Of Nations, Elephants, Skies and Keys

Proof positive that good music still comes from basements. In both bearing down on the end of the year at the dayjob and trying to get myself in motion as a writer, music plays a key role. It evokes imagery, makes me think, gets my blood pumping… sometimes, all three. I’ve tried to branch out… Continue reading Of Nations, Elephants, Skies and Keys

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Scarface

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/scarface.mp3] Tragedies are touchpoints in the course of human history. They’re also cautionary tales, whispering warnings of downfalls to come. From Aeschylus to Shakespeare, it’s a tradition with thousands of years worth of wisdom to teach us through the abrupt ends of others’ lives, especially those who choose to pursue their goals through illegitimate means.… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Scarface

The Right Person

One of the concerns I have about my major rewrite is the person. Not the person of the protagonist himself, mind you. He’s (probably) fine. It’s the perspective that bothers me. You see, I wrote Citizen in the Wilds from third-person perspective to avoid pouring myself too much into the protagonist. I may be overly… Continue reading The Right Person

Drifting Between Words

I hear the hammers. Chisels sound like they’re working rocks over. It’s the sound of Chuck Wendig chipping away at the preconceptions and sorry excuses that cake around the thick skull of the writer especially after a binge of wordsmithing like NaNoWriMo. He gave me a gift on my birthday, the gift of cold wisdom,… Continue reading Drifting Between Words

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Regarding Ms. Lane

Laundry nights at the Sheppard’s1 have become a good place to get caught up on movies, especially in the superhero genre. Being brought up as a nerd, I do have at least a passing familiarity with many a costumed crimefighter, and recently our friends reintroduced us to the cinematic renditions of one of the most… Continue reading Regarding Ms. Lane

Birthday Wishes

When this date rolled around during my childhood, I found myself wishing for new toys. More Transformers, a new video game, etc. As a teenager, the primary wish was for acceptance from my peers. Toys were a nice bonus, but what I really wanted was to fit in. It would be a long time before… Continue reading Birthday Wishes

Flash Fiction: Mind Mangles Matter

To tackle the Terribleminds tiny tale-telling trial, “An Affliction of Alliteration“: Courtesy istaevan At last. The answers were finally within reach. They’d all told him he was mad. His colleagues in the studies of the arcane and obscure, scholars like himself, had said it was forbidden for him to delve into underground ruins such as… Continue reading Flash Fiction: Mind Mangles Matter

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Mouth of Madness

[No audio this week; RIP old headset. 🙁 ] There are classics of the horror genre, speaking in terms of movies, that are all about the creatures: Bela Legosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster, Lon Chaney’s Wolfman and so on. Some horror stories move away from such “creature features” and opt for a more… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Mouth of Madness

Proper Pacing

I’ve mentioned in medias res previously. It’s a great way to get your audience into the swing of the story and can cut down on overwrought exposition. However, no matter how breakneck the pace of the opening, you don’t necessarily have to pound the metaphorical pavement from start to finish. You can’t spend all of… Continue reading Proper Pacing

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