were organized into a teaser and five-act structure. The teaser, as I mentioned before, sets things up. “CSI” usually starts with some kind of act of violence, then jumps forward hours or days to when the team has found the body. Gil Grissom looks things over and spouts some kind of pun or witty remark and then all of a sudden The Who is rockin’ us through the title sequence. After that, each act progresses the plot forward but it also does one other thing: each act ends on a cliffhanger. You want your audience to come back after the commercial, right?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In writing this serial, I’ve tried to sprinkle little cliffhangers throughout as I would jump from scene to scene. Give it a try! Outline a teaser and five acts for your story, each one increasing the stakes for your characters until you get to the climax, then slam us with the best you’ve got! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Should you end each episode of your serial on a cliffhanger? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the nature of the story you’re telling. For “Weirdo Company,” the stories don’t end with explicit “To Be Continued...” cliffhangers (yet...) but I like to hint that the overarching plot is advancing, hoping that the reader likes these little teases enough to come back next month for another bite. I’ll admit, in five episodes, I haven’t given away much about the villains’ plan, but those revelations are coming. How quickly you seed them through your story is up to you. But a good place to do so is probably around the end of each episode, to sort of set the stage for your next one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part Three: Watch Your Mouth</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we’ve looked at the structure of a serial being devised like a TV show - carry over your character arcs even if you resolve your plot, divide your episode into acts, etc. So what? You could probably still write a 100,000 word novel with that structure. How do you keep it in check? </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most TV dramas, without commercials, clock in at about 40 minutes, sometimes a little longer like 42. Since I’m developing “Weirdo Company” in the mold of a TV series, that means there’s not a lot of space or time for artful navel gazing. So the plot of each episode is going to be relatively simple. The “CSI” crew have only 42 minutes to solve a murder. Well, I’ve only got about 42 pages to do the same thing. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Economy of language. Don’t screw around.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the things I don’t do much of in “Weirdo Company” is talk about what things or people look like. I’ll give cursory descriptions like “a black Mercedes,” “a gray BMW,” or “a high-ceilinged room that felt like a cathedral.” I think I might once have mentioned the hair color of a particular character, or that one character is large and muscular. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But otherwise, I’m not spending a lot of time on what things look like unless it’s important. I try to trust the reader’s brain to fill in that information for themselves. Since that’s taken care of, I mostly just focus on action. In this sense, I don’t mean action in terms of gunfights and explosions, but actions, movements, etc. Instead of focusing on describing the way things are, I focus on describing what they’re doing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Example: in “The Great Dragon Egg Robbery,” the opening action sequence involves Harper trying to stop a runaway train. I don’t describe what he’s wearing. There’s no scene that says “Harper arrived, wearing a neatly-pressed Saville Row suit with pinstripes and two buttons, his tie cleanly cutting down the center” or whatever. Instead, I just make passing mention to him straightening his tie. Suddenly, your mind pictures him in a suit. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could say something like, “Anders was a beefy man with a thick neck, square jaw, and a scar that ran across his eye. He’d gotten it years earlier in a battle with an enraged sasquatch. He looked at him quizzically, the meaning plain in his face.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, I could say, “The big man, Anders, looked at him with his one good eye, questioning.” The focus isn’t on the fact that Anders is big, or even that he’s scarred but on the action of him asking an unspoken question. If I toss in that he has “one good eye,” the reader will more than likely conjure up an image of a man with an eyepatch or a scar, or whatever they innately want him to look like.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spend just enough time on what things look like to get the basic gist across, and the reader will do the rest on their own. A short-form serial is no place for you to go wild with your characters’ deep inner thoughts, or to lovingly explore every nook and cranny on that tree in the background. