Howard Andrew Jones's Blog, page 69

Insomnia!

I’m coming off of two bad nights of sleep in a row, and for no particular reason. Every once in a while insomnia sneaks up from behind and clobbers me for a night or two. Bam!

Apart from the lack of sleep it was a wonderful weekend. We had a great time at the family reunion and ate all sorts of delicious food in between various games. Sunday I got to take a long bike ride with my sweetie, and our garden is producing all sorts of great veggies (although we over planted zucchini).

I’ve been flipping through various role-playing-game manuals because I’ve been feeling the itch to start running something again, so long as it’s streamlined. I’m tried of having to feel like I’m studying for a test to run a game. I’m really, really tempted by Barbarians of Lemuria, but I have so much great support material already on hand for various flavors of D&D that I’ll probably go that route. At this point I’m contemplating a mash-up of Crypts & Things, Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea, and Castles & Crusades. There are things I love about each of them, and they’re closely enough related I think I can make it all work together.

With summer winding down my kids have only about a week of freedom left, and today I must drive into town with my son to pick up his books for the semester. I’m also revisiting one of the Paizo Pathfinder short stories I’ve written as a kind of “sneak peek” of the second novel, because I’ve decided the third act is too slow.

If I get some good sleep tonight I’ll try to put my thoughts about outlining into some kind of coherent order…

Words Good. Hulk Not Smash.

I’ve been deep in the trenches writing up a storm. The Hearthstones project is really picking up steam, and if people have as much fun reading it as I’m having writing it I think my audience will be quite satisfied. At this point I’m closing on 50 thousand words, but I’m not sure how long the whole thing will be. (The Bones of the Old Ones is about 115 k.)

It’s my intention to write a longer book, longer books being the vogue in today’s market. Shorter ones seem to be met with some sort of confusion and even disdain, by some. I hope to have a longer book that maintains a high pace, with plenty of mystery and intrigue in amongst the fantasy action and adventure. So far I think I’m doing it.

Part of the reason that I’m not sure of the eventual length is that, despite my detailed outline, the size of the chapters varies once I convert from outline to text. After writing four novels that were right around 90 to 110 thousand words I have a feel for how to do one of those. I sense this will be longer, but I won’t know how long until I hit the halfway point. 150 k? 175k? Hulk not know!

The rest of the day will be devoted to readying for a family reunion, so I’ll sign off. Monday I hope to talk a little about some outlining techniques I’ve been experimenting with. For now, here’s a link to a review by James Reasoner of a book from the Fargo series. As I’ve mentioned before, the allure of western novels always escaped me until I discovered the writing of Ben Haas. Now I’m a fan for life — at least of westerns by Haas. I’ve yet to explore to much further into the genre from him.

Links to Astound and Amaze PLUS Captain Pike!

Last night I had a running dream that I had been an extra on Firefly. Apparently I’d been  a crewman named Ryre who mostly stayed in the background, but had a few sentences in one episode. Of course there WERE no crew  extras on Firefly, and I suppose I knew that at some level, even while dreaming, because I had to get out the e-mails between me and Joss Whedon’s production assistant to show my suspicious friends to prove I had been on the show. Sigh. Turns out it was all a dream. That ending always sucks, doesn’t it?

I’ve got some interesting observations on the craft of writing, but I also have some good links today, so I’ll talk about writing later. Now, some neat places to visit.

 

Novelist Jeff Salyards has a long, thoughtful post about the allure of the fantastic, as seen through a trip to the Renaissance Festival with his young daughter. He also reflects on how it affects his own writing. It’s great stuff, and you should take a look.

It looks like cloning a mammoth may not be as impossible as once believed, which is pretty cool news… although we’re probably decades away. What can I say — elephants have been my favorite animal from the time I was a baby. My parents didn’t know why any more than I did, but of all the stuffed animals young Howard was given, it was the elephant he naturally loved the best. Back before I understood what a huge undertaking having an elephant would be I used to dream of having one of my very own. As long as we’re talking about reviving mammoths, can I have one of these extinct dwarf mammoths that used to wander around islands of the Mediterranean Sea? Better, can I have an elephant about the size of a miniature pony? One of those could probably fit inside my horse pasture! A man can dream, right?

