Blog Post #1 - An Auspicious Beginning

I've never had a blog of my own before, never thought I really needed one. Didn't think I had all that much to say.  When I promoted a new ebook under a different pseudonym, a different genre, a different life, I'd guest blog at a dozen or so other sites to extol the virtues of my latest release. I'd write about a salient, real-world topic that tied into the story and hope that my clever snippet of prose would win over new readers and drive sales. Wrong.  Wrong. Wrong. Sure, I sold a couple of extra copies from the blogs, but not much, nothing to write home about.       

What I didn't realize then, but have since had drummed into my writing core, is that I need a voice and a platform and a nice place to interact with, what I hope to be, a growing readership.  The Mad Muncle's Forge is the place where I step outside the fiction and talk about life, the universe, and pretty much anything else. I'm flexible.  What comes up, comes up.  I've got a couple of future topics in mind, but the rest will be whatever hot nugget o' thought-splat I transcribe into a coherent thousand words or less. 

And I want the Forge to be comfortable. I'll ask the Muncles to turn up the air conditioning so the heat doesn't become oppressive and stifle the creative juices.  Come on over and set a spell. Feel free to comment on the posts and let me know what you think.  I'm not a prude, nor am I the language police, but I do ask that you be courteous and not use language that you wouldn't want your mother to hear you say.  My grandmother legalized cursing in my house when I was thirteen years old, so I may drop the occasional s-bomb or damn or Hell or…you get the idea. Keep it reasonable and we'll all have a good time.

After I get this going for a little while, beat the bushes for a couple of interested parties beyond my close friends and family, I'll invite some of my author friends to hawk their wares and tell you what's going on with them.  Until then, it's all about me.  Hehe.

I'd like to introduce you to some special friends of mine.  In my first book, KNIGHT OF FLAME, I introduce readers to a race of elemental beings that live in the stone of the Cradle of the Elements—the Knight's headquarters.  Originally created by the Lord of Earth to maintain and protect the Cradle, the muncles (short for homunculus) have evolved into so much more. There are several different muncle types, but when I thought up the name of this blog, I pictured Jester. A patchwork of different colored stone—tan, brown, gold, and white—Jester stands no more than three feet tall with spindly arms and legs, big stone hands and feet, and a flat, stone-block head.  He's a clever little bugger, communicating his thoughts and emotions through his gemstone eyes and the versatile mouth groove carved across his face. 

KNIGHT OF FLAME is not available for general consumption just yet.  I'm working on that.  While the book itself is ready to go, I'm searching for the right publishing home. I'll keep everyone posted on progress.       

Alright. That's all for now. Have fun.

Blog Post #2 - Split in Two

So…I've been working on the second book in my Knights Elementalis series. It's been going kinda slow. I make progress every day. It's not the kind of machine gun typing I'd like to see, blurping out 3k, 4k, or even 5k words in a clip. Man, that would be SWEET. Lately my pace is more like a sedate 2, 2.5k. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

I've been distracted. Another story idea, one that's percolated behind my eyes for a while, one which I've tried to write out twice already, won't leave me alone. In the middle of a scene with Dev and Magnus, I start thinking about this other idea and how the character should react to his given situation. What the hell? I'm trying to help Dev deal with his fury and this other character steals the spotlight.

It's rude, if you ask me. Take your ticket and wait your turn, buddy. You'll get your chance. But no, that's not good enough.

I've been split in two. During the Superstars Writing Seminar, Kevin J. Anderson said we should have multiple projects going on in different stages of the writing process. If you get stalled on one project, you can slide over and tackle one of the others. Great advice. I'm all over it. I figured I'd focus and write out The Last Clan while I plot the new story. Cool.

I plotted the story. Now what? The Last Clan moves ahead slowly while this upstart project siphons off my creative power. It's like a having a new puppy in the house. As soon as you leave it alone behind the gate in the kitchen to go and do something else, the fuzzy ball of cute whines and yips and growls until you're forced to come back into the room and play with him.

Somehow, someway, I've got a metaphorical new puppy. Not as fuzzy and definitely easier on the newspapers, he demands just as much attention.

And…grrrr, I gave in. This weekend I could resist those sad, doggy eyes and lifted him over the fence. I started writing the story and I hope that, once he hits the page, he'll let me concentrate on The Last Clan.

Don't get me wrong. I'm super excited about this new project. I believe it will be my next gihugic thing after the Knights. It's got the kind of cinnamony depth swirled with chocolaty conflict topped with flawed character sprinkles into which I as a reader love to sink my brain. I just wish it would be a little less insistent and play nice with the other creative children in my head.

But there's a big risk here. What if I get so enamored with the new project that I don't go back and finish the first? To that I say, "Hogwash." I'm not going to leave the Knights hanging in their fight against the Gray Lords. The world is at stake and I, in good conscience, must write it out of jeopardy or let it fall into darkness. Either way, there must be closure.

The shiny new work, while uber cool and exciting, will not derail my Knights Elementalis train. I simply switched KE off the main track for a few days while I test out a new engine.

No worries. I got this.

Have fun,

Scott

Against the Shadow, burns a noble light.

Blog Post #3 - Creativity is a Ninja

You never know when the solutions will come, so be open and be ready.

As a music fan, it's been a week of keen despair.  Queensryche, the prog-metal masters who recently celebrated their 30^th year together, announced that they would continue on without lead singer Geoff Tate. Holy crap. Much like people who were alive during the Kennedy assassination and the attack on the towers of the World Trade Center, I'll never forget where I was when I heard the news.  My son and I were driving back from the bowling alley when a DJ blurted a cryptic comment about the band having a new singer. No, I must have heard wrong. Geoff Tate is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time, surely his band mates wouldn't kick him out.  

I drove home in a numb haze of denial, assuring myself that this disaster couldn't possibly be true. Queensryche's music has always been there for me, helping me through the myriad highs and lows that life has thrown at me. In essence, they've provided the soundtrack to my life.

Alas, I Googled and found the truth. The band will never be the same. For good or ill, all members are moving forward into an unknown future and I wish them all well. 

As a writer, though, it's been an amazing week. I've been trying to figure things out, flesh out the details for the overall story arc of my Knights Elementalis series. I wrote the first book on a basic premise, but now I need more…more details, more design, just more. I've come up with a lot of groovy ideas, but none that spiked my thermometer into the red until…

After the Queensryche bombshell, I sat on the couch. Numb, not ready to accept the truth, I stared mindlessly at the TV. The kids from one of those inane Nickelodeon shows pranced around on the screen. With a tween daughter I learned to tune those shows out a long time ago, but in the chirpy, happy background noise that it provided…

Blammo. I got it. I know what happens. The final scene of book four came to me as clear as if I were watching the movie adaptation.  One by one, the info for the blanks I needed to fill came to me. Revelation.

Creativity is a ninja, sneaks up and attacks at improbable moments. I've been attacked in the shower, on the throne, driving, shooting hoops with the kids.  And now, while looking the other way at the Queensryche deal, I took a shuriken to the temple, which unlocked the secrets I've been looking for.

Rock on, Ninja, rock on.

Have fun,

Scott
Against the Shadow, burns a noble light.