Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 79
July 26, 2012
Should horror be its own genre?
Reblogged from World Weaver Press:
Is horror a genre, or is it an aesthetic? This guest post by Elizabeth Twist, a writer and life-long horror fan, seeks to answer that question and suggest a new understanding of “horror” in film and fiction.
I am a horror fan and much of what I write is horror – or at least, I think of it that way. I am frequently subject to the following exchange:
A great post the discusses Horror as a genre and raises a few interesting points about that age old statement..."I don't like horror."
July 24, 2012
Frustration Halts Play
I have been working on my current novel for a few months now, and am nowhere near where I had wanted to be.
The novel will have 20 chapters, and I am only now starting to write Chapter 6. It annoys me in many ways, because I am tough on myself and don’t like to see time wasted. Yet that is exactly what I seem to be doing. Don’t get me wrong, it is productive time wasted, because I am still writing. Just not on what I should be working on. I often write short stories during the novel-writing process, but they are usually quick flash fiction pieces, but the last month has seen me pen two decent lengths stories that have taken up a lot of my time.
Why?
The simple answer is that I just cannot get into this novel. I know what I want, but I can’t seem to get it down on paper.
Without giving too much away, the story is set on a golf course and is basically a fictional biography. Two friends, police officers, are walking the course, looking for a murder suspect, and as they go, one friend starts talking, this turns into a confession of sorts. He starts with his childhood abuse – which his friend knew nothing about – and continues through his life until the present day. We see his mistakes, the dark life he really lives. The drinking, smoking, planting evidence on people to get ahead etc.
It is basically a look at character, and the breakdown of human nature. I guess you could find a similarity (of sorts) with the movie falling down. Every step Michael Douglas takes, seems to push him further and further over the edge, when really, all he wanted to do was get home.
I have had this novel in my head for years, and it has gone through several transformations. In fact, the entire Highway to Hell trilogy was spawned from this one idea.
I love what the novel could be, and I like the way it is going, but I have never really written something so intensely character driven. I guess you could say I am nervous about not doing it well. In the Highway series, I can fall back on the storyline, the characters or the settings to keep things moving if I get bogged down. Here, the relationship is the key. The other thing is, the storyline is kind of Hitchcock by design, as in, I want to give as little away as I can, to keep people guessing, until the very last couple of pages, where the big reveal comes out.
I have those pages already written, and love them.
I am sure I just need to knuckle down and focus on it a little more. Forget my worries and just write what comes to my mind.
What was it that Stephen King says “Write with the door shut, edit with the door open.” (rather, that was what he was told when he was young). I love this quote, and think that maybe it is time I took the advice on this novel. That is how I have always worked in the past… so why not this time?
I am trying to edit as a go on this one too. Chapter by Chapter. I write a chapter, then edit it. I like the feel of it, and know that when I am done, the first draft will should be pretty tight. I also need to remind myself that this means writing the complete draft will take longer because of the same reasons.
I love this novel, and I love what it promises to show, and think it demonstrates my abilities in a different light to the Highway novels, and perhaps that is it. I want to write it too well, too badly.
Anyway, I have rambled for a while now, and not really made a point. I guess this post doesn’t actually have one, it was more of a brain dump… making space for those ideas that will propel me forward once more. 
I promise, my post tomorrow will be full of points, and questions, and meaningful topics.
Thanks for reading.
Excerpt from “Vengeance of the Wolf” by Solitaire Parke
A fog rolled in, tangible yet dreamlike in its quality, and formed a rough circle around Jack Kinnesen. Jack, the Governor of Montana, had lived here his entire life and had never seen anything like this before. Faintly in the distance he could hear wolves crying at something only they could see. A cracking sound, slight at first, then growing louder caused Jack to turn. A tree was coming up out of the ground, complete with fruit and branches, waving in the breeze that only moments ago had not been there. “Jesus, what in the name…” The branches were all waving at Jack now and making threatening motions when the first of the fruit suddenly flew off and headed directly toward his face.
Jack side stepped the approaching missile and watched as it sailed well beyond him.
