Meanwhile…

It’s been way too long since I posted a writing sketch! I actually posted a little bit of this a couple years ago, but I was feeling around for something to work on at the write-in tonight and worked on it some more. I don’t think there will be any more to it. A little over 800 words.

Anyway, it reminded me of how much I like writing this particular pair of characters (if you want to find more of them, you can look here). One of these days I need to sit down and write the Chuck Chaykin novel that is quietly smoldering in a corner of my brain.

Continue reading

In slightly less ridiculous news, I have just this evening (or last night, rather, as it is after midnight now) finished a new story. I have particular spot in mind for it, but if they don’t want it I’ll start shopping it around. I rather like it. Here is a piece.

Continue reading

Another day’s efforts. A little over 500 words, loosely inspired by the brilliant Jack Kirby and his Kamandi.

Continue reading

I went to see The Conspirator (not fantasy, but there were people in very fine hats). It is story of normal people having to put up with the bullshit. Different century. Same nonsense of ordinary citizenry offered up on the altar of political convenience. Nothing has changed.

The movie is quite good, by the way.

Anyway, this is a bit of a fantasy story. I thought, why not a police procedural in a world of gods and magic? The first few hundred words of the nearly 1,400 that I wrote.

Continue reading

I will post just a portion of this one. It came out to over 1,300 words and is set in the same world as my recently finished and (so far) thrice submitted historical fantasy story, Mercier’s Flight. Maybe I’ll look for a market for this one, though I don’t have the faintest idea where to start. Anyone know of a good historical fantasy war story market?

Continue reading

A little something. Will it go anywhere? Who knows! Just about 500 words.

Continue reading

I utterly failed in my April Fool’s tradition. I had an idea for one, but not in time for me to really execute it properly. Perhaps next year.

In exchange, I offer the beginning of a story I just started. I rather like it. Continue reading

This day in history, 1863:

President Abraham Lincoln and his crack special forces team  battle the Confedabot, a twenty-foot-tall doomsday machine. Lincoln himself delivers the killing blow to Florida Senator Augustus Maxwell, who had been controlling the Confedabot via psychic broadcasts. Ten miles away, the Gettysburg address is delivered by a projectogram hidden in Ward Hill Lamon’s hat.

Don’t blame me, blame your textbooks.

Occasionally on Facebook I post these little “historical” factoids as my status for fun. I like to think they’re more interesting than “OMG I hate Mondays” or whatever. Some are funny, some are simply dramatic. I’m obviously not the first to do this, but they’re fun to write and make nice little exercises to keep the brain working.

There’s more room there than on Twitter, so I can do things a little more involved without that shorter character limit. But even then, sometimes I don’t have enough space. Today’s was one of those where I wanted to embellish more, but didn’t have the space.

At any rate, I thought I’d start posting those here, and more of them, as regular content. With any luck, some will grow into fuller stories. Also, here they won’t eventually vanish into the Facebook ether at some point. You guys can let me know which ones you think are cool and which ones are dead ends.

So here’s the first.

This day in history, 2108: Begin the great Cephalopod Invasion. By midnight, Octopus Prime conquers Manhattan, his enormous tentacles cutting a swath of destruction across New York and New Jersey. His amphibious army seizes ports throughout the Eastern Seaboard. They retreat a week later, leaving behind cities completely depleted of human life. Typed missives inform the beleaguered nation that they attack only to remind us why the month is named October – and to replenish their supply of human slaves.

(I have some totally awesome ideas about the Cephalapod Marine force, so I’m looking forward to expanding this one.)

This morning I found myself thinking about my abandoned Scarlet Ranger novel (begun in a NaNo event a couple years ago). Maybe I’ll give it another go. Is there a point? Even if I finish it I’ll almost certainly have to self-publish. Maybe I should do it just to get it out of my system.

My Daily Sketches don’t seem to be updating properly. This is annoying.

Heading out this afternoon to see Scott Pilgrim vs The World again with a couple guys who haven’t seen it yet. If you are among those who haven’t seen it – well, I don’t want to say you’re a bad person, but, well. Here we are.

I wrote this little bit over the weekend. I think if I can hit the right tone with it this may turn into a fun dark humor piece. We’ll see.

Continue reading