Another satisfied reader!
“Gunn strikes an all-too realistic chord when describing how others are reacting to the A-Os.”
Baby’s First Podcast
Here’s my very first podcast, where I talk to R Alan Brooks of Mother Fker in a Cape about how I turn comics into prose for FURIES. Check it out!
New Short Story Published by Cherry Magazine!
I had the pleasure of having a short story published in the latest issue of Cherry magazine. “The Wheel of Circumstance” is a political fantasy story about the rigors of switching over from a stop-gap magic system to a newly cured system. Check it out!
First Draft Freedom
I’ve been writing for about 15 years or so, and until recently I never really understood what the first draft of a story represents. Too often I try to write the perfect first draft and use the subsequent drafts to improve on that “perfection.” I saw every word, every keystroke as a brush of paint on a canvas, one that would soak through never to be undone, unstroked, unbrushed, undotted.
Recently, I’ve come to see the first draft for what it really is, which is a canvas rather than the paint. What I mean by this is that canvases come in different sizes and shapes, and you have to fit your work to the canvas. If you have a sprawling fantasy epic, you can’t use a small canvas the size of a saucer, and it just wouldn’t look right to paint a short story on a canvas that stretches from one wall to another.
I’ve also come to learn that first drafts are where mistakes go to be born and to die, but you have to finish that draft in order to determine which is which, and you can’t think about whether you’re making a new mistake or learning from one you’ve yanked out of yourself and have beaten into submission. The most important thing with the first draft is that you let the characters and the story have their say, that you let yourself vomit over the screen and keyboard before cleaning it up with the next slew of drafts.
There have been times where I’ve written something I know won’t make it into the second draft, but I write it anyway, I let it sit and simmer on the page between its brother and sister words and chapters. While that part might not make it to the second draft, it can spark an idea that will make it to the final draft. The idea came to me for a reason, so I might as well bring it along with me and see where it takes me.
One of the best things about writing that we don’t enjoy in life is that we don’t get to start over in real life, and we aren’t always in full control of what happens to us in life like we are with our characters. There are plenty of events in my life I wish I could live a second draft of (there’s a story idea), and I’m sure there will be plenty more in the future. Writing isn’t a way for me to live my life differently, but it is a chance for me to live multiple lives in multiple worlds, essentially reincarnating myself before I die. The first draft is where that life starts, and the subsequent drafts are where that life gets better, more refined, more focused. I know now there’s freedom, beauty, and lessons to be learned in that first draft (and in life), but I won’t get to notice them if I’m too focused on perfection.
After all, if the first draft is perfect, what else do I have to look forward to?
Ready, Willing, and Writing
It lodges itself in your mind, burrows deep between your lobes and extends its roots down your spinal column where it sends a disjointed chorus of shivers playing over your vertebrae. Writer’s block has got you in a chokehold and has cut off your supply of creativity.
This is a problem I’m currently having with my WIP…one of them at least. I’ve been working on Deserters Will Be Shot for about two months now, and while it’s going quite well for a first draft, it’s starting to show signs of losing steam. This is normally cause for alarm for writers, but I’ve learned that stories are sometimes like bottles of wine that have to breathe a while after they’ve been opened in order to be enjoyed in their entirety.
My second WIP is the third novel in the Furious series. Actually, it’s the second version of the third novel in the Furious series. When I first started writing it several months back, it felt like everything was flowing apace, but when I got to the second episode it became clear that I was taking too much control over the story and wasn’t listening to my characters as much as I once had. Because I’ve been wracking my brain over this novel for a while, you can imagine how frustrating it was to yet again run into another brick wall, experience another failure, endure yet another moment of what am I doing wasting my time calling myself a writer?
When I first started blogging, I felt I didn’t have enough writing experience to blog about nothing but writing, but these past few months (and years, in some ways) have showed me that it’s not how long you’ve experienced being a writer, but the experiences you’ve had as a writer that matter. I sometimes forget that writers operate on a different wavelength, as I touched on in my last post, but it’s always a pleasure to be reminded of that fact. Rather than feeling defeated at the thought of my story not panning out as I thought it would, I know it’s better to shift my focus, let my subconscious figure things out, and let the story have its say in its own time.
