Balancing

Episode 2 of The Ruffians is not going to be pleasant. It's going to be intriguing, but it's not going to be pleasant. It has a couple glimmers of comedy, but overall, it's kind of an icky thing -- which is exactly what I was going for when I wrote it. I wanted to confront the reality of a bad day at work for two hitmen. I wanted to challenge the audience's fondness for Alexander and Charlie. Just because they're the focus of the show doesn't mean you should be rooting for them -- or does it?

I came home from rehearsal on Wednesday night in a bit of a funk. Rehearsal went really well, so well, in fact, I actually found myself affected by what we were doing. I left feeling like Alexander and Charlie were awful, awful people.

And to get out of that funk I sat down and put a final (for now) polish on the first chapter of my young adult book. It doesn't have a title yet, but it comes from a short story that I've been on-again off-again with for the past year. It's about young Arlyn Walsh, a traveller and general adventurer of the Multiverse. I'm quite fond of this little guy already, and I'm only a chapter into his story. I hope this book allows me to write a series of books detailing his adventures, but I can only take it one chapter at a time. And his pluck, wit, and lightheartedness contrasted perfectly with the grey-to-dark matter that Ruffians was. Thanks to him, I slept well Wednesday night.

We film the meat of episode 2 tomorrow night and, quite frankly, I'll be glad to have it behind me. It's a fascinating story to watch, but . . . as I've said . . . not a pleasant one.

cracking the code

I think I just figured out my children's book. It's not a children's book at all. It's a children's book series. I have this twenty-page first draft (outline?) sitting on my computer. I love it to death but have had no idea what to do with it. Then . . . I don't know how to describe it . . . something clicked. I realized what the book was: An introduction. It's an introduction to a character, to a world, and to a growing list of story possibilities.

As soon as it clicked, I knew who the narrator was. I knew what voice the books needed to have. And I like it. And I can't wait to share it with you.

a good night writing

Had a productive night writing tonight. Felt good. Real good. The night started with Derek Webb's lovely new album Feedback (which will probably become my writing soundtrack on many nights to come) and finished with the soundtrack to seasons 3 and 4 of Battlestar Galactica. It's so thrilling to write something that matches the music you're writing to.

I've got a book idea that combines several ideas/stories that I've been working on for the past couple of years. It's something strange and exciting and unlike anything I've ever seen or read before -- and that makes it worthwhile in my book.

I'm a bit paranoid, so I don't want to give away too much (online, at any rate), but I am willing to say that the main protagonist in the book is a guardian angel. It's not Touched By An Angel and it's not Highway to Heaven. If anything, it's a season of Doctor Who infused with all that I believe. There. I think I can say that without giving too much away. I don't know why I'm paranoid. I don't even know if anyone's out there reading this (even you faithful five followers). And of those of you who are probably not reading this, how many of you would try to steal this idea of mine?

Probably not one.

And I think I read somewhere that if I commit an idea to a blog, I can use that blog entry to support my claim that I'm the author of my idea, should you try to steal it. I need to go find that and make sure I'm reading that right . . .

I should also try to get some sleep at some point.

Meh. At some point. I think I'm going to go save Albion now. Ta!

Uncluttering

Finished a short story last night. It was cluttering up the brain and not allowing for any other work to be completed on Remnants. It was a twenty page prose piece, the first three chapters of which I wrote on my iPod Touch. But when the ideas really starting flowing, I had to put the Touch down and turn to my computer, so I could tell the story much more quicklier.

It's tentatively titled Arlyn's Guardian Angel and now that it's done I'm not sure what to do with it. It's six chapters long and it seems to serve as an introduction to a much larger world. Is the pilot episode of a TV show? Is it the first adventure in an ongoing book series? Should it be expanded upon and turned into a much larger book? Whatever the fate of this small story, it's out of mind for now, and I can turn all my attention back to the second season of Remnants.

Allons-y!

iWrite

Got an iPod Touch (or is it an iTouch?) last week and haven't been able to put it down. Apple is easy to demonize and hate, but they make some darn addictive and fun pieces of equipment (maybe that's why I hate them -- because I love them so much).

But on on my little iTouch I found this app called "Note." I can -- using its tiny, good-only-for-texting, onscreen keyboard -- to jot down little notes. Gone is my need to carry a journal around (which I used to do). Now I can just whip out my iPod and tap, "make Derek funnier, but not funnier than Oliver." But I can also tap more.

I have this little story idea that, quite frankly, is rather small. It has the potential to be something bigger, but I'm just not seeing it yet. So, using "Note," I'm writing the story. On my ten minute breaks at work or during my lunch half hour, I'm tapping away at the sentence, paragraph, or scene that came to me while I worked. I'm only writing it at work and I'm going to let the story tell itself. Whatever comes to mind, whatever I think is cool or interesting or funny, that's where the story will go. I have no agenda for it.

But who knows, it might be the first book written on an iPod -- unless that's already been done. Something tells me it has. Some leader in the Cult of Mac had already written his memoir, one thumb tap at a time, I just know it.