I Lost A Follower Today

Posted: September 27, 2012 in Living and Life
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Someone stopped following my blog. I’m not sure who, all I know is that I had 82 followers through WordPress one day and today it’s 81. I don’t know if perhaps they got rid of their blog and decided it wasn’t necessary anymore, or if, God forbid, they died and left instructions to disable their account after their death. I think the most likely scenario is that I wrote one article they liked, but after that article they didn’t see enough of that article afterwards, and they decided it wasn’t worth the four or five posts I write each week to continue reading Rami Ungar the Writer.

So how does that make me feel? A little saddened; I feel a boost of confidence every time I get a new follower, but losing one just makes me feel like I wasn’t able to give the follower everything they were looking for. I guess what I’m feeling is sort of like a mini-beak up; it’s tough, and it’s preying on me every time I visit my Stats page, but I’ll learn to move on and hope new followers will come and find my blog and think it’s damn interesting, and that those who already follow me will continue to follow me as I try to achieve my dreams of becoming a professional novelist with plenty of readers out there.

That’s the hope, anyway.

Have you ever lost a follower? How did you deal with it?

The Latest Idea: Dybbuks

Posted: September 26, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Leah’le, a character from the 1937 film “The Dybbuk”, who was possessed by the titular spirit. Based on the play of the same name by S. Ansky

Well, it seems I have a lot of creepy stuff on the mind lately: evil dolls; succubi; and now dybbuks. Anyone want to put down bets on what will be the subject for the next short story?

Anywho, I saw The Possession a while back (wrote a positive review of it) and just now I finished watching The Unborn (one of those movies that I enjoy but the critics just seem to hate). Both have to do with dybbuks, which if you are unfamiliar with, are spirits that were once the souls of humans but, according to Jewish mysticism, were barred from Heaven or turned away from God and became monsters that possess human beings, looking for a second chance at life.

Both these films got me thinking about dybbuks, and now I want to write my own story about a dybbuk (or maybe more than one; who knows?). Of course, it won’t be like The Possession or The Unborn, which follow the typical possession-exorcism story. Instead, I’ll probably try to make the dybbuk seem like a hero instead of a villain, and maybe I’ll mix in some British folklore while I’m at it (I’m not saying what or how, but I will say it involves dogs).

i’m not sure what sort of story I want to tell yet, but I’ll see what I can come up with. I just hope that I don’t accidentally summon something by thinking about it too hard like I did when I was researching succubi!

Getting Back Into Snake

Posted: September 24, 2012 in ideas, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Remember when I said that after I finished that short story for class, I would jump right back into the exploits of my mafia-hunting serial killer the Snake? Well, it took me a day or so to get around to the first chapter (I had classes and homework, I wanted a chance to sit down and read a couple graphic novels, and then there was that errand downtown I had to run today, but why am I boring you with that?). I took a look at the opening I’d written and I was like, “You know, this sounded so cool when I first wrote it, but now it just seems kind of…extaneous and unnecessary.” So I cut out and rewrote the opening…and a bunch of other stuff. It was like I was taking the gristle off a slab of meat.

No, wait. It was like I was taking the fat out of fresh milk. Not as elegant a metaphor, but it’s a bit more original, and I give you all permission to use it after I’ve just used it.

So now on to the rest of the chapters, all thirty-three of them. I plan on doing some more backstory on some of the more major characters, plus making the Snake much more empaphetic, because honestly, when we finally meet him face-to-face (sort of; he wears a mask) in chapters three and four, he’s more sinister and scary, and not at all the kind of guy you want to root for. I also want to include the media’s portrayal of the Snake, make him like some sort of symbol for what the police could be doing with a nearly untouchable organized crime family, because if there’s one thing that can rile law enforcement up, it’s when journalists poke at police work (no offense meant for journalists who actually cover police stories and criticize them for whatever they may or may not have done).

All this in addition to the usual stuff that comes with editing. After that I’ll get into the outline and see what I can fix up. Maybe I’ll include some brushes with death and a new ending where the Snake not only faces off with the mafia family he’s sworn to destroy, but with the police officer and FBI profiler who’ve sworn to bring him in. There will be blood, betrayal, some literally deadly fights, love, character growth, and possibly an explosion or two.

I’ll also add in chapters where we see the underworld social order changing, because when you have a serial killer who’s killing your group’s members and getting away with it, you know others, both mafia and possibly otherwise, will try it too.

We’ll see what we get, but from the description I’ve just given, and the outline I’ve already written, it’s looking like a whole new novel. Hopefully it’ll be a better one too.

