Scott King's Blog, page 3
December 20, 2017
Metamorphosis Alpha!
I wrote short story (40 pages) called “The Greyness,” and it is in the Metamorphosis Alpha 2 anthology. It’s sci-fi, stand alone, has a bit of horror, and is a lot of fun!
More than a dozen authors have stories in the anthology. Whether you are an old school Metamorphosis Alpha role player or a science fiction fan, it’s a great read!
The Last Jedi was OK!
Not every movie is perfect and not-perfect movies can still be fun and enjoyable. I thought The Last Jedi was OK and said on Facebook that I’d rate it as a B-.
I’ve now started to collect hate emails (three in total)! The biggest of which was from someone who said they would never buy one of my books again because I didn’t say The Last Jedi was an A+.
Below is why I don’t think it is a perfect movie. There will be spoilers.
My three problems with The Last Jedi:
Rose & Finn’s side mission lacks emotional impact
Poe’s un-earned character arc
The inconsistent tone
Rose & Finn
They go on a side mission. The side mission is pointless and fails. That’s fine. Characters are allowed to fail. However, there is no emotional impact or growth upon the characters having gone through that side mission. There almost was with giving Finn a new outlook on what war is, but it never pay off. He doesn’t really learn or change. Rose is an interesting character and one of the most likable characters in the movie, but all of the side-Casino-world stuff doesn’t connect emotionally with her sister dying or with her “sacrifice” at the end. The whole side-mission could be cut from the movie and the plot of the movie, as well as the characters, would be unchanged. For the whole sequence to be kept there needs to be some sort of emotional impact, and right now, there isn’t any.
Poe’s Arc
Poe f*ed up. The whole movie is about Poe f*ing up again and again. He ignores Leia and gets people killed. He goes on his own and sends Rose & Finn on a mission. As a direct result of that mission failing, The First Order learns that the rebels evacuated their main ship. More people die. A few scenes later, the rebels are backed into a cave. It seems like the only option is to fight to the death, but Poe stops and is all like “Wait, let’s not just shoot people. Let’s think this through…” he then becomes a leader and leads the surviving rebels through caves to escape. The problem with the arc is that it’s completely artificial. Poe got hundreds, if not thousands of people killed. The weight of those deaths never sits on him. He spends the whole movie showing no sign of change and shows no hint of learning. When the change finally happens its because the plot demands it, not because it’s character driven. The arc is un-earned and feels forced as a result.
The Inconsistent Tone
The Last Jedi tries too hard to be Guardians of the Galaxy. The Last Jedi doesn’t know if it’s a more serious movie, a comedy, and it utterly fails at mixing in the humor. The tone is an inconsistent mess. It’s not that the jokes aren’t funny on their own, but the way so many of the jokes are used, they feel more like a Star Wars parody than actual Star Wars. Humor has always been a part of Star Wars, but the tone in The Last Jedi is so bipolar that it undermines the rest of the movie.
Bonus Topic: What They Did to Luke!
The version of Luke Skywalker that appears in The Last Jedi is NOTHING like the Luke from the original trilogy or even the now non-canon books. The movie explains it as Luke almost went Darkside and in doing so all of his students were killed or taken. Traumatic events can change people, but they did a bad job selling this in the movie. Instead of showing the same scene from three points of view they could have should more devastation, dead children, him having to tell Leia and Han what happened, or just about anything else. That being said… although this take on Luke may not be what many fans wanted the filmmakers were very consistent in how it was handled. They do a bad job explaining his downfall, but they did offer a reason. I understand why long time fans are upset about Luke, but only looking at The Last Jedi, his arc and how Rey reawakens him makes sense. Unlike Poe who has forced growth, Luke’s journey from the start of The Last Jedi till the end works and is earned.
Don’t Care What Others Think…
I don’t care if you LOVED The Last Jedi. Just like you shouldn’t care that I thought it was OK. Art is subjective. Each of us can go see the movie and either like it or not like it. That’s how Art works. If you loved it, that’s great! If you hated it, I’m sorry. Either way, you have the right to feel the way you do no matter what anyone else thinks about it.
November 30, 2017
Goodbye Old Friend!
It’s time to retire an old friend. I’m permanently shelving my Dell Mini v9.
The fall of 2009 was the pre-tablet era and all the companies were pushing for smaller laptops. I got the Dell Mini because I researched it and found that I could mod it to run Snow Leopard, the then-current operating system for Macs.
My goal was to make it a Mac-like laptop with the sole purpose of running Scrivener. I bought it, installed extra ram, and turned it into a Hackintosh.
I got it on November 8th, 2009 and these are the things I’ve written on it these past eight years…
Holiday Wars Vol. 1 (pictured in the photo)
Finish the Script!
Holiday Wars Vol. 2
Holiday Wars: Monster Eater
Tales of Holiday’s Past (Anthology)
Cupcakes vs. Brownies
Holiday Wars Vol. 3
Mermaids vs. Unicorns
Genie vs. Djinn
The Eye of Hastur
National Cthulhu Eats Spaghetti Day
Elderealm Book 1: Wrath of Dragons
Outline Your Novel
Dinosaurs vs. Robots (short story)
The 5 Day Novel
Ameriguns
Holiday Wars Vol 4.
