Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Self-Publishing In My Life…Again!

Posted: August 10, 2012 in Reflections
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Last night, Jon Stewart invited an author onto his show who had originally self-published her memoir on growing up a religious Mormon before it was picked up by a major publishing compnay and became a best-seller. This morning, I read a post from a fellow blogger who not only self-published, but for this post had interviewed another self-published author who is doing quite well with her writing. And earlier this week, while waiting for the doctor to show up at my appointment, I talked to the nurse about self-publishing and how it’s changing the writing industry in so many ways.

And of course, at some point in the past two weeks, I saw an ad for that self-publishing miracle, Fifty Shades of Grey.

My point is, self-publishing is more relevant today than ever, and the only reason I’m touching upon this subject again, when I wrote a post about it a few months ago, is because it keeps popping up in my life and invading my thoughts. More and more I think about publishing my novel through a self-publishing service, when a few years ago I would’ve seen it as a vanity press and a scam and turned my nose up at it! A few years ago only a few authors did self-publishing, while today many do and get famous from it (E.L. James and Christopher Paolini are great examples). And with the blogosphere full of writers, it’s all too easy about how novels are getting published through this method and how happy the authors are about it.

If you’re a self-published author, tell me! What’s your take on it? What have your experriences been? Because I seriously want Reborn City to become a novel and I’m seriously considering taking a look at Lulu or Createspace to do it!

Conflicts Within and Without

Posted: August 10, 2012 in Scary Stuff, Writing
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Last night, after a ton of research and a basic idea of how I wanted to begin the story, I began writing the short story involving a succubus. I decided to call it Dodi Li, which means “My Beloved” in Hebrew and tell the story from the perspective of the succubus herself, who I’ve named Umuruk (sounds like a Biblical name, but remember that Japanese comic book I mentioned with the succubus character that started this whole thing? It’s her name backwards).

I managed to get two pages in, but then I realized something: there was a problem with the conflicts of the story. And I intentionally say “conflicts” instead of “conflict”, because I plan to have Umuruk deal with two conflicts instead of just one, an inner conflict and an outer conflict. The inner conflict is Umuruk struggling with herself; she wants to do something, but is conflicted it morally and spiritually. It’s the old “I want to take such-and-such action, but if I do, how will that effect me and my beliefs, or the beliefs of those close to me” problem, and I plan on giving Umuruk a hard time with it.

The outer conflict however, was the one with the problem; I had planned on the outer conflict being human in origin, but now I realize there are several different ways I could take this story. I could have Umuruk struggle with another spirit, with a human foe, with her duties as a succubus. It could go any number of ways and I’m still not sure which one would work best for the sort of story I have in mind. So now I have to focus on that and see which one would make the best story in my opinion.

You ever have problems such as this? If so, let me know.

Studying Succubi: A New Short Story

Posted: August 8, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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I was reading a horror/romantic-comedy manga recently (yes, those combinations do happen in the world of Japanese comic books) and one of the characters, a succubus, had to face and accept a hard truth about her life, all the while preparing to fight a great evil (can’t a demon girl get a break?). The sub-story kind of touched me and I suddenly got the idea to write a story involving a succubus.

So for the whole day, I’ve kind of been doing research on succubi. I looked at the Wikipedia page, I read online testimony from people who said they’ve been visited by incubi and succubi, and I even watched a few videos on YouTube. Right now I’m watching a special on books that’d been excluded from the Christian bible because I heard part of the series focused on Lilith, who according to many traditions was the first succubus.

So far no plot has made its way into my twisted head, but if I don’t get one soon, I’ll come up with one based on whatever comes up from one of those random word generators. Hey, if it works for high school English teachers, why can’t I use it.

So if you have any info on succubi and other such spirits, feel free to let me know. Just don’t send me one if it’s a malevolent spirit! I’ve had too many experiences with bad spirits over the years, and I’m not looking for any more!

The Doll Story Is Done

Posted: August 7, 2012 in Progress Report, Writing
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Doll, clown, and evil all in one; can it get any creepier?

You heard it here folks, the first draft of my story of an evil doll is done. This was one of my more difficult stories to write, and I really struggled at certain points to keep putting down the words on the paper. However, last night I managed to finish it, and my sigh of relief and satisfaction was a loud one.