Without warning the tree suddenly launched the remainder of its fruit and Jack, as agile as he was, could not dodge but a fraction of the oncoming projectiles. Pelted hard, Jack stumbled and went down under the attack. “Jesus Christ” Jack shook his head and pulled himself to his knees. The howling of the wolves was growing louder with every moment and the sound of many paws against the ground pounded in Jack’s ears. The fruit tree was waving in the breeze and aging at an alarming rate as time moved to accelerate its growth. The wood grew brittle and, with a shriek, suddenly exploded shooting fragments in all directions. Again, Jack attempted to dodge the pieces but failed and was driven to the ground by the onslaught.
Like the eye of a storm, Jack could see the fog rolling in upon itself and rotating anti-clockwise around him. The roaring of the wind became deafening and yet Jack could still hear the wolves as they approached. Now on his feet, Jack went to pull the revolver that he always wore when in the backlands. He involuntarily jerked when his hand found nothing at his side but the thin material that constituted what was left of his pajamas.
“What the Hell is happening?
Frantically he scanned for anything that could be used as a weapon but found only sand. The fragments of the tree had mysteriously disappeared within the maelstrom that surrounded him. An outline formed, vaguely human, in the wind that encircled him and stepped through to the calm zone that Jack occupied.
“Hi Jack…Looking for this?” It held a revolver up where Jack could see the markings, proving its origin. Jack again looked at his side, confusion clearly written on his face. Without provocation, It tossed the gun into the wind, where it was lost immediately. “Choosing you was difficult, Jack. You’re really not like the rest…But you were there, you were there Jack.”
It was nervously pacing and wringing what should have been Its hands. The indecision could be felt as if It could not quite force Itself to do what must be done.
Jack puzzled, replied; “I was where?”
It swelled, visibly larger than a moment before. A growling emerged from Its lipless mouth. “How quickly they forget… How quickly they hide from the truth. Does ignorance make it right? Like amnesia, only destructive- but strength or not it won’t help you this time.”
Jack turned around as if looking for something, when suddenly enlightened, said;
“This is a dream…this is not real, you’re not real, none of this is happening.”
“Don’t count on waking up this time Jack.”
Eyes narrowing, Jack turned back to face It. “I suppose I should be frightened.”
Without pausing for the statement to even be finished, It lurched forward with ungodly speed. “I suppose you should be dead.”
Never slowing, It passed through him like a specter, and emerged on the other side with Jack’s heart in Its hand. Jack stiffened as It went through and grimaced in obvious pain. Turning proved to be impossible and Jack’s knees felt like mush. Ever so slowly, Jack slumped to the ground and lay facing his antagonist. The heart was beating and It looked at the muscle as if fascinated and enthralled.
A low roaring was in Jack’s ears and he could still hear the wolves as they approached. “I hope those wolves kill you when they get here.” Jack winced with the effort of speaking.
“Don’t count on it Asshole.”
Solitaire Parke…
…was born in Bakersfield, California in 1952. He has been avidly reading books of all kinds, but especially Science Fiction books, since he was twelve years old. It was the author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose style of writing evoked a passion for the written word and became his inspiration. Throughout his life he has acquired a degree in Music Theory, a Masters in Photography and spent a decade and a half in Graphic and Web Design. He is currently pursuing his dream of being a full-time Author. His books range from Horror/Thriller to Science Fiction as well as Metaphysical and Poetry. He resides in Arizona with his family and is the proud owner of Tairobi…his Manx cat. He has been a huge help in the writing process!
Website: http://www.solitaireparke.com
Blog: http://solitaireparke.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/solitaireparke
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/solitaireparke
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solitaireparke
Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/solitaire-parke/vengeance-of-the-wolf/ebook/product-18915748.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/154646
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vengeance-of-the-wolf-solitaire-parke/1006193575?ean=9781105463600&itm=1&usri=solitaire+parke
July 23, 2012
Allow Me To Introduce: Solitaire Parke
Today it is my pleasure to introduce another writer that I have as I have traveled the often lonely author roads. Without further ado and / or waffle from me…
Allow me to introduce Mr. Solitaire Parke.
