We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Blah Blah Blah

Before I can talk about "Over It" today there's a couple things I wanted to talk about
I just watched a brief R (or maybe X) rated art film starring Shia Labeouf.  It was about humanity on drugs, about things that make us tick and the great pain we cause ourselves.  It's definitely an adult work, and it's not for the faint of heart.  Also, it's heartbreaking.  In my mind it also cements Mr. Labeouf as a splendid actor who's been relegated to stupid roles for the better part of ten years.  If you're a full-blown adult and won't be totally put off by some nudity and sensual content (presented not as candy to the viewer, but starkly), I do recommend you find the piece and view it.  If you're not an adult, or if nudity, drug metaphors, and violence are too much for you to handle, let it be.

On a happier note, I just stumbled on a new Missy Higgins album and am rediscovering my love for her music at the moment.  That means I'm a little distracted from my Relient K-based bloggery but I'll be getting to "Over It" in due time today.

It's funny, because I started up my computer today intending to jump right into Talas Ke and get some work done on that.  I'm not ashamed of what the internet presented to me instead, but I think it's a question of self-control that bifurcates my consumptive and productive habits.  Ah, well.

"Ah, sirs.  Is there none other grace with you?  Then keep yourself."  That, too, is funny, in the same way, because the littlest things can remind me of the strangest others.  That line is stated by Launcelot in T.H. White's The Once and Future King, before he battles his way out of the Queen's bedchambers.  The line is totally badaxe.  It's also distressing, because of the whole complicated, depressing thing with the King, Queen, and Knight in the Arthurian legend.  In a lot of ways, I based a character (named Lenn) from the manuscript I wrote in my last semester of college on the sort of tragic knot that holds Launcelot together in The Once and Future King.  Lenn's tragic knot is much different than Lance's, but not so far to be unfamiliar.  To be honest, White's great retelling influenced a lot in the novel I'm calling "The Faeries' Game," but I won't get too far into it.  Depending on how things go in the next few months, you might be hearing more about that book.

So I'm actually gonna do two blog posts today.  This is the end of the first one.  Catch ya later today!

Fantasy and My Process

Late this morning I finished (the first draft of) the novel I've been working on for Writer's Workshop.  In case you've missed a few blogs, I've been kinda pumped about it.

Part of what that means is I suddenly have a lot more time on my hands.  Time enough, maybe, to talk about what the novel is just a little bit.

It evolved out of an idea I had to bring together elements from the Iliad and Arthurian legend.  Somewhere along the line Germanic folklore came in and kind of took over.  I can't give too much away, but I will give you the basic premise:

A village in a recently annexed nation has virtually all of its women stolen away in one night.  The townspeople are bereft, but only a handful band together to seek out and rescue them.  These are the main characters of the story, which follows them on their endeavors to bring their women home.  Their adversaries, however, are not who they expect.

That's the general idea, but it gets built upon pretty heavily.  It's not a particularly long book, especially for being fantasy, but there's a lot that goes on.

I tend to write organically, building on what I've already established to create subtleties and a natural progression towards the end of a story.  Part of the struggle I run into is that I can go on and on before I get to an ending I feel is right for a story, but for the most part I think it helps me avoid endings that seem contrived.

It's too early for me to tell how this story has turned out.  A few people will read it and give me their feedback, which will help, but I won't really have a feeling I can trust about it until a few months from now when I read it over with fresh eyes.

Why am I talking about all this?  I think, mostly, because the process of writing excites me like very little else does.  I am passionate about telling stories in this way, and I want to share that passion with others.  If you could really care less about writing, I apologize for what might seem like a waste of time.

If you're a writer or an avid reader of fantasy and you want to "beta test" the story I just finished writing, get a hold of me and we'll see what we can arrange.  I can feel that my writing style has changed recently, and I'm curious as to how because I can't see it clearly for myself.

Right, that's enough time spent rambling about the esoteric.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Ciao.

A Series of Thoughts

It rained today. Pretty hard. Hard enough to knock the cable/internet out for a few hours. Thus the post-10pm blog post today. I'm determined not to punch myself in the face again.

Last night I finished one big project. I've plenty more to go, but it feels good to have something (almost) done. I do still need to present, but yeah.

You know, what I really want to do is drop everything and write. I guess that means I'm a writer, right? I have this project for Senior Seminar, and it has captured my imagination. I like to describe it as taking inspiration from the Iliad, Arthurian legend, Roman history, and Germanic folklore. I won't say any more in case I want to publish it at some other point. Maybe I'll talk more about it later.

I finished watched that playthrough of Kid Icarus today. It was pretty good. The ending could have been better if you ask me. I think my favorite part was the music. There was one mission near the end that had glorious scoring. It was awesome.

Today's one of those days I feel the coming of graduation rather sharply. It's probably only going to get worse the closer we get, too. I think it's all gonna be okay. Just gotta stick to it, you know.

Anyway, that's all for today.