Updates

Apologies for no posting, but no harm, no foul when there's no one reading this.

I'm not sure what's to blame. My non-social life has been pretty limited to family and work, and the sad thing is I probably prefer it this way.

I'll post a separate entry with an update on the newest story. I keep trying to find an audience for these things, but to no avail.

I recently reread "The Room Without A Door" (Kate Orman) and "Lungbarrow" (Marc Platt), old high school companions among dozens of other Dr. Who novels, but they're still my favorites.

Speaking of Doctor Who, season six has come and gone, and I'm none too impressed. But what else is new?

Come back later for real content, folks.

The New Look

What do you think?

After six years of the "blue-bubble" look, I decided a change was in order. I went with something a little more simple for the plain reason that I thought it would be easier to read. I've rearranged the sub-menus, but besides that, it's business as usual.

While I have your attention, an overdue update. I've had a bit of a teaser tab for the next story for some time. I've written about a fourth of it so far and was planning to have a written preview on here much sooner. The reason I've been so lax is that I've been preparing another novel for Lulu's consumption. It's an older story (or a quarter of it, at least) but it's taken longer than I expected to format it.

Another thing I've left unattended is a banner for the "Buy the Books" link. Something I hope to change in the accompanying weeks. With a grand total of two people having purchased my first novel, I continue onwards with "high" expectations.

Big Announcement?

Probably, hopefully. Tune in on Sunday to see what is (hopefully) a new weekly installment of my blog. That is, if I keep my act together. (So, probably not then.)

The Return of The Can't-Get-Rid-Of

Yes, the last time this blog was updated was in 2007. Which isn't too bad, but still a long time of neglect. Mostly to blame is my job, my life, finishing my first novel, etc. I would feel bad or even guilty but I have the feeling no one reads this in the first place.

But I'm back. For now. Today. I solemnly swear to try and write something, anything at least once a week. Seriously. Scout's Honor.

It's Been Awhile

Yes, it's been awhile since I wrote a character profile. September, actually. I could have sworn that I wrote the Adler profile in October, but the blog doesn't lie, does it?

So, to make up for it, this character profile is a peek into the past of Zoey Walker, one of the main characters in my work-in-progress novel. This is, of course, just part one, and I hope to write more this month.

As for my novel, I just recently finished Chapter Nine, and my good friend is right now looking over it and Chapter Eight. I was hoping to reach the halfway point by 2005. (Let's say, around Chapter Twelve.) But that's not going to happen. I am really hopeful that I might get another chapter done by January.

Novel Update

I've just finished some more of my novel last week: an interlude, chapter six, and chapter seven. (Though 7 might be added into chapter six) Now, I'm looking over these new additions with some friends to get some feedback and corrections.

I also submitted one of my short stories, the first of the Adler series, to "Fresh Boiled Peanuts" a relatively new magazine that might increase my chances of getting published. One of my friends, who patiently re-reads all of my Sara stuff, also sent in one of his poems. So, the best of luck to both of us.

My Novel

What kind of writer would I be if I had no novel-in-progress? Future posts should be examining its development, as well as character profiles from it and other short stories. So far I have finished roughly a quarter of the novel, about 60 pages. It follows the (mis)adventures of Sara the extraterrestrial and Zoey Walker, the girl who can talk to machines.

One of the main themes I wanted to focus on was the existence of the ordinary and the extraordinary in not only the universe(s) but in Sara and Zoey as well. Sara, for being a being of immense power and conviction, is also one of the most vulnerable and emotional charcters in the book, while Zoey is just a regular teenager, she also is blessed/cursed with this ability she got after an experiment on Mars.

But do not be misled. This novel is also a very straight foward good vs evil, with James Bond villains: self-absorbed never-do-wells lusting over the mysterious urn that supposedly contains a creature that feeds off of pain and hate, and it just so happens that Sara's the only one who knows where it is. I hope to combine personal philosophy with cheap suspense to create a beautiful piece of writing.

Ugh, that sounded too pretenious, too "clever-clever." But if I'm satisfied with the final work, if there ever be a final work, then that'll be good enough. Though getting it published would be nice, too.

Welcome Everyone!

This is truly a Brave New World as yet another blog has entered the scene! Here at Criticism and Creativity, you'll be enjoying my wit and intellect as I discuss the philosophy of the social world: books, comic books, music, and movies of all sorts and genres. And since I'm a writer, I'll also be talking about the creative process, the hows and whys of writing. There'll be postings on things like character profiles and story updates from projects I'm working on. Is it finished yet? Did it get published? All of these urgent questions will be answered and more. All you have to do is tune in.