As a horror writer, I simply must ask….
What is your favorite scary movie.
Village of the Damned
2. If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
Tarzan
Now for something completely different.
3. What is your favorite word?
Accepted.
4. What is your favorite color
Green
When I was younger I got kicked out of my English class for using this classic excuse. The only thing was for me it was true.
5. Has the dog ever eaten your manuscript?
No, but my cat wrote pages fifty-two through fifty-five of The Emerald Dragon.
6. What do you consider your biggest failure?
Losing the copyright to a song I wrote when I was fifteen. It went on to become a hit.
7. Do you laugh at your own jokes?
Yeah, sometimes I even do that snort thing at the end.
8. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Iron Man.
9. How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?
Cuss under my breath in Hebrew, and then work harder. I try not to let it get to me, sometimes successful…sometimes not.
Let’s change it up a little bit for the next question
10. What’s your favorite fruit?
Watermelon
11. What’s the most blatant lie you’ve ever told?
I told a woman once that I was five foot eight on the outside, but was seven-foot four on the inside and it made for tight skin and a bad disposition. She believed me.
12. What is the biggest sacrifice you have made for your writing?
My income. I quit my job to do this full-time.
13. What inspired you to write your first book?
My mom died on the operating table and was gone for four minutes. She told me about being out of body when she came back. It spawned the book “Beyond the Astral Planes.”
14. You have written novels across a very wide range of genres. Do you think that is an option more readily available to an indie writer than someone who has followed the more traditional route?
I’m too much of a rogue to conform to one thing because a company tells me to. I think all of us should write what we feel.
15. If you had to pick just one genre to write in, what one would it be and why?
It would probably be Fantasy because it’s just too much fun not to.
16. What books have most influenced your life most?
Edgar Rice Burroughs – A Princess of Mars, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula
17. Was there ever a time in your life when you were truly scared?
Once many years ago, my wife almost died due to illness. We were both eighteen and I was pretty scared.
Solitaire Parke…
was born in Bakersfield, California in 1952. He has been avidly reading books of all kinds, but especially Science Fiction books, since he was twelve years old. It was the author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose style of writing evoked a passion for the written word and became his inspiration. Throughout his life he has acquired a degree in Music Theory, a Masters in Photography and spent a decade and a half in Graphic and Web Design. He is currently pursuing his dream of being a full-time Author. His books range from Horror/Thriller to Science Fiction as well as Metaphysical and Poetry. He resides in Arizona with his family and is the proud owner of Tairobi…his Manx cat. He has been a huge help in the writing process!
Website: http://www.solitaireparke.com
Blog: http://solitaireparke.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/solitaireparke
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/solitaireparke
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solitaireparke
Vengeance of the Wolf…
is a harrowing story of a man exacting revenge on those he has deemed responsible for the loss of his beloved wolf puppy, killed many years before at a Presidential parade. A fragile young boy was at that moment forever changed, and the maniacal vendetta of a psychotic killer was created. What follows is a killing spree so brilliantly carried out, that it seems nearly unstoppable. Detective, John Yardley, and FBI Agent, Frank Williams, are on a quest to stop this manipulative, unknown mass murderer, whose targets seem to be specific politicians, in a bizarre and insane killing spree…one that draws them into a world of dreams and nightmares beyond their wildest imaginations. Awaiting them are unbelievable terrors, chilling twists and turns and a scope of destruction that they would never have believed possible!
(An extract of Vengeance of the Wolf will be posted later today.)
Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/shop/solitaire-parke/vengeance-of-the-wolf/ebook/product-18915748.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/154646
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vengeance-of-the-wolf-solitaire-parke/1006193575?ean=9781105463600&itm=1&usri=solitaire+parke
July 22, 2012
An Unfollow Frenzy
As always on a Sunday, I wake up with the intention of cleaning. It is the one day of the week reserved for the big clean. Sure, we dust vacuum and clean during the week, but Sunday is for the big things, windows, beds, rabbits, gardening etc.
However, this morning when I woke, I had an extra item on the list. Something that I have been putting off for a long time, but realized just the other day, that I was actually hurting myself more than anything.
