I want to apologize for my being tardy on my posts no excuse I just procrastinated. I am writing again using Nanowrimo.com Which stands for national novel writing month. You write 60,000 words  in one month. Well if I had written nineteen hundred words last night I would be up on my count but I didn't so I am looking at about three thousand the next two days. I an also starting to draw character concepts and fleshing out my world as well.

My antagonists to this are called Televison and Movies. They eat up so much of my time I need for writing. I have actually been fighting depression these last few months which let up when I started writing, so what does that tell you?

If you have a passion to write I really suggest checking out Nanowrimo.com, its a good tool and please use common sense if you finish a novel there. You need to edit. I repeat you need to edit your work. If hiring an editor is too expensive join a writing group on line that can help you out and give you feed back. Read how to write novels books. I heard Stephen Kings is really good.

I suggest not hanging on the word of any writer in these websites but look for the common things groups of writers are telling you. Every writer has his own opinion but some of us are more mature than others. If you have one person telling you your protagonist is weak it may just be his opinion but if you have a group of writers telling you your protagonist is weak and you have a lot of passive sentences you may want to go back and look at your work.

Most importantly if you have edited your work, rewritten it and had several people look over your work  with a fine tooth comb a few times it may be time to submit your work. I can't say there is any catch all on this Dune was submitted and rejected like twelve times. Harry Potter(whether you like this authors work or not.) was submitted twenty-nine times before it was published.

Publishing is the hardest part about writing. There are plenty of books out on this and blog sites. I will post two of them I really like if anyone is interested. The most important thing I can say with confidence is DON"T tell anyone the work you published came from Nanowrimo.com I can promise you nine out of ten or ten out of ten editors will throw away your work or send it back right there.

Here's why, so many young writers and aspiring authors get really excited and whether they don't read Nanowrimo.com Pep talks about editing their works before sending them in or whether they just ignore it editors have received some really atrocious and I'm guessing unedited work. I'd like to take this time to inform you or remind you that the writing business is professional and they expect your work to be professional also.

One of the biggest surprises I discovered in writing is that it really is a lot of work. So if you want to write guess what? You have to put in the work. I have to say I haven't published anything as of yet, but I am working towards that end so lets you and I get busy and  as Winston Churchill said,"All I have to offer

I am Number Four Series

I got into the I am Number Four series, through the movie. Sorry but I didn't hear about it or the book The City of Ember though I will talk about that series later. The first book of I am Number Four is really good. It is the story of an alien race called Lorien. Their world was destroyed by this other race called Mogodorians. The Mogodorians want to destroy the last nine Lorien who are the only ones that can stop the Mogs. The catch is the Lorien have to be killed in order. So you have number one though nine and guess what the first three were killed leaving for ta,ta, ta, ta, to be the next victim. All kidding aside I really recommend this series its simply a fun read.
To be honest though I thought about half of the second book was boring. In the Power of Six we meet Seven who is held up in a Catholic Monestrary in Spain with her guardian who doesn'w want to remember Lorien she would rather be a servant in the monestary. For a quick paced action book  I found the parts with Seven very boring hand hard to slog through. You might not think so but I am Number Four was so good I slogged though it.
I almost didn't buy the third book, however, I am glad I did. This book was so well written I finished it in about three weeks and that's due to me putting it down for about four days because I was hardly coming up for air the Rise of Nine has, you guessed it number Nine in it. Its fast paced and didn't let down or disappoint. The only thing I wish Pitticus Lore had done differently is I would have liked a cliff hanger that kept me wanting more at the end of the book. I mean(granted it's a movie) but Empire Strikes Back ended giving me a deep sense of anxiety about what was going to happen to Han Solo. Luke Skywalker barely made it out of Darth Vader's clutches, arrgh, what's going to happen next?
I would have loved a cliff hanger like that but you can't always get what you want. Sing it! " But if you try sometimes, you get what you need! Oh, yeah!" Sing it Mick!  Anyway that's all for now.

Suffering as a part of the Christian Life.