What Would You Remember If You Went to Rekall?

Posted: September 24, 2012 in Reflections
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Rekall: So good, you’ll never want to come back. Unless your name is Douglas Quaid, of course.

So last night, I decided to watch the original Total Recall, and let me tell you, I liked it, my only problem with it being that the terraforming scene at the end of the movie was a little too ridiculous for me. However, I’m not here to review Total Recall (whose remake, from what I heard, can’t really compare to the original). I’m here to discuss Rekall, the company at the beginning of the film that gives you false memories of wonderful vacations for a price. I was watching the scene where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character is getting the spin from the doctor about the wondrous packages he could recieve, the memories that were only a few hundred credits away. It made me think, What sort of memories would I pick up if I went to Rekall?

Okay, most of you who know me probably think they know what I would get if I went to Rekall. And now you’re thinking, Of course we do. And now you’re wondering if I’m psychic or something, to which I reply I’m not. I’m also going to tell you that my dream vacation would not be becoming the leader of a demon army and taking over the world. Nor would it be becoming a slasher serial killer and having my own scary movie. Did any of you guess either of those? If you did, then what sort of deranged person do you think I am?

Anyway, this is what I’d want to do if I went to Rekall to get some memories implanted in me: I’d be just a normal human who one day discovers I have magic powers. I would gain a cool magical weapon and a spirit familiar, and I would soon discover that my magical powers mean I am prophesied to stop an evil army from taking over Earth and a magical realm in a parralel universe to Earth. Reluctantly I would take on the mantle of hero and I would go off to fight the demon army, which is comprised of wicked humans who believe they’re controlling the demons, but in reality it is not that simple.

Along the way, I would meet a really cool girl with fighting skills and magic powers and we’ll become friends and fighting partners. I’l also make some more allies, a few rivals, and some more enemies. I’ll train under various masters of magic and combat, learning all I can, and I’ll even discover some amazing things about my friends and about myself along the way, including that my fighting partner is also a princess from a lost kingdom who disappeared years ago and is unaware of her own parentage.

There will be cool fights, a couple of plot twists, one or two love triangles, and maybe a betrayal, but of course, in the end the bad guys get their asses kicked, I get the girl, and we all live happily ever after as Earth and the magical realm come into contact for the first time and learn to live with each other.

Okay, now I showed you mine. You show me yours. What would you do if you went to Rekall to get memories implanted? Would you go on an adventure? What kind? Or would you rather spend it doing something ordinary, maybe spending a couple of weeks in an exotic country? Touring your favorite vacation spot? Maybe you’ll go back in time to an era you’ve always wanted to visit? Let me know, I’d love to hear it.

The First Draft Is Done, Thank God!!!

Posted: September 23, 2012 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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First draft of what, you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you: remember that short story I had to write for my fiction-writing class that was taking forever and a half to get done? Well, I just finished the first draft for it and let me tell you, that piece of work was a piece of work! Sixteen pages, nearly fifty-four hundred words, and more literary-style writing than I’m used to.

Anyway, the working title of this story is Doll’s Game (no, this is not the short story about the creepy doll) and I’ll probably get around to editing it in a few weeks, before it’s due. In the meantime, I’d like to get back into Snake, make some adjustments to some of the work already done and go over the outline to see if there is anything I can improve upon for the latter half of the story. I’d also like to read some books I’ve been meaning to get to, but with the amount of classes and homework I do, do you think it’s possible? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Speaking of homework, I’ve got to get some done, so I’ll talk to all of you later. Bye!

Review: Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Saturday Night Live

Posted: September 23, 2012 in Review
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Yes, I’m doing another SNL review. But before you groan, let me just say, I got some very positive responses on the season premiere, and the SNL cast and writers are doing very well on fulfilling expectations. So I’ve got four words for you: can you blame me?

Alright, on to the review part of the post. Joseph Gordon-Levitt; oh my God, I think that guy became a sex symbol for both women and gay men this evening, when he not only did an impression of Magic Mike during the opening monologue, but cross-dressed during the latter half of the show. I think someone out there might’ve fallen in love with that guy. But that wasn’t all; he was funny, he could do various accents and impressions, and he reminds me of guys I knew at Jewish summer cap, so that’s a plus in my book. Add all the serious roles he’s done lately, and I think Mr. Gordon-Levitt could have a very long career in Hollywood as a star who can do many different roles. Just don’t go weird Scientology on us or jump on couches while on a talk show and we’ll be good.