I’m talking about Twitter.
I have been stuck at 1500 followers for a long time, and I have been stuck at a following limit for a long time. I used Twitter, a lot, but I never really knew what I was doing. Not in terms of growing my following at least.
I found a number of apps that offered to unfollow people for me, and after careful deliberation I chose Tweepi. It is simply to use, nothing more than checking a box and clicking ‘unfollow’.
What shocked me the most was that I was following 800 people who didn’t follow me back. 800!!
I’ll take those 800 off your hands.
It didn’t take long, but by the end of it all, I removed everybody that wasn’t following my back… apart from Stephen Fry and Clive Barker that is.
If anybody happens to be reading this blog and wondering why I unfollowed you, then the answer is simple. It is my new policy. If I am not followed back within a set period of time, I will in return stop following you.
It is nothing personal… well, maybe a little. Twitter is a platform building tool, and I will not get very far building on foundations that offer me no support in return. I have my friend Armand Rosamilia to thank for this new-found way of Twittering.
Another thing I am going to change is the people I choose to follow. I won’t just follow blindly any more, rather I am going to make sure that the folks I follow are people who share my interests, and will be tweeting things I actually want to read. I lost track of how many random accounts I was following that either tweeted an endless stream of self promoting bollocks without anything real in between, or businesses that had a catchy slogan, but never actually tweeted anything resembled the advice they claimed to deliver.
I don’t know how this is going to pan out, but I feel good about my Twitter self, and think that this could very well be the first step on my way to the next level of the platform.
July 19, 2012
Speed: You’ve Either Got it or You Don’t
I haven’t posted much again this week. I’m not sure what has been going on, but my rhythm is all out of kilter. Boy have my stats taken a hit on that. Although… I think personally my posts this month have been some of my better ones. Still, I digress.
As it is Friday, I wanted to keep it light. The weekend is coming and everybody is in high spirits. So let’s take a moment to discuss;
That’s right… Zombies. I have always loved a good zombie movie, but have never really tried reading anything in the zombie genre. A couple of short stories a month or so ago, but that was it. Yet, I find myself being inexplicably drawn to them in recent times.
I know that there are two schools of thought when it comes to zombies.
School… I remember that, my teacher was delicious
You have George Romero, the undeniable master of all things zombie, and then you have Danny Boyle, who changed the genre in one simple way… SPEED.
“What about Me?”
Rob you rock, but we’re talking about the undead here
There is a continuing debate about whether zombies can run or not. Me, I kind of like the idea, but don’t it should become a standard. Perhaps giving them the ability to walk briskly would be a happy medium.
What do you think?
July 16, 2012
Writing Subtitles: Where Does it All Go Wrong?
I love writing, but there is one job that I would not want to have. Writing subtitles for television and films.
Ok, maybe that is a bit of a harsh statement, I mean I would never turn down a writing opportunity. It is not so much the writing of the subtitles that would give me trouble, but rather the meaning of the translations. Living in a Non-English speaking country, I have seen my fair share of subtitles; especially as Holland do not dub shows, and the majority of their scheduling is made up of US (or sometimes UK) based shows.
The hardest part of subtitle writing, besides the whole, knowing the language part, is that it isn’t enough to know the words, but to understand them. To identify one cultural reference and turn it into a similar reference for the county you are writing for, and that is something I don’t think I could every do. I mean, I speak fluent Dutch, and can read it pretty good, but I don’t get the true intricacies of the language. The plays on words, and the (once again) cultural references. The same goes for humor. Subtitling jokes just cannot be done, or at least, doesn’t appear to be done, by current standards.
I will never forget this one time, it was when my son was little and I was up early. There was an episode of the Cosby Show just finishing, and the two daughters had been home alone watching scary movies. The vampire scared them the most and when the parents came home the girls were sleeping. The eldest clutched a bowl of garlic, and the translation was “That’s to scare the vampire away” (good enough) and the youngest had a large piece of meat on her chest. The joke was (obvious enough to me at the time) that it was the *steak* to drive through the vampire’s heart, but the translation read as “That’s for the vampire to eat so that they can get away.”) Whether it was just a poor job or a regularity I don’t know, but it was the first time I had ever really paid attention to the subtitles and after that my image of them was clearly tarnished.
