Rashad Freeman's Blog, page 2

Rewrites, Edits and Rewrites

Probably the most important part of writing a story is going back and writing it again.  It's probably most authors least favorite task as well.  Don't worry, this post won't be long.  I am no doubt knee deep in this lush, wandering forest of word play.  As a pro at prose I meticulously make metaphors smiling as similes seem to seep from my very fingers.  (Like syrup).  Alive I align my alliteration with allegory allowing all who are too aloof or confuse illusion with allusion to escape delusion better yet confusion characterizing writers as proponents of collusion...and here I understand my need for rewrites and edits because I simply hate comas.

Can writing really be a job....when it's this much fun??!!!

So last night I crept through a rundown seaport in Florida.  I marched through swampy mangroves and evaded a swarm of infected marauders.  Hot wiring a car, I drove all the way to Georgia and met up with one of the last bands of survivors.  We shared horror stories over a campfire, while eating beans from a can I found buried in the forest. This morning I cleaned blood off of my hands with muddy sand at the river bank.  I contemplated discarding the murder weapon, but I'm a sucker for shiny knives with sentimental engravings.  Laughing, I dragged a body into the water and weighted it down with bricks.  I smiled as the raging current took it away to never be seen again.  Good riddance. Later today I'll probably take flight or prepare my weapons stash for the second wave of an alien invasion.  There's a good chance I won't live through the night, since I'm pretty sure there's a traitor in our ranks.  Then, as I slowly fade into my own persona, I'll prepare to give a riveting speech to a middle school full of enthusiastic writers. As I sit here pounding away at a keyboard the looming question confounds me.  Can this really be work?  I'm certainly having too much fun.

It's Walking Dead Time!!!!

So, I'm sitting here writing and watching walking dead.  I wonder what shall transpire this episode.  They're already intubating some unlucky soul and another member has passed onto the zombie realm. This show always makes me wonder just how a real apocalypse would play out.  I mean WHEN our zombie break out occurs just how bad will it get.  I guess that depends on a multitude of factors. I think in order for an effective virus to spread it would have to be airborne.  The whole bite people and you turn thing is exciting and all, but there's no way that would spread quick enough to be uncontainable. Anyway back to the show.  People are dropping left and right from this virus.  Of course they'll come back with some drugs, but how many people they lose who knows.  The show has slowed quite a bit and I can see why.  Zombies are a terminal thing.  Either they take over the world and that's the end or we fight back and get rid of them all.  Trying to keep a showing going season after season based on an antogonist that assimilates everyone is a big ask. At least it's done a great deal to convince the world that zombie's are cool.  I mean everyone has a zombie novel now.  And why not?  It's the perfect line for a story.  A virus that can make you kill your best friend, brother even your wife.  Yeah that plot is full of twists. Well, back to writing I go.

So I don't really blog

It's more of a confession than a statement.  I try to, I really do, but I find myself so caught up in writing that I never get around to it.  So as we prepare to roll into 2014 I'm making a commitment to have a new post at least once a week.  (We'll see how that goes.)  I mean, I need to have something to talk about and those that know me personally realize, that I'm not much of an interesting person.  <---Subtle cry for help.

And since I can't create all the content that you desire, I think it's only fair I at least lead you to some.  I found the following post by JA Konrath pretty cool.  Cool as in inspiring and depressing all at the same time.  Like a kiss from an angel, while being pummeled in the nuts by a battering ram. - http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-by-tom-keller-and-konrath.html

Someday my numbers will be double or triple, or be ten times that.  (Hey I'm trying to catch the real unicorn of book sales, JK Rowling.)  Until then I'll continue to write awesome books that will go ignored by the public at large.  (Are you people crazy?!?!?!?!?)  Still trying to create that silver bullet.

Well, here's post one of the week.  Now I have seven whole days to do something exciting enough to talk about again.  Toodles.

Yep it's Monday

I wonder if I'm the only person that thinks Monday should be eliminated.  Kind of the way superstitious hotels ignore the 13th floor.  Like it's a day we'll just skip over.  Oh it's still there, but for practical purposes it doesn't exist so you can't expect me to do anything on that day.

Anyway, in writing news I finished Rise of the Elementals and it's now available for a whopping .99 cents.  Anyone waiting on Escape, the third installment of the doomsday playbook, I'm sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Who knew that would be such a difficult book to finish.  All I can say is I'm trying.  It doesn't help that everyday I come up with three new story ideas that I have to jot down before they fade away to oblivion.  So on my current writing plate I have Escape (duh), Apocalypse II, Invasion CK3, The lost ones and a few novels under a pen name I'll never reveal.

