R.B. Holbrook's Blog, page 25
July 9, 2012
Angel vs. Demon: Spider on the Wall
Demon: “Look!”
Angel: “What?”
Demon: “There’s a spider on the wall.”
Angel: “Where?”
Demon: “I’m looking at it now. Its tiny, brown, with all eight legs making an effort to get away.”
Me: “It’s trying to run from me and my intentions.”
Angel: “Remember: All life is sacred.”
Demon: “It wants to flee, but your will is stronger. And your will be done.”
Me: “One moment while I rid the world of one intruding creepy crawly…”
Angel: “No! Don’t kill it!”
Demon: “Say a prayer for the departed.”
Me: “Now with that little distraction exterminated, I can get back to writing.”
Angel: “Oh, so cruel.”
Demon: “No. So dead.”
RBH
Filed under: Writing Tagged: Angel vs. Demon, genius, Spider, wall, Writing interruptions
July 7, 2012
Angel vs. Demon: Fuel For the Imagination
Me: “So I have this new acquaintance.”
Angel: “Oh yeah, the conspiracy theorist.”
Demon: “Nut you mean.”
Angel: “I’ve never met one.”
Me: “Me either. I mean I hear conspiracies, people talk about them, simple chit-chat, but… I have never truly understood the concept of conspiracy theorist until I met her. To call them paranoid is an understatement, but they are truly fascinating. And you never know, they might actually be on to something.”
Demon: “They’re loony. Don’t buy into them!”
Me: “Regardless, it takes true imaginative genius to come up with some of the conspiracies that they spin. I am in awe. And have much to learn.”
Angel: “Let me guess: Just being around her gives you tons of stories of your own to spin.”
Me: “Bingo!”
Demon: “Like you need more.”
RBH
Filed under: Angel vs. Demon, Writing Tagged: Angel vs. Demon, conspiracy theorist, conspiracy theory, genius, Imagination
July 4, 2012
Angel vs. Demon: Written Identity
Angel: “Can a writer stamp their identity on paper?”
Demon: “Like a blood seal?”
Angel: “Nothing so barbaric. I mean can a writer rewrite a scene that someone else wrote and say it is their own?”
Demon: “Oooo, like plagiarism? Stealing someone’s work? Now you’re talking.”
Angel: “No. No! AND NO!!! I’m saying…”
Me: “I get what you’re saying. Can an author be identified through their writing style, despite what they write? Through the way they use words, spin a story, set a mood, and create a scene, yes, I believe a writer is identified through their style. Give seven different writers a writing prompt and you get seven different stories with similar ideas or themes.”
Angel: ” So a writer is a reflection of what they write?”
Me: “I think so.”
Angel: “Hmmm, so I wonder what I would see in you if I read what you wrote.
Demon: “I’ll tell you what I see.”
Angel: “Oh, no.”
Me: “This I have to hear.”
Demon: “Your mind is your imagination and your imagination is you. And everything you write is all that you imagine.”
Angel: “That’s… surprisingly profound. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
Me: “He doesn’t, he stole it from one of my journals.”
Angel: “So you’re a liar AND a thief.”
Demon: “Two for two, baby!”
Angel: *sigh*
RBH
Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun.
George Scialabba
Filed under: Imagination, Writing Tagged: Angel vs. Demon, George Scialabba, identity, Imagination, mind, Writing
July 1, 2012
Angel Vs. Demon: Editors
Me: “Editors have a job I consider tedious.”
Angel: “Yes, but a GOOD editor has a knack for catching all the mistakes you make.”
Demon: “Yeah, stupid mistakes.”
Me: “Not mistakes. Typos. They’re typos, like when I type their when it should be there, or though when I should have typed thought.”
Angel: “Honest mistakes! Editors even catch all the extra commas you unconsciously use.”
Demon: “Dumb it down if you want. Its all still stupid mistakes.”
Me: “Sometimes my mind and fingers just aren’t in sync. Hey, I may be a genius, but I’m not perfect.”
Angel: “Mistakes happen. They can be forgiven.”
Demon: “Your readers won’t be forgiving.”
Me: “Neither are you.”
Demon: “Hell, that’s the nature of my job.”
RBH
Filed under: Angel vs. Demon Tagged: Angel vs. Demon, commas, editors, genuis, grammar, mistakes, Writing
June 30, 2012
Angel vs. Demon: Character Harassment
Angel: “Don’t you think you have done enough to this poor character?”
