So I said after the first hundred pages I would let people in on what I was working on. I thought about pulling some JJ Abrams crap and releasing a single word or something like that but decided that would be silly.
I'm sure you all remember The Long Night (all of you did read it right... of course you did). Anyway for a while I had been thinking how do I write a sequel to a story that has a very very definitive ending. I'm not spoiling anything by saying that it doesn't end with a to be continued or end of part one tag.
Anyway I finally figured out a sort of sequel. The Lost Tower builds off of things that were set up in The Long Night and takes place in the same world fifty years later. Think of it as kind of how The Hobbit is related to Lord of the Rings. That is also an apt comparison when it come to talking about scope, Because if this book is as long as I think it might turn out to be, I have at least a dualogy on my hands but probably a trilogy. That said I am going to write it as a single book and then worry about splitting later. I think stopping and splitting The Conflict Within is what killed my interest in the story.
So What is the story?
Rumors are coming from the west that Tygosh the longtime rival of the now fractured city of Lysta is building an army and marching on a war of conquest. A shadowy noble puts together a group of adventures to seek out a long lost relic called the Star of Fle'net, which he believes might help unite and save the city.
The only information they have about the star mentions three towers, and so the group sets out on their quest.
That is all for now, I'll do some character profiles or something a bit later down the line. For now it was just cool to dust off the blog.
Showing posts with label Sean Van Damme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sean Van Damme. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Two Towers
I tried to come up with two book-ending posts about fellowship and returning kings so I could make a grand Lord of the Rings reference, but I just couldn't come up with anything, the little nerd inside me is sad.
Onward, to what this post is really about. This is Gracie, she is a grumpy ten year old Persian with arthritis. Her aching back legs have kept her from getting on the table where her food was. Her food of course was on the table so that Gaius, our thieving little dog, couldn't get to it.
After spending night after night listing to her fail to make it up onto the table an falling to the ground with a loud smack followed by a long painful moan Liz and I decided to move her food to the pet room, where her litter box is. The pet room is blocked off by a baby gate, so low enough for Gracie to get over but to high for Gaius and his stumpy little Doxie legs to scale.
That was what we thought, turns out Gracie is the exact opposite of her name, and doesn't quite face plant into the gate so much as get her front paws over the top and then scuttle across. More often then not though she would fall to the ground and again scream in pain. Now the Pet room is right next to the Master bedroom, making this night time screaming worse.
Or original idea was to get a long piece of carpet and lay it across the gate so that she had coming to grip and pull her self up, because as she reminds us when saving her, Gracie still has claws. A few weeks ago Liz and I were in NoVa at her parents house, because we had a meeting with the rabbi (ah wedding planning). I got to talking with her dad about our problem and plan, and he suggested a cat tower, and after spit balling the idea we hit on the idea to use two small cat towers next to the gate so she could get on them climb and even sit down if she wanted. We lucked out in that Liz's parent's had two old towers that their cats were not using.
We came home and I put this together.
After a few days, and some well placed tuna, Gracie got the idea and started using the towers to help her get across the gate to her food and litter box, which were now pain free and dog safe. A few days ago I saw her sitting in the outside tower, she looked up and said hello as I walked by even, so I think this was a susses.
Onward, to what this post is really about. This is Gracie, she is a grumpy ten year old Persian with arthritis. Her aching back legs have kept her from getting on the table where her food was. Her food of course was on the table so that Gaius, our thieving little dog, couldn't get to it.
After spending night after night listing to her fail to make it up onto the table an falling to the ground with a loud smack followed by a long painful moan Liz and I decided to move her food to the pet room, where her litter box is. The pet room is blocked off by a baby gate, so low enough for Gracie to get over but to high for Gaius and his stumpy little Doxie legs to scale.
That was what we thought, turns out Gracie is the exact opposite of her name, and doesn't quite face plant into the gate so much as get her front paws over the top and then scuttle across. More often then not though she would fall to the ground and again scream in pain. Now the Pet room is right next to the Master bedroom, making this night time screaming worse.
Or original idea was to get a long piece of carpet and lay it across the gate so that she had coming to grip and pull her self up, because as she reminds us when saving her, Gracie still has claws. A few weeks ago Liz and I were in NoVa at her parents house, because we had a meeting with the rabbi (ah wedding planning). I got to talking with her dad about our problem and plan, and he suggested a cat tower, and after spit balling the idea we hit on the idea to use two small cat towers next to the gate so she could get on them climb and even sit down if she wanted. We lucked out in that Liz's parent's had two old towers that their cats were not using.
We came home and I put this together.