Resist Them
Story Pitch
The Greyness (short story)
Tales of Elderealm Vol 1. (Anthology)
Tales of Elderealm Vol 2. (Anthology)
My Dell Mini was my go to system for first drafts and I used it for most rewrites too. For what I paid for it, $195 plus $50 for ram, it has well earned it’s money back. It’s truly been a good companion.
UPDATE: I got a few messages asking what laptop I bought. I purchased a refurbished unibody MacBook for $140. It came out in 2009 but has been restored with a new battery, an SSD hardrive, and new screen. I also spent an additional $40 to upgrade it to 8 gigs of ram. It’s basically the laptop I would have bought eight years ago instead of the Dell Mini if I had been able to afford it. It’s in great shape, runs Scrivener 3.0 and Vellum without a problem and although I would LOVE a fancier MacBook Pro, I need to save money for editing (I have at minimum 6 books coming out next year!) and the new iMac Pro (upgrading my home computer is a MUST).
November 28, 2017
The 2018 Gaming Calendar!
I have fulfilled all the kickstarter orders for the 2018 Gaming Calendar and it is now for sale for anyone who missed it!
GET IT HERE: http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/scott-king/2018-gaming-calendar/calendar/product-23407345.html
October 22, 2017
Moving Time!
The movers are coming Thursday and Friday this week and then next weekend we hit the rode, heading to Pittsburgh!
We are supposed to get into our new house on the 1st. Then we will have to schedule internet and do all that kind of fun stuff, but fingers crossed by mid-November things will settle down and get back to normal.
October 4, 2017
Advanced Novel Writing With Harry Potter!
Clark Chamberlain, the editor on a few of my books, is an Army veteran going through a rough time. He’s having health problems, which have led to finical problems, all of which can be directly be tied back to his service.
If you’d like to get to know Clark you can check out the most recent episode of his “90 Days to a Healthy Author” series: https://itunes.apple.com/…/90-days-to-a-health…/id1264416953
Because of his health, he has had to stop taking on clients. While we as a community can’t help him with his health or rewrite his circumstances, we can offer him some support around his business.
Clark has a kickbutt course — Advanced Novel Writing With Harry Potter — that is professionally recorded and breaks down the secrets behind why the series works so well and sold by the boatload. It’s ninja-level good stuff.
The best thing about Clark’s course is that he’s marked it to: Pay What You Want. If you have a dollar and can help, then chip in a dollar. If you can do more, do more, and either way you still get something awesome out of it. His course usually sells for $197 so this is an amazing deal.
GET THE COURSE: http://thebookeditorshow.com/Potter
In honor of sweetening the deal, a bunch of us author folks have teamed up and are giving away bonuses to anyone who pays more than $50 for Clark’s course.
You can check out the bonuses here and find instructions on how to claim them: http://theworldneedsyourbook.com/potterbonuses
I personally know Clark. I’ve talked to him on the phone. I’ve shared meals with him. I’ve hugged him. I’ve seen him cry. He’s what I’d call “Good People” and he needs any help you can give.
*Step #1:* Pick up Clark’s amazing course at Pay What You Want here: http://thebookeditorshow.com/Potter
*Step #2:* If you paid $50 or more, go to http://theworldneedsyourbook.com/potterbonuses for instructions on how to claim your bonus gifts!
*Step #3:* Share this promotion with any writer friends you have!
October 3, 2017
Moving to Pittsburgh!
We are moving to Pittsburgh!
Lisa is a chemical engineer, which means every 3-4 years we move, because that’s just how they run things at her company. Although it has been a good run, our time in Texas has ended.
The move is political/career based. We are not choosing PA over TX. Though I am VERY excited for fall. I’ve missed fall and winter sooooo much.
Lisa’s start date at the Pittsburgh plant is November 1st. So the move will happen pretty fast, which is crazy because there is just soooo much to do before we go.
Family vacations, hurricanes, and now the move has put a bit of a crimp in my writing and publishing schedule, but the gaming calendars are still on schedule and they should be going out to backers soon. My plan is to get back to writing full time once we are settled in our new house.
I don’t have the time to make a road trip to any other Texas cities, but if you are a gamer friend, writer friend, or just a friend, I’m always free to grab a cup of coffee at Brew-n-Bake before we head out at the end of the month.
Note: I took the photo of Pittsburgh four and a half years ago when Lisa first visited the plant that will now be here plant!
September 26, 2017
Story Pitch Audio Book!
September 13, 2017
2017 Eclipse!
I finally made time to rummage through my photos of the eclipse from last month!
We were in Myrtle Beach, NC, just outside the totality range. That’s why the shadow ALMOST covers the sun, but leaves that extra wide bit near the top.
Considering it was crazy cloudy and I used my regular lens instead of a huge fancy telephoto, I’m pretty happy with how these turned out.
September 11, 2017
Harvey!