It takes some of us longer than others to discover the unfairness of life. Perhaps we have been working hard for a promotion only to be passed up. Maybe we had a parent who was taken from us at an early age and our relatives unsure of how to handle the situation were of no help or made a tough situation worse. Or perhaps your parents were destructive people as mine were.
I was reading Phillipians chaper two the other day and it was talking about how if we are Christ's we will suffer with him like he suffered. I don't know about you but sometimes that's not exactly what we want to hear. I have been living with an angry destructive man who likes to threaten people around the house. He was suppose to be there just for a few weeks to work around the house, he isn't even paying rent.
Work as I have been griping about has been really hard also. Very challenging. Some stupid mistakes on my part got me called into the office by my store manager but I know God will get me through my stupidity as well as just dealing with how tough it can be at times fixing other people's mistakes and looking out for the well being of my employees.
To me to be a manager means to serve others at a greater compassety. To be a store manager means to build up your assistant who will help build up your management team. Look after the employees and keeping your store on course. Which is more than I want to do. It means letting go of selfiishness and putting others before me.
What I was missing with the verses before it was talking about suffering, it was talking about being in fellowship with the Holy Spirit something I have only begun to do and also recieving God's ministering love. Oops! I have been missing out on that and that is something I need if I am going to endure hardship. God doesn't say he's going to change the world and make it fair he said he will use unfairness in the lives of Christians to change them so we react differently in Curcumstances.
I know you may not be Christian, but I hope this gives you some perspective on what it's like to be Christian. I have suffered without Christ, being angry for abuse I was going through, I have dispaired to the point of death and wanted a bus to hit me or God to kill me. I was too young to understand suicide. God was there and kept me alive but I had no hope I hoped against hope because I suffered without God. I don't have all the answers on suffering I just know that what God tears down(he allows suffereing he isn't responsible for it. We will suffer either way. Life isn't fair but I now have someone who will turn my suffering around and build me up. Like Joseph in Genesis who suffered unjustly and God used him to lead a nation. ) he will rebuild.

Uglies series

This week I am going to recommend the Uglies series, now I need to say first off that this is a teens series so if you are not into that then feel free to stop here. This series is a future light distopian society. In this world children at the age of eight or so are taken away from their parents and put into dorms and are labeled Uglies.
At the age of sixteen they are cosmetically enhanced into Pretties who live on the Pretty Island and attend Pretty parties, and eat drink and be merry. Tally Youngblood wants to be pretty more than anything. Her friend becomes a Pretty sooner than her and she has to admit he has changed it's like he doesn't want to be with her anymore.
A friend of her's tells her she doesn't want to be pretty and takes off. Then a group who call themselves Specials abduct Tally and tell her if she ever wants to be a Pretty she will find her friend or remain Ugly forever. I have to admit I really had a hard time with the first book Uglies. The Tally is an unsaisticated airhead and she is selfish.
(Slight Spoiler Alert) Yet she changed at the end of hte book in the end she chooses to do the right thing after so many people who trusted her were betrayed and she chooses to infiltrate the Pretty society.

Pretties is my favorite book so far. In this book Tally is inflitrating the Pretties as a Pretty herself. She is going to parties, she is also trying to remember what her infiltrator group told her. They believed that the Specials not only made Pretties, beautiful but they did something to thier brains which is why they were so shallow.
The Third book is Specials, Tally ends up becoming one because she impressed the Specials.I have to admit by the third book I was really routing for Tally. Which is why I hated much of the ending. I wont tell you anymore but how you think it ends may not be how it ends. Right now I am on the third book called Extras. After the first three I was hesitant on reading anymore. It was slow going at first. Its a new Character called Aya.
In this new society Tally helped to bring about everything is about noteriety and reputation. Aya is an Extra and she wants to be somebody. I  thought it was going to be boring but when they got to the mountains and found some almost humans there it got really interesting. I highly recommend it its gotten really good.

I really enjoy Scott Westerfields world building I really got into it after a while.