As for the skits…damn! The writers seem to be thriving under the pressure. That cold open was great! And having Mumford & Sons, the musical guest, play a song during one of the skits was just great, especially when the writers somehow manage to work in an actually decent Jerry Sandusky joke. And Kate McKinnon on Weekend Update as Ann Romney had me laughing so hard. I hope she plays that role some more before the election is over. A special mention goes to the Republican-sponsored birth control fake ad and the rapper’s fashion talk show where it showed two rappers slowly becoming effeminate. Also, I’d like to say the “Powers & Powers” skit was great, though I was sad it had to be cut short due to time constraints.

Final score on the review scale: 4.7 out of 5. Join me for another review of SNL in two weeks, when Daniel Craig tries his hand at comedy (and if they really do have Jennifer Lawrence of Hunger Games fame afterwards, like the rumors are saying, I’ll review that too. Oh don’t roll your eyes, I like this show, and it’s doing really well so far this season!).

Making An E-Book Doesn’t Sound So Hard Now

Posted: September 19, 2012 in Living and Life, Novel, Reflections, Writing
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I’ve always considered myself someone who’s not very good with computers beyond the Internet, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and the basic Excel spreadsheet. However, today in class, I realized that might not really be the case:

In my documentary class, we’re making documentaries in various forms on the Macs in our classroom. What are those documentaries about, you might be asking yourself? Well, they’re about us, each and every one of us in the class, and how we go about creating various works of literary greatness. I’ve already completed one project, using GarageBand to make an audio essay, and got an A on that. The project we’re working on now is a short video that we will create using Zoom cameras and iMovie, and to prepare we’re learning all the ins and outs of iMovie by creating short practice videos.

Now, normally I’m a little leery about using new programs and I usually need someone to hold my hand throughout most of the learning process. However today I was able to create a short, two-minute video commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Occupy protests with an old film clip of 1950s fashionable wear, several pictures of the Occupy protests, and a song by Bing Cosby. It wasn’t half-bad, and I was able to use a few special effects we hadn’t covered yet in class because I had the gall to check out the homework for today before class. Let me tell you, the sense of pride I felt by the end of the class was immense, and I could not wait to make the short film about my writing process (expect it to have a certain factor of creepy).

So this got me thinking. When I do consider going the self-publishing route (something I consider a lot, especially after I hear back from an agent or publisher saying they’re not interested in my work), I usually think the best way to get started would be by creating an e-book. And when I think of that, I usually consider using a service to create the e-book, because I’m not exactly a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs when it comes to technology.

But today I was able to use iMovie, and before that GarageBand, something that before the start of the semester I thought impossible for me. If I can learn to use those programs, then what’s to stop me from making the e-book myself on my laptop or on a school Mac and then upload it onto Amazon for a cheap $2.99 download price tag? Not only would it probably be cheaper and give me more control over my work, but it would show how serious I am about being a writer, that I would learn to use scary programs and ask for help with them just to get my work out there.

So if I do go the self-publishing route with my novels, you can expect that I’l try to do all the work myself in making the e-book (a regular book is a whole other story though, and much more expensive, so let me think on it before I come to any conclusions or decisions). And if you have any tips, let me know. I’d love your advice and help.

The Names Coincidence

Posted: September 18, 2012 in Reflections, Writing
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I wrote a post not too long ago about the strange coincidence of how the main character of my short story, “Aasif”, has a name that means “apologies” or “forgiveness”. And for those of us who have blogs on WordPress, we might’ve seen the article from Kimberly Packard, “What’s In A Name?” on Freshly Pressed, where she discusses the importance of the names we give characters in our stories (link’s right here if you haven’t read it yet: http://kimberlypackard.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/whats-in-a-name/).

And just now, I found out the name of the main character of the short story I’m writing for my fiction class, Renee, is French for “rebirth” or “born again”, which makes odd sense for a girl trying to establish a new identity for herself after being kept prisoner in a basement most of her young life. I just chose the name because I’ve always thought the name “Renee” carried with it a connotation of strength, like “I don’t care what happens to me, I’m going to get through it!”

I also just checked the name of my main character Zahara Bakur from my novel Reborn City: Bakur is from Abu Bakr, father-in-law to the Prophet Muhammad, one of Muhammad’s earliest followers, and according to the Sunni tradition, the first caliph after Muhammad’s death. I already knew all that from my research into Islam, but I was happy to learn that Zahara’s name means “shining” in Arabic. It makes sense, as Zahara is the main character, and she does “shine” the way for some of the other main characters throughout the Reborn City trilogy. But still, I had no idea when I named her that her name would be so suitable to her!

