Pompeii Micro Movie Review

Pompeii: Saw it last night. I love historical fiction set in the classical world or in a world before gun powder; Gladiator, 300, Troy or something like Lord of the Rings. I also pay to see these movies in the hopes gaining grist for the mill of my imagination relating to my book, if not through visuals at least imagining how people lived in ancient times. It’s a bonus when the movie is actually fair to good.

Pompeii, although a joy to look at, was one of the cheesiest cliché riddle jokes I’ve ever watched. The story had potential but was so poorly executed it felt watching a football team apply a ridiculous game plan in great uniforms. Lines delivered throughout the movie are worthy of giggles though not the intention. Many of the action scenes are impossible or incredibly cheesy – a poor man’s Gladiator. I begrudgingly give this movie 2 Stars out of 5 because it was so nice to just look at.

What’s it About?

In updating about my book, I’ve never posted much about the story itself. I will tell you girls out there it has love and longing and

romance. Don’t think for one second that us guys don’t like that stuff, it just has to be done right, without the sap. I would not call it a family adventure. The story deals with some pretty brutal stuff. Would it be a date movie? Oh yeah! There is stuff in it for guys and girls. There is a lead male and a strong female character.

The only thing that comes close to the feel of it, and still way off, is a mix of Gladiator, Memoirs of a Geisha and Lord of the Rings. The look of it is late BC or early middle Ages with a Romanesque setting. I love historical fiction before gun-powder and it’s had a great influence on me. So the style of fantasy is what readers would call realism or hard-fantasy because it’s a logically consistent world that I made up as in A Game of Thrones or Wizards First Rule or Lord of the Rings.

It’s not an airy fairy silly romp with leprechauns and smurfs – a pox be upon them! It feels realistic and there is only a touch of fantasy but even that is linked to spiritualism and not potions brewed by witches. Gods and Goddesses are worshiped and there is human sacrifice, diverse peoples and religions populate the story along with some exotic beasts both good and evil. The main characters are searching to discover their purpose in life…and that’s as far as I will go for now.

The theme is embedded in the title, BLOOD & SOUL. The theme was inspired by one of my deeply held beliefs. But I handle the

theme with a light touch. It’s not preachy at all. I strove to give the reader poignant emotional moments along with thrills, tension and suspense. Anyway …I need to get busy as I’m working on the final draft.

Self-Publishing, Editing and Concern

After swearing to never self-publish I changed my mind a couple of years ago. But one thing I will never swear off is a valuable editor. One of the chief complaints I see about self-published authors is horrendous editing – if it’s been truly edited at all. Three weeks ago I received my manuscript back from my editor. I’m astounded by the improvements an objective eye brings to my story even after I had revised my work seven times. As hard as I tried I still needed help. I won’t compromise on quality when it comes to something I’ve slaved over to try to make it great. I don’t understand why more self-published writers don’t invest in an editor. If you truly cherish your story why would not want to craft it as near perfection as possible?

My book is going to be self-published. But I confess I’ve never been able to make it through a self-published book. Granted, there are probably some great ones out there. I’m concerned there’s a lot of people out there like me who won’t give a self-published author a chance. I wrote my book for a lot of reasons; one was for picky readers like me.

Use Your Muse Before She Moves

A few years ago, when I finally SAW my Muse she dressed in worn comfy denim. She had gossamer wings. She looked just like Nova (Linda Harrison) from that old Planet of Apes original, her dark hair silky and shining. Every golden morning my Muse would hover at my bedside and awaken me with angelic ethereal humming. Dazed and inspired, I would rise and scurry off to my bus route. Afterward, I would take her hand like a ritual. She would lead me to a local diner or coffee house, and sit me down, and turn on my laptop with a missing left “enter” key. While it booted up she would pass the time pouring me honeyed coffee. She would bring it to me, and curl up on the monitor and purr rhythmically, playing songs by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard into my headphones. The sound of her purring and my fingers waltzing on the keyboard was like the sweet roll of distant thunder and a warm graceful mist washing over us through the middle of the day. In the early afternoon I would look up from my laptop and stretch, and whisper thanks to her, and wander off to drive a school bus, my mind full of visions.