Sorry I missed some posts. I have gotten really busy but I need to keep up. I am going to post how things are doing. They are going really well I made it past inventory and we are entering the busy season at work and I am really having a hard time with the girl who I work with who is from New Jersey. She's like I am going to do this, I am going to do that.
Yesterday she quipped that she was going to leave early. I think it needs to be said that she is a really good worker but she whines constantly and calls in sick a lot. When she is there she works but I just want to tell her to find another job. It really drags on my spirit to have a really negative person there like that.
Pushing away the daily whine, if I put it into perspective I could always put someone like that into one of my stories. Heh,heh.
I think most of my really good work has come out of extreme pain and suffering I have endured, however, as I am trying to write for kids I have to lighten it up. I can't do stories for really young kids that are like my poem Weeping Rain. The summation being that a heroes former sidekick gets turned into a lycanthrope and he has to kill him. You know guys I have to admit I really have a hard time talking about my life. I feel like I have to embelish it or I have to make it interesting. The truth is I really have a hard time believing I deserve it. I am getting better though. I have a lot more self worth than I did. I didn't become subserviant to the active alcoholic that has been living with us for two and a-half months or so making our lives living hell.

It was like visiting my childhood. Everyone gets angery but with an alcoholic you can't reason with them. Their ears don't work you do what they say or else. This guy liked to threaten us with violence. One of the guys called the cops. I wish it had been me. He recently appoligized not to me but someone else. That housemate then acted like everything was better. Until this guy gets help, I really don't put much stock in a simple I'm sorry. I've seen it too many times before. Where I struggle is drawing the line between unforgiveness and tough love.

This is where I lean on God I suppose. God let me go through this hard time so he could grow me I know that. Afterwards he moves us on. Well I am putting another post up after this on a writer I recommend reading so if you are here for that continue on to the next post. Thanks for reading ,  -Brian

The Fall of Gondolin

The Fall of Gondolin

Based on the Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien; First Age of Middle Earth.

I.                    Elendil remembers.

Oh shadow of Tirion,

Thy seven singing fountains,

Their unfathomable deeps,

Around which I danced,

Upon widening glance

Turgon’s glistening tower high above.

Gondolin, oh Gondolin city on a hill,

Thy high white walls,

Thy wide white stairs spilling like waterfalls

Below to Silvery gates.

II.                  The Coming Night.

Night gathered its stars burning bright,

So also burned the silver and golden light

Upon the courts of Turgon.

Pulling out lyres sang we of Tirion and the west,

And of the frozen tears in Hexacarte.

I lost myself in the mantle of Idril which burned bright

In the golden light of Gilingal.

Maeglin watched from the shadows.

The Princess and the Dragon

Hey everybody, I was going to put up a peice I did on the fall of Gondolin from the first age of Middle-Earth, however it turns out I don't have it saved anywhere but my computer which I didn't bring with me. I don't have it saved in the Cloud yet. I wanted to give you a snipped I wrote based on a awesome dream I had. Its traditional fantasy, which I said I would never write, then again I said I would never live in California either so there you have it. Anyway without any further adeu I give you the Princess and the Dragon.


That night in November brought winds in from the Western Ocean, islands of clouds floated silently across an otherwise clear night. The sky was bejeweled with stars and the moon showed its brightest that night.  Jarred stood on the dock with many subjects all dressed in their finest. Many boats filled the harbor and from the docks to the shore were filled with all kinds of small boats all filled with lanterns to commemorate the Independence of the Kingdom of Brightwood.
The Castle was brightly lit, its banners hung in the breeze. Jarred spoke softly with friends. The sounds of brown pelicans started him for a moment. The King and Queen celebrated celebrated with their courtiers inside the castle. Something Jarred would normally have been a part of had he not been given time off for recouperation from a greivous wound he had suffered a mere a month ago. He had perfered the water on his time off of guarding the princess. Fishing seemed a simpler life than his time at court.

Chastity, one of Jarred's friends, commented on the Princesses' forthcoming birthday Celebration, when a horrible cry came from the sky unlike any sea bird Jarred had heard in Harborough Bay before. It was then a large red head and snake-like neck came out of one of the larger clouds over head. Jarred snapped to attention," Jarred wait,"Kalil, one of Jarred's other friends said." It looks like it's going to move on."
Sure enough it rather high up and it's eyes weren't on Castle Brightwood.

However, slowly, as he watched it, the dragon began to descend, but it's eyes were distant looking far off beyond Brightwood Castle.

