Chris Chelser's Blog, page 11
June 26, 2016
Memento Mori Photographs
Very interesting article in BBC News about the tradition of having (family) photographs taken of deceased loved ones. While macabre, it is also touching. Today’s society shuns death, but when this was popular, death – especially the death of children – was exceedingly common.
We would do well to remember that time, and remember that we all must die: memento mori.
June 23, 2016
June 19, 2016
World’s 10 Most Mysterious Books
Cael Kalbrandt insists he knows a thing or two about some of these, and then some…
Post-op
Earlier this week, I was released from hospital after major surgery. Knock on wood, but I dare to say “That wasn’t too bad.”
From past experience, I had prepared for weeks of having a fuzzy mind and walking with a cane. However, it seems I got lucky: my mind’s sharp as a razor, I’m already off painkillers, and while I still walk at a snail’s pace, that cane I had at the ready is just collecting dust.
I can even begin to say how relieved I am!
Because instead of staring into space for two months , I got back to work the week after my operation. Writing, planning, plotting… that is what I like to do best, after all!
June 16, 2016
June 14, 2016
Calling All Story Fanatics!
There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to storytelling. Every story has specific needs and requirements, so generalised quick fix advice like “Got stuck? Kill a character!” is rarely of any use.
So I created this course will teach you tools and analytic skills that will prove valuable in every project you take on!
June 12, 2016
Earth Without Us
Suddenly post-apocalyptic horror stories are not quite as horrific anymore:
June 9, 2016
June 7, 2016
Short Story: “Resin”
A little flash fic I wrote inspired by this image that hopped by on social media:
Bradford County | Pennsylvania horned skull
Source: arcodabara.wordpress.com
Resin
I’m made of resin. It says so on the price tag they’ve tied to my left horn. The twine tickles a little on my cranium, but that doesn’t bother me. What does bother me are the numbers on that tag: the faded ‘$100’ was crossed out and a crude ‘$25’ scrawled beneath it.
Are they serious? I used to go for four figures at least, back in the day.
Of course, back then folks were afraid of the horns. Now they just giggle and point at me from the other side of the cabinet’s glass door. I’m just resin, after all. Just a cast. A fake.
Idiots…
On the upside, at twenty-five dollars it won’t be long until one of those idiots takes me home, a cool prop to show off to other idiots. Maybe I’ll get to be a candlestick holder again, or an ashtray. Or if I’m really lucky, I’ll get to guest star in some hare-brained ritual they cocked up.
A thought of mixed merits. I’m not particularly fond of being abused, but who knows? This next idiot might burn as well as the last one did.
June 6, 2016
Almost cutting time!
During a horror movie, sometimes it’s better to close your eyes and ask for someone to wake you up when it’s over. Especially when that ‘horror movie’ is a doctor cutting into your own body…
You guessed it: I’m due in hospital for major surgery this week.
The condition that requires this isn’t life-threatening, but it has made my life a hell of agony on a regular basis for years. Problem is that it cannot heal, or even improve, by itself, and in my case it is so bad that leaving it untreated will only increase the already chronic pain I’m in.
The only solution is to cut out the perpetrators: a veritable fruit bowl worth of tissue in terms of size, so I’m going to leave that part to the experts. And I won’t be looking through my fingers while they do it!
This situation will take me out of the running for a few weeks at least. However, the blog will continue with scheduled posts, and the Res Arcana paperback will launch on June 30th as planned!
I´ll be back at the end of the month :) See you then!
Cheers,
