C. Dennis Moore's Blog, page 5

315 + 200 = new story.

I've been starting a new short story over the last two days. I say starting it over two days because I only did 315 words yesterday and another 200 this morning. I'd say a good chunk of that non-writing time has been spent on research--and some of it has--but some of it's just simply closing my eyes and trying to visualize the story. I can see it, the whole thing, in my head, but translating that to words isn't as easy. And of course when I close my eyes I start to doze off because it's 5:00 in the morning. I like what I have, though. I had started this story last week but that was crap, so I started over. 515 words in and I'm still only writing the opening. I anticipate around a 4000 word story so a first draft should be done NO LATER than Aug. 10.

Also this morning and yesterday I did some work redesigning more of my paperback covers. Yesterday was ICONS TO ASHES and DANCING ON A RAZORBLADE, while this morning I redid the FIVE FATES, FIVE FATAL FANTASIES and CAMDIGAN covers. I like these ones much better.

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Genres

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And on the heels of the "Safe at Home" (https://www.createspace.com/3947605) and "Epoch Winter" (https://www.createspace.com/3948560) paperbacks, both of which are available for order by clicking those links, this morning I combined those two novellas with "Camdigan" (https://www.createspace.com/3866909) and made one collection, GENRES.

I know, I know, I'm not thrilled with that title, either, but, well, nothing else I came up with seemed to mesh well with the cover photo, which I really like. "Genres" seemed a good fit for that photo, and since these stories are all from different genres, supernatural horror, mystery suspense and historical romance (with a bit of science fiction to boot), it's not like the title doesn't apply. I'm just not thrilled with it.

Anyway, the collection should be available to order within the next couple of days.

Safe at Home in Winter

So this is what I've been working on the past two mornings. Just waiting for the paperbacks copies to be ready, then I'll get the ebook versions posted as well.

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In the mail

The copies of my mini collections FIVE FATES and FIVE FATAL FANTASIES came in the mail yesterday. These books contain five stories each--hence the titles--reprinted from TERRIBLE THRILLS, my first collection. I'm intending to use them as samplers for readers new to my work, and hopefully the experience will convince a few of them to spring for the bigger collections, DANCING ON A RAZORBLADE or TERRIBLE THRILLS.

At least that's the plan.

No work on the new story this morning; something tells me that thing is just not ready yet. Instead I spent the time formatting novellas for publication. My hope is to publish "Safe at Home" and "Epoch Winter" as ebooks and paperbacks, and then to collect those two stories along with "Camdigan" into a bigger novella collection. I think the only thing holding me up right now are the covers. I just can't find the perfect image for either of them. But I'll get it. Keep hope alive. Fight the power. Right on!

Currently Reading:

As the daughter of the Lord of Wynham Castle, Elaisse hears rumors of a great pestilence in France. She tells herself that God is punishing the French people because of the on-going war in England. She consoles herself that England is on the side of all that is right, therefore England is safe.

And then Elaisse travels to London where suddenly the whole world changes around her. Circumstances arise beyond her control and she goes from a structured, sheltered life into one where normalsy falls by the wayside. The pestilence has come to England. The threads of her existence begin to unravel as the cart-man in the street calls for people to "Bring out your dead."

PESTILENCE: A MEDIEVAL TALE OF PLAGUE is historic fiction, delving into a first-person account of life during the European plague years of 1346-1350. Today there are many end-of-the-world tales, but the bubonic plague pandemic in the 14th Century is the original apocalypse story.

I'll Tumblr for Ya

I'm still circling the new story, the science fiction one, which I'm thinking is going to be not QUITE as heavy duty sci-fi as I thought it would. As the story solidifies in my head, I'm not so sure the heavier aspects of it are going to come into play. It's still going to be a science fiction story, I just don't think it'll be as space opera-ish as I previously considered.

Then again, until a really solid plot appears, anything's possible for this story.

In other news, do you like books? Movies? Music? Comics? Me too.

So I have some Tumblrs set up to show off my collections of all of those things. I've actually had them for several months, but just never did much with them for long stretches. I've recently begun updating them semi-regularly, so come see what I own

Books: http://mypersonallibrary.tumblr.com/
Comics: http://mycomiclibrary.tumblr.com/
Music: http://mycdlibrary.tumblr.com/
Movies: http://mymovielibrary.tumblr.com/

Most of my Stephen King library

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The updated Into the Darkness submissions stack

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+1847

1847 words added and the "Blue Moon Story" rewrite is done in first draft (2862 words).

There is much work to be done to it, especally since a lot of the details I only remembered to start adding near the end needed to be included in the beginning, plus I didn't realize until, again, near the end, that I was writing a genre piece, I just wasn't writing it in the genre I should have been. What I wrote is basically a crime story (with a horror ending?) and I'd really like it if the first 9/10 of the story reads that way.

I also like that, in this version, I was able to sum up in less than 3000 words what the original version, written some time in 2001-2003, I can't remember exactly, took 6849 words to get across the very same idea. And doing a MUCH better job of it!

Next up is a science fiction story, and I'm talking old school sci-fi. I have the idea, I just need to find the plot.

+1015

At a loss for what to do with the "Blue Moon Story" revisions, which direction to take it, I started asking myself questions about the story last night. "What's it about?" It's about ______________. "Okay, but so what? Why do I care?" Because it's something I've not seen done before, or since, so I think the story adds something new to the genre. "Great, but what else? Why do I care about this character? What's his deal?" Well, he's a guy who has gone through ________________ and __________________ and doesn't know that ___________________________. "How do you reveal that without giving it away ten seconds into the story?" Well, there's this cop who _______________________. Or, I have a better idea, maybe the guy IS the cop. So it's not the cop knowing ______________________ and trying to reveal it to the guy, it's the cop who is _____________________________ and trying to _________________________ who in the end realizes _______________________________________. "Yes, I think that may work."

So I got 1015 words written this morning. I like it so far. Well, I like the tone. I'm not convinced on the voice, and I think those last few paragraphs I wrote were crap because I was just trying to hit 1000 words. But all that can be fixed in the edit.

Obviously I will have to come up with a new title as well. I've always hated "Blue Moon Story".