My Plans for This Year

I am applying for Tel-Aviv University this year. Still trusting and continuing to trust God and learning in new ways to trust. I am really struggling at work under the pressure. My boss had a coniption fit the other day I wanted to say something mean to him or something still it wasn't that bad. I don't handle stress well and when I am in the middle of something and I have a demading coworker I tend to snap at them.

Not sure what the right action here is. I make appologies where I need to. Not to continually whine on this subject I really don't like to share the uglier side of myself with people. Who does? Anyway, I am trusting God on going to Mt. Hermon Writers Conference this up coming year as well as Comi-Con.

I've been reading a lot of library books but it has recently occured to me I need to be reading my giant book collection at home. I had a really good hike up Mt. Burdell the other day. I got to see all the surrounding area around Novato. You know what ever your view of San Francisco Bay might be the people of Marin County preserved a lot of Open Space so Novato itself is surrounded by Forested hills and off in the distance you can see the salt marshes.

In the fall and I think in the spring you can see Western blue birds on Mt. Burdell. Awesome. I don't know if you take as much inspiration from nature as I do but I know J.R.R. Tolkein did and what a rich picture he gave us huh?
I suppose I've rambled enough,

Signing off see you later,

Brian.

Current Works in Progress.

I am sorry for my missing my writing work post this last week AGAIN! I have been working a lot lately. Let me do a sum up of what I am working on. I am writing my testimony if how I went from a Satanist to a Christian which is taking a lot out of me. I have some ideas for some more Lord of the Rings poetry. I have written some work on my comic book story as well as an alternate tale of Mortimer Crane an accountant who aspires to be a superhero. Which I hope you will find interesting.
That's about all that's going on in the writing world other than I am starting to draw character concepts of my protagonists as well as birds and beasts of my world which go anywhere from sparrows to strange human like mutations. Its been a fun place to create and design. If there is any advice I can give anyone its write. Even if your world concept isn't strong for heaven sakes write already!!
You can build detail and flesh things out as you go. If you think you can turn in a first draft to an agent please don't expect to hear anything back from them. I have been working on my current concept for over ten years and it has changed and grown in a lot of pleasant ways to what it is today. You don't have to take as long as I did just don't expect to have all of your ducks in a row before you write.
Push yourself. As one artist said in a how to draw superheroes book lately it's not inspiration that pays off it's purspiration so get to work and share it on my site if you want. Now you don't have to give all of your trade secrets away but it helps just to share with other writers. I share with my family and nonwriter friends and I get blank stares. Or I get an experience like Daffy Duck when he tries to upstage Bugs Bunny. Silence and Crickets. "Ha,ha everyone laugh at the duck!"

Cheers see you next time!!

Shakespeare a Masterful Writer

OK, here it is Wednesday. I have been trying to think about what author I can recommend. I'm afraid I am going to have to cheat today and use Shakespeare. I recently saw King John, it's not one of the more well known plays out there. The premise without giving everything away is King John and a rightful heir of France are vying for the throne of England.
First of all the actors were incredible which you won't get if you read the play, but what I love about the writing of this play is how William can take a tragedy and nearly make it a comedy by have disaster nearly averted but alas salvation passes like two ships in a storm or fog that don't see each other. That is what I love about Shakespeare the way he executes his plays.As in King John when disaster is nearly averted it was really inspiring to my writing.
You really come to love his characters only to see them die(in his tragedies anyway.) His revenge plays were masterfully written too if you think about it. Hamlet, a revenge play about a possibly mad hero who can't decide whether to take revenge. The consiquences of his indeciciveness costs the lives of those closest to him.
Othello, a revenge play based on the point of view of an antagonist. The Tempest, A revenge play where the wronged party decides to forgive those who wronged him.

So, if you're trying to come up with something new and can't think of anything consider taking an old idea and turning it on its head Shakespeare did.