Are you in need of answers? Did you used to watch the original Star Trek? If you can answer yes to both of those questions, have I got an oracle for you! Turn up your speakers and swing by Basic Instructions and Ask Captain Pike! You’re sure to feel fulfilled. After you consult with him, stick around and look through the cartoons on the site, many of which are hilarious. (Why is it I never find out about these things sooner?)

If you think that the Vikings were filthy barbarians, swing by and visit this comically serious look at them by Carolyn Emerick that might change some of your preconceptions. Here’s a sample that illustrates the cleanliness of the Viking folk: “John of Wallingford, an English chronicler, lamented that the Danish men’s habits of washing and changing their clothes regularly was too strong a temptation for English women. Apparently many a marriage was ruined and more than one nobleman’s daughter lost her virtue to a well groomed Dane.”

Lastly, here’s an eye-opening article about the lies commercial companies are permitted to tell you to sell their product. Be sure to read to the bottom and peruse the smack-down that the Australian government gave Coca-Cola. I don’t have anything against Coca-Cola per se. It’s actually my favorite soft drink. I just despise lying liars.

Now I must be off to write. I have wrought enough damage for the day.

 

Against the Fall of Night

Usually, if I have a favorite book I can count on someone else having heard of it. If I mention The Chronicles of Amber, or Swords Against Death (failing that, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser), Robert E. Howard, or even Harold Lamb, most of my reader friends will have heard of the book, author, or series. Most of us fantasy and science fiction readers of a certain age have been exposed to these works.

But no one ever seems to have heard of Michael Arnold’s Against the Fall of Night. I looked it up on Goodreads this morning and found one lone reviewer had given it five stars. Everyone else (but me, now) had only checked it off as something they wanted to read.

Published in 1975, Against the Fall of Night is (mostly) set during the time of the last gasp of the Byzantine Empire, during the reign of the Comnenus dynasty. And its main figure is Andronikus, the one man who might have saved the empire from the horrible mismanagement of his cousin Manuel if he’d had just a little more time and a little better luck. Manuel inherits the throne when he and Andronikus are both young men and then gradually, choice after disastrous choice, fritters away resources and opportunities.

Andronikus is a complex figure — charismatic, rash, daring, and brilliant. He’s torn by loyalty to his cousin and his sense that he could do far better, and eventually rebels. He’s the closest  literary figure I’ve ever seen to Zelazny’s Corwin of Amber. Minus the ability to ride through shadow, I mean.

The novel opens with the sacking of Constantinople by the Franks during the 4th Crusade, after which Constantinople and the empire endured only as a shadow of its former glory. Arnold postulates that if Andronikus had succeeded, the sacking would never have happened, and once you get to know Andronikus over the course of the novel you’re pretty certain he’s right.

I stumbled upon Against the Fall of Night while I was wandering through the county library late in junior high. I’d never heard of the book or the author, but the blurb looked good. It was probably the thickest tome I’d ever read at the time, and I have to confess that during the long opening prologue, when it’s mostly about the horrible sacking of Constantinople, I almost stopped reading. But once the main portion began I was almost immediately enthralled. Arnold brought the time and place to life so well that the strange became real. From the outset I knew Andronikus would fail, but I didn’t know how, or why it mattered. Pretty soon I began to care, deeply, and was rooting him on.

I loved that book. It was the first non-spec fic book I’d ever read that I liked so well, and it launched me into an exploration of other books about the Byzantine Empire… but none were as good, and by the end of the summer I’d actually checked it out again and read it all the way through. In my mid-twenties my friend Robert Farley found a copy at a library book sale and gifted it to me, and I discovered it was just as fine on a third reading. Powerful, moving, full of fascinating characters, intrigue, and action, it was just one helluva good read.