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all that, what am I saying? Get to the frickin’ point.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do it quickly. Do it succinctly. Still do it with flair, because you don’t want your prose to be boring, but don’t dilly-dally. This also relates to your plotting and structure, too, not just how many words you use. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I started writing the opening of “Chupacbras on a Boat” and it was about four hundred words that mostly consisted of characters walking into a room, dropping their bags on their beds and then sitting down in an office for a briefing before getting to the fighting. it was totally boring. So I lopped it right out and got down to business. Sometimes you might have to do that - write the boring part until you get to the good part, and then ditch the boring part. Remember that you can always sprinkle some background info into the good part to explain things to the reader without having to actually explain things to the reader.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part Four: The Gang’s All Here</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tcGQfbTqWrvVGinIGWmnEnfFGA0Xl9CWZnpPAyzhHPxLQJCL4Ra6GMjtLB72ayxoNeDi_kpCO8WaNa75FopVz-xx1D3ArwZISHythKpFfIOViybAaSlYkLuWrrp33cyrdakZ1ELqnx4/s1600/Weirdo+Company+4+-+Blood+of+the+Keres+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tcGQfbTqWrvVGinIGWmnEnfFGA0Xl9CWZnpPAyzhHPxLQJCL4Ra6GMjtLB72ayxoNeDi_kpCO8WaNa75FopVz-xx1D3ArwZISHythKpFfIOViybAaSlYkLuWrrp33cyrdakZ1ELqnx4/s200/Weirdo+Company+4+-+Blood+of+the+Keres+small.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “Weirdo Company” series has seven or eight recurring characters that are generally in each episode. Think about the original “Star Trek.” Everyone knows about Scotty, Chekov, Sulu and Uhura, right? Sure. But the main characters of every episode were Kirk, Spock and McCoy. The others were around, but they were rarely the focus of an entire episode, maybe just a few scenes here or there. Still, everyone tends to think of them as main characters. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, I might have seven or eight characters that are always in these episodes, but I’m really only focusing on three. Harper, Davis and Rhymes are the characters with the most “screen time” in my serial. The others are there, and they serve their distinct purposes, they’re just for support because I need a larger world than three characters. You might not, but in continuing the TV analogy, they’re my supporting cast. They’re my Scotty, Sulu, Chekov and Uhura. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even in a modern ensemble TV drama, you’ve got a couple people who are always at the forefront of the action. “The Walking Dead” is undeniably about Rick Grimes, even with the hugeness of that show’s cast. We might focus on Andrea and Michonne for a bit, or toss a couple scenes to Glen and Maggie, but we’re mostly following Rick.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So don’t try to give all your characters equal time. Don’t always try to flesh them out as much as you can. Sometimes, you just need your characters to be who they’re supposed to be. Flint is the medic, Mendez is the gunner. Tailor their actions and dialogue to those purposes and they’ll do just fine. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now: Villainy. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your story will probably require some kind of antagonist or villain. Mine has two, a pair of brothers who call themselves Joker and Thief. Joker is the plotter, Thief is the doer. I’ve set up that dynamic, so the characters feel fairly well established even if we don’t know much about them - particularly their plans. But through the dialogue we know that Joker wants to rule the world and has some sort of intricate plan to do so while Thief does what he’s told and is resentful of his brother’s power over him. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All these things lead back to being economical. Don’t put more effort into something than you have to. Focus on telling a good story, rather than trying to flesh everything out. The short form prose is less about depth. I could write thousands of words about the backstories of every character, give all of them more time to do things like drink coffee or walk their dogs, but I’m stripping away everything that, while interesting, is ultimately unimportant. </span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-6909419362946174852012-10-31T21:47:00.000-07:002012-10-31T21:47:06.471-07:00NaNoWriMo is upon us!<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Yes, the yearly writers Mecca is here: <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a>, the month when everyone sits down and tries to crank out a 50,000 word </span><s style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">fan fic</s><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> masterpiece!