Travis Thrasher's Blog, page 14

The Hinterlands Saga

This year I decided to embark on a fun writing & publishing venture. I’m planning and hoping to blog a novel chapter-by-chapter. The novel is called The Howling Wind and it’s the first of a three book trilogy called The Hinterlands. (Check out the blog here)
So what exactly is this story all about? Here’s a brief write-up on the series. It’s still deliberately vague but that’s for a reason. One hope is that it will be fun for readers to discover WHAT exactly this story is all about as they read. The story is the most plotted and outlined work of fiction I’ve ever done. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Who knows. But there are no expectations for this other than trying to make sure I finish it by the end of the year! Let’s see what happens.
THE HINTERLANDS
By Travis Thrasher
The world is breaking and so are those we’re about to meet.
The time is the not-so-distant future. Natural disasters have begun wreaking havoc to our planet and especially to our beloved country.
A group of souls are about to be stranded and then connected. But why? For what reason?
Each of them is an important piece in this broken puzzle. But what will the picture look like when it is finally filled?
Every day we see some kind of new horror come out of nowhere. Every day we find a little more darkness seeping into this world of ours.
What if that darkness refused to die, and what if the light seemed to finally be extinguished?
This is a story about the light and the darkness. About the broken pieces of the puzzle. About our place in this mysterious story of mankind.
Can that light truly swallow up the darkness?
Can that light truly shine in the pit black of night?
And can we--whoever we might be and wherever we’ve come from—be seen and known and eventually shine?

An Inspiring Quote For The New Year

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."--Martha Graham

Dream It All Up Again

"We've had a lot of fun over the last few months, just getting to know some of the music which we didn't know so much about -- and still don't know very much about, but it was fun! Anyway, thanks for coming along. It wouldn't have been the same without you. Some people have traveled a long way to come here tonight. This -- I was explaining to people the other night, but I might've got it a bit wrong -- this is just the end of something for U2. And that's what we're playing these concerts -- and we're throwing a party for ourselves and you. It's no big deal, it's just -- we have to go away and ... and dream it all up again."--Bono, December 30, 1989

So What Ifs

What if it happened?
What if you were right?
What if the night sky fell into your lap?
What if the door into the dark opened up to the bright?
What if the piano keys spoke?
What if your children could fly?
What if the story told your tale?
What if the mystery passed you by?
What if every summary sang?
What if the blinks produced bright lights?
What if the shadows tripled into songbirds?
What if the kids park was a place to hide?
What if this still could wash up on shore?
What if the treasure was still buried in the sand?
What if fingers could expose every lock of gold?
What if the swell could hear and understand?
What if this gentle night slapped your side?
What if this still wrecked your peace?
What if the cases could cease to slip open?
What if the finish line could come with ease?
The bells brilliant with their red blue breeze.
What if they spelled out your name?
What if you could know without doubt?
Every what if would come fully framed.

Let's Write A Book Together

So I’m trying out Kickstarter for the first time this coming Tuesday, September 9.
What’s Kickstarter? Several people I’ve told this to have asked the same thing. I always think, Wait, you didn’t hear about the potato salad guy? Or the Coolest Cooler? But then again, I’m plugged in pretty much all day so I hear about everything.
Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. A home for film, music, art, theater, games, comics, design, photography, and more.
For instance, the actor/filmmaker Zack Braff turned to Kickstarter to help make his movie Wish I Was Here. He needed to raise 2 million and ended up raising 3 million. The film is already out and I’m still wanting to see it because it looks great.
I’ve been thinking about doing a project on Kickstarter for a couple of years now. About a year ago, I started paying lots attention to it and even studying what works and what doesn’t. I had a certain project in mind for it.
Some of you who pay attention to my writing & my blogs know I’ve spoken about this really big idea that morphs Stephen King’s The Stand with Lost. I almost contracted with a big publisher to do these three books but that fell through. The idea has been with me over a decade, and I’m really hoping to do those books one day.
So why not do that series with a traditional publisher, you might ask. Well, the idea is ambitious and risky, and the stories I write on my own are already a difficult sell because I don’t quite fit into a box.  So publishers have been hesitant to pick up that series.
So my goal had been to launch that series with Kickstarter. But then I began to reconsider.
I thought to myself, Let me test the Kickstarter waters.
That Stand-meets-Lost project is still something I want and need to write for me. I think it’s pretty brilliant but we’ll see. But that’s all about ME.
What if I did a project that ends up being about everybody? A group project?
So I thought about all my recent collaborations and an idea hit me.
What if I collaborate with the world?
That’s right.
I’m wanting to do a project where I collaborate with possibly hundreds of people.
How does this work? Well, I won’t get into specifics here, but it will be all about the concept of collaborating. And the real experiment will be whether people value participation over prizes. Because with most Kickstarter projects, the more you contribute in terms of money, the more things you get. A t-shirt, a poster, dinner with the director, a tour of the city with the musician, etc.
For my Kickstarter, the more money you contribute, the more valuable the idea will be.
So one person can pick the premise of this story I hope to write. Another can pick the genre. Another pick the title. And so on.
It might sound silly with the end result resembling a train wreck. But I think it could really be brilliant piecing all these things together. I’ve been doing that with the collaborations I’ve done. So it’s fun thinking about weaving together ideas and sentences and anecdotes into something.
What will it possibly look like?
We’ll see. The first thing is to see if I raise the money in order to do it.
I’m sharing this with those who care a lot. It’s a fun and creative experiment. But it will also be a legitimate project for me.
Every single collaboration I’ve done has been taken very seriously. And every one of those books has a part of me in them. This would have a lot of me in it, of course, but then again it might have 450 others in it too.
My goal would be to use my expertise in my writing and my zany imagination to create something that’s really pretty incredible. But that’s the goal of every single project I sit down to write. I try my hardest. I really do.
So stay tuned. This Tuesday at 9 a.m. central time I’ll launch my Kickstarter campaign called OneStory.  I’ll be sharing the link on my Facebook page and Twitter. I hope you can be a part of it in some creative way.

