Interlude

Reading Books (sort of...)

I'm still trying to formulate some form of coherent thought on Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. Upon finishing the book, I started to read up on the movie. This was probably a mistake as the basic gist of the movie didn't seem to jive with the book. I'm either an idiot and missed everything, or the Wachowskis took an ton of liberties and did something gimmicky with using the same actors to play multiple parts. It could very well be me, though. I listen to books during my long commute into work and there is a certain level of comprehension that I just do not have while driving. There was a lot going on in Cloud Atlas and it was littered with clues on the characters and their relationships to one another. I'll probably pick it up again, -sometime when I'm not driving, and give it a more attentive go. In the meantime I'll watch the movie and probably be let down, the same way I have been by everything the Wachowskis have gotten their hands on that isn't The Matrix.

Writing Books

I've put an embargo on the computer and have been using pen and paper to do all my writing. This has helped me write pretty much anywhere. I don't need to be 'in the zone' to write anymore and got in a few pages before bed last night, and several more this afternoon while waiting for Samson to arrive for some comicbook buying and Elder Sign playing. (Picked up DMZ vol 2, in case you were wondering.

Most importantly, I am getting some solid scenes out of the process and I've even been able to write on the porch on these hot summer days. Even basement dwellers need to go outside once in a while.

Homework:

Hey a new sub-section. Cool. So Verses and I will do some writing exercises from time to time and a lot of good ideas have come out of these 1-2 page scenes. I'm going to start sharing some of the more notable challenges we've posed to one another. Think of this as your 'writing prompt' section. Do [with it] what thou wilt.

Challenge the First: Write a scene about a place called Red Wall Keep. Can be fantasy, sci-fi, Harry Potter fan fiction, etc. Write as much or as little as you want to complete the scene. There are no wrong answers.