I also think part of my problem lies in the fact that modern day writers are often told they have to churn out books as fast as possible if they hope to make a steady income from their writing. While I can perfectly understand this as a freelance writer who gets paid by the word rather than the hour, I don’t feel this mindset is a good fit for me, at least not at this point in my writing career where I’m not yet making money from my books. I admire writers who are able to churn and burn out a first draft in a matter of weeks or days, even if they have a 9 to 5, but as with most things, advice is something we have to modify as needed.
I’ve always been someone who enjoys variety and shuffling the deck every now and then. Rather than fight this part of myself when it comes to writing, I’ve found it’s best that I embrace it, which is why I like to write one story while I’m outlining another. Whenever I get stuck on one, I can switch back to the other before doubt starts infecting my mind. I know that some writers don’t see outlining as actual writing, but I’m someone who works better when writing with an outline; I like to know where I’m going and how I plan on getting there. I know I can always go back and change things, and I always leave room for improvisation.
To wind this post up, I’m starting to learn that writing is a dance, one where the music changes and your dancing partner changes right along with it. Rather than fight the shift, it’s better to embrace the change and trust the story, trust your characters, and trust yourself. True writers know who they are, and they know they’re never working alone no matter how empty the room might be when they’re tapping away at the keyboard or scribbling in their notebooks. And when the story speaks, we’re always ready to listen.
Writer of a “Lonely” Heart
Recently a friend of mind shared a blog post in which the writer proposed that one way to potentially prevent the next mass shooting was to “notice those around you who seem isolated, and engage them.”
While I feel there’s nothing wrong with this strategy, I do feel it can send the wrong message both to introverts and the people around them. I’m sure a majority of writers will agree that we’re a solitary lot. We can’t write, determine where the story is going, have a soul-to-soul conversation with the characters swirling in our heads, or chip away at the imperfections of our stories if we never have time alone to isolate ourselves. We guard our privacy and alone time like the nonrenewable resources they are. When we’re in writing mode, the last thing we want is for someone to notice us and engage with us.
I usually tend to stay out of politics, trending news, and the like, but I can’t help but comment on the recent portrayal of those responsible for America’s latest mass shootings. One thing that’s gnawed at me is the shooters are usually described as loners who didn’t really talk to anyone and were on the fringes of society.
I’m a loner.
I don’t really talk to anyone.
I’m on the fringes of society.
What I am not is someone to be viewed with a critical and/or suspicious eye, nor am I someone to be seen as a sort of charity case. I’m a writer who finds serenity and self-realization when I’m isolated, not when I’m engaging with other people. This isn’t to say that everyone who’s isolated should be left alone, simply that not everyone has dozens of stories and characters to keep their minds occupied for hours on end, no matter if I’m surrounded by people or in my room by myself.
Just like I’ve found with freelance writing, not everyone views what writers do as actual work, something that shouldn’t be interrupted and something that engages the totality of your attention. The same can be said when people see someone eating or drinking alone in a restaurant or going to the movies by themselves. The story we see on the outside can be completely different from the story going on on the inside.
Something else to keep in mind with writers is that we’re never really alone. Speaking from my own experience, I often have a character (sometimes more) who insinuates him or herself between the crevices and folds of my brain and stays there 24/7. I see the world through this character’s eyes, try to mirror this character’s thoughts, think about how this character walks, talks, and interacts with the rest of the world. If you see me smiling or frowning for no discernible reason, chances are my character has said or done something to make the think. When you see my eyes light up when I’m staring into space, chances are I’ve had a “EUREKA!” moment and have experienced the breakthrough I’ve been waiting for.
Now, I don’t want to diminish anyone’s suffering and feelings of being alone. I do believe there are those of us who genuinely want to engage with the world and the people in it only to find that everyone is too caught up in their own little microcosms to notice another person’s silent suffering. As I said to my friend, sometimes just letting someone know you’re there for them if and when they need to talk is enough. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let people know the door is open and that they’re more than welcome to step through and share their Truth with you.
I hope my stories and my characters can be of great comfort to readers. I hope my stories make people feel like someone gets them, that there’s someone out there who feels the same way they do. I hope my stories can keep readers company while they’re waiting for a friend to show up for dinner, while they take some time to be alone, while they’re stuck in a roomful of strangers with hours to go before they be free.
