Short Stories Updates
A large component of my fiction writing is playing with "what ifs." I find creating an event or alternate existence that pushes the boundaries of accepted science gives me a unique opportunity it explore different morals. This is what has always drawn me to fantasy, horror, and science fiction. I like asking "what if" you were a vampire? What moral code would you subscribe to? Wouldn't it have to be different than those of humans.? And if so, doesn't that prove morals are relative? It must. It is that conclusion and its effects that I want to explore; I think doing so forces us to re-examine our own surroundings.
In my writing, I've played with time travel, what the modern-day return of Christ would be like, and various takes on myths (from voodoo to lycantropy to druidism to magic). I feel that when you go to these places and look at these people's lives, they force you to ask strange questions that hopefully result in arriving at answers that can translate to our lives in the "real world."
Maybe it's all window dressing. People are certainly more fascinated by a modern magician asking what his purpose is on earth rather than a construction worker doing the same. But maybe also that's our fault as bad writers. Yet it's not just that; it's about wonder, too. About the dreaming we had as children when we believed that anything was possible. Today, we only say such things are impossible. I for one think that's sad. At the very least, I want to wonder what if.
Which brings me to the actual updates. I have three stories currently in production. I just finished a new story about a lycanthrope (very raw, but my first authentically set in New Orleans story). I also have a story about a wizard in modern times that I adapted from a past story in a universe not my own (once fan fiction-and no, not Harry Potter, it's much darker). That one I feel might be the most polished already, but I'm waiting for Sarah's feedback. The third story I've spent the most time on recently, is about what I call an Immortal. In many ways, they are vampires, but I have modified the myths enough that they certainly disdain that term. However, those readers needing some set of classification would find that's the closest match. It's not that I'm pretending to have created something truly original, I'm just playing with myths and picking and choosing and changing what I will. It's the characters who'd be offended, not me.
Unfortunately, I feel as if I'm struggling with the story, tentatively titled "Immortal Twilight" (which is about my fifth dumb title-I'm not so worried about nailing that right now, though). It takes a new Immortal from one of my unpublished novels and picks up where the novel left off. He has only recently come into his Immortality, he is unexpectedly flush with power, and is struggling to find out who he is. It deals with the consequences of one of his worst actions in the novel, and explores his inability to control his raw emotions, all over a cynical view that human existence is a series of fabrications to soothe the weak mind. I like the concepts, but the writing is giving me trouble. I've given it several heavy edits, and it doesn't feel good yet.
I hope the fact that I continue on is a good sign. However, I fear that maybe if I was a better writer, I would have nailed it out of the gate more. It's not that I mind editing. As a former editor in chief of a journal, I'm used to it, and actually am cool with it. It's just hard to have three stories at the beginning of the work. I wish I had something great at the end of the process so I could see where I'm heading.Ah well, time will tell. [Sorry, that was so cliche, damn my foolish brain...]
In my writing, I've played with time travel, what the modern-day return of Christ would be like, and various takes on myths (from voodoo to lycantropy to druidism to magic). I feel that when you go to these places and look at these people's lives, they force you to ask strange questions that hopefully result in arriving at answers that can translate to our lives in the "real world."
Maybe it's all window dressing. People are certainly more fascinated by a modern magician asking what his purpose is on earth rather than a construction worker doing the same. But maybe also that's our fault as bad writers. Yet it's not just that; it's about wonder, too. About the dreaming we had as children when we believed that anything was possible. Today, we only say such things are impossible. I for one think that's sad. At the very least, I want to wonder what if.
Which brings me to the actual updates. I have three stories currently in production. I just finished a new story about a lycanthrope (very raw, but my first authentically set in New Orleans story). I also have a story about a wizard in modern times that I adapted from a past story in a universe not my own (once fan fiction-and no, not Harry Potter, it's much darker). That one I feel might be the most polished already, but I'm waiting for Sarah's feedback. The third story I've spent the most time on recently, is about what I call an Immortal. In many ways, they are vampires, but I have modified the myths enough that they certainly disdain that term. However, those readers needing some set of classification would find that's the closest match. It's not that I'm pretending to have created something truly original, I'm just playing with myths and picking and choosing and changing what I will. It's the characters who'd be offended, not me.