Blessings, Brian

My apologies on Friday, I forgot that the Library where I do my posts is closed on Fridays, I shall have to post my fictional works on Saturday. Barring that I'll move it to Thursday. I'm going to try Saturday first. If you pardon the pun. I'll keep you posted. Well I had a great church service Sunday. It was about living a victorious life. A.k.a. remembering and finding out who I am in Christ. For any nonChristian readers out there who are like, "Huh?" Never mind.
 Anyway got to meet up talk to friends. Share frustrations with a guy there who has been a manager for twelve years. Management is a frustration thing. I can try and get my work done but getting the employees to get there work done is challenging. They drive me nuts. But belittling them or trying to control them(I haven't done.) will only destroy morale.
Or swearing and muttering about them under my breath( I have done) doesn't help either. Yes I suppose this could be considered hypocrasy to non-Christians and Christians a like. The truth is I'm not perfect. If you run across anyone who calls himself a Christian and tells you he doesn't sin or do anything wrong run away really fast.

I didn't become a Christian because I had my life together, I became a Christian because my life was falling apart. I will give my testimony on another sight I will let you know when its posted. I have R and R for the next two days and may I say I am enjoying it as much as possible. Oh as a side note just to blow your mind, we are having a special guest speaker Sy Rogers who is talking about sex and relationships next week. So yes there are times when the Church talks about sex, not enough I think but its awesome when we do.
Everyone else is why aren't we??

So write comments please. I know it's inconvenient and it takes time. I feel the same way when I am on deviant art. I don't write a comment on every peice I put in my favorites on that sight but I do try to leave at least one comment per artist. It really is encouraging. Also if you write let me know what you're writing you don't have to give the whole story away but lets face it writers encourage each other.
peace out,   -Brian

The following post was origionally a comic book story idea, however being a werewolves have apparently been over done in comic books they don't want it. I saw an overview of what Marvel did with the werewolf scene and it seemed to me that the writing was sloppy and more of a way of throwing something out there to boost comic book sales. If anyone disagrees I invite you to correct me on this.
The long and the short of it is I made my story idea a poem as a way of saying pffftt, to the comic book industry, see what you think.



                                                                 Weeping Rain




The rain comes down in sheets,

Beneath a sooty

Rooftop a howl echoes.

It's meant for me.

I stand on a flat rooftop

Looking at the lamp lit streets below,

Fear pours into my belly,

Like an icy stream from the mountains,

My hands shake

Under my wet cloak:
I pour powder into my wheelock pistols,

Leaning my readied rifle on my knee,

Like a centurian preparing for war.

How I wish I had a friend.

A woman's scream sounds in the distance,

Not long now,

I tamp my wad and silver pellet,

Fasten my Wheelock pistols at either side,

Raising my rifle, cocking my hammer I wait,

A rock dove skitters in flight as I take aim,

In its direction,

The sound of animal-like sniffing from the alley
below,

My hand shakes,

A howl cuts through the air

Slicing through my nerves,

The rifle slips,

A thunderous reply from below,

I curse,

My ears ring,

Pulling my pistols I cock them and wait,

At the door,

A beam securly acrossed it in the rain,

I smell him before I see him,

Musky wet dog,

I say a silent prayer

Aiming my pistols,

The beam snaps at the first blow,

A wet snarl snaps at me,

From behind the splintered frame,

Wood showers at me

A giant wolf leaps at me,

The crack of the first shot splits the air,

The beast yelps,

Leaping into my chest,

I land hard,

Sucking for air and getting none,

I am a man smothering in thick wet blackness,

Snapping teeth and claws search for me,

My hand is twisted on itself, I can't feel it,

The second shot goes off,

The ringing now is very loud,

The weight of the beast lifts off me,

I reach out like a drowning man for shore,

A sharp pain shoots in my wrist,

I feel the pop

When something heavy lands on it,

I turn and look upon my fate,

Instead before my wild eyes

Like ice, the beast melts

 Into the form of a young man.

With my foot I roll him over,

A gathering pool of crimson surrounds us both,

My shirt is warm,

A metallic tang fills my nose,

He coughs and spits red,

I hold his hand with my good hand,

He tries to speak,

His eyes are blinded by the rain,

Mine with fever,

In a picture in my head,

Long ago,

I see a young boy, like him,

And a happier me,

We laugh,

The sun shines,

I kick the leaves beneath my feet,

The sun is bright on our faces,

I tossle his hair,

The rain is heavy,

He doesn't see my tears,

He squeezes my hand,

He cries out, and lets go,

My boy, my boy,

My dear sweet boy.