Then due to circumstances beyond my control I had to switch jobs and writing became inconvenient and impossible in the midst of the day. She went into a Relocation Program for orphaned muses. I never heard from her again. Maybe you have seen her? For all I know she whispering music into your ear and filling your mind with visions. Don’t waste her inspiration. As soon as you exit Facebook begin your own epic novel, dear reader.

I had to adapt. I petitioned for another Muse for evenings and weekends. The one that showed up looked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Desperate, I opened the door and let her in. She chain smokes Marlboro reds. She wears thick mascara and re-dyes her hair black weekly. She has sixty-six piercings—that I know of—and some I dare not ask about. One arm is sleeved-out in tattoos. She has a Ph.D in German Literature and refuses to purr. She prefers leather to denim, likes fishnet everything. She clipped her wings. From her pale neck on separate chains dangle hundreds of religious icons, peace symbols, and skulls. She reads “the lost works,” just to taunt me and quotes Nietzsche and Rousseau. She listens to Lady Gaga, the Ramones and Johnny Cash and Mozart and the Lower Chakras and drives a black hearse with a pink stripe. She speaks English with a French accent. She refuses to pour me coffee and spills her own on my papers. She never visits, I have to summon her. When she comes she’s often high and drunk, daring me to judge.

I’m not dumping her. I fear what I would get as a replacement this time. So I have the romantic memory of the one before and the reality of the next. – Inspired by a book I just read. Write Your Heart Out by Geoff Schmidt

The Grindstone

I’ve barely scratched the surface refining this final draft of Blood & Soul. Although I think this story is solid and I’m enthusiastic, refining it to perfection is going to be epic in itself. It is incredibly tedious and time consuming.

Imagine approving 32,754 punctuation changes in a 158K word document – things like changing from one style of quote (“) to another or approving the deletion of a space or the insertion of one. 705 pages of New Courier font and 750 comments in the side panel, half of them related to format changes from standard to italics. The other half of comments noting inconsistencies or suggestions on info in a paragraph of narration. My editor also caught sentences sprinkled throughout the epic draft left over from the previous versions. I suspected it would be there. It will require a lot “rewiring” so to speak to get everything just right.

As I go through this I sometimes wish I was as nerdy (and I mean that in a good way) or exacting as my editor. It boggles my mind to think he enjoys this. It’s like he is responsible for the training of an athlete. I have the muse and he’s got the mallet that knocks me back to my senses.

Back to the grindstone.

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Another Step Closer to Publishing

I received my manuscript back via email. This is what my editor had to say:

All done! Enjoy! And thanks again for this project, Allen. I loved editing this book, and I really hope I get to work with you again in the future! Keep in touch, I’ll be happy to help you with anything you need. Sincerely, Andrew,

That was not ALL he said. The email is huge with lots of instructions and notes. Now begins the process of refining, BLOOD & SOUL, this first book in the Creed of Kings Saga, for publishing. I’m a little more than a month away from my publishing goal. I’m not going to settle for second best. I’d rather take my time and publish during spring break the best book I can publish rather than in February a book that is less than the best. I’m chomping at the bit to start in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee.

 

I’m Almost There!

We’re almost there, Allen! Thanks for your patience as I pace my way through this epically epic novel you’ve written. Loving it. Talk to you soon! – To me from my editor in an email Friday.

That doesn’t mean it will be published next week. He will send it back to me hopefully before the Christmas break. I, the slow reader, will reread it and consider all his notes and then begin the process of revisions.

Being that I am a total rookie when it comes to self-publishing, I had not factored in this necessary, crucial and time-consuming step. Delays, delays, delays! Ugh.

I’m guessing I’ll revise and correct, which, I’m guessing, will take me a couple of months because I have a fulltime job that sucks up a lot of intellectual juice. A couple of months is how long it’s taken him to edit the 160k manuscript. I can’t imagine it taking me less time to go through it again. Nevertheless, my spirits are up.

What I’m After as a Writer

No work again yesterday. So, I seized the moment.

