Mid-book Update

I usually say something about the books I finish, and I know I haven't in a while. That's because The Scar is weird. It's really, really weird. So weird, I took the advice of a friend and decided to put reading that particular book on pause.

In the meantime, I started reading Perfect Dark: Initial Vector by (you guessed it) Greg Rucka. You're not reading Greg Rucka? What's wrong with you? Listen to my correct opinion and find his books now!

Actually, I found out something today concerning the Perfect Dark book. Shane, a friend who was the first person I know to utter the name "Atticus Kodiak," not only has not read the book I'm reading now, he didn't even know it was out there. I was shocked and quickly brought him up to speed. I'm sure he'll have read it by the next time I talk to him. I just found that odd since he's been waiting for a new Atticus Kodiak book for two years. Dan, I know you've been waiting 6 months. Jonathan, I know you... liked A Fistful of Rain. Of course, I still have 3 more Atticus books to read before I'm caught up.

Shane's been waiting for two years. Remind me, someone, when I'm writing novels, not to let the fans wait for two years if they really don't have to. OK, back to reading for me.

Why I Hate Infinite Crisis, Part 2

I told you there'd be a part 2! Dammit, why couldn't I be wrong?

I now know the easiest answer to 90% of everything I hate about Infinte Crisis: Pocket Dimension.

What's that mean? I previously referred to "Pocket Dimension" as "Earth-2." I'm looking at you, Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime, you fucking sons of bitches. I'm also looking at you, Geoff Johns, for not thinking of something better.

I'm not going to rant too much on this, partially for spoilers sake. Still, I do want to point out that the payoff to any good mystery should feel satisfying, yet be reasonable using the clues already provided. Identity Crisis was a mystery where I figured out who the killer was using the clues provided, but the real payoff was that I was totally wrong about the reason why. ("Who benefits?")

Other than the standard for Infinte Crisis Pocket Dimension bullshit, I'm becoming more and more pleased with the story. I hope for more good and less Pocket Dimension bullshit. Like that'll happen.

Hank Henshaw should have been the mastermind.

OK, one last point, now that I remember it. Right now, about half of the people reading DC comics started reading those books heavily at some point within the last 2 years. That means these are people who don't care about what happened in 1985. The farthest back 75% of current DC readers go back to is the death of Superman (last time he inspired anybody, if you didn't know). From that, I'd gues that around half of all current DC readers, most likely, don't give a flying fuck what happened in Crisis on Infinite Earths. That's the big storyline that got rid of all the bullshit anyway, so why does anything involved with that matter?

In a major scale, it shouldn't matter. I like Geoff Johns' writing. He's a hell of a nice guy, too (I've met him twice.) But this is a guy whose only fault as a writer is overattachment to old-style stuff. He thinks "Kid Flash" is a better superhero name than "Impulse." Sometimes it's better to let the old, forgotten stuff stay forgotten.

Anyway, I've got an issue of Green Lantern to finish reading. And, yes, Geoff Johns wrote that too.

Writing Assessment

The way things have been going, I thought I would take a look at where things are with my various writing endeavors, as well as what those endeavors are.

Ashes of War--(novel) One of my more interesting projects. It'll take a lot of skill to make this work, but I'm sure I can do it. It'll just take some time to get it all done.

"Blood Draw"--(short story; part of Blood Tithe) Truly a short story, not even running ten pages, I just got my second rejection notice after submitting it. I'll be resubmitting it again shortly, as soon as I figure out where to send it.

"The Consequence of Victory"--(short story; part of Blood Tithe) While "Blood Draw" deals with the dhampir Andra Raven, this story deals with the very human vampire hunter (tentatively) named Anthony Stewart and what happens to a vampire hunter after a successful hunt. It takes place years before "Blood Draw," and shows some human reaction to vampires becoming a real part of the world and society. I need to finish writing it.

"Sacrificial Lambs"--(short story; Commander) Again, something I need to finish writing. This is probably going to end up being a little philosophical, seeing how one of the characters thinks he's god/a god. Also, there's a slight possibility that one of the characters will be advocating the worship of her god to Commander, who is of the opinion that he's dealing with a couple of crazy people. Finally, I don't want to end up with a character dynamic that's similar to "The Golden Hollow."

"The Golden Hollow"--(short story; Commander) I'll admit, there's a selfish part of me that wants this to be the first thing I get published, now that I've put so much effort in it. However, I've managed to find a few ways to solidify the fact that this is actually Kadon's story, Commander is just a participant. There are a lot of strong elements in the story and I should take any opportunity I get to flesh those out.

The Paragraph That Plagues Me

I've got a paragraph in "The Golden Hollow" that's been driving me nuts. I flow over every part of the story with same satisfaction except for one paragraph early in the story. I need to get some thoughts on it, which is why I'm calling on all of you to reply and tell me what you think of the paragraph.

Since I need feedback, I should remind you all of the basic rules of feedback. First, saying, "I liked it," or "I think it's dumb," doesn't count for much. I need to know WHY you think what you think. The more you can tell me, the better. Second, tell me what you really think. If you think it sucks, don't tell me it's good. Third, just think about what's on the page. Don't let anything I've told you about what I want to do with my writing to influence you.

For those of you who have read "The Golden Hollow" before, you can tell me what you think of the paragraph in terms with the rest of the story. Anyone who wants the story in full, ask and receive.

From here on is the opening of the story, ending with the emboldened paragraph of note:

"Is there something I can help you with?" the tall man asked with an edge to his voice. He had turned away from his sub-tropical view as a man in a casual suit sat down across from him.
"A few questions is all," the man in the casual suit said, extending a hand. "Kadon Miller." The tall man took the hand and Kadon's eyes jolted open.
"What is it?" the tall man asked.
"I thought you were a myth. An urban legend that plagues the dreams of criminals." Between short breaths, Kadon said, "You're the Commander." Kadon put his hands on the table to keep his balance. "I didn't expect this."

Thoughts?

Sabotage

I've got plenty of plans or ideas these days that have been wrecked, perhaps purposefully. No matter what I do I can't get anything done with my thesis, I can't get any more classes added to my schedule (not for lack of trying any more), I can't get much done with the work I have to do for the class I'm in this semester, and I can't get much writing done (some, but not much).

Part of this is due to the political machinations of the Biology Department. My opinion of politics hasn't changed any since I ranted about it previously. It sucks and the quicker I'm not part of it, the better.

Found the common thread of reasoning in all that? I have. I know exactly who is sabotaging me. One person above all others is doing everythign in their power to stop me from getting anything done. And I'll tell you who this person is. Look at the very top of this page. The very first name you see is the name of the person who is sabotaging me.

No one, not even me, really believed me all the times when I said I hated myself. My desire to write takes away from my time in working on my thesis. My thesis takes away from working on the class I teach. The class I teach takes away from the class I take. The class I take takes away from my writing. It's a vicious cycle and there are a lot more tangents, but I think you get the point.

In all that, there's a student, a teacher, a scientist, and a writer. Which will succeed? Which will fail? I hate this shit. I want it to end.