Mistakes are to be expected, but sometimes it leaves me scratching my head. Things such as times and distances. The dialogue says, “the call came in at Ten-twenty” while the subtitles will say 11:35, or “it’s five miles away from here, and subtitles will say thirteen. That isn’t even the same in kilometers.
I will admit that often, the fan created subtitles are the best, in terms of accuracy and also with regards keeping pace with the show / movie. I’m not sure what that says about the industry, but it is something I always keep in mind if ever I need subtitles for something.
Still, if I was given a project I really liked, a show that I knew well, not something I had never seen before, then I would probably give subtitle writing a go. I know, I know, complete one-eighty to the start right. I told you I was being a bit harsh. It isn’t a job I would want, not because of the pressure of the work, but simply because I wouldn’t want to put something sub-standard out there. I wouldn’t put a book out there (anymore) that wasn’t ready, and I would feel ashamed, personally, if a piece of work I subtitled was aired filled with as many holes as the current ones seem to be.
The same goes for Live subtitles. It is not something I understand, live subtitles. I’m talking for sports events and the like. I mean, it is hard enough to write, but to do it accurately and with not more than a couple of seconds delay is almost impossible. It is also to see on the quality of the work.
Two examples that spring to mind are from sports events. One was the (Soccer) World Cup in Japan and South Korea. It was Russia vs Japan and the commentator said “The Russians are in red, the Japanese are playing in blue.” while the subtitles proclaimed “The Russians are in red, the Japanese are playing in a balloon.”
The second was during Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the live subtitles continued to refer to Maria Sharapova or ‘Mary Shared Rover’. I know, the balloon one I get, but the Rover comment. I think the guy must have been drunk or similarly impaired.
Writing is different in every form, from scripts to poetry, from ghost writing to your own fiction, short stories to novels, I could go on (but it would only be for the word count, and I’m not in school any more) but you get the picture. What strengths do you think make a good subtitle writer. Is it something you have ever thought about, or is my mind just working in odd ways?
I have respect for those that accept the challenge of doing the work, and once again think it proves the point that ALL writing should be thoroughly edited before it is distributed to the marketplace.
July 13, 2012
To Tweet or Not To Tweet…
I have kind of fallen out of love with Twitter. Don’t ask me why, for there is no reason. When I open it, I can chat away on it for hours, but for some reason I just never open the tab for it anymore. I think it is because I was using it a lot, sharing my posts, and when I was promoting a book, I used it to promote my links. This was one on a regular basis, and so, I also felt the need to tweet a lot in between. I didn’t want to look like a complete spammer.
Are you a real boy?
Since my book has been removed from sale – pending its republication with MayDecember publications, my need to use twitter on such a regular basis has gone. I have had several conversations with people about how to use twitter, and to say that people’s answers and opinions differed would be a waste of time. However, the majority of people said there was no need to use twitter ever hour or what-have-you.
So, I ask you, when it comes to twitter;
How much is too much?
The answers I have heard range from three times a day to as often as possible because you don’t want to be forgotten.
Personally, I think that the answer lies somewhere in between. To a large extent it does depend on your purpose. Are you tweeting to chat, to network, or to sell something. Living outside of the US, I knew that the majority of my audience was on a different timezone to me, and so would tweet more in my afternoon and evening because that was when the Americas started to wake up and so I saw a direct, positive effect for my efforts.
Another factor of course is how many followers you have, and to a degree, how many they have. Twitter is a living breathing engine, and it is constantly updating itself. If you have 150 followers, and follow 150 people, then tweeting three or four times a day might well be effective. If however, you have 250,000 followers and follow 100,00 tweeting once an hour may be more beneficial simply because your words will be lost in a sea of twit-babble.
I am planning to get back into Twitter, and when I do it will be at a slower tempo, after all, too much of a good thing makes it bad.
How often do you send out a tweet?