After a few days, and some well placed tuna, Gracie got the idea and started using the towers to help her get across the gate to her food and litter box, which were now pain free and dog safe. A few days ago I saw her sitting in the outside tower, she looked up and said hello as I walked by even, so I think this was a susses.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Timeline and other things
So the Writing Adventure is about more then just plugging what is out or talking about old writing. The adventure is how did we get to where we are today as people and society etc.
A few weeks ago I switched to Timeline on Facebook so that I would be just a little bit ahead of the grandmothers and Luddites, (even people who hate tech have Facebook right?) As I was going through old posts I could see trends, mostly when I was watching a show I was really enjoying. In other words I would like to apologize for filling peoples news feeds with the following, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, Stargate, etc.
Another thing that I found was this.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sean-van-damme/25-unintersting-things/50351587097
A note that I pulled off somebodies wall that asked 25 uninteresting questions. That was Feb of 09 now that it is 12, I figure I will see how things have changed how have I grown up or regressed, as the case might be. (New comments in Bold)
OK so it happened. You know the drill.
1. I have come to realize I like frak more then well you know.
I still like frak but have gone back to using the old triad and true, original. I do now say Godsdamn a lot go figure.
2. I am incapable of sitting still. Weather it be just tapping my foot rapping my fingers or having a leg spasm.
Still true, I suck at sitting or standing still.
3. I know the run time in minutes of every movie I own and most I rent or see.
I don't see as many but I do always look up the run time, and can peace things together from trailers.
4. I have a 125 page outline for a novel I have started twice but well probably never finish.
I will finish it damn it! I wrote 40k words on it last spring and want to go back after I knock out Bodies under 95.
5. Yes I gained 50 pounds in a semester. I blame Beer.
Haven't lost it haven't started eating right, still drink Beer, could use one right now.
6. I listen to talk radio in the car when I'm alone because it helps me focus to pretend a person is there. I do this even though I want to kill conservative pundits.
We have a great new version of NPR, so Rush and Glen don't get my blood pressure up anymore.
7. Real blood makes me sick but fake blood is a blast.
Still true.
8. I hated dogs till Gaius came along.
Yup, can't fathom why though.
9. I almost voted for Roslen/airlock 08.
They would have killed Osama faster, and spaced a few bankers saving us billions.
10. When I walk I look at my feet like they are going to not work or something.
I haven't fallen yet, no need to try anything new.
11. I own a fedora so that my shadow can look bitchen cool.
You can't have a black wool coat without a fedora, I'm sure that is a law or something.
12. I know how to and enjoy cross stitching. Though I suck at it.
My thread box mostly fixes clothing now. Though I did give one of Gaius's toys a Col. Tigh eye patch with some cross-stitching fabric.
13. I own a 1gig ipod nano that I never use, and have no intention of getting a bigger one or a smart phone in the future.
iPod touch and want a smart phone so bad it isn't funny. What the fuck was I thinking, I mean really?
14. I watch horrible TV shows that I don't even like because they are in High Def.
I don't watch crap TV on my own, or SD willingly for anything that wasn't shot that way.
15. I have gained and lost real life friends over World of Warcraft.
Haven't lost or gained anymore which is good, though if I played TOR more that might change.
16. I got into news because I couldn't draw and VCU hides film behind AFO.
Three Years doesn't make that statement any less factual.
17. extremists on both sides of the political spectrum piss me the frak off. Hasn't anybody heard of common frakking since and compromise.
Oh Padawan you knew nothing in the good old days of '09.
18. I fully expect to have a heart attack by age 40. If not from the temper it well be the McDonalds.
Ya, that is probably sadly still true, running is for crazy people.
19. The world isn't as creepy alone at 3am as I thought it would be.
True, now that I am out of the city it has gotten better. Though that first night of pitch blackness an quiet was really unnerving.
20. I am a lazy slob who has yet to grasp that clothing goes in a dresser. It took me years to understand the dirty clothing doesn't belong on the floor with clean in the hamper.
I have regressed to dirty goes on the floor, clean goes in the dryer.
21. I can't spell and I no longer give a frak about it.
No since fighting with it, that is what spell check, editors, and Google are for.
22. I am able to judge people by the movies and TV shows they like. And I'm OK with that.
If you haven't watched The Wire you really shouldn't be allowed to vote.
23. Anybody who loves Babylon 5 is instantly my friend. To a lesser extent with SeaQuest.
I think NBC could have a hit if they let Ron Moore Fix-up SeaQuest like he did Battlestar.
24. I am sick of people thinking I'm a chick at restaurants. I cut off the damn pony tail five years ago. I know its kind of long now but lord I'm an ugly chick.
Almost a decade later and it still happens, I might as well just get fake tits and call it a day.