I hope my stories and characters make people want to shoot questions instead of bullets.
The Dramatis Personae of “Furious”
Rather than spin characters purely out of imagination and air, writers instead reach out to the Divine Creative Force with the prayer of receiving an inspiration that fits with the story. When I started the Furious series, my prayers were answered by ten unique individuals, but a majority of my time has been focused on six: Leo Kennington, Bisset Torres, Adam Kensie, Noir, Perry West, and Giorgio Quintero.
While I sometimes go several months between working on the next book in the series, these six are never far from my mind. Sometimes I’ll hear something Noir would say, hear a song Leo might like, or observe suffering The Dragoness might relate to. I figure I owe it to you to tell you a bit more about these characters and the part they play in Furious.
All six are residents of Dominion City, and all six have their own unique POV on Alpha-Omegas and what it means to have superhuman abilities. Leo Kennington, who I imagine as actor Wentworth Miller, is a biochemist when his A-O gene activates and gives him the ability to create force fields. Leo is a character who wants to live his life in peace with his girlfriend Francie and never fanaticized about unaided human flight, saving people, or fighting people with superhuman abilities. With Leo I get to explore emotional weakness, how to cope with depression, and what we go through when the life we carefully planned for ourselves is reduced to tatters, smoke, and burning rubble.
Bisset Torres, who I see as actress Gina Torres, suffers from what some would call dissociative identity disorder, only she’s clearly aware of these identities, their thoughts, and their actions. Angelic Seraph is with her during the day while the scaled temptress known as The Dragoness haunts her thoughts during the day. Depending on the time of day, Bisset is able to heal, manifest a Sword of the Spirit, breathe green fire, see a person’s pain and suffering, and take a missile to the face without stopping in the middle of the Sunday morning crossword puzzle. Bisset is a woman who is capable of administering great suffering and great salvation with the same hand. With her I get to explore how pain and suffering are two of mankind’s greatest teachers and how a single being can make a difference in the lives of millions.
Adam Kensie, who I imagine as actor Patrick Wilson, is a fundamentally religious man who is in church when he first receives the divine power of Sovereign, which he believes is a gift from God rather than his genes. While he has the strength, flight, speed, and Good Samaritan personality of a certain alien with an S on his chest, Adam is a man at odds with the world’s coming-of-a-new age and his Samson-like faith in the Most High. Were A-Os sent to lead mankind back to God? Should he associate with non-believers who share his mission of protecting Dominion City? Does God want him to pass his blessing on to the next generation even though it seems he and his wife Maggie are unable to conceive?
At first glance, Noir, envisioned as actor Amaury Nolasco, is little more than a weed smoking hoodrat with a shaved head and violent tendencies. With him I get to explore a character who wants to do his part in ridding tainted men and women from the world yet doesn’t have an active A-O gene. He finds a way around this by injecting the blood of A-Os and mimicking their abilities, which may or may not be his actual ability (I’ll explore more of this as the series progresses). Noir shows me how those who society generally regards as aimless, lackadaisical thugs can have the most capacity for helping the very people who disregard them. With his character I also get to explore the philosophical debates of what it takes to be a true hero and protector of the innocent, such as when is it permissible to kill a villain, does an antihero have a place in a team of puritans, and do antiheroes have to feel regret for their more reprehensible acts and thoughts in order to remain on the “right side?”
Perry West, who I see as actor Dominic West, doesn’t have an active A-O gene, but he does have a badge and a gun. As a detective of Dominion City, he witnesses firsthand what criminals with superhuman abilities are capable of, and he also quickly realizes that he’s “last year’s model” in terms of his ability to protect the city and stop A-O criminals. He’s old enough to remember the time before A-Os, and he’s smart enough to realize he’s going to have to work with The Furies if he wants to keep the city, and possibly the rest of the world, safe. With his character I get to explore another facet of what it means to be a guardian and what it’s like to give up a hard-earned role to earn to someone (or five someones) who seems to have taken up that role on a lark.