It’s just weird to me, how I choose these characters’ names based on some aspect or other of the name, and yet there’s a whole other meaning to the same names that I didn’t know about. I’m almost tempted to start looking through every other character I’ve created in the past couple of years just to see if any names have any cool significance I’m not aware of.

But for now, I’m just going to hold off. My short story’s gotten to a good stopping point, at least for this evening, so maybe tomorrow I can wrap it up. In the mean time though, anyone got any funny or interesting stories about characters they’ve given names to and the significance behind those names? I’d love to know.

Do Stories Evolve? Apparently They Do

Posted: September 18, 2012 in Progress Report, Reflections, short story, Writing
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I said a while back that while partying at a club near campus, I came up with an idea for a story that I could write for my creative writing class. Well, it’s been several weeks since then, and I’m still working on that short story. But let me tell you, it’s changed since the original idea popped into my head. It started out as a story about a girl who thinks she might be from the nineteenth century growing up in the twentieth century and being confused about her identity; then it lost the part where she actually was from the nineteenth century; and now the story, which was originally in first person, is now…well, it’s still first-person, but it’s the main character addressing someone else in the room with her.

There have also been minor changes along the way, things that do not really affect the story as much as these other changes have, but even as I’m trying to finish up the first draft, I’m finding myself amazed that a story still in the writing stages is changing so much. It started out as literary with a touch of supernatural strangeness, but the supernatural strangeness has been cut out and there’s just a literary story that’s unlike anything I’ve ever written before, mostly because I do not really care for literary with notable exceptions.

This makes me wonder about other stories I admire, and if they underwent huge changes in the midst of being written. I know Japanese manga and anime may have many plot changes as the story progresses, but that’s mostly because manga and anime for the most part are influenced by reader and viewer popularity, so a story arc might be added, changed, or cut out altogether in order to bring up the popularity of the story.

But did J.K. Rowling, who made me want to be a writer in the first place, make certain characters more or less prominent than she originally intended, or did Stephen King want to make Randall Flagg the leader of a whole cadre of demonic villains in The Stand? Did Thomas Harris originally intend for the Red Dragon to be a singer with a dark past instead of a sufferer of a cleft palate with a history of abuse and violence? And did George Lucas originally intend something more steampunk than regular science fiction when he first concieved Star Wars?

In actuality, other stories I’ve written in the past underwent huge changes (Ripple had a different ending in the first draft and Zahara Bakur of Reborn City was one of several main characters before she became the main character in my mind). But the scale of the short story I’m working on now (it’s title, for now, is Doll’s Game) is something I’ve never encountered before, so I’m wondering what this will lead to later. Is more change in store for me? Will I ever get a finished first draft? And what else do I have to discover about this story, what hidden tricks will I uncover next while writing it?

Tell me about your experiences. Did a story you wrote change a lot during the writing process? And how so? And did you like this change? Please tell me, I love to hear from others, especially those with more experience than me.

Snake: Part II Done

Posted: September 17, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Creepy Mayan snake god gobbling someone up. I have a feeling my character would find some connection to this image.

Well, I finally did it! I finished Part II of Snake, though truthfully it’s coming about four days later than I expected.

Part II deals a lot not only with the main character’s quest for revenge, but also with the circumstances that caused him to take up serial killing. It totaled about twenty-one chapters, eighty-six pages, and twenty-two thousand and thirty-three words. Add that to the prologue and Part I, and you have a total of thirty-four chapters, one-hundred and thirty-eight pages, and twenty-five thousand, three-hundred forty-six words for the rough draft of Snake. Several times chapters were added together and split in two in order to keep the story flowing and the tension high. I have to say, at certain points it was an arduous process writing out this section of the novel.

Now that I’ve got Part II done, I’m going to wait a little while before I start Part III, which is probably the longest of the parts in Snake, take some time to finish a short story and edit a couple more. I also plan on going over the outline of Snake and see what I can do to make the plot more exciting, because as it is it’s a good story, but I want to make it great. I plan on doing some more character development with the Snake and some of the people close to him, which will probably mean going back to previous chapters and doing a few additions. I also plan to add some scenes showing the fallout of what happens when a serial killer goes after a mafia family and not only evades the family but the police itself. And lastly, I want to change the climax, see if I can change the setting so that not only does the Snake face off against the mafia, he faces off with the police too, and does it in front of everyone.

Sounds more exciting that way, anyway.

I’ll let you know when I begin Part III. Wish me luck.

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