Scenes from my real life

[jack_babalon]

- Went over the new beginning of the novel with the 'editor' and a close friend yesterday. Verdict: The Fail - A twelve page march of flowery exposition that distracts rather than enhances the proceeding novel. I kind felt a similar complaint myself to be fair - it's not that its bad - it just doesn't fit. Spent the morning and most of the afternoon rewriting (i.e. deleting) the bulk of it. Think I got it down now, a little polishing work left and then back to the grind. As I was warned the second draft is proving to be quite the bitch, where as the first flowed from the flood of my fingers (note - there is not this much alliteration in the novel, I promise!)

- While eating at a local canteena down at Little Five Points earlier, I saw this stocky valkyrie of a skin chick sitting over at the bar drinking lime-green daiquiris(?). What made me take notice of her was the fact that along with shaved head and black chelsea bangs she was wearing this bona-fide Charle Brown shirt (yellow with the black jagged line wrapped around it). It was like I stumbled upon a Parallel universe version of the beloved Charles Schultz character. My guess is she was waiting on the Ladytron show that's playing at the Variety Playhouse tonight. I kept glancing surreptitiously up from my Murakami novel in the hopes that she would have a friend or two... maybe a gutter punk clutching at a raggedy ass blue blanket or something.

- Rode the bike down to the Masquerade. Saw that Murphy's Law was playing on Marquee, while listed in Hell was 80's "bootylicious' Night. I suddenly remembered sneaking into a show down at the Cameo somewhere around the time they were touring for their 'Back with a Bong' album. Watching the squinting roadies haul the band equipment... I remembered being chased by security around the club after I got cocky and tried to hit the bar. They never caught me but I spent most of the show hiding out in the toilet. Ah, to be an angry young man again...

- Some asshole's been feeding the bugs around here steroid cocktails! Here I am struggling at the keyboard trying to fix the novel, I take a break to fix up some Kava tea when I spot the Kaijū equivalent of a cockroach crawling across the refrigerator door. This naturally freaks me the fuck out and I spend the next fifteen minutes chasing this horrible fucking creature around the apartment with a can of Raid. Currently my apartment stinks of Chemical Warfare and lingering phobias.

- Vee is taking the night off from me to spend some time with the family. Took the opportunity to rent what undoubtedly will be a shitty movie - "Jumper" (teleporting teenagers run afoul of Samuel Jackson... seriously, how can that suck?) - I know, I know but right now I'd like to give my brain a two hour break. Also rented "Bomb It" a documentary about international street artists that promises to be a little more interesting.

- I've been selected as one of the RPG test pilots for the 4th edition AD&D that just came out. I'll be playing in a campaign this Sunday with Teddy Bear and some of my old Mutants & Masterminds buddies. If anyone finds it of interest, take note that my character is a 1st level dragonborn paladin (I've named him "Battle Librarian Grom" ) and it is my hope to 'kick ass for the Lord'. I didn't get a good look at the rules outside the Player's Handbook, so far it looks like the new combat system will flow like one of those MMORPG's the kids are all into. I guess this is ironic since these games took much of their design from the RPG's... ah the sweet irony of our Ouroboros culture... Pop will still eat itself apparently. Still I'm pretty stoked. It'll be nice to get back to my roots so to speak and hey, no matter how much its changed it's still dice, friends and a story, so how much different could it be?

- Well that's me. Later, LJ.

Comments

[fireriven.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, I find it more fun to poke at and rearrange the second draft. The first draft is more of a binge and purge experience: a sudden flood of creativity and then periods where I'm drumming at the keys, dragging out what I can word by slow word. (This is true if we're talking about fiction. It's completely different with poetry.)

Here's what my friend seanan_mcguire says about her editing tools:

Editing viciously and with little concern for life or limb, machete. Editing carefully, with surgical care and precision, scalpel. Editing in a way that leaves women weeping, strong men sick to their stomachs, and entire chapters broken and bleeding on the road to editorial perfection, chainsaw. I don't get to use the chainsaw very often. It is not an instrument for small adjustments. The chainsaw does not forgive authorial weakness. The chainsaw does not care. I love the chainsaw.

Muahahahah.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

I usually abandon a work once I've written it down the first time... I occasionally go back to tinker with the grammar and spelling, but for the most part unless it's a serialized piece, I rarely go back for seconds.

Hmmm, your friends got an eloquent, but more importantly, interesting point. I prefer the scalpel though... failing that to at least be a marksman who plugs the holes in the plot with intricately fired bullets.

Thanks for the food for thought and the insight.

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

i've never written anything for public consumption... mostly i write to impress myself, so i tend to edit as i write and then leave it be.

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

glad to know that you're getting some constructive eyes on your novel.
and i had a wasp building a nest on the hardware for my screen door... had... past tense.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

It's getting done. At times I just want to get it over with so I can move on to other ideas (or a job). At other times I am the proud parent of a special-ed child and find myself slightly over-protective of its progress in the world.

[quickly-9.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of bummed about this 4E business. I am cheap and don't want to buy new books, but my group seems to be leaning towards switching over.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Spending a 150$ for three books isn't being 'cheap' in this economy it's a fairly practical concern to be honest. So far though the game does seem to be a real re-working of the RPG formula. Also I've noticed that the new rules means a 1st level character is now a lot tougher than a peasant with a penchant for magic missile or swinging a sword about, which hopefully will translate as a more enjoyable gaming experience for the rest of us.

[quickly-9.livejournal.com]

I've also heard that wizard's suck in 4e. Also, magic missles can miss-wtf?

I am interested in trying it out though, but I am happy with 3.5. So why spend money for a change I don't need?

I think I've successfully nerderized this post.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Actually they've just kinda leveled the Magic User so that they don't start off as uber-useless characters waiting desperately to reach 5th or 8th level when they can actually do something.

[ltmurnau.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute, they're selling the 4th edition and you're one of the playtesters? Shouldn't they have done the playtesting before publication and sale? That's how it's done in the Wargame Universe. Though it has happened in the past, even there, that people are effectively paying to test out someone's game design.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

I should elaborate by 'test pilot' I meant strictly on a local, within my circle of friends some of whom have played the 3.5 and some (like me) who haven't played since the late 80's (I prefer superhero RPGs for the most part). Sorry I should've been more specific.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

We have megainsects here too, but we blame it on our all-organic, pesticide-free lawn! Ants the size of nickels. Spiders of all varieties. Ticks that sit on the tick collar. House centipedes that'll eat your cat.

But last night was the kicker; I had a mosquito FLY INTO the sodabox I was putting in the recycling, and try to lift it away from me! Fucker must have been 2 inches across...

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Jesus man, have you considered giving the all-organic, pesticide-free lawn some second thoughts? Sorry but the moment you have centipedes crawling about that look like something that dropped out of a William Burroughs novel... then it's time for some serious chemical warfare.

It's them or us, man!:)

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, deer at 2AM, usually twice a week. That makes me happy.

Oh, and I forgot one we've discovered during fence-building: lawn grubs big enough to shish-kebab.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess that'll keep me out of Kansas City for the for see-able future... not unless they allow me to carry a fire-arm on my hip to ward of the Wild Kingdom of Giant Insect Monsters that seem to plague your neighborhood.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

JESUS MURPHY AND LUCIFER JONES. Why did you not tell me that there were primordial lawn-grubs in our yard? This is not acceptable. I mean, I'm all for our dirty hippy lifestyle and everything, but that's just a little too much nature for me. I'm staying in the house, with the centipedes.