And finally, we have Giorgio Quintero, who strikes me as James Callis. Giorgio is often the hardest to write, mainly because he’s a self-centered walking corpse who doesn’t feel emotion and can cause objects to decay by touching them. The main challenge with his character is having to do the exact opposite of what a writer is supposed to do, which is inject feelings, vibrancy, and life into characters. Giorgio shows me what it’s like to have a second chance at life, only the person you were and much of the life you had before is left in the grave. How do you go through life without caring, loving, worrying, or forming connections to people? What’s it like when you’re essentially an alien on the very planet on which you were born? How do you keep your designer wardrobe free of bullet holes and tears while fighting? While his heart may not beat, Giorgio has a very fond place in mine.
So there you have it, the main cast of Furious. We’ll probably dive a bit more into the story and its connections to modern society in future posts, but I just wanted to introduce you to some of the people vibrating through my head on a daily basis. Now, back to the writing board to think of more posts to share with the world wide writing web!
That Time I Got Furious and Wrote My First Novel
Rather than start my writer blog with a whimsical post about the time lightning struck me and illuminated me to the fact that I wanted to be a writer for the rest of my life, I’ll instead write about the experience I had writing my first novel.
I’ve always loved comic books and superheroes. I don’t remember the first comic book I read, but I do remember the impact comic books made on me and my view of the world. The artwork, the stories, the characters, the battles, the development of the characters from issue to issue and arc to arc filched me of my time and my finances. I saw this style mirrored in TV shows where the audience was able to watch their favorite characters fail, succeed, cry, smile, learn, and possibly even die in slow motion while everything and everyone went silent before the end credits rolled.
Before I wrote my first novel, I had written fan fiction, short stories, and a novelette called Sons of Entropy: A Story of Bullets, Blades, and Blood. I first got the idea of my Furious series (which originally started out as Fury Us) back in 2008. I knew I wanted to write something where each chapter was an episode that lasted 32 pages, and I knew I wanted each book to be considered a season. I actually started on what’s now going to be book four and got about halfway through it when my characters said, “Hey, look, I know you’re kinda in charge and everything, but I think the reader needs to know a bit more about our history before we get to this point in the story.”
Here is where I first learned to let the story have its say.
I sat down with Adam Kensie, Bisset Torres, Noir, Leo Kennington, Giorgio Quintero, and Perry West and let them tell me who they were and where they were in life when their world first experienced a coming of a new age that birthed Alpha-Omegas, individuals whose Alpha-Omega gene activated and cursed/gifted them with superhuman abilities. Book one took some time, but it’s an experience I’ll never forget and one I’ll always be proud of.
While I’m currently working on book three in the series, I have yet to publish the first two. I’ve been extremely tempted to, especially now that characters with superhuman abilities are taking over this dimension and every other one in existence. But I want to take my time with my writing career and do it right. I plan to start out as a self-published author and will get more of my short stories professionally published before I get an agent and have a go at getting a traditional book deal. But if I’m honest with myself (and you), there’s also a lot of fear that’s holding me back from putting my work out there.
I’m afraid no one will buy my books.
I’m afraid of going about self-publishing the wrong way.
I’m afraid people will feel my story material has been done to the grave and back.
I’m afraid of essentially exposing myself naked and raw for the world to see and judge.
I’m afraid, I’m afraid, I’m afraid.
I know it’s just as likely that readers will receive the Furious series better than I could’ve ever imagined, that it will sell well, that I’m doing this self-publishing thing the right way, and that the territory of my story will feel fresh and unexplored. I also know I’m not the first writer to have these thoughts and that I’m certainly not the last.
I look forward to the time in my life where I can write full-time rather than a few hours a night after work. I look forward to the day when I can share the Furious series and Adam, Leo, Bisset, Giorgio, Perry, and Noir with the world. I look forward to the day when I look back on this post and realize how far I’ve come.
And I hope you’ll be right there with me.
Turn and Face the Change
First post of the re-opening of my blog!
A few changes going on here. First, Sluglines & Vignettes is now Sluglines & ShotGunn Shells. This was done out of my decision to include more posts about my journey and thoughts as a writer and as a way to establish an official/professional blog like all good writers should (right?).
While I’ll still post the occasional vignette inspired by a current news story, I’ll also be including posts about my current WIP, inspirations for my stories and characters, writing thoughts whirling willy-nilly in my skull, and maybe even the occasional image or song that reminds me of my work.