Yet it seems to have been the last book Michael Arnold ever wrote. I’ve never been able to learn much more about Mr. Arnold, and, as I mentioned, never met anyone but Robert who had read and enjoyed the book. These days, when fantasy readers routinely seem to prefer monster tomes of multiple volumes, I imagine they might find Against the Fall of Night right up their alley. Sure, there’s no dragons or magic, but there’s a lot of popular low magic settings in print today. And the setting is so vivid yet unfamiliar it might as well be an imaginary place. Most of us really don’t know too much about the late Byzantine Empire.

Has anyone else out there read and loved this book? If not, will someone read it? Maybe we can form a club and wear I Heart Andonikus t-shirts to conventions…

 

Sword-and-Sorcery Gaming

Even though I have a vast assortment of old role-playing modules staring down at me from my bookshelves, and even though it’s been a few years since I played, I’m still tempted sometimes to buy more. I can’t help it — I’ve been a gamer since junior high. Ever since I was 12 or so I don’t think I’ve gone more than 2 years at any stretch without playing (or, usually, running) an adventure or campaign, and one of the things I love most is reading through adventure supplements. It’s the storyteller in me, I suppose.

Right now I’m tempted by a pretty nifty setting on Kickstarter titled Primeval Thule. If you’re a sword-and-sorcery fan you should really go take a look. It sounds cool enough that it might be a good read even if you’re not interested in playing a game. As of the moment I’m typing this note, there’s only about 50 hours to pledge money to the project, so I thought I’d  help spread the word.

Last year I was tempted by a game titled Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea for pretty much the same reason. It’s clearly designed by sword-and-sorcery fans and the setting sounds like it would be a blast to read. So far I’ve resisted the impulse, but sooner or later I may crack and pick it up. I would probably already have done so if I was actually running a game these days.

Any of you gamers have a recommendation for the best sword-and-sorcery style setting you’ve read? This one looks great, but so far as I can tell it’s never been released! Blade of the Iron Throne is excellent — I managed to read a sort of “sneak peek” edition.

I think my two favorite sword-and-sorcery settings are the one found in Barbarians of Lemuria and Legends of Steel, both of which I liked well enough to purchase in dead-tree format. I noted as I was creating the product links for this essay that a reviewer complained that there was no difference between the two and that the system was basically the same. Well, yes, the system is almost the same, but the world and the adventures are different, and they’re both glorious old school fun. I suppose that some people are more interested in the numbers than the system, but I just don’t get that. More than half the fun is reading about all the inspiring locations just dripping with the promise of adventure…

Writing Star Trek Pastiche

It’s not as though I have a whole lot of free time. And it’s not as though I don’t already have enough projects. For instance, I’m working on a new trilogy and I intend on having at least one and a half written before book one goes to press. I’m brainstorming some new Paizo Pathfinder books as well, and at some point I’m likely to be working on both series at the same time.

Yet after that extended look at the original Star Trek the other week I had a doh! moment and wondered why I’ve never considered writing a Star Trek novel.

I suppose I should rephrase… since becoming a professional writer, why have I never considered writing a Star Trek novel? I used to write Star Trek fiction all the time and I know the original series like the back of my hand. If I could talk to the series editors (a little simpler now that I have a proven track record) I bet writing Star Trek could be a lot of fun and earn me some money.

But I’m completely out of touch with modern Star Trek books. I haven’t read one in thirty years, and until I went to the bookstore last week I wasn’t even sure that A. they were still being written and B. that there were still books about the original series (and not the reboot original series). Turns out it was a yes to both questions.

So now, before I seriously contemplate approaching series editors, I want to get a feel for the kind of Star Trek books that are being publishing right now.

Just so you know, I may never got any further with this idea than kicking it around (see the aforementioned “how busy I am” comments at the top of this post). I might go no further than simply reading a little Star Trek, which isn’t going to hurt me unless it’s really bad. I picked up Allegiance in Exile by David R. George III. Do any of my visitors have any opinions on it? Is the book representative of the new Star Trek novels? Of the recent ones about the original series, which are most typical? Which are best?