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Every year I find some excuse not to participate, though this year I'm getting closer. I've got two jobs and so many writing irons in the fire, that I just can't sit down and crank out a novel </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">from scratch</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">. Instead, I'll just use my NaNoWriMotivation to work on a novel project that I started before but only got about 16,000 words into before it came grinding to a halt.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I think that's a pretty good use of my time, considering the two jobs and working on the </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Weirdo Company</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> serial. That project is going well, since I just released </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16119455.Weirdo_Company__Hellshark" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" title="Weirdo Company: Hellshark by Ben Guilfoy">Weirdo Company: Hellshark</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> and I've already made solid progress on the next episode, </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Blood of the Keres</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">So, I'm feeling pretty good about NaNoWriMo, even though my participation is a little... NaNoWriModjacent. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Any of you out there going to dive into this yearly </span><s style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">sacrifice</s><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> ritual?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Current Soundtrack</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Star Trek V: The Final Frontier </b>by Jerry Goldsmith</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-77168534405108000882012-10-31T21:42:00.002-07:002012-10-31T21:42:34.045-07:00Review: "Whiteout" by Ken Follett<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92367.Whiteout" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Whiteout" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309209422m/92367.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92367.Whiteout">Whiteout</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3447.Ken_Follett">Ken Follett</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/438485323">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
The first half is pretty slow, there is a lot of setup going on. Follett is careful to introduce every character, no matter how minor, and give them all their own subplots. At times, it feels like he's just padding things out - a subplot involving a a character having an affair with her sister's husband feels pretty pointless in the end - but mostly it all works. Things don't start to really gel until the second half, when the plot kicks into higher gear. The ending feels a little bit too neat, but overall this is a solid thriller. <br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8185512-ben-guilfoy">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-25502508158600705882012-10-30T11:40:00.001-07:002012-10-30T11:46:08.601-07:00Unleash the Hellshark! ...Also, tweetsHere it is, ladies and gentlemen, the third part of the <b>Weirdo Company</b> serial - <b>Hellshark.</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Having a personal crisis after the events in Britain, Becky Davis returns home to Florida to consider her future. But no sooner has she arrived than she finds herself thrust into a new adventure: The locals are being terrorized by a massive, bloodthirsty shark that can spit fire!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">With the team still scattered, Davis calls on her only backup - team leader Lt. Paul Harper and pilot Colin 'Rhymes' McCollin - for help. But Weirdo Company are not the only ones hunting this hellshark...</span></blockquote>
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<b>Hellshark</b> is available now for your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YOQJSK" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1113688294?ean=2940015928099" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble NOOK.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVoYeQV3HqoQiwOdaUqSWo38ap7J95jND-3MFGHxhmEu86TOu13XwD-mbpBSvnQwJorxKuKRQsUy3YENxB_ybO4bYMIYwS9ZUV2lTK98iHF7_VgbCNSHGzj2UhgFuo-mfx2at5iYJi6o/s1600/hellshark+cover+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVoYeQV3HqoQiwOdaUqSWo38ap7J95jND-3MFGHxhmEu86TOu13XwD-mbpBSvnQwJorxKuKRQsUy3YENxB_ybO4bYMIYwS9ZUV2lTK98iHF7_VgbCNSHGzj2UhgFuo-mfx2at5iYJi6o/s320/hellshark+cover+4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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In other news, <b>Star Trek</b> novelist Dayton Ward tweeted me the other day to say nice job on my <b>Strange New Worlds </b>story from 2006. That's pretty awesome! Kind of made my day, since everything else that was going on had to do with Hurricane Sandy. Luckily, Boston was mostly spared, and I was safe. I have a few friends who lost power, but nothing major. Unfortunately, it looks like New York and other nearby areas were hit pretty hard, so I'm hoping those people get the help they need. </div>