25. I love puns and am not ashamed about it at all.
Presented without comment.
Some stuff has changed some has not, but it was cool to see a snapshot from the past.
A few weeks ago I switched to Timeline on Facebook so that I would be just a little bit ahead of the grandmothers and Luddites, (even people who hate tech have Facebook right?) As I was going through old posts I could see trends, mostly when I was watching a show I was really enjoying. In other words I would like to apologize for filling peoples news feeds with the following, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, Stargate, etc.
Another thing that I found was this.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sean-van-damme/25-unintersting-things/50351587097
A note that I pulled off somebodies wall that asked 25 uninteresting questions. That was Feb of 09 now that it is 12, I figure I will see how things have changed how have I grown up or regressed, as the case might be. (New comments in Bold)
OK so it happened. You know the drill.
1. I have come to realize I like frak more then well you know.
I still like frak but have gone back to using the old triad and true, original. I do now say Godsdamn a lot go figure.
2. I am incapable of sitting still. Weather it be just tapping my foot rapping my fingers or having a leg spasm.
Still true, I suck at sitting or standing still.
3. I know the run time in minutes of every movie I own and most I rent or see.
I don't see as many but I do always look up the run time, and can peace things together from trailers.
4. I have a 125 page outline for a novel I have started twice but well probably never finish.
I will finish it damn it! I wrote 40k words on it last spring and want to go back after I knock out Bodies under 95.
5. Yes I gained 50 pounds in a semester. I blame Beer.
Haven't lost it haven't started eating right, still drink Beer, could use one right now.
6. I listen to talk radio in the car when I'm alone because it helps me focus to pretend a person is there. I do this even though I want to kill conservative pundits.
We have a great new version of NPR, so Rush and Glen don't get my blood pressure up anymore.
7. Real blood makes me sick but fake blood is a blast.
Still true.
8. I hated dogs till Gaius came along.
Yup, can't fathom why though.
9. I almost voted for Roslen/airlock 08.
They would have killed Osama faster, and spaced a few bankers saving us billions.
10. When I walk I look at my feet like they are going to not work or something.
I haven't fallen yet, no need to try anything new.
11. I own a fedora so that my shadow can look bitchen cool.
You can't have a black wool coat without a fedora, I'm sure that is a law or something.
12. I know how to and enjoy cross stitching. Though I suck at it.
My thread box mostly fixes clothing now. Though I did give one of Gaius's toys a Col. Tigh eye patch with some cross-stitching fabric.
13. I own a 1gig ipod nano that I never use, and have no intention of getting a bigger one or a smart phone in the future.
iPod touch and want a smart phone so bad it isn't funny. What the fuck was I thinking, I mean really?
14. I watch horrible TV shows that I don't even like because they are in High Def.
I don't watch crap TV on my own, or SD willingly for anything that wasn't shot that way.
15. I have gained and lost real life friends over World of Warcraft.
Haven't lost or gained anymore which is good, though if I played TOR more that might change.
16. I got into news because I couldn't draw and VCU hides film behind AFO.
Three Years doesn't make that statement any less factual.
17. extremists on both sides of the political spectrum piss me the frak off. Hasn't anybody heard of common frakking since and compromise.
Oh Padawan you knew nothing in the good old days of '09.
18. I fully expect to have a heart attack by age 40. If not from the temper it well be the McDonalds.
Ya, that is probably sadly still true, running is for crazy people.
19. The world isn't as creepy alone at 3am as I thought it would be.
True, now that I am out of the city it has gotten better. Though that first night of pitch blackness an quiet was really unnerving.
20. I am a lazy slob who has yet to grasp that clothing goes in a dresser. It took me years to understand the dirty clothing doesn't belong on the floor with clean in the hamper.
I have regressed to dirty goes on the floor, clean goes in the dryer.
21. I can't spell and I no longer give a frak about it.
No since fighting with it, that is what spell check, editors, and Google are for.
22. I am able to judge people by the movies and TV shows they like. And I'm OK with that.
If you haven't watched The Wire you really shouldn't be allowed to vote.
23. Anybody who loves Babylon 5 is instantly my friend. To a lesser extent with SeaQuest.
I think NBC could have a hit if they let Ron Moore Fix-up SeaQuest like he did Battlestar.
24. I am sick of people thinking I'm a chick at restaurants. I cut off the damn pony tail five years ago. I know its kind of long now but lord I'm an ugly chick.
Almost a decade later and it still happens, I might as well just get fake tits and call it a day.
25. I love puns and am not ashamed about it at all.
Presented without comment.