I’m reminded of my request some years back for which were the best Conan pastiche novels. Some proved much, much better than others, and most weren’t worth reading at all. I suspect it’s the same with the Star Trek books, but I hope I’m wrong. I know there were a lot of iffy ones back when I was reading them in the ’80s. As with Conan pastiche I’ve discovered no real master list of good and bad Star Trek pastiche, unless you count Amazon or Goodreads rankings, which are far too arbitrary. I’d prefer some kind of site run by a trustworthy reviewer. Anyway, I’d be grateful of you’d share your opinion on this, or point me towards a site that does. Enquiring minds want to know.

Oranges, Smoranges

I love oranges. Hands-down, an orange is my favorite fruit. The problem is that for the last twenty years or so I’ve rarely been able to find a good one. I used to eat them all the time when I was a child — just regular grocery store oranges that were sweet but had a hint of tartness. Something changed, though, and for years now every time I try to buy a grocery store orange it’s tasteless and chewy, or dry and chewy, or juicy but bland. Faced with such oranges, my children didn’t even understand why I wanted to eat one.

I was beginning to think that my tastes had simply changed (I used to love some pretty godawful breakfast cereals and candy, after all) until I had an orange in Hawaii and, oddly enough, a really good one in a hospital cafeteria.  I then knew that good oranges hadn’t been a figment of my imagination and the challenge was to find how to get ahold of the good ones.

Anyway, a few months back I finally discovered a brand named Earthbound Farms Organic that consistently gives me the taste I desire. It costs a dollar more a bag for them than the other oranges carried by the local grocers, but they’re completely worth it. I may sound like an infomercial, but the product pleases me mightily, and I will continue to give them my money so long as their oranges taste so very, very fine.

To celebrate, here’s a wonderful song about oranges.

Oh, in case anyone’s curious, my new writing project is really catching fire. Very happy with the fireworks that are happening now with Hearthstones.

 

GenCon Schedule

My GenCon schedule is now finalized, complete with the times I’ll be joining the friendly folks at the Paizo booth in the Great Hall.

I know I’ve said this in public before, but it bears repeating. GenCon itself is great fun and the Writer’s Symposium is one of its best kept secrets. There are hours and hours worth of panels on great topics that should be of interest to writers (and readers), with guests that range from talented semi-professionals to seasoned and famous industry leaders, like Lou Anders, Patrick Rothfuss, Mary Robinette Kowal, Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson… I could go on and on. To top it all off, things are well-run and organized. Last year was my first year to be involved with the symposium and I had such a fine time that I’ve enthusiastically recommended it to many friends, and decided to attend GenCon for all all four days so that I could participate more fully.

If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll stop by, and if you’re already coming, I hope you’ll swing by the rooms in the convention center where the symposium is under swing.

Here’s my schedule. Some of the names on the panels below may change depending upon the schedules of the other participants, but I think this is mostly accurate.

Thursday, August 15

9:00 ROOM 1 Memorable Characters

Scott Lynch, Mary Robinette Kowal, Erin M. Evans

Learn how to create compelling characters that readers will never forget.

12:00 ROOM 2 Beating Writer’s Block

Kelly Swails, Jerry Gordon, Paul Genesse

We’re here with advice that will help you break the block and get writing again!

1:00 – 2:00 GREAT HALL/PAIZO BOOTH Signing

I’ll be in the hall of treasures at multiple times over the convention, and I hope you’ll swing by to chat about writing, get a book signed, or simply to wave hello as you’re picking up various Paizo goodies at their booth.

4:00 GREAT HALL/PAIZO BOOTH Signing

5:00 ROOM 3 Reading

I’ll be sharing a reading with the talented Matt Forbeck. I’m not sure what he’ll be reading from, but I’ll probably select an unpublished short story.

Matt Forbeck

Friday, August 16

8:00 ROOM 2 Worldbuilding for Writers

Richard Lee Byers, Dave Farland, Lou Anders

A crash course in the art of building an amazing world to support your stories.