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<i>Current Soundtrack</i></div>
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<b>Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country </b>by Cliff Eidelman</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-46659752333207246082012-10-27T15:21:00.002-07:002012-10-27T15:21:52.315-07:00My wasted SaturdayToday I had all kinds of things I wanted to do. Big things, important things. Things like finish the cover for <b>Hellshark. </b>Well now it's after 6 and what have I done today?<br />
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I put a bunch of beef in the crockpot and then watched <b>30 Rock</b> until it hurt.<br />
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Okay, so I did do some work on the cover for <b>Hellshark</b>. Not bad. And I managed to stick to Paleo meals today, unlike yesterday (stupid, delicious calzone...). So I guess I didn't waste the day after all? The beef is still in the crockpot. It's been almost seven hours. I hope it's delicious.<br />
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Here's the latest WIP cover for <b>Hellshark</b>, which I'm planning on uploading Monday for Tuesday release announcement. Special thanks to <b>Smalls</b> for suggesting red, glowing devil eye.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtILNYrGu3CmoXiUgtt3yh6RrHlWoCVdglcV0VOka1rTO-kiaRwo8FW85_9PdS5dxO47PjQLfcJLioZ3J6s8LwBQ7P-1A9ti1dM77ldFRF3kGIm9APfVuwiQ13UKT_liOg9h0KOJkfTo/s1600/hellshark+cover+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtILNYrGu3CmoXiUgtt3yh6RrHlWoCVdglcV0VOka1rTO-kiaRwo8FW85_9PdS5dxO47PjQLfcJLioZ3J6s8LwBQ7P-1A9ti1dM77ldFRF3kGIm9APfVuwiQ13UKT_liOg9h0KOJkfTo/s320/hellshark+cover+3.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Current Soundtrack</i><br />
<b>Quantum of Solace </b>by David ArnoldAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-21287212964845567062012-10-26T19:28:00.001-07:002012-10-26T19:28:14.986-07:00The Adventures of Weirdo Company continue!Yes, folks, the third part of the "Weirdo Company" serial is almost upon us. <b>Hellshark</b> is complete, I just need to finish the cover and give everything a last once-over and we're good to go! And that means it's time to announce part four:<br />
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<b>Blood of the Keres</b></div>
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<blockquote>
In 1944, a battle between Allied and Nazi soldiers was interrupted by hideous demons that fed on the blood of the wounded. Decades later, this ancient evil has been disturbed once more to prey on an unsuspecting countryside. Weirdo Company, complete once more, heads to Europe to investigate this latest strange occurrence, only to discover a shocking connection to Lt. Paul Harper's family history. Burdened by guilt, Harper heads recklessly into danger.</blockquote>
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But as the bodies begin to pile up, Harper and the rest of the team must devise a method to kill the agents of Death itself.</blockquote>
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Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-43690696047525434402012-10-21T21:48:00.000-07:002012-10-21T21:48:19.029-07:00Review: "Drown" by Junot Diaz<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531989.Drown" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Drown" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313700390m/531989.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531989.Drown">Drown</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55215.Junot_D_az">Junot Díaz</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/431894248">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is dirty. It is full of dirty people in dirty places doing and saying dirty things to each other. And yet, it is wholly fascinating. These are disparate tales of a family scraping itself through life on the edge, barely surviving extreme poverty, first in the Dominican Republic and then later in the lower-class immigrant communities of Miami and New York. <br /><br />The stories themselves are fairly simple, in terms of plot. They generally involve everyday happenings like going to work or to a family party, but through the prism of a family whose relationships are essentially built on distrust and stress. But it's the author's use of language that makes them so fascinating, how he creates images that are both revolting and but gripping at the same time. Diaz is an expert at setting his scenes, and crafts a world that is barely held together, physically or emotionally. <br /><br />Some of the stories are difficult to read because of their content. There's cruelty, jealousy, drugs, sex and violence on display here, but for readers who can stand it, "Drown" is a fantastic collection.