The journey is everything, as I often say. So let’s take one together and see where we go.

Two Firsts

             Oh you two.             You terrifically crazy little two.             What can I say? I can’t believe I’m dropping you off to college . . .             Oh, wait. No. You’re just starting preschool.             I’m not emotional. Mommy happens to be. I tried to not make such a big deal about how good you little ladies were at bedtime tonight while she was gone. We all know you tend to be a bit—well, passionate. Sometimes I want to get in my car and drive to North Dakota during your bedtime. Why North Dakota? I don’t know except I know it’s far, far away. That’s how, uh, passionate you two can be.             So tomorrow is a first.             Just an hour at your preschool class. Mommy and Daddy will both be there. So yeah, we’re not cutting the cord tomorrow.                         But soon. Very soon.             You’re both ready. I know that.             And maybe, possibly, I’ll blink and then find you both grown up and moving on. But I’m not ready for that.             I am, however, ready for you to begin to find yourselves.             Brianna, I want you to take that feisty strong will of yours and learn to control it without Mommy. Oh, I know how much you love her and need her. How much you’re like her. But once you realize you can do well on your own, the sky is the limit, little lady. You might truly fly to the moon. Or maybe Mars. Or win an Olympic medal. Or an Oscar. Hopes are not high enough for you because I know you have it in you. But you just have to learn—it’s okay to do all those things without Mommy holding your hand.             And Mackenzie. Oh, my sweet little soul shadow. My kindred spirit in human form. You will mother your slightly smaller sister. You’ll also find your own space like you always do. You’ll find new ways to exploring on your own and doing your own things. You’ll dream and learn and listen and go ballistic and then calm down and keep doing it all over again. I hope your sense of wonder only grows. And if one day they know you as Mother Mackenzie like they know Mother Teresa, I’ll believe it.             Yeah. You two. Who knows what’s in store for you.             I see the best and the worst of me inside you. But tonight I’m thinking only of the best. The best parts of your mother as well. Better than my best, but let’s not compare.             Somewhere out there, your sweet laughing loving big sister will protect and look out for you.             It’s a first. So remember the John Barry song called “Smile” (and one day, you both WILL know John Barry).            Smile. ‘Cause you’ll only have a very first day once. More first days will come but this is your absolute first. And firsts are special. You can never have them back.             Smile. ‘Cause you’re in good hands. You’re in a special class with a special teacher at a special school. And look—God willing, you’re not going anywhere. One day I’ll tell you about changing schools. Over and over and over and over and over and over again (I could keep going).             Smile. ‘Cause you have each other. I can’t imagine a twin Travis because—well, the world just isn’t ready for that. But you two—well, the world is ready. So it better watch out.             Smile ‘cause life is a gift and you both are very, very loved. And love—there’s nothing better than it.             God loves you. And so does Kylie, Mommy and Daddy.             You’ll be okay. I promise.             Just don’t freak out too many times.             And one last thing.             Beware of boys. They’re scary.             Unless, of course, they’re Daddy. 