Unfortunately, I feel as if I'm struggling with the story, tentatively titled "Immortal Twilight" (which is about my fifth dumb title-I'm not so worried about nailing that right now, though). It takes a new Immortal from one of my unpublished novels and picks up where the novel left off. He has only recently come into his Immortality, he is unexpectedly flush with power, and is struggling to find out who he is. It deals with the consequences of one of his worst actions in the novel, and explores his inability to control his raw emotions, all over a cynical view that human existence is a series of fabrications to soothe the weak mind. I like the concepts, but the writing is giving me trouble. I've given it several heavy edits, and it doesn't feel good yet.
I hope the fact that I continue on is a good sign. However, I fear that maybe if I was a better writer, I would have nailed it out of the gate more. It's not that I mind editing. As a former editor in chief of a journal, I'm used to it, and actually am cool with it. It's just hard to have three stories at the beginning of the work. I wish I had something great at the end of the process so I could see where I'm heading.
Labels: New Orleans, short story, writing
|| posted by mW @ 4:07 PM
New Orleans Traffic Laws
There's no way around it. New Orleans drivers are horrible. By contrast, Rochester Drivers are generally skilled and knowledgeable; Pennsylvania drivers are slow; San Francisco drivers are cautious; and Boston drivers, while usually fast and borderline reckless, are at the same time very skilled. I love living in New Orleans, but it's drivers are ridiculous. I speculate this is why my insurance rates were jacked once I moved here (and apparently it is mostly Orleans Parish [counties for the other 49 states], because Jefferson Parish apparently has much lower rates). So I thought for years perhaps this was a result of some bizarre traffic laws here in Louisiana, as if the Napoleonic Code had somehow influenced driving, like horse carriage traffic law was more bizarre in France than in England.
Not so. In researching traffic laws in preparation of defending my girlfriend in court, I realized New Orleans has pretty much the same rules as anywhere. Use a turn signal within 100 feet of an upcoming turn. When turning left, stay close to the median line; when turning right stay close to the right lane line. These are the big ones. No one here uses a turning signal and people routinely swing the opposite direction before making their turns, as if they were about to cut down on an inclined Indy track or were trying to clear the rig of an eighteen-wheeler. Right
New Orleans, I love you. New Orleans drivers, you have no clue what the traffic rules are and you suck. Maybe they don't have a written test here to get a license. Maybe they just put you in a car with an instructor and tell you not to hit anything. And based on my insurance rates and the amount of times they keep replacing traffic light poles and control boxes, I'd say many can't even do that.
Not so. In researching traffic laws in preparation of defending my girlfriend in court, I realized New Orleans has pretty much the same rules as anywhere. Use a turn signal within 100 feet of an upcoming turn. When turning left, stay close to the median line; when turning right stay close to the right lane line. These are the big ones. No one here uses a turning signal and people routinely swing the opposite direction before making their turns, as if they were about to cut down on an inclined Indy track or were trying to clear the rig of an eighteen-wheeler. Right
New Orleans, I love you. New Orleans drivers, you have no clue what the traffic rules are and you suck. Maybe they don't have a written test here to get a license. Maybe they just put you in a car with an instructor and tell you not to hit anything. And based on my insurance rates and the amount of times they keep replacing traffic light poles and control boxes, I'd say many can't even do that.
Labels: drivers, laws, New Orleans, traffic
|| posted by mW @ 11:16 AMThe Buck Stops Where?
For almost as long as the Iraq Civil War raged post-invasion, critics have called for (now former-) Defense Secretary of State's resignation. Ultimately, it came. "Scooter" Libby was just convicted for lying about the revelation of a CIA operative's identity. The White House blamed the CIA for "intelligence failures" regarding the status of Iraq pre-invasion, yet when one puts together all the information available it is quite clear that they knew this going into the matter. The NSA has got into trouble over its warrantless wiretapping, and now, FBI surveillance has been found to have transgressed the already broad powers provided by the Patriot Act. Then, of course, there is the flap over the federal prosecutors fired for not persecuting democrats. (And don't get me started on how this affected my Congressperson, William Jefferson.)
So when is America going to ask who's responsible? Are all these high-level secretaries and chiefs of staff just rogue agents, acting alone? Or is it an orchestrated theater of deception and misuse of power? Personally, I see a pattern, and it doesn't take a genius to see it. When Democrats stormed back to control of both houses of Congress, Republicans first response was well, you better not use this as a bogus political haymaker to impeach Bush. Why not? Clinton lied about where he put his penis-an act that physically hurt no one and emotionally hurt only a few-and his credibility was so under attack that he was impeached and almost forced from office. Bush's lies (yes multiple) put this country into an unnecessary war, killing thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis, created civil war in a country where order had once ruled (albeit not the best kind of order, but most likely more importantly here an order that was opposed to American goals). Now the whole Middle East is destabilized while the U.S. reels from a series of high level political scandals, and economic fraternizing that led to commercial favoritism over results, which left America with problems like substandard construction in military projects overseas (to aid companies friendly to the White House) and amazingly poor health care for those men and women who have sacrificed in those same places (e.g., the Walter Read situation).