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8185512-ben-guilfoy">View all my reviews</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-85535893987889895662012-10-12T20:36:00.000-07:002012-10-12T20:36:00.404-07:00Get Zombies vs Unicorns now... for free!Today, October 13, 2012, in honor of World Zombie Day and the return of AMC's <b>The Walking Dead</b>, I'm giving away free copies of <b>Weirdo Company: Zombies vs Unicorns</b> for Kindle and Nook.<br />
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<blockquote>
They are the US military's special response unit for monsters and other creepy-crawly creatures that go bump in the night. They are <b>Weirdo Company</b>. Lead by Lt. Paul Harper, the team embarks on a mission uncomfortably close to home: Contact has been lost with a small farming town in the northeastern United States. What the team finds there will set them up for the fight of their lives, as the townspeople have been turned into vicious, bloodthirsty zombies. <br /><br />But Harper and his team, including a green new recruit Davis, will discover that there is far more danger in this town than just zombies. Because if the people have mutated into something grotesque and dangerous, what has happened to the farm animals?<br /><br /><b>"Zombies vs Unicorns"</b> is the first story in the <b>'Weirdo Company'</b> series and features thrilling, summer blockbuster-style zombie-killing action and a few fun surprises.</blockquote>
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I'm doing these downloads myself, so the links will take you to a Google Docs page. Click on the link for your preferred format, .mobi for Kindle or .epub for Nook and other e-Readers, and then click "Download" in order to get the file. </div>
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And don't forget to circle me on Google+ or 'like' me on Facebook!</div>
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<a href="http://goo.gl/VViVG" target="_blank">Zombies vs Unicorns for Kindle</a></div>
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<a href="http://goo.gl/tmXL2" target="_blank">Zombies vs Unicorns for Nook</a></div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-39294601379589924402012-10-09T21:43:00.001-07:002012-10-09T21:43:48.613-07:00'Ninja Werewolf Assassins!' and 'Hellshark' updatesFor some reason, my posts announcing the release of <b>Ninja Werewolf Assasins</b> didn't actually... post. Unfortunately, I was posting remotely and didn't bother to check if the posts actually went up, and well, they didn't.<br />
<br />
So here I am, looking kinda dumb with a blog that hasn't been updated in over a month. Awesome.<br />
<br />
Anyway, <b>Ninja Werewolf Assassins! </b>is out now! You can get it for your <a href="http://goo.gl/tgjjB" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a> or <a href="http://goo.gl/q577o" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble Nook.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAkmo04uMgJLl8-IvwGEU6toIagm7XqHv9F1PiBEImIMCMdCgAa2fd0GqTNaWZZXmTNrVgm1-Z8dal2TbxzxIYGooU5p3nNxAY5letPEtWLvPF3XBe6LlJ_6FjxSGg9aCuMFD14LWtsA/s1600/Ninja+Werewolf+Assassins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAkmo04uMgJLl8-IvwGEU6toIagm7XqHv9F1PiBEImIMCMdCgAa2fd0GqTNaWZZXmTNrVgm1-Z8dal2TbxzxIYGooU5p3nNxAY5letPEtWLvPF3XBe6LlJ_6FjxSGg9aCuMFD14LWtsA/s320/Ninja+Werewolf+Assassins.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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My other update to share is that the third story in the "Weirdo Company" series, <b>Hellshark</b>, is moving along nicely. I've mocked up the cover art for it, but it's a long way from finished. <br />
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I'll also be giving away a few copies of <b>Zombies vs Unicorns</b> this weekend in honor of World Zombie Day.<br />
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<i>Current Soundtrack</i><br />
<b>The Expendables 2 </b>by Brian TylerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-80753235061594319232012-08-30T00:05:00.001-07:002012-08-30T00:05:33.527-07:00Progress Update: 'Ninja Werewolf Assassins!'The second part of the <b>Weirdo Company </b>series, which began in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UHJQAA" target="_blank">Zombies vs Unicorns</a>, is well under way. This next adventure of Lt. Harper and his band of monster hunters takes the team to the United Kingdom, where they will team up with their British counterparts to capture a wanted terrorist with a deadly secret, a dastardly plan, and a painful connection to General Thibault.<br />
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Right now, the story stands at 9070 words, about 4,000 of which I've added just in the last few days. This one is just pouring out of me now, and I'm having a blast writing it. It goes a little bit deeper into the characters, as my plan had always been for the first story to act much like the pilot episode of a TV series. In fact, I'm approaching the entire <b>Weirdo Company </b>series like it was a TV show, and I've plotted out the arc of the "episodes" through a complete "season." I'm hoping to release one per month, with some real fun surprises in store.<br />
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In other news, I am still getting used to having an <a href="https://plus.google.com/104958185848923654683" target="_blank">Olympus Mans Google+ page</a>. Right now it's really bare, but I'm going to be adding content slowly, and especially a lot more as I release more of my work and get down to another upcoming project that I'm very excited about. <br />