What about the re-tweet, does this count as interaction, or do the same rules apply. Does an account that is nothing but re-tweets appear less than genuine? I love the re-tweet button, and hope I don’t overuse it. Although I will admit, I do not always read the links that I am re-tweeting. Bad isn’t it. But this is only for those people I know well, and whose posts I always enjoy.
Do you re-tweet? Do you do it for links, funny tweets or a mixture of the two?
July 9, 2012
Who would win in a fight between…
It’s Monday morning, so I thought I would start the week of easy. Also, I hadn’t had time to prepare anything more in-depth. I apologize.
This post follows on from a discussion I had with a few friends last week, and now I put it to you. A good, old-fashioned ‘Who Would Win’ post.
Today’s combatants are:
In the blue corner:
The Queen.
while fighting out of the red corner is:
Blair-Thing
Alright you guys, This fight is schedule for 4 rounds, I want a good clean fi….ah fuck it, just go kill each other!
Seconds Out!!
Round 1:
Both fighters come out swinging. The opening moments are cagey, neither combatant wanting to give their game plan away too early. This fight could be decided by a single moment, and they know it.
Queen throws a tail strike, but Blair avoids it, countering with a whip of his own canine tail. The queen takes a hit but it was nothing more than a glancing blow The queen moves fast, scurrying around her slower opponent, she lashes out with a claw. The razor-sharp nail misses, but the blow brings the contest back onto an even footing.
Round 2:
After a nervy first round, the second sets itself for more of the same. The fighters circle each other, Blair snarls and swipes out with a long clawed jab, Queen takes the hit, shakes it off and launches a short flurry of shots that take Blair by surprise.
Blair drops it arms, dips it shoulder, to throw a punch. Queen telegraphs it and moves to one side, but doesn’t see the tail lunge over Blair’s shoulder. A direct hit. Teeth sink into the flesh. Queen roars in pain, but the rabid end of Blair’s tail releases its grip, yapping in agony, as the acidic blood burns its gums. With its jaw melted, the bulbous end of Blair’s tale is nothing more than dead weight. Just a second, Blair whips its tail again, swinging it like mace. Queen takes the shot to the side of the head and falls into the ropes just as the bell sounds.
Round 3
After an action packed second round, both fighters are already starting to show signs of wear and tear. The corner have been unable to stop the flow of blood from Queens wound, and the ring is being dissolved as a result. I hope we get a winner soon, it would be a shame to have the decision come down to a technicality.
A quiet round, only briefly brought to life by a vicious tail strike from Queen. A cut is opened up on Blair’s chest, but he easily dodges the spear strike to close out the round.
Round 4
We’ve reached the final round with everything still to play for. Both fighters have earned their right to be here at the end, but will they both be standing at the end bell. Blair is slower out of the corner, the wound across his chest seems to be bothering him.
Queen raises her head, she can smell opportunity. Out of nowhere, she charges Blair, who seems dazed. Unable to block the attacked, the fighters hit the floor. A flurry of shots ring out. The tails interlock, claws slash and cleave flesh from the bone. A co-mingled roar echoes around the arena as the scent of blood drives both combatants wild. Blair is pinned beneath the Queen, she leans over, applying all of her body weight. She opens her mouth, spit burns a hole through Blair’s face. I think we all know what’s coming. The attack tongue slowly extends out of the Queen’s gaping maw. But what’s this, Blair Thing is smiling, it’s laughing. Oh my god, Queen thinks she’s won but watch. Blair Thing is changing, it must have absorbed some of the Alien DNA during that final attack of Round 3. It’s assimilating with the Alien into … Queen Thing.
With a ferocious kick of its new powerful legs, Queen Thing frees itself and jumps to its feet. Three attack tongues shoot from its body and lock on to their target. Queen struggles but she can’t move, she is paralyzed. Thing moves in for the kill, and there it is folks. A decapitation to end the fight.
and the Winner is: The Blair (Queen) Thing
What a fight that was. For a while there the fight could have gone either way, but in the end, the assimilation factor made the difference.
Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together one last time as we remember the fallen and salute the victory.
THE THING!!