Some stuff has changed some has not, but it was cool to see a snapshot from the past.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
STING BREAKING OVERNIGHT
I mentioned Breaking Overnight in the last post when I was talking about editing by hand so I thought now might be a good time to go into detail about what that project was. (Yes I have to much on my plate sue me.)
Breaking Overnight as you might have gathered from the title is about news, something that is near and dear to me, seeing as how it pays the bills. The story can be summed up simply as Die Hard in a TV station, but there is a little bit more to it then that, as my bad guys are there for something more then a robbery. Because really what is there to steal in a TV station besides some cameras?
I think that the story of the books gestation is a bit more interesting for a blog post so that is the story I am going to tell.
It started back when I worked overnights as an idea for a movie. I didn't have a good motivation for the bad guys at the time and it didn't get more then a few pages in length. This was right at the end of my script phase when I would start something and then abandon it in a fit of depression. I envisioned the climax one rainy morning on my way home as I was walking out of the station . Stopping to look up at the tower, with it's blinking lights I saw two men chasing each other up it, exchanging gunfire in a raging storm. That idea never left me even after I moved on from overnights to just nights.
Then in July when they were putting the finishing touches on our former general manager, now regional VP's new office, the motivation for the bad guys popped into my head. That motivation also gave me who they were and what they were all about. With that figured out I sat down and started outlining. And no I'm not going to give it away, that would ruin everything now wouldn't it. We know it isn't robbery, so if you can guess what it is in the comments, I'll give you a free copy when the book comes out. (Yes that is a shameful ploy to get comments and conversation going, Hope it works.)
The project might have fallen by the wayside again, except I mentioned it at work, and people started to pester me about it. Go figure that a bunch of news people would be interested in a thriller that takes place in a TV station that might or might not be loosely based on where they work. Who would have thought?
So mid way through July I set out to write the book, establishing the same word count goals that I used for National Write a Novel Month, so about 2000 words a day. I plugged along only falling off the wagon a few times, and finished in just over a month, with 62,000 words or there abouts. I am happy with the story and charators. After taking a few weeks off from the book, ten days dictated by Irene stealing my power and another few by work on The Long Night. When I was able to return I polished the first draft once, and gave it to a alpha reader just to make sure that everything made since plot wise.
Now I am working through each chapter by hand and then running it through Serenity so that I can pass it off to a real person to be edited without to much embarrassment. Once that is done we will be very close to that book being released to the word. I am excited about this one because it takes place in a word that I know relatively well, unlike one that I am just making up or kind of faking based on things I have read in the past.
Breaking Overnight as you might have gathered from the title is about news, something that is near and dear to me, seeing as how it pays the bills. The story can be summed up simply as Die Hard in a TV station, but there is a little bit more to it then that, as my bad guys are there for something more then a robbery. Because really what is there to steal in a TV station besides some cameras?
I think that the story of the books gestation is a bit more interesting for a blog post so that is the story I am going to tell.
It started back when I worked overnights as an idea for a movie. I didn't have a good motivation for the bad guys at the time and it didn't get more then a few pages in length. This was right at the end of my script phase when I would start something and then abandon it in a fit of depression. I envisioned the climax one rainy morning on my way home as I was walking out of the station . Stopping to look up at the tower, with it's blinking lights I saw two men chasing each other up it, exchanging gunfire in a raging storm. That idea never left me even after I moved on from overnights to just nights.
Then in July when they were putting the finishing touches on our former general manager, now regional VP's new office, the motivation for the bad guys popped into my head. That motivation also gave me who they were and what they were all about. With that figured out I sat down and started outlining. And no I'm not going to give it away, that would ruin everything now wouldn't it. We know it isn't robbery, so if you can guess what it is in the comments, I'll give you a free copy when the book comes out. (Yes that is a shameful ploy to get comments and conversation going, Hope it works.)
The project might have fallen by the wayside again, except I mentioned it at work, and people started to pester me about it. Go figure that a bunch of news people would be interested in a thriller that takes place in a TV station that might or might not be loosely based on where they work. Who would have thought?
So mid way through July I set out to write the book, establishing the same word count goals that I used for National Write a Novel Month, so about 2000 words a day. I plugged along only falling off the wagon a few times, and finished in just over a month, with 62,000 words or there abouts. I am happy with the story and charators. After taking a few weeks off from the book, ten days dictated by Irene stealing my power and another few by work on The Long Night. When I was able to return I polished the first draft once, and gave it to a alpha reader just to make sure that everything made since plot wise.
Now I am working through each chapter by hand and then running it through Serenity so that I can pass it off to a real person to be edited without to much embarrassment. Once that is done we will be very close to that book being released to the word. I am excited about this one because it takes place in a word that I know relatively well, unlike one that I am just making up or kind of faking based on things I have read in the past.
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