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<i>Current Soundtrack</i><br />
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" by Brian Tyler<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-77786626693797572012-08-16T23:14:00.001-07:002012-08-16T23:14:16.131-07:00Circle my page on Google+!I have created a Google+ page to mirror my Facebook page, a platform to share my writing and artwork in a more professional sense. <br />
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The Facebook page can be found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OlympusMans">here</a>.<br />
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The Google+ page can be found <a href="https://plus.google.com/104958185848923654683">here</a>.<br />
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I can also be found on Twitter - @bkguilfoy.<br />
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See you on the web!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-75991422870049793292012-08-10T08:32:00.001-07:002012-08-10T08:32:32.249-07:00ZvsU, now on Amazon!<div style="text-align: center;">
ZOMBIES vs UNICORNS</div>
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is now available on Amazon:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.com</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.de/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.de</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.fr</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.es/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.es</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.it/dp/B008UHJQAA">Amazon.it</a></div>
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<br />"They are the US military's special response unit for monsters and other creepy-crawly creatures that go bump in the night. They are Weirdo Company. Lead by Lt. Paul Harper, the team embarks on a mission uncomfortably close to home: Contact has been lost with a small farming town in the northeastern United States. What the team finds there will set them up for the fight of their lives, as the townspeople have been turned into vicious, bloodthirsty zombies. <br />But Harper and his team, including a green new recruit Davis, will discover that there is far more danger in this town than just zombies. Because if the people have mutated into something grotesque and dangerous, what has happened to the farm animals?<br /><br />"Zombies vs Unicorns" is the first story in the 'Weirdo Company' series and features thrilling, summer blockbuster-style zombie-killing action and a few fun surprises."<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-HJTAsVidDgIBQE3TZAKm_3mFPoFA7fPCZAZ6BqtocSTJBJozC4-KatN5ysPidUFM-RK199uJHA8IlYrUs1ME-tyZ6wKCt5mxQYvT9Iv4bGosQ4vd-7tZgCP9CnQ7-qgJ7YCzvfDuT4/s1600/ZvsUcover2sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-HJTAsVidDgIBQE3TZAKm_3mFPoFA7fPCZAZ6BqtocSTJBJozC4-KatN5ysPidUFM-RK199uJHA8IlYrUs1ME-tyZ6wKCt5mxQYvT9Iv4bGosQ4vd-7tZgCP9CnQ7-qgJ7YCzvfDuT4/s320/ZvsUcover2sized.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-31320324367151185462012-08-09T22:24:00.001-07:002012-08-09T22:24:39.542-07:00The zombies are here! (and so are the unicorns)The first installment of "Weirdo Company", "Zombies vs Unicorns" is now live at Barnes and Noble! There's currently something wrong with the Amazon version; I have no idea what, but the title is listed as 'not currently available' for some reason. It is available via Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon sites, just not the US Amazon.com. <br />
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But, here it is in epub format for those of you with Nooks or other epub-capable ereaders:<br />
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weirdo-company-ben-guilfoy/1112433080?ean=2940014853286">ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS</a></div>
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When the Amazon link goes live, I'll be back with that! Enjoy!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015760716809786460.post-71109899450154542162012-08-07T18:07:00.000-07:002012-08-07T18:07:11.797-07:00The zombies are comingTonight, despite being massively sick, I managed to sit down and finish "Weirdo Company: Zombies vs Unicorns," the first in a new short story series. It's silly, gory fun. If you like zombies, you'll probably dig it. If you like explosions and summer blockbuster-style action, you'll probably dig it. If you like unicorns, you'll probably hate me forever. <br />
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Here's the cover I eventually settled on. It's a bit simpler than I envisioned, but, deadlines are deadlines. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpFzlESrmZoQqJFvCUsaRp91zJNq3Wa1a1y_4DcDwqPQmGJ_ZR-Tbz6YqaqbUKTzw7S427sTuK7nc-BL8dEjC7Q85_SsoJVDbwSpVQRbqTiyzmE7n_-xf5FbPe4fyX3LpThiumeyVslk/s1600/ZvsUcover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpFzlESrmZoQqJFvCUsaRp91zJNq3Wa1a1y_4DcDwqPQmGJ_ZR-Tbz6YqaqbUKTzw7S427sTuK7nc-BL8dEjC7Q85_SsoJVDbwSpVQRbqTiyzmE7n_-xf5FbPe4fyX3LpThiumeyVslk/s320/ZvsUcover2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I'll have the links up as soon as the book goes live. I can't wait to hear what people think of it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06788052045631995191noreply@blogger.com0