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I had a weird dream/nightmare last night. Half of it took place in my room, and the other half took place on a boat. See, I don't like boats and, at least to my knowledge, nor does anyone in my family. I can't swim all too well, and the idea of being surrounded by loads of water scares me for the same reason that being surrounded by the sky does (yknow, airplanes) - the uncertainty, the knowledge that everything surrounding me is huge enough to swallow me whole.
I don't really remember the half that took place in my room, 'cept that half was less interesting than the water half anyway and was probably just about the problems I'm having with my family. In the water half of the dream, I had a cousin who lived on a boat and all my family was there for...some reason. There was a window on the boat where, if you looked from a certain angle, the clouds would spiral open and reveal the kingdom of heaven. When approaching the window, the image of heaven would shift into a mass of destroyed boats covered with dead bodies.
I...don't know what that's about. Maybe the boat is like that boat/yacht from Triangle and trying to approach heaven from ze magical boat is a fool's errand?
Nearing the end of the dream, I separated from the family to write and read. This is something I often do at family events. I just can't help it. Like my nightmare was scripted by a bunch of horror writers, me separating from everyone trapped me in an area where the only way I could escape was jumping into all that damn water. I turned back. No door. No walls. I was on a raft, and all I could do was jump.
So I sissied out and woke up in a deep sweat instead.
This dream probably means that I'm holding back and I need to learn how to jump into the unknown or some shit like that. Or maybe I just need to learn how to swim? Ah, probably.
Now that I'm done sharing that dream (I just had to. That image of the clouds spiraling apart to reveal a bright image of heaven was just...wow, beautiful. I can't get it out of my mind, and I'm not even religous, though I'm not an atheist either. It's like that time me and Matthew were lying on his floor after wrestling and the light from his window shined on his face at just the right moment to make him glow. Jeez, I was mesmerized like a total spazz), it's time to talk about other things. Like, more professional things. Let me switch back to my professional voice and get out of this foul-mouthed vernacular that I hide for...whatever reason.
I am going to self-publish a how-to guide on marketing for writers. It won't be the absolute everything guide on marketing. Instead, it'll be a guide of al the things I've learned and tried over the years. I realized I had a lot to say about marketing and promotion when I wrote 'Market Your Book Without Emptying Your Bank Account' for Rhemalda's blog.
Now, I know I said I was publishing a workbook for writers, a checklist of sorts, on my 'Support Honest Crits' page. After summarizing the marketing book and the workbook, I realized that the workbook would take me muuuuuch longer to write and research than the marketing book, and I want the book published in 3 months. The sales from this book will go to the business and my education, but I only have five months to at least figure out how I'll get the semester out of the way.
Here I am, switching gears again. Have you heard of that Lucky 7 meme? Well, here are the rules:
The Lucky 7 Meme Rules• Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next 7 lines--sentences or paragraphs--and post them as they're written. No cheating.
Because my story is separated by chapter numbers and not in one full document, I don't know what page 77 is. Instead of going to page 77, I went to chapter 7 of Savior of the Damned's 4th edit. Here are the next 7 lines after line 7.:
The blinding white light at the top was always out of reach. The steps were disintegrating faster than I could run. If someone didn't acknowledge my screams for help, I would fall.
My mom, almost angelic in image, appeared in the doorway. I grabbed tight hold of her hand. Afterward, the basement became a replica of hell, with fire everywhere and monster hands dancing around a colossal hand with a mouth instead of an eye.
"Mom, you can help me up now."
"Shut up you demon spawn."
And here it is from the original draft, the one I wrote when I was a freshman in high school:
When I first met him he gave the impression of being a very talkative person, but, then again, second expressions are seldom exactly like the first.
Augustine’s footsteps stopped, and mines stopped shortly after his. We were now at the door to the house. My mind was still blank. I found I couldn’t make myself think. Why couldn’t I make myself think about anything? It was just...fog.
Augustine began to talk. “Levi Haze, if you’re eating then”—
“I am not,” he interrupted. “You know I’m not. Now bring her in already. I already told you how important this was.”
If you made it all the way to the end of this loooong past, here's a congratulations for you. This video just cracks me up. Here's the explanation, explained courtesy of good old TV Tropes:
And here's a song I really like.
I don't really remember the half that took place in my room, 'cept that half was less interesting than the water half anyway and was probably just about the problems I'm having with my family. In the water half of the dream, I had a cousin who lived on a boat and all my family was there for...some reason. There was a window on the boat where, if you looked from a certain angle, the clouds would spiral open and reveal the kingdom of heaven. When approaching the window, the image of heaven would shift into a mass of destroyed boats covered with dead bodies.
I...don't know what that's about. Maybe the boat is like that boat/yacht from Triangle and trying to approach heaven from ze magical boat is a fool's errand?
Nearing the end of the dream, I separated from the family to write and read. This is something I often do at family events. I just can't help it. Like my nightmare was scripted by a bunch of horror writers, me separating from everyone trapped me in an area where the only way I could escape was jumping into all that damn water. I turned back. No door. No walls. I was on a raft, and all I could do was jump.
So I sissied out and woke up in a deep sweat instead.
This dream probably means that I'm holding back and I need to learn how to jump into the unknown or some shit like that. Or maybe I just need to learn how to swim? Ah, probably.
Now that I'm done sharing that dream (I just had to. That image of the clouds spiraling apart to reveal a bright image of heaven was just...wow, beautiful. I can't get it out of my mind, and I'm not even religous, though I'm not an atheist either. It's like that time me and Matthew were lying on his floor after wrestling and the light from his window shined on his face at just the right moment to make him glow. Jeez, I was mesmerized like a total spazz), it's time to talk about other things. Like, more professional things. Let me switch back to my professional voice and get out of this foul-mouthed vernacular that I hide for...whatever reason.
