Post by Dabeagle on Mar 25, 2017 11:05:13 GMT -5
Things around the house are settling into something of a routine, but they take up a lot of time. For some reason my boys don't seem to think that there is a direct correlation between doing your work and the grade you earn. Or sometimes they do the work and then don't turn it in, but are miffed that they got a zero when they claim they did it. The circular arguments are enough to make one's head spin. Blake has set a personal record for detentions. One child has been grounded for going on three weeks for his grades.
I recently had an unsettling experience and I'm not sure that many of you can relate. An old friend of mine, one who helped me as a young man and continued into the current time was sent to prison. I discussed his crime once before and I won't rehash it now, but I went to visit him at the prison. It's a singularly dehumanizing experience. It was uncomfortable and the employees looked at you with much the same eye as they do the inmates. Rolls of razor wire were stacked one on the other along the fence. Compartmentalized areas where the door would close behind you before the one in front would open, something like an air lock. It was oppressive and I can't imagine living that way.
Although I do my best to avoid lighting rod issues these days, the current political situation is discouraging to me, and that's putting it lightly. I'm still somewhat stunned that Americans elected someone like Trump (even typing that seems surreal). No matter what reasons you may advance for that outcome, I'm stunned with who actually made it to the oval office. The things the party in power is trying to do to curtail citizens freedoms while enriching their corporate/criminal friends is nearly as oppressive.
My mother talked me into seeing a homeopathic doctor who told me I'm emotionally exhausted, mostly from the kids. He provided a 'remedy' and I had to give up coffee. Our kids are tough, no question and it wasn't a great leap for anyone to think I'm wiped out - so consistently so as to have become the norm. Anyway, his remedy is supposed to address my sleeping problems, sinus issues and the exhaustion.
My therapy has been retreating into the digital world of gaming. I picked up my World of Warcraft subscription and have been playing, but I can see a time coming where that may not be the case. I have poked at some of the stories and that brings me to what you may be most interested in - what's in process, what's next and all that.
First a story I'd written off, The List which is set in the Fearless/Weightless universe created by Cynus cannot be adapted so that it leaves those origins out. In speaking with Cynus, I will try to adapt it enough and release it as a serial because it's simply too large to throw away, even though Cynus and I had communication issues about where that universe was headed. In the end, I hope you love Shane and Parker because I did.
With Sanitaria Springs I know of no progress from other writers and so I'll restrict my comments to my own work. The stories are coming slower. There are wrinkles to characters I cannot duplicate, such as Ryan's own relationship with Kale and Chase and so I don't see a new story from their end coming together. I hesitated to take on a Jamie story because Ryan, as he did for all his SS characters, had a special place for Jamie in his heart. In some ways that story, which should release tomorrow the 26th, is a way to sort of tie up his story and send him in the direction Ryan imagined. Does that mean we won't see him again? No, but this will likely be the last story from his point of view.
In some ways I do feel the need to move characters toward some sort of resolution so that if/when the well runs dry the reader doesn't feel as if the story, their stories, are incomplete. Many times I think I write Lucien and Robin just for myself, but I have a story that is set at the end of the summer when they are going to college that is partially written. I have the beginnings of a Nik story, dealing with the aftermath of he and Nate. I have a story to being Elliot out of mothballs and give him a different direction and set him to run into the 'Binghamton' branch of the family - Noel, Chris, Leigh, Corbin, Declan and the rest. Some stories that you may want to see or characters you'd like more of may be difficult, at least for me. In order to set it in the Springs, Micah would be a summer story kind of guy for instance.
Some characters are leaving for college and it may be a while before we see them again, so at worst when you think of them, they grew up and went to school to seek their futures. Griffin and Devyn, Robin and Lucien and of course Alec/Sasha and Kale/Chase. Some characters are right behind them, like Hamster and Derek. Some characters there are some storylines yet to play out, for example with Jake Thayer and the Ellessiers. Trace. There may, at some point, be some sort of advancement of the storyline between Cynus's characters and my own.