I’ll take another look at it in a couple of months; I know there’s a lot to improve upon, and I want to come at it anew when I do. Until then, I’ll see what sort of other stories I can come up and work on. I’m in one of those periods where I’m really productive with my short stories, so I plan to keep going for as long as possible.

Why Dolls Freak Me Out

Posted: July 31, 2012 in Reflections, Scary Stuff
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Does anyone else feel this photo might give them nightmares? It’s perfect for this post.

Last post, I mentioned that I was working on a short story involving a doll, and as I’m into the whole scaring people silly thing, I thought I’d talk about why dolls might freak people out, specifically dummies and those old bisque and porcelain dolls. Frankly, those are the kinds I have trouble with; anything from traditional dolls of certain cultures to the Barbies and Bratz of today I’m fine with (I had enough of the latter in my house thanks to my younger sisters). It’s just dummies and bisque dolls creep me out, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that.

I think it might have something to do with the eyes: most dolls that have eyes, their eyes are painted on or they’re made from plastic. Because those eyes are flat, 2D, and not very life-like at all, you become less afraid of those types of dolls. But the eyes of dummies and bisque dolls are made from glass or plastic made to resemble glass. This gives them such a life-like appearance, you can’t help but think the dolls are alive, watching you, taking in every single little thing you do. It’s unnerving to think that not only a toy is watching you, but taking in information that it can use against you. I bet that if those big-eyed dolls could change their expressions, they’d have  sly little grins on their faces, the type of grins that say, I know so muc about you and I’m going to hold it forever in me until I can use it to make you do what I want you to do. Creepy! The only time I’ve ever found it anything other than creepy was in the manga/anime Rozen Maiden, but then again manga and anime have that effect, don’t they?

Anyone else have any thoughts on this? If so, let me know.

Oh, guess what? Today I made the milestone of 3000 views on my blog! Awesome!

Meditated Ideas and Dolls

Posted: July 31, 2012 in ideas, Living and Life, short story, Writing
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I’m taking a break from  Snake while I wait for an expert I’ve made an acquaintance with to get back to me on a couple of details. I’m also still searching for an agent for my other novel Reborn City, so I have a bit of time on my hands. So, what does a writer do when he has one novel he’s trying to find an agent for, he’s taking a break from the other novel, and a bit of free time on his hands that he wants to fill with some good writing?

Well in my case, I blog and work on short stories. The fact that you’re reading this is proof that I’m doing the former. As for the latter, there are a few projects I want to devote myself to in the next few days. One of those projects is a short story I wrote back in June. As I believe you should let a piece of fiction sit for a little while before editing it as a way to look at it with fresh eyes, I think it’s time to take a look and see what needs to be cut, changed and added in. You might remember this short story; it’s the one where I had trouble with this concept I wanted to work with but after meditating I had a few new ideas that made it easier to write the story with that concept. I’ll get to work on that after I finish this post.

The other project, I really have to thank my friend and fellow blogger Jason Alan, whose website you can check out here (http://jasonalanwriter.wordpress.com/). Anyway, a while back he posted a photo of a doll he found on the ground while roaming through France and it inspired me to write a story involving an evil/cursed doll. Now, I know what you’re thinking: there are so many knock-offs of Child’s Play out there, so can you really make an original story involving an evil doll?

I’m hoping; I added in a few things while coming up with the story that I think will make this story original enough that it won’t annoy or disappoint any readers of horror who are hard to please (speaking of which, am I the only guy who liked Dead Silence? It had the ghosts, the theme music, the living dolls…yet it got such bad reviews and I’m not sure why). I’ll probably get to work on this doll idea after the editing, and hopefully tonight.

Oh, and in case any of you want to know what this picture Jason took that’s so captivated my imagination is like but don’t want to go on his site (can’t understand why you wouldn’t), here’s the photo:

Creepy, huh? Are you surprised it’s stirring the warped imagination I have?

 

Have a nice day; I’m off to edit and write.

Snake Excerpt: The Snake In Action

Posted: July 22, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Yeah, the Snake can be pretty vicious. Just like the basilisk, except without the whole eye thing. Still, very scary, isn’t it.

