After months of planning, weeks of prep work, and a solid three days of editing, “The Spooky Chronicles” has an ebook trailer! “The Crooked Man” is now available now for $3.99 at Smashwords.com for whatever eBook reader you have (Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, Sony, PDF) or even just on your computer.
Check out SpookyChronicles.com for all things Spooky.
To those coming down on people who can turn out the written word very quickly, don’t be too quick to judge or be jealous. Writers on television shows often crank out between six and twenty-four episodes a year (some are even watchable!) from script to screen; why is it so hard to imagine that any writer couldn’t do the same? Here’s where we’re going with this (from my post on a thread over at Dark Media City).
Besides the thirteen-plus years I’ve spent honing a narrative voice writing reviews as a film critic, the series I myself am working on right now was born of a tabletop role-playing game that created the seed of a larger idea. It was far-fetched overall, but having a large yet fuzzy canvas to start with, it was simpler to weed out what made no sense and distill a huge mural into a firm, focused Polaroid of an idea that lent itself to creating plot. With the main character and his world years in the making and an over-arcing story in place, writing the first book felt more freeing than like actual work: the initial draft poured out of me in a week. When I went to work on the second one, it took four days. Keep in mind that these are 7k-10k stories more the length and feel of a television show than a feature-length film.
What I think I’m trying to say is (after that ramble) that the actual writing didn’t take so long as the time it took to prepare to do it. As I continue now writing and tweaking plot outlines to help keep facts straight and ensure a comfortable flow, I can’t wait to write the next one because I LOVE having that feeling. My only other hope is to find an audience for it that appreciates my creation as much as I have creating it, but fulfillment in its realization (after all this time) is already mine.
Savage Insider asked me to write them a four-part serial, so I did! Savage Insider is an all-around eZine with adventure seeds in multiple genres and highlights of licensee companies. The price is free, and it will be available in PDF download form via DriveThruRPG. Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 1: Birds of a Feather” inside! http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=92629
Savage Insider asked me to write them a four-part serial, so I did! Savage Insider is a freely available, all-around eZine with loads of Savage Worlds content with adventure seeds in multiple genres and highlights of licensee companies. Their debut issue is scheduled to release in July 2011 and available in PDF via DriveThruRPG.
On sale now for one measly dollar ($1.00) at horror.drivethrustuff.com for your PDF reader or iBooks.
At the age of six, the pale little boy became ill, and although he was already small and thin, he grew smaller and thinner still. His skin turned a pallid gray, but the smile never left his face and his mother never left his side. When he turned seven, the tumor in his chest finally overtook his heart, and he died.
It is whispered that everyone dies alone. But the pale little boy wasn’t alone when he died, and on the other side, he met a crooked man with a crooked stick who pointed at the dead little boy with a crooked finger. The dead little boy opened his eyes only to find those of his mother closed. Somehow he knew that his mother had taken his place and that the crooked man had caused it; what he didn’t know was why.
Friends and fans of MovieCrypt.com may remember the Crystal Lich long before Grim D. Reaper took over hosting duties. After all, MovieCrypt.com was originally an AOL Hometown page called “The Crypt of the Crystal Lich” back in 1997 (gods, I’m old.)
In an effort to better market my online creative works, my homepage of ThinkingSkull.com has gotten an overhaul, and the mystical blue-eyed Crystal Lich has returned to represent. The “Blog” option at the top will take you to all the old content links and to the blog itself while the front page and rest of the site has been rededicated to the cause.
What is it they say? “Laziness is the mother of reinvention?”
In an article I was directed to recently online, it was postulated that flaws are what make us beautiful and that we should embrace them, viewing ourselves as “a work of art.” Agreed, but I think it’s a little more than just looks that are involved.
I don’t think it’s “beauty” we’re all focused on as much as attention in general; appearance is just the first thing most people notice. Everyone wants to be special (just like everyone else) and everyone assumes they are secretly compared to everyone else because, frankly, we do. There are very few of us who wouldn’t like to lose a pound or two, wish our complexion was different, think that something is too big or too small, or compare ourselves with someone we’d rather be like that we perceive as better.
I think the real secret is to simply accept who you are to create and maintain a positive self image. It’s bloody hard for others to accept you for who you and how you look when you can’t accept yourself. Wearing self-confidence always looks good, is always attractive, and is always in style.
I was recently interviewed by a film student at blah, blah, blah about being a film ciritic. Here were the questions and my answers for those so inclined to partake.
Why did you become a movie critic? I like to watch a lot of movies. When people found this out, they would ask for my opinion. After a while it seemed necessary to form a specific opinion since I kept getting asked about the same films over and over, so posting them online as my first web page seemed like a no-brainer.
Do you enjoy being a movie critic? What are the best things about the job? I haven’t lost my love of movies, but being more directly involved as a critic, I’ve learned the difference between the artistic and business sides of movie making. Helping others to find the kind of films they want to spend their money on is great, but getting advanced copies of new and upcoming films is wonderful perk, especially around awards time.
List some of your favorite movies from 2011 (so far). I thought that “The Green Hornet” was surprisingly effective as a buddy film masquerading as a super film, fun and full of action. “The Rite” was also a better film than I would have expected, especially since Sir Anthony Hopkins really isn’t the main character.
The “Taj MaHAUL I” mobile con box has two key failings. First, neither bin is big enough to accommodate the three-foot long banner stands (which must be carried on top or separately.) Second, it is neither secure nor flexible enough to fly with should the need arise. It was clear to me that a new way to think this through was required, a self-contained design long enough for the stands, secure and flexible enough to travel, still portable to move about, and relatively inexpensive to create.
So now I am in the process of finishing the Taj MaHAUL II “portable.” As it turns out, Walmart sells a padded, tear-resistant golf club case travel bag (for around $35) that’s long enough for the banner stands (12 inches by 12 inches by 40 inches.) It also zips completely to secure with a single TSA lock to allow it through airport baggage claims. Besides the stands and banners, the inside is equipped with up to four multi-pocketed carry-on bags with crafting tools (scissors, tape, etc.) and non-electronic display parts. While there is an extension cord in the bag, I keep any electronics (netbook, speakers, iPad) in a laptop bag with me. Oh, and it’s a roller bag, too.
So far, the entire thing has managed to come in under 50 pounds fully loaded, which means if you fly Southwest like I do, that’s a free-flying second checked bag.
Something I didn’t update here was when I completed my original “Taj MaHAUL.” With the ideas started in Part I of this idea, I needed something with storage, easy to break down and travel with, and easy to move in and out of a convention haul. Anyone who has been in marketing or had to travel with a display system knows what I’m talking about. In addition, I also needed an on-board crafting kit: scissors, tape, stapler, pens, paper, first aid kit, whatever.
The result is pictured here: the Taj MaHAUL I. Two medium sized and stackable plastic bins on a modified furniture mover with a removable handle. Inside is a series of smaller bins and bags with everything needed to set up a display. I’ve used it for a couple years now, and it has served me well (the bin is large enough to move a 20-inch LCD computer monitor if required.) The look on other presenters faces as I’ve easily brought this in, set everything up, and easily took everything away has been both amazing and hilarious, but it’s just the way I think.
Kevin A. Ranson 