But the big take away is that the series may be winding down. If that happens, I want the reader to not feel cheated about where their favorites ended up or wondering what would have become of them.
In any case, Jamie's story should be up tomorrow and I hope you approve of my interpretation of him - and Ryan as well.
I recently had an unsettling experience and I'm not sure that many of you can relate. An old friend of mine, one who helped me as a young man and continued into the current time was sent to prison. I discussed his crime once before and I won't rehash it now, but I went to visit him at the prison. It's a singularly dehumanizing experience. It was uncomfortable and the employees looked at you with much the same eye as they do the inmates. Rolls of razor wire were stacked one on the other along the fence. Compartmentalized areas where the door would close behind you before the one in front would open, something like an air lock. It was oppressive and I can't imagine living that way.
Although I do my best to avoid lighting rod issues these days, the current political situation is discouraging to me, and that's putting it lightly. I'm still somewhat stunned that Americans elected someone like Trump (even typing that seems surreal). No matter what reasons you may advance for that outcome, I'm stunned with who actually made it to the oval office. The things the party in power is trying to do to curtail citizens freedoms while enriching their corporate/criminal friends is nearly as oppressive.
My mother talked me into seeing a homeopathic doctor who told me I'm emotionally exhausted, mostly from the kids. He provided a 'remedy' and I had to give up coffee. Our kids are tough, no question and it wasn't a great leap for anyone to think I'm wiped out - so consistently so as to have become the norm. Anyway, his remedy is supposed to address my sleeping problems, sinus issues and the exhaustion.
My therapy has been retreating into the digital world of gaming. I picked up my World of Warcraft subscription and have been playing, but I can see a time coming where that may not be the case. I have poked at some of the stories and that brings me to what you may be most interested in - what's in process, what's next and all that.
First a story I'd written off, The List which is set in the Fearless/Weightless universe created by Cynus cannot be adapted so that it leaves those origins out. In speaking with Cynus, I will try to adapt it enough and release it as a serial because it's simply too large to throw away, even though Cynus and I had communication issues about where that universe was headed. In the end, I hope you love Shane and Parker because I did.
With Sanitaria Springs I know of no progress from other writers and so I'll restrict my comments to my own work. The stories are coming slower. There are wrinkles to characters I cannot duplicate, such as Ryan's own relationship with Kale and Chase and so I don't see a new story from their end coming together. I hesitated to take on a Jamie story because Ryan, as he did for all his SS characters, had a special place for Jamie in his heart. In some ways that story, which should release tomorrow the 26th, is a way to sort of tie up his story and send him in the direction Ryan imagined. Does that mean we won't see him again? No, but this will likely be the last story from his point of view.
In some ways I do feel the need to move characters toward some sort of resolution so that if/when the well runs dry the reader doesn't feel as if the story, their stories, are incomplete. Many times I think I write Lucien and Robin just for myself, but I have a story that is set at the end of the summer when they are going to college that is partially written. I have the beginnings of a Nik story, dealing with the aftermath of he and Nate. I have a story to being Elliot out of mothballs and give him a different direction and set him to run into the 'Binghamton' branch of the family - Noel, Chris, Leigh, Corbin, Declan and the rest. Some stories that you may want to see or characters you'd like more of may be difficult, at least for me. In order to set it in the Springs, Micah would be a summer story kind of guy for instance.
Some characters are leaving for college and it may be a while before we see them again, so at worst when you think of them, they grew up and went to school to seek their futures. Griffin and Devyn, Robin and Lucien and of course Alec/Sasha and Kale/Chase. Some characters are right behind them, like Hamster and Derek. Some characters there are some storylines yet to play out, for example with Jake Thayer and the Ellessiers. Trace. There may, at some point, be some sort of advancement of the storyline between Cynus's characters and my own.
But the big take away is that the series may be winding down. If that happens, I want the reader to not feel cheated about where their favorites ended up or wondering what would have become of them.
In any case, Jamie's story should be up tomorrow and I hope you approve of my interpretation of him - and Ryan as well.