Ladies and gentlebloggers, I finally wrote a section of my novel-in-progress Snake with the Snake in it that I can post online without giving away too much of the character away. It only took sixteen chapters, but I finally wrote it. And I got to say, it came pretty easy to me; I didn’t have any writer’s block while working on it.

For a little context, here’s what’s going on right now: the Snake has followed his next target, loan shark Thomas Luiso, to the home of Luiso’s mistress. The Snake sneaks in and catches them in the middle of some fun (if you get my meaning). Luiso’s mistress faints from the shock, while Snake fights Luiso, who hasn’t realized he is dealing with the man who brutally murdered two other members of Luiso’s group.

Hope you like what you read, but just warning you, things are going to get violent. Also, I want to clarify something I said in the last post dedicated to the Snake: I said Part II was the longest part in Snake. Actually it’s Part III. Sorry about that.

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The Snake strode over to Luiso, who was just getting off the bed. Luiso looked at him and cursed in Italian. “You son of a bitch.” he growled. The Snake ignored him, reaching for Luiso’s neck.

Just then Luiso spun, kicking the Snake in the knee. The Snake stumbled backward, hitting his head against the wall. Luiso ran at him, swinging his fist. The Snake dodged, moving his head to the right to avoid Luiso’s fist, which went into the wall with a sickening crunch. Luiso pulled on his hand, but it looked stuck in the wall.

The Snake smiled from beneath his mask and grabbed Luiso’s meaty left nipple, giving it a hard twist. Luiso screamed in pain, grabbing the Snake’s arm weakly with the hand not stuck in the wall.

Letting go of the nipple, the Snake pulled back his fists and punched Luiso in the gut and face. Luiso groaned with each impact, looking more and more on the verge of fainting every time the Snake hit him. The Snake kept up the barrage, his excitement building. How much longer can you go? he thought. How much more can you struggle before I make you go through more pain?

Suddenly Luiso swung a fist at the side of the Snake’s head, hitting him right in the ear; the Snake fell over, holding his ear as if it were about to fall off. With a loud crunch, Luiso freed his other hand from the wall and turned to the Snake. “You are so morto, freak.” said Luiso. “Teach you to mess with me!”

The Snake saw Luiso take a step towards him and thought of an idea; as Luiso took another step forward, the Snake jumped and tackled Luiso’s large belly, sending the large man backwards and over. Luiso fell onto the ground with a loud thump, shaking the room as he hit the carpet. The Snake crawled onto Luiso’s chest, straightened himself up, and began punching Luiso’s face. Blood went flying as the Snake broke Luiso’s nose and knocked out a few teeth.

It was a while before the Snake realized that Luiso was knocked out. Standing up off the man’s expansive belly, the Snake looked at Luiso and wondered if he should steal a car and take him somewhere where they wouldn’t be disturbed or—

Then the Snake noticed there was a bathroom in the bedroom, one with a large bathtub and several fluffy white towels. An idea came to the Snake’s head, something he’d always wanted to try, and here was the perfect opportunity for it.

The Snake grabbed his gun from the vanity table and, hooking his arms underneath Luiso’s armpits, dragged Luiso into the bathroom.

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What happens in the bathroom that the Snake has been wanting to try? I’m not saying, except it will make you squirm. Hope you like what you read. If I can, I’ll post more excerpts. Until then, thanks for reading and have a nice day.

The Snake: Part I Done

Posted: July 19, 2012 in Novel, Writing
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Is it just me, or does this image totally rock?

I’m finished with Part I of Snake, and to tell you the truth, I’m having a blast writing it. I write a chapter, go over it after at least a half-hour break, take a shorter break, and then I work on a new chapter. I’m getting one or two of them done in a day. Not to mention that I’m able to incorporate so many things I love into the writing process: I’ve mentioned that I meditate, and when I write just after meditating, the words seem to flow more easily onto the screen of my computer (and I thought I couldn’t make these words flow any more easily!). Plus I’ve also been watching a ton of Law & Order: SVU reruns, which is due to the fact that both Snake and SVU deal with thugs who take something sacred and beautiful like sex and turn it into a profane nightmare. With Snake, it’s my antagonist mafia family, with SVU it’s…you know what, I think we all know the answer to that one.