So when do we ask where the Buck stops? And when do we decide that where a man or woman puts their private parts and who they decide to share such experiences with, are much less important than waging wars on other countries and affecting the outcomes of real people's lives just to make a few bucks on the side, to make a friend happy (so he can make the money), or even through misguided good intentions? Even if wholeheartedly done to better America and the world, when do the rest of us get to say, you've gone to far and betrayed everything you were trying to protect?
I say now.
So when is America going to ask who's responsible? Are all these high-level secretaries and chiefs of staff just rogue agents, acting alone? Or is it an orchestrated theater of deception and misuse of power? Personally, I see a pattern, and it doesn't take a genius to see it. When Democrats stormed back to control of both houses of Congress, Republicans first response was well, you better not use this as a bogus political haymaker to impeach Bush. Why not? Clinton lied about where he put his penis-an act that physically hurt no one and emotionally hurt only a few-and his credibility was so under attack that he was impeached and almost forced from office. Bush's lies (yes multiple) put this country into an unnecessary war, killing thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis, created civil war in a country where order had once ruled (albeit not the best kind of order, but most likely more importantly here an order that was opposed to American goals). Now the whole Middle East is destabilized while the U.S. reels from a series of high level political scandals, and economic fraternizing that led to commercial favoritism over results, which left America with problems like substandard construction in military projects overseas (to aid companies friendly to the White House) and amazingly poor health care for those men and women who have sacrificed in those same places (e.g., the Walter Read situation).
So when do we ask where the Buck stops? And when do we decide that where a man or woman puts their private parts and who they decide to share such experiences with, are much less important than waging wars on other countries and affecting the outcomes of real people's lives just to make a few bucks on the side, to make a friend happy (so he can make the money), or even through misguided good intentions? Even if wholeheartedly done to better America and the world, when do the rest of us get to say, you've gone to far and betrayed everything you were trying to protect?
I say now.
Labels: Bush, impeach, Iraq, politics, responsibility
|| posted by mW @ 12:30 PMShort Story Restart
My first legal employer, Joe, looked at my resume the day he hired me and noted that I was an English major. Somehow he knew I wanted to be a writer. Just like maybe he wanted to be a rock star. He said if I wanted to do this law gig that I'd have to give up that dream. It was easy for me to agree. I'd already come to that realization when I made the decision to go to law school.
Yet now I'm not sure he or I were right. Most published authors become who they are while doing something else. And though creative purists may cringe, I have become a better writer through my law school experience. When I was younger, I eschewed all rules in the name of unbridled creativity; I bristled at any semblance of order or structure as conformity. Yet I needed some of those rules and structures to clean up my writing. Also, I am now looking forward to my third non-fiction article publication. That will help. Moreover, I now am dating a terrifically talented writer who is well ahead of me in the getting published endeavors.
So turning my back on my all or nothing strategy of trying to get my novels published (as it was "nothing"), I'm looking back at short stories and trying to figure out how to make them work. It is the "traditional" way to go, and sometimes that's just how you have to do it. So far I've made good progress on two stories and am now working on a third. I'm waiting for Sarah to look over the first two for an outside perspective.
More to follow.
Yet now I'm not sure he or I were right. Most published authors become who they are while doing something else. And though creative purists may cringe, I have become a better writer through my law school experience. When I was younger, I eschewed all rules in the name of unbridled creativity; I bristled at any semblance of order or structure as conformity. Yet I needed some of those rules and structures to clean up my writing. Also, I am now looking forward to my third non-fiction article publication. That will help. Moreover, I now am dating a terrifically talented writer who is well ahead of me in the getting published endeavors.
So turning my back on my all or nothing strategy of trying to get my novels published (as it was "nothing"), I'm looking back at short stories and trying to figure out how to make them work. It is the "traditional" way to go, and sometimes that's just how you have to do it. So far I've made good progress on two stories and am now working on a third. I'm waiting for Sarah to look over the first two for an outside perspective.
More to follow.
Labels: fiction, short story, stories, writing
|| posted by mW @ 3:32 PM[top]
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