Time For A Bigger Plate

This world is one big playlist. So who would you like to remix your soul?
You don’t fit into a box because there are no boxes anymore. There’s simply the sky where you get to store up your memories.
Used to be they’d assign you a genre. They’d take one look at you and stamp it on your forehead. But some of us fought it. Some of us refused to be one specific genre. Some of us even foolishly said they could be like actors and encapsulate various roles in print and on paper. Foolhearty.  So foolish for a world of boxes.
But the boxes are no more.
Everything is a mix and match these days.
It’s an endless all-you-can-eat-buffet with everything imaginable.
Do you have a big enough plate? That’s all the world asks.
Feeling lonely? Well, you’ll find other lonely souls just like you.
Feeling lucky? Well, you can find fourteen other lucky souls just like you. In four seconds.
Download a personality and match it with a pulse. That’s this world.
I don’t know what to make of it. Sometimes it’s overwhelming for someone with an ADD conscience. I want a little bit of everything and my plate’s not big enough.
But God knows I’ve been preaching this no-box-policy all my life.
They tried to make me a jock. Then a preppy. Then an outcast. Then a party-boy.
But you know. John Hughes would’ve said that all of us have a little bit of all of that inside of us.
Little did I know I’d be a living embodiment of The Breakfast Club walking and breathing. (And if you haven’t seen that movie, you really, truly do NOT know what you’re missing).
Plug in and tune out.
It’s a gloriously dangerous time we live in.
I’m scared and ecstatic at the same time.
I feel like I can do almost anything and nothing will mean anything.
Then again, I’m two breaths away from my own personal The Fault In Our Stars.
Don’t laugh.
I’ve hung around with authors who have sold more than that guy. I know what it takes. And it takes NOTHING I CAN DO.
It takes showing up and being you and doing your best and hoping and praying and then just making a little bit of magic.
I don’t believe in boxes. And each day, the world breaks them.
I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I know for me, it works.
I’ve called myself a Baskin Robbins of storytelling. I’m not trying to brag or put myself down. I’m just being honest.
I want to do a little bit of everything. I don’t really want my name to be known for anything (other than TRULY EPIC AWESOME). What a travesty.
Download and discover.
Turn over a new page and keep on reading.
What a weird world we live in, huh?
I can’t keep up but never tried to keep up with anything in the first place. I just know what I’ve always loved. I know what I believe. I know what I struggle with. I know what makes me feel like I belong.
So I pour it in the blender and just press play.

Sunset Over Summer

            Storm chasing the sighs away            To places they don’t store            Where night becomes day            Where wrinkled smiles wrap around you            And the still surface moves like piano keys            Black and white fold together like two hands            Whispered wind tells you its final secrets            Racing to the shore            The battle over at the end of the war            A soaked heart dripping full            Running in the rain            Running through my shadows           (from June 18, 2014)

Snowflakes In April

The story begins near the end
And I try to sort out the pieces
Try to figure out the crossword puzzle
Yet words criss cross over too many places
Characters act out of character
Storylines begin to lose their lines
Forevers feel like foreshadowing
Yet the day is forever bright forever blue
Crossed over into multiple intersections
I try to make sense and try to see how to end it
Yet it never really began in the first place
The hero never began his quest
The journey never really began
So how to structure a house without a foundation
So how to fortify a kingdom without a king
So how what do you do with a half-told story five hundred thousand words long
So how do you begin to edit when you simply want to keep adding?
How do you start weeding a field so full of beautiful wildflowers?
This thing chose me I never chose it
To be a storyteller and to see with these eyes
To meet characters at bridges and try to build something with them
To feel where others don’t even begin to start feeling
Another manuscript unfinished and put on the shelf
With some great sentences and wonderful scenes
With some heartfelt stories
But too messy with no audience to share it with
The whole if-only-one-reader-could-be-moved mantra no longer applies
Even if it did for a while
I try to put exclamation points on places that don’t need punctuation
I try to condense and cut
Ultimately I will encase the story and cart it away
Like a coffin that only needs one hand to hold it
These brilliant roads and the places they can take you
Sometimes they bring simple, midnight sighs
That know the morning won’t have anymore words left for it
That know there were already too many words to begin with
And like snowflakes in April
The words melt too fast

And leave no mark where they fell

Still

             Still            Come speak to me            Break down the noise inside            Collapse the words into a bed of hay letters            Shower over me calm            Where eyes can close and a heart can be            Still            Waiting without wanting            Watching without worrying            Where the troubles dissipate into the Heavens            Where I can feel a love and a joy so close            Still            Tumbling toward the inevitable always