So, I'm working on a post I'll probably put up later today to complain about free books.  I read some article that seems to be getting some traction.  It was about an author criticized for not writing like an introduction for free.  While most agree with him, as do I, some of the responses seem to think it's his job to do free stuff.  Sad how little respect the writer gets.  I'm mean I have a free title, but it's a short story and it's an intro into a series. 

I'm still busy trying to convince the rest of the world that I'm important.  And I actually possess a very small trace amount of writing talent.  Guess it's harder than it initially sounded.  I did get some pretty spiffy business cards and designed some posters though.  I have a few appearances starting next month and through 2014.  Gonna talk to the youth of America and convince them that reading is cool.  Maybe I'll increase my fan base to two.

To all you Fifty Shades fans, I heard that one actor fellow "pulled out" of playing the lead role.  Guess he thought it may typecast him or ruin his acting career in general.  Honestly if you're E.L. James, who cares.  Her books have become a household name.  Tom Clancy is dead :-( but you knew that already.  Oh, and I've finally convinced Siri to refer to me as "Oh captain my captain," she was very reluctant at first.

Well enjoy the week and happy reading.   

  

Where have all the readers gone...

Today while driving home, well more appropriately flying down I-75, I decided that I'd attempt a little poll.  So I listed a few questions below.  If you feel froggy leave a comment with your answers and we'll see what the data shows.

1) Your age range?
2) Favorite genre to read?
3) Last book read?
4) How do you find new books?
5) Do you regularly read book reviews, if so from where?

Origins Excerpt

“Yes yes, do capture the subject as well.” Heizwick grinned.
Behind him there was a body stretched out across a table. The camera slowly circled around revealing a young boy, no older than thirteen. His body lay limp, strapped down to the metal table with leather bands and chains. He had needles jabbed into him at what looked like random intervals with tubes attached to the ends running into a square case at the end of the table.
Suddenly he sprung to life, twisting and turning. “Please! Please don’t. Just let me go home. I swear I won’t tell anyone.” The boy pleaded, crying out at the top of his lungs.
“Silence child!” Heizwick yelled back.
He stared at the boy with a look of pure disgust, like his very presence was repulsive. Shaking his head he walked to the end of the operating table and pressed a large red button on the top of the square case. There was a loud pop and then a suction noise like air in a vacuum.

I did it!!!!

That's right, after countless hours slaved over a keyboard I've finally finished Volume II of the Creature Kid series.  And if I may say so myself it's pretty awesome.  While Volume I was a lot of setting things up and introducing characters, you really get into the world in Volume II.  I'm really excited for the series and have already started on Volume III, which don't quote me but hopefully I can get out before August.  Also there's a short story prequel called "Rise of the Elementals," that will be out this week.  Anyway back to writing I go, but if you haven't got your copy yet just hit the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Creature-Kid-Volume-ebook/dp/B00DJ8RYZE/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372081558&sr=1-6&keywords=rashad+freeman

Flash in the pan or slow burning amber

It seems like with so many things in life, people focus their efforts on purely the short term.  Maybe it's the nature of our species or a societal ideal thrust upon us at a young age.  Whatever the case may be, most times our greatest efforts are thwarted by short sightedness.  It's like we are given a finite amount of gasoline and we are apt to pour it all into one pan creating the biggest explosion possible, only for it to dwindle quickly and extinguish. We never seem able to stop and connect the dots.  See that not only our actions, but the actions of others and that of the universe are also at work.  Newton so famously said "to every action there is always opposed an equal reaction."  Yet we act as though our lives are conducted in silos.   Take a pile of wood and pour gasoline all over them.  Most times they'll burn themselves out before any real damage can be done.  But a slow burning amber, forgotten by most will continue to burn.  Slowly it will grow and spread it's roots deep.  Focused just the right amount it will eventually set the forest ablaze. Here's to the slow burning amber.    

"The multiplying villanies of nature do swarm upon him"

And here I am purporting pen as brandished steel.  I wonder if when Shakespeare wrote that line in Macbeth he was thinking about me?  Certainly I've had no dealings with witches, although one could debate that.  And unlike our dear friend Macbeth I still yet draw breath.  But it would be surely disingenuous to claim that I haven't had my fair share of swarming. Like many things in life bad fortune often comes by our own doing.  The skies seem to open and the evils of the world descend upon us all at once.  What are men to stand in the way of fate?  Unless we realize that we are the weavers of our own.  Although if you believe that, then there is no fate.  Just a future we create ourselves.  I like that version better. It's definitely the optimist that thinks only he is capable of changing his position, but maybe that's the truth that the realist sees as well.  The pessimist is stuck in a world he is incapable of changing and those with the power lack the desire to do so.  Life is a game by which we only truly learn by trial and error.  And having the courage to take that step into the darkness is all one really needs to achieve greatness. While the statement has been said so many times it's become cliche, it's still worth repeating."Dare to be great."