Well school is done, just working for a season. Really feel this is a season of God's growth in my life. I'm in management right now. A friend of mine, Jackie is starting a blog while she does missions in eleven countries in eleven months. It encouraged me to get back into writing and blogging. I'm currently writing two stories one is The Princess and the Dragon about a royal family rescued from a dragon, the other is my main superhero story "Flight of the Sparrow, a story about a would-be heroes flight to the past to save his world from dying. The only way he can do it is with the co-operation of a time traveling villain he can't really trust.

I also need to do some editing on Statuary, my twighlight zone-type short. I'd like to whip that into shape and get some feedback on it.
Things have been tough recently, living with a beligerant roommate, yet God used the situation to really grow me. The issue in question was resolved. I think God worked more patience in me than I had before. This was a tough one this guy reminded me of my dad. He had a kind of do what I say or else attitude. (shrug.) Which at this point in neither here or there.
I think I'm going to set this sight up as Monday's being a check in, and Fridays being my posting my peice day. I think I will do Wednesdays as a pick a favorite author and what I like about their work day for two reasons.
1. At somepoint I think people get sick of hearing you talk about yourself all the time. Either than or I get sick of talking about myself all the time.
2. It keeps me reading.

However, Today I am going to cheat so I can get a jumpstart on my blog.

Today I am going to nominate The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. If anyone has a hard time writing or understanding what it means to write a short short story this woman has mastered the form. In short its almost like poetry in prose form. Sandra not only has a strong ecomonmy of language(saying a great deal with as few words as possible.)but protagonist's voice is masterfully done as well. We follow the life of a young latino girl who grows up in the projects of Chicago as she grows up. The character's voice and outlook on life changes too. I can't recommend this book enough even if you're a Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer like myself.

The Song of Eldamar

Eldamar, Lord of the north,

Whose gleaming waters and

White towers

Drew in the weary sea captain.

Southern cities amid minarets

Gleamed in the mountains of Telmir,

Mantled,

Snowcapped sentinels,

Tolvin and Grimhorn.

Aberden, golden city of the ancients.

Exerpt: Flight of the Sparrow

A young woman came out of the kitchen that was about Albert’s age, she wore an apron and a burgundy shirt and trousers. She was wheeling a tea cart and poured Buddy a cup. What he noticed immediately about her were her dazzling green eyes. He tried dodging eyes with her but he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of them. Buddy cleared his throat which made Albert blush. “Thank you Angelique, “Buddy said.

Albert reached out and shakily took the cup of tea given to him. A warm golden light spilled out from the fire place warming the room with a golden light while the wood in the hearth crackled. Albert readjusted himself in an overstuffed chair.

Buddy had been a hero, a founding member of the famous or infamous Guardians of Freedom depending on whom you talked to. That was before the tragic accident that took his legs from him and marked the end of his superhero life.

Buddy’s sitting room was filled with mementos and photos of him and The Guardians of Freedom, everywhere but the mantle piece where a lone silver urn stood. Albert wondered why he had the photos up there and said so.

“Those, Albert, are a recent addition.”

“Doesn’t it remind you of what you lost?” He said, glancing down at Buddy’s legs.

“At one time I suppose so.” Buddy said rubbing his thick bearded chin thoughtfully.

“Now, it reminds me of old friends.” Buddy wheeled himself over to one of the larger pictures of The Guardians of Freedom. He paused for a time staring up at the pictures. Everything was quiet save the crackle of the fire and the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock in the north corner of the room. “You know it’s funny, sometimes I feel like they are here in this room watching down on us.” Buddy said.

“Do you miss those days? “

“A little maybe, however, honestly, and this may sound strange, but it turned out to be a good thing.”

“How?” Albert said giving his a disbelieving look.

“Look, Albert, I do miss the adventure but it wasn’t until I lost my ability to run that I realized how much I was neglecting Angelique. She was growing up without her mother and father. She had already lost her mother and I was determined that she wouldn’t lose her father too.”

Albert turned away staring into the shadows. “What is it?” Buddy said.

“It was my mother wasn’t it? She killed your wife and crippled you.”