Tuesday, February 26, 2013
How would I describe myself as a writer?
I am a distinctively unique, inimitably odd, one-of-a-kind author. My heroes start out with big dreams only to find themselves waylaid with the curse of zero confidence. Somehow, in spite of the latter, they find a way to accomplish great things.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Playful Homage to FUSE by Julianna Baggott.
The Demon enjoyed Pure by Julianna Baggott (nothing like a good dystopian novel on a rainy day to cheer me up!). The second book in the trilogy, Fuse, has just been released and I am looking forward to reading it. It also means it's time for the Demon to do what he always does when he likes a book, offer up a playful homage...
Instead of:
Let's imagine:
Book Description
What's all the fuss about?
Up til now, Pressia has had quite the adventure. She met some really gnarly, yet cool people like El Capitan, Helmud and Bradwell. She even found her long lost brother, Partridge! Then the jealousy kicked in. It was inevitable, actually. Partridge was a Pure, he got ALL the attention.
"What am I," seethed Pressia, "chopped liver?"
"No need to get so snippy," snapped Partridge.
"Well, aren't you the special one in the family? Listen up, Bro: you may be Pure on the outside, but you're nothing but a Putz on the inside!"
"Hey, this is supposed to be a dystopian future," a mirthless smirk distorted Partridge's face, "not a disstopian future."
"Good one!" Helmud grunted approvingly.
"Stay out of this," warned El Capitan.
Okay, enough of this. Quit wasting your time on my blog and get yourself a copy of Fuse.
'nuff said!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Green Pine Trees, Cranes and Turtles
In 1955, twenty-five young Japanese women who had been badly scarred by the atomic blast at Hiroshima were sent to New York City for reconstructive plastic surgery. They became known as the Hiroshima Maidens. Almost all returned to Japan afterwards. However, one remained in the United States, moved to Los Angeles, married and had four children.
In this story, I try to imagine what happened when a young daughter becomes curious about the scars on her mother's face.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Zero Heroes Writing Challenge
This is a follow-up to my Zero Confidence Fairy Tales post. This time I would like to propose an anthology where famous writers write short stories addressing the following challenge:
We all have our heroes, be it real or fictional. But what if you woke up one day and realized you could not recall who your heroes were? You try to summon them but neither name nor image comes to mind.; it is as if the knowledge has been wiped from your brain. You feel as if an essential component of your persona has been stolen and you must, at all costs, get it back. Write the story of your quest to reclaim this lost knowledge. Good luck!
By the way, I wouldn't mind if a publisher contacted me about making this book a reality.
Android Dreams, Cats Purring and E-books!
Hmmm...Philip K. Dick once wrote a story entitled, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Now I wonder if an author who publishes solely e-books dreams of electric cats?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
An Eudora Welty Haiku
I was reading the short story, A Still Moment, by Eudora Welty in which she described an encounter with a snowy heron.
The bird, defenseless.
The intensity of life
clinging to this world.
"He watched without moving. The bird was defenseless in the world except for the intensity of its life."This feels like the stuff of haiku to me, hence:
The bird, defenseless.
The intensity of life
clinging to this world.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Zero Confidence Fairy Tales
I have an idea for an anthology series to which I would like to lay claim: Zero Confidence Fairy Tales. Each collection would feature stories by famous writers imagining ways to overcome the challenge of losing one's confidence.
The first book in the series would offer the following challenge to our intrepid writers:
Imagine a curse has been laid upon you; it drains every last bit of your confidence as a writer. Each time you confront the blank page, the horror of having Zero Confidence overwhelms. Write the story of how you regained your confidence (Note: This is, of course, a bit of a paradox, but what the heck!).
Remember,you are writing a fairy tale. For purposes of this anthology, let's borrow/modify a few ideas from Tolkien's On Fairy-Stories. Your tale should include these elements:
Escapism: By this we mean escape from an accursed condition. Each writer should consider the specific nature of the curse that robbed him of his confidence. What elements of the curse is specific to your condition/circumstances as a writer? Why did this curse befall you?
Recovery: In this case, recovery means a return to, and a greater appreciation, of your normal (i.e., mundane) condition as a writer. What is that you (re)discover upon regaining your confidence?
Eucatastrophe: This was Tolkien's term for the sudden, unexpected turn of events that leads to a happy ending. This may be the most challenging aspect of your story, coming up with a turn of events that absolutely makes sense given the context of your writing career.
I don't know about you, but I'd love to see the likes of Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Haruki Murakami and others take a shot at this. Heck, I wouldn't mind if a publisher contacted me about making this book a reality.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Short Story: Dorothy Gale's Second Chance
A short story about Dorothy Gale of Wizard of Oz fame and her encounter with Frank Baum.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
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