I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences and hope that you look forward to diving with me between the lobes of my mind. A lot going on up there!
This is only the beginning.
” ‘Be inside with the doors locked and very diligent,’ MacNeill warned residents.”
Vignette inspired by: New York Prison Break: DNA Found in Cabin, CNN, June 23, 2015
“Can’t feel ’em no more.”
“They might be using a neural dampener to cloak their m-waves. I stopped picking up stray connections to the Outernet about seven miles back. That’s also when my arm prosthetic started sputtering out more feedback than usual.”
“Damn thing’s manufactured by Angelou Industries. They had that big recall a few years ago ’cause half-synths were getting infections in their organic parts from corrupted titanium fibers. Surprised you ain’t choked yourself with it yet. ‘Ey, you ain’t been mastur–”
“Shut up and listen, Swann.”
…
“Don’t hear nuthin.”
“Switch your cyber brain to layer seven-point-nine.”
“Can’t. They yanked my receptor outta my head when they sent me to cy-SHU last time. Look, man, we need to get the hell up outta here. Been layin’ low for three days. I can feel ’em closin’ in on us. Feel it on my skin.”
“Probably from the poison oak you ran through…like a certified dumbass. Next time stick to the river like I told you. Just because we’re half machine doesn’t mean we’re immune to allergic reactions.”
“Course you’d say that. Your rich ass was able to afford gettin’ your skin coated in 0-teflon. Country bumpkins can’t afford nuthin’ but some aluminum byproduct. Scrapes off like a metal scab. Don’t chu look at me like ‘at, Mart. I’m the one who figured out how to jack out of the cerebrum cell. You had five master’s degrees and three damn doctorates uploaded in your skull and you weren’t able to figure that out. Dumbest genius I ever met in my life.”
“You keep yapping so loudly and they’re gonna triangulate your vocal reverb.”
“Well, they wouldn’t be able to if you uplinked me to your backup brain barrier. Afraid I’m gonna rifle through your mental porn collection?”
“I’m not even using my backup brain barrier. Had to quarantine it after the CCOs uploaded a Oppenheimer virus into it.”
“Oppenheimer virus? My God, man. How are you able to string three words together?”
“One of my degrees was in cybervirology. You know that house we saw a few hours ago?”
“Yeah?”
“I hear a lilt in your voice. Are you asking me if you remember or do you actually remember?”
“I remember, dickshucker.”
“We may need to go back and pay the family a not-so-friendly visit. Nice little Hisasian family like that can gain us some serious protection if the noose starts tightening.”
“You just want to n-rape their smooth lil’ son. He looks like a piece you’d like. All o’ dat chrome and steel.”
“I’m heterosexual.”
“Really? Is that why you were in prison? You still haven’t told me.”
“For a good reason. And it’s not because I’m a sexual deviant. You have any skill bypassing home security clouds?”
“I specialized in one-to-one matrices. Lattice layers that rain straight to the local authorities give me fits, but if I hook them up to the ghost limb network in my leg it can buy me about 30 seconds. One of the good things about black market knockoff prosthetics.”
“…You ever disconnect someone before?”
…
“Now you wanna clam up.”
“No, but I saw it done to my gran’ma when she was sufferin’ from schizoid syndrome. Shut off just like yankin’ the power supply from an android. Unsettlin’ as hell. Why?”
“We may need to do the same.”
“You mean to the family back ‘ere, or each other?”
“Both.”
“You can’t disconnect yourself. I do it to you, who’s gonna do it to me. An’ lice lersa.”
“It’s vice ver–Never mind. We can do it at the same time. I’ve been reading about it onmind whenever I’ve been able to burrow a connection. I cross a few cables in your lower m-registry and I can set a delay. If need be.”
“I hope like hell need won’t be. What you think, should we go for it?”
“…Yeah. But keep to the upper branches and don’t use your cyber brain unless you absolutely have to. It–”
“–leaves traces in the ether. I know. Good ‘n’ dark out, let’s move.”
…
…
…
“Whoa, sh…You guys are trespassing on private bandwidth. What are you doing here?”
“You’re here to protect us, darlin’.”
“Oh, God. You’re–“
Sluglines & ShotGunn Shells 