Demon: “Enough? What’s she talking about? We’ve barely scratched the surface.”
Angel: “How much more damage can a person take before he’s broken. I mean if you were in this guy’s shoes would you be able to take all this torture?”
Me: “I suppose I have been harsh to this character.”
Demon: “Harsh? Come oooon! He’s not real. He can’t feel it!”
Angel: “But I feel it. Every time I read that something happens to him, I feel his agony.”
Demon: ” ‘Cause you’re too sensitive. Push him a bit more, he’ll be fine.”
Me: “I don’t know… She might be right…”
Angel: “Think about your readers. What would they think?”
Demon: “The read- Wait! You’re playing dirt-”
Me: “You’re right. I can’t let this continue.”
Angel: “That’s so good of you.”
Demon: “For cryin’ out loud!“
RBH
Filed under: Angel vs. Demon Tagged: angel, Angel vs. Demon, character development, demon, inner conflict, readers
June 29, 2012
Angel vs. Demon: Fight Scene
Angel: “So much violence.”
Demon: “Best fight scene ever!”
Me: “Not ever. But it was kind of good.”
Demon: “The whole book should be like this.”
Angel: “Littered in violence? Who would want to read that?”
Demon: *Raises his hand, waving it energetically*
Angel: “Of course you would.”
Me: “The story isn’t about just violence. There is action in here that isn’t violent. And that action is there to bring out the plot. There has to be a balance.”
Angel: “I suppose you have a point.”
Demon: “Yeah, and that point just sucked the fun out of the whole damn scene.”
RBH
Filed under: Imagination, Writing Tagged: action, angel, Angel vs. Demon, demon, fight scene, inner conflict, scene, violence, Writing
June 27, 2012
Introducing Inner Conflict: Angel vs. Demon
Me: “I’m trying something new.”
Demon: “Why change the old format? Change is bad.”
Me: “My creativity has begun overflowing.”
Angel: “Imagination is a wonderful thing.”
Demon: “Gag me.”
Me: “It will be about the inner conflict of writing, man vs. himself.”
Angel: “Or woman.”
Demon: “Being politically correct sucks.”
Angel: “It’s about how a story is formed from within. Exposing the author’s inner turmoil.”
Demon: “There’d be no turmoil if you two would just do as I say.”
Angel: “This isn’t a dictatorship!”
Me: “Actually, it is. You two are just my advisors. I’ll consider both your ideas but I make the final decision. And that decision is law. Is that clear?”
Angel & Demon: “Crystal.”
Me: “I’m glad we agree.”
RBH
Filed under: Writing Tagged: Angel vs. Demon, dictator, inner conflict, man vs. himself, plot, Writing
June 26, 2012
Changing, Rearranging, Imagining
I’ve blogged here for a while now. Honestly, I haven’t had a clue about what to blog about, I just do it. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.
While I’ve gone through this blogging journey sharing my writing adventures, I’ve always felt something missing. What is it? Drive? Passion? Then it dawned on me while I was writing another chapter in my book what I’ve lacked in my blog. The one thing I don’t give my blog that I put into by books: IMAGINATION. I’ve held back a lot of my craziness. So the future of my blog won’t just be complete written randomness, it will be imaginative randomness.
You’ll understand it all in my next post… stay tuned.
RBH
Filed under: Writing
June 25, 2012
Dumb Dedication
I popped an Advil. Waiting for the drugs to take effect. How much longer? I need to write. I want to write. I have story swimming in my head wanting to get out. Maybe that’s the reason for this monster headache. Too much story building in my genius noggin. The thumb, thumb pulsation is the painful beating of drums pounding under my sensitive skull. I just have to wait it out. The drugs will work. COME ONE DRUGS!! A normal human wouldn’t push it, they’d take it easy. I’m not normal. I HAVE WORLDS TO CONQUER…oh that hurt.
RBH
Filed under: Misadventures Tagged: advil, dedication, drugs, headache, pain, Writing
June 23, 2012
Reference of Choice
Here is a list of references I use most when writing that I have no doubt most people use:
Dictionary.com
Wikipedia
Oh? Where you expecting a long list? Don’t get me wrong, I have piles of reference books in my possession (hardback and paperback). But these two gems are my preferred arsenal. All about the convenience.
RBH
Filed under: Writing Tagged: dictionary.com, reference, Wikipedia, Writing