9:00 ROOM 2 Fantastic Geography

Lou Anders, Erik Scott de Bie, Daniel Myers

Cartography tips for authors to help you build an incredible world for your fiction.

10:30 — 11:30 GREAT HALL/PAIZO BOOTH Signing

I’ll be over at the Paizo booth. I hope you’ll swing by and say hello!

12:00 ROOM 2 Governments & The Rule of Law

Richard Lee Byers, James Sutter, Jim C. Hines

Explore ways to build governments and laws that support your story and drive your plot.

4:00-5:00 GREAT HALL/PAIZO BOOTH Signing

I’ll be over at the Paizo booth. I hope you’ll swing by and say hello!

Saturday, August 17

9:00 ROOM 1 RPG Fiction

James L. Sutter, Lou Anders, Howard Tayler

Discover the art of writing amazing RPG tie-in fiction from RPG industry experts.

11:00 ROOM 3 VIP Character Motivation

Deep dive into the art of character motivation in this exclusive 8 seat, round-table style panel.

1:00 – 3:00 GREAT HALL/PAIZO BOOTH Signing

I’ll be over at the Paizo booth. I hope you’ll swing by and say hello!

Link Day

I need to hit the ground running today, so I’m going to hook you up with some nifty and eclectic links.

First, a post from my talented writer friend Alex Bledsoe that ought to be of interest to any fan of heroic fantasy fiction. This one’s all about a more and more dated term: “Heroine.” Drop by and take a look.

Then there’s a pretty neat essay on what pretty much amounts to a thieve’s guild of ancient Baghdad and the peculiar tools they used to work their crimes, including a tortoise!

Have you heard about the new concept super fast train that could get you from New York to LA in under an hour? We have the technology now to make it work! Check it out, here.

Lastly, I ran across some really excellent writing advice from another writer friend, Harry Connolly. All you writers out there ought to drop by and give it a read — it’s good stuff.

 

Weekend Trek

It was a busy weekend. The family drove to St. Louis Friday night so I could wake up Saturday morning and fly to Minnesota to hear my son’s performance at a music composition camp, then fly back with him to St. Louis and drive home. My son’s composition was brilliant (and so too were those of many of his fellow camp members).

I had a lot of down time, but I also had a lot of really bad sleep. I’m still pretty exhausted, actually. I did have a few observations, though.

1. The security personnel at the Minneapolis airport were some of the best humored I have ever dealt with. Two thumbs up for them for being professional, courteous, and good spirited. The bonhomie actually seemed to permeate the entire staff. (And here’s a mildly curious aside — as my son and I were lining up for the security check I passed a gentleman getting in line to check his bags, and danged if I didn’t do a double-take. He wasn’t some guy who vaguely resembled Al Franken… he was Senator Al Franken. I suppose that it’s not at all remarkable that Al Franken should ride planes, or that he should be in Minneapolis, seeing as how he’s a senator from Minnesota, so perhaps it’s not actually that interesting an aside…)

2. If you’re ever eating at the P.F. Chang restaurant near Brentwood in St. Louis, ask for Zach. He’s the best waiter I’ve met in many years, surpassing many at far more exclusive restaurants. He was seriously excellent.

3. While waiting in airports I spent a lot of time revisiting David Gerrold’s The World of Star Trek and discovered that it’s actually a really excellent book for writers. I’ve had it on my shelf since I was ten or twelve, but haven’t picked it up to read since I was fifteen or so. In any case, it’s just chock full of great discussions about plot and character, how to avoid formula, and so on. I found myself wishing that the reboot writers had taken a very close look at all of Gerrold’s observations.

Gerrold cites a lot of original episodes to make his points about good or bad features, and while he’s speaking specifically about Star Trek, all of those lessons can be applied generally to other writing. I’d highly recommend it to all writers… except that you have to be extremely knowledgeable about the original Star Trek to understand a lot of the thrust of his arguments.

Right — off to get back to work on my Hearthstones novel. Hard to believe GenCon is practically around the corner now!