You know, I was planning on naming Part I “Getting to Know A Killer”, but now I think that’s not accurate. I mean, the names for the other parts are so far on the mark, but Part I, I just don’t see it anymore. Really, we get a little bit inside Snake’s mind, but not enough to know what his motivation is or how he came to be a killer. Sure, we see a little of his home life, but that’s not enough to get a sense of his character. So I’ll have to think of a new name for Part I.

As for Part II, “Hunting in the Concrete Jungle”, its full speed ahead tomorrow morning. Part II’s by far the longest of the sections, but it’s one I’m looking forward to. Wish me luck.

Oh, by the way, I’m still looking for the perfect excerpt where we actually interact with the Snake. So far every time I’ve written from his point-of-view, I haven’t been able to use the chapter because it reveals a detail I want to keep hidden from the public at this time. But I promise, as soon as I have a part I can post without revealing anything too important, I’ll post it. You’ll know when that excerpt appears: the picture at the top of the post will be of the basilisk from Harry Potter!

Snake Excerpt: The Profile

Posted: July 16, 2012 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Cool snake photo I found online. You like it?

Hey all. Just thought I’d give you another excerpt from my novel-in-progress, Snake. This time around I thought I’d show you guys my criminal profiler, Special Agent Angela Murtz, giving her idea of who the serial killer might be. I’ve been working with a forensic psychologist, whose been a great help at not only coming up with the profile, but also looking at my killer with unclouded eyes (by that I mean he knows only what the police in the novel know, whereas I know everything, and that can be a bit of a problem).

Hope you like what you read, and I promise at some point I’ll do an excerpt featuring the killer himself. Oh, and guess what? This is officially my one-hundredth post! Woo-hoo! Big milestone, huh?

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Patton sighed. “What kind of freak are we dealing with here? He knows just about every trick in the book.”

“I think that might be because he’s ex-military.” said Murtz.

“Ex-military?” Gramer repeated; both Gramer and Patton fixed their attention on Murtz.

“Yes, but not American.” Murtz went on. “Most likely he’s a native Russian male, between the ages of thirty and forty-five, and has extensive experience with weapons, especially firearms. He’s been in country at least ten years, might be a taxi driver himself, and may or may not have ties to the Russian mob here.”

  “And he’s killing because…?” asked Patton.

“He thinks he’s better at delivering justice to criminals than the police.” Murtz explained. “And he’s doing it in such a way that both the police and the Camerlengos know about it. He craves attention, which is why he’s acting like Daredevil, a lone vigilante. If we were to send him a message through the media, he’d likely respond to it in the hopes we’d give him more press time.”

“Let’s hold off on sending this guy a love letter through the newspaper or television.” Gramer instructed. “Candace Berman’s already been on the news saying hter might be a mafia-hunting serial killer on the loose in New York, only she said that in more idealistic terms.”

“Sounds like something she’d do.” said Harnist.

“See if anyone matches Murtz’s profile here in New York.” commanded Patton. “Contact INS and see if they have any Russian ex-military in their system. And Murtz?”

 “Yes sir?”

 “What’s the likelihood this guy will kill again?” asked Patton.

 Murtz looked Patton straight in the eye and said, “Likely. Extremely likely.”

Aasif: Getting Published In September

Posted: July 10, 2012 in Progress Report, short story
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That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, another one of mine is getting published! Oh my god, so happy right now! The illustrious magazine Mobius, which deals with literature involving/revolving around social change, has decided to publish a short story I sent them, and it’ll be coming out in their fall edition in September (I’ll do a post then when it comes out).

“Aasif” was inspired by the Kony 2012 video, which I’ve covered before on Rami Ungar the Writer. I thought about doing a story involving child soldiers and the warlords who force them into killing, and then I started writing. What resulted was “Aasif”, and I’m so happy it’s getting published.

If you want to visit the website for Mobius, maybe see if you have anything that matches their criteria, the link’s below. Gotta go, I’m dancing in my kitchen.

http://mobiusmagazine.com/

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