I’m in the process of outlining my next book. The working title is “Out of Oblivion.” Themes, dialogue, clashes, escapes, love and betrayal is fragmented throughout a forest of notes that needs to be herded into my Scrivener – a word processing program for writers. The story is there and I know how it ends. Now begins the crafting of the physics of story structure, putting things in place that support reader interest.

As I gathered my copious notes scattered over different desktops my fidgety moves, scruffy face and worn jacket reminded me of Russell Crow’s depiction of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, but not the beautiful part, the foaming at the mouth bat crap crazy part. I grinned and thought, God what am I after? Am I simply crazy and that’s all there is to this? Is it obsession or mission? And then I took a deep breath.

Fact is I know what I’m after. All that was settled but sometimes the contemplation of what I’m attempting is scary. It could be a colossal waste of precious time at fifty years old. That is why I need to know what my goal is. And, I think every writer should know exactly what he’s goal in life and story ending. If not logically—as in the book’s exact narrative and dialogue when the story ends—but at least a writer needs to sense the emotional payoff, the feelings of epic awesomeness born from that great moment when the One Ring melts in the lava of Mount Doom, or when the Death Star blows. When evil is turned back in the physical and spiritual world and hope does not feel like wishful thinking.

Blood & Soul Progress and Trailer Promo in the Works

Another week as passed and my editor has made lots of progress on Blood & Soul. Based on the conversations between us I’m glad I took this step. It’s been a valuable investment that I balked at initially. But, it’s been well worth the money. To think I almost decided to edit it myself! That’s performing surgery on yourself!

It’s been a grand experience having a professional go after it with a fine-toothed comb and give me his first, second and third impressions.

I have lots of little tweaks to fix – like mislabeling a bluff and spelling a character’s name different in the beginning of the book than at the end.

There’s big things like removing a character from a scene because I did not realize I had left him back in the city the hero had escaped from. LOL.

There’s some foreshadowing I need to place earlier so that an event at the midpoint will have more emotional impact.

I need to remove a scene from near the end and put it back in at the midpoint where I had it originally – basically, a plumbing and wiring job.

There’s a textual change that my editor is doing as he goes through the manuscript. You’ve seen where authors will put a character’s inner thoughts in italics, some do, some don’t. I did but then changed my mind. My editor thought it best to put the inner thoughts in italics. I agreed. It’s very tricky sometimes to figure out what are the character’s inner thoughts and what is simply narrative. He’s fixing that stuff, too.

I will have to devote a lot time to adjust things and get it just right.

Meanwhile, a teaser book trailer is in the works with some awesome original music from P. R. Music Productions (follow the link below and check out Patrick’s music). I hope have the trailer finished in early Jan. I’m working with Mark Skinner on the visuals and book cover.

Still hoping to publish Blood & Soul on multiple formats around Feb 2, 2014. When I do, I list all the ways that you can help me. P. S. I outlined the next book last week. It’s working title is “Out of Oblivion”. Yes … it’s EPIC!

http://www.prmusicproductions.com/

Blood & Soul Is Under the Microscope

Blood & Soul downloaded to my editor Andrew Doty at Editwright ‘s computer about 29 days ago. He read the entire manuscript in 7 days. 160K words.

In the ensuing days it seemed I remembered every stupid sentence and silly turn. But, I had finally let it go. They say that’s what you gotta do.

He sent an email late that Friday night. I braced myself. He said it had all the typical problems. I slumped a bit then he told me my pacing was excellent, and even though it was one of the longest manuscripts he had ever read, everything that was in it needed to be there.

We talked on the phone tonight for about an hour and half. It was amazing to hear how my story affected another person. He is the only one who’s ever read it.

He’s an editor. He is used to the typos so he got to the meat of the story and asked great questions that I was able to clarify. Together we sorted out plans for the weaknesses. But he did say this, “Allen, this is a great manuscript.” In his email he said, “All those how-to books you’ve read have served you well.” He told me if I can get the word out, I will have a lot of readers.

So how do you all feel about helping me when I finally unleash this on the public?