089: They'll Never Survive
I've just hit the first THEY'LL NEVER SURVIVE moment in the BOOK OF LIES. It's only marginally threatening, but it should wake up all those who've been lulled into slumber by the talking heads of the last few hundred chapters. (Which isn't true. It just feels that way to me since I've been busy enough that it takes me a few days -- or weeks -- to find the time to finish any given chapter.) I'm hung on the cusp of THINGS BLOW UP.
Which, technically, isn't a structural part of the mythology of the Apocalpytic Thriller. But, come on, we're talking about the end of the world here. A little wanton property damage is just a snack in comparsion to the full course meal of the approaching apocalypse. And, if you are like me, you don't mind a snack now and then.
Anyway, in the past I've really looked forward to the THINGS BLOW UP moments because, well, things blow up. I have a blatant disregard for the sanctity of objects and the health of my characters. It's part of the law of maximum capacity. Someone -- and it may have been James Frey in How to Write A Damn Good Novel -- once posited the rule that, regardless of the intelligence or wisdom of your characters, they must operate at THEIR maximum capacity. Anything less and the audience will find them foolish and unbelievable. It's a short hop from that point to THEY'LL NEVER SURVIVE.
I don't know why I've been reticent to start this next bit. It may have something to do with a number of other writing things which have intruded over the last week that have demanded my attention. The chapter may just be waiting until I can devote my full attention to the property destruction before I get to it. Maybe. Regardless, I've left them hanging and need to get back to them soon.
I've got three guys on motorcycles with machine pistols and Markham only has a fork. The odds are more even than they sound.
writing
This is a reasonably comprehensive list of my published work, both virtual and physical.
THE MISFIT LIBRARY
I am Nine of Thirteen, one of the members of the Misfit Library, a writing collective which puts out a quarterly journal of our respective work. We are scattered across the globe and determined to change the face of the planet one story at a time. The link above will take you to Misfit Central where you can acquire copies of the journal as well as read exclusive online material.
SYMBOLIC
I wrote a column for OPi8.com's Transmit blogs: journals of the new dark underground. SYMBOLIC tracked the novel I was working on, referencing the process and the research materials which mad up the backbone of the work. In addition, SYMBOLIC busied itself with ruminations and considerations on the nature of language and communication. And a wee bit of mythology. The first 100 entries of SYMBOLIC can be found here on this site as well as at OPi8.com.
LITERARY REPRESENTATION
I am represented by Scribe Agency as my literary agents. Please contact these gentleman if you have any queries about my work.