I am going to self-publish a how-to guide on marketing for writers. It won't be the absolute everything guide on marketing. Instead, it'll be a guide of al the things I've learned and tried over the years. I realized I had a lot to say about marketing and promotion when I wrote 'Market Your Book Without Emptying Your Bank Account' for Rhemalda's blog.
Now, I know I said I was publishing a workbook for writers, a checklist of sorts, on my 'Support Honest Crits' page. After summarizing the marketing book and the workbook, I realized that the workbook would take me muuuuuch longer to write and research than the marketing book, and I want the book published in 3 months. The sales from this book will go to the business and my education, but I only have five months to at least figure out how I'll get the semester out of the way.
Here I am, switching gears again. Have you heard of that Lucky 7 meme? Well, here are the rules:
The Lucky 7 Meme Rules• Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next 7 lines--sentences or paragraphs--and post them as they're written. No cheating.
Because my story is separated by chapter numbers and not in one full document, I don't know what page 77 is. Instead of going to page 77, I went to chapter 7 of Savior of the Damned's 4th edit. Here are the next 7 lines after line 7.:
The blinding white light at the top was always out of reach. The steps were disintegrating faster than I could run. If someone didn't acknowledge my screams for help, I would fall.
My mom, almost angelic in image, appeared in the doorway. I grabbed tight hold of her hand. Afterward, the basement became a replica of hell, with fire everywhere and monster hands dancing around a colossal hand with a mouth instead of an eye.
"Mom, you can help me up now."
"Shut up you demon spawn."
And here it is from the original draft, the one I wrote when I was a freshman in high school:
When I first met him he gave the impression of being a very talkative person, but, then again, second expressions are seldom exactly like the first.
Augustine’s footsteps stopped, and mines stopped shortly after his. We were now at the door to the house. My mind was still blank. I found I couldn’t make myself think. Why couldn’t I make myself think about anything? It was just...fog.
Augustine began to talk. “Levi Haze, if you’re eating then”—
“I am not,” he interrupted. “You know I’m not. Now bring her in already. I already told you how important this was.”
If you made it all the way to the end of this loooong past, here's a congratulations for you. This video just cracks me up. Here's the explanation, explained courtesy of good old TV Tropes:
And here's a song I really like.
Hhahaha that Lucky 7 thing is really cool. I love stuff like that. "This is a list of questions. Set your ipod or itunes or windows media player, etc. to random and whatever song pops up will be the answer" kind of things. :D I did it. I'm gonna paste it below. It's from Procession of Infinity, the second in the Soul series, which whenever I decide that The Soul is a little tighter, I'll send to you so you can edit it up too. It follows:
he knelt beside Ero, gently placed Lycoriast against him and leaned in to say, “You keep this Angel alive, messenger.”
Ero grasped Lycoriast’s hand immediately, his free one coming to rest on top of the angel’s head, and he stared Zacharael straight in the eyes, fear and contempt itching to tear his brain to shreds and usurp control of his body. Then Zacharael nodded, trust implicit in the one gesture, and stepped away from them. He evanesced into the confluence that stood before Ero.
“Angel?” someone said. He cocked half a smile onto his face.
If his gut was anything to go by, he’d just been given consent.
“You’re insane,” Ava said as she tugged at the end of stark-straight black hair.
Tsais hissed her quiet. “I can’t do this without you.” He paused and corrected himself: “I don’t have that great of a chance at pulling this little stunt off without winding up in a heap of trouble . . . without you.”
Ava sighed. “One day, your persuasive ways are going to be much more problematic than they are worth. I hope violently today isn’t that day.”
Hearing her mental assent behind the suggestion, Tsais yanked Ava closer, moved behind her and whispered strengthenings to the energy pulsing between their hands outstretched before them. The magic made them shiver—powerful words, too many of them that were necessary. If this landed, Ero probably wouldn’t be able to move for a bit down on earth, but at least he’d have made it.
That was fun! Anyway, I'd be more than happy to buy that book off you whenever you get it published. Odds are it will make much more sense than a lot of the other crap that's out there. >.>
And... have you ever looked on Encyclopedia Dramatica? That TV Tropes site you love so much reminds me of it, except a very much less vulgar version. Hahaha. Those were the meme days. High school was hilarious thanks to Encyclopedia Dramatica. Ahh...
Also, I love your nightmares. They seem so vivid, like mine. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with crazy dreams haha.
Looking forward to it (reading and editing the second book). Oooh, all these new names.
Yeah, just two more ways we're similar. I love these types of memes. I'm sure it's got to do with my love of reflection and sharing and learning something random about myself and others. But that's me, *always* trying to figure out the 'the why' to stuff.
Hm. I've heard of Encyclopedia Dramatica. Been there once or twice, but it's been a while. Gonna have to visit there sometime.
Also, I certainly hope it'll make more sense. I'm not aiming for it to be like some super-guru-guide. I want it to have a conversational feel because I love helpful books with a conversational feel.
Oh yeah and I'm excited for you to read it. The spectrum of Ero and Sol's world widens into much more than just the two of them. :]
Conversational seems the way to go. I was reading an article over Stephen King's ON WRITING and how its conversational tone lends to its success in the field of instruction-but-not-instruction, if you know what I mean. (Literally... if you know what I mean, haha.)
And I'm excited to see that. I love love love how you handle characterization.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Those books are most successful because it's easier for the reader to connect with the author and because the author can just kick back and be themselves instead of holding back for the sake of professionalism.