Quick Note for those who don’t follow me on social media: Lisa, myself, our house and pets are all safe. We were lucky and had no flooding in our home.
The flooding due to Harvey was unreal, like something from a disaster movie. Something so crazy that you don’t think it could happen in real life. For comparison, the Chesapeake Bay is estimated to hold 18 trillion gallons of water. Harvey dumped 27 trillion gallons of water onto Texas. That means one and a half Chesapeake Bays were poured onto Texas. That is an insane amount of water!
It’s been weeks and yet flood waters are still receding in our area. It seems almost every day new people get to return home to try and salvage what is left.
I’ve now gotten out to see some of the flooded homes and it’s horrible. I also won’t be posting photos, simply because people got wrecked (The arial photos accompanying this post were shot and published by the county). Their lives were violated and shredded and although legally there is nothing wrong with me taking photos from a public road, it feels wrong. Plus there are plenty of home owners posting their own photos, and as sad as it sounds, if you see one flooded house, you’ve seen them all. There is a weird consistency in how water destroys a house and the steps it takes to try and save it
I didn’t comprehend what it meant to get water into your home, until I started visiting houses that were flooded. Even as little as a half inch can wreck a house and lead to as much work as someone who had two feet of water in their homes. There is also a point where a house should just be scraped and demolished, but I don’t know what that point is.
The houses here are built on concrete slabs because the ground is clay. That means in most homes the floor is concrete, then a layer of plastic, and then either the carpet, hardwood, tiles, or fake wood tiles. If any water gets into a house the flooring has to be stripped down to the concrete.
In most cases, home owners start by pulling out all of their appliance and furniture because anything that touched the water must be scrapped. The flood water here was not rain water. It was a toxic disgusting sludge because by the time the flood reached us, it had overflowed all the septic tanks north of us. So anything with a porous surface that touched the water must be trashed. So unless you were able to some how lift you furniture off the floor before the flood waters hit, you lose EVERYTHING. Beds, dressers, tables, chests, shelves, refrigerator, washer, dryer, etc…
What people don’t’ talk much about is the smell. The flooded houses I have visited smell like a mix of a marsh, dead animals, and fecal matter. They smell like death and the stench clings to you. The disgusting poop/pee water is everywhere and no matter how careful you try to be you are going to get splashed. Then because the homes are like how they are its not like you can go to the bathroom and wash your hands, most of these houses don’t have running water yet which means no way to get clean and now way to go to the bathroom if you need to.
Once everything has been cleared, then you have to pull up the floors. Of all the stages, dealign with the flooring has consistently been the most disgusting. Although the flood waters have receded, the wood floors, carpet, and such all retain water and have held that water for days or weeks. Lifting a dry roll of carpet isn’t bad. Lifting toxic carpet, that reeks, and is ten times heavier from being filled with poop water is a brutal task. There is also the issue of nails, staples, and other sharp things that can pierce your gloves and boots, and if there is anything you do NOT want a cut from something that has been coated with poop water.
After throwing out almost or all of your furniture and clearing out the floors you then move to the walls. This is where it gets really bad for our area. The flood waters were here and have been here for weeks. That means even if there was only an inch of water in your home, mold has been growing for a long time. I saw a room that had less than an inch of water in it, but the mold had climbed five feet up the wall.
The only way to deal with mold is to scrap the walls. You rip out the molding, paneling, drywall, and any insulation till there is only the studs and support beams. Everything is soggy and everything is covered with green and black mold. The rule I was told to use is that walls should be demoed three fee forma the mold-line. So if you see photos online of houses with half walls, where the tops look normal but the bottoms, naked to the studs, that’s why.
After a house reaches the point where the floors and walls have been gutted, it then has to dry. That can take a long time. Because the flood waters lasted so long and because of our hot and humid climate officials around us recommend anyone who got flooded make sure they get their studs tested for mold and have a fungal prevention service treat the wood.
With a group of five to ten adults it seems to take about two days to gut the average size house. I have no idea how long its been taking those who don’t have help or are elderly or have health issues. What’s sad too is that as much work and as hard as it is to clean the house it’s only step one in the process.
Those with flooded homes that can be saved will then wait weeks, months, and maybe even years before they can start rebuilding. In that time they are filing with FEMA, insurance companies, working with contractors, and just dealing with all the tedious paperwork and there is no way to fast track any of it. To make matters worse, THOUSANDS if not hundreds of thousands of people got flooded by Harvey. That means the queue to get an inspector, contractor, or insurance agent to visit your house is ridiculous.
In the months or years that it takes to rebuild, the lucky families are living with friends, extended families, or in portable campers. The unlucky families are living in shelters and some of those have no resources when it comes to rebuilding and trying to start over. Sure there are a lot of church groups or organizations that are trying to help people, but there isn’t enough help and some of those wrecked by the flooding will fall through the cracks.
It’s been brutal watching families, especially people we know, go through all of this. I’ve seen so much crying and people just caught in shock at seeing everything they ever owned, destroyed. The journey to recovery will be long for them. six months, to a year from now, they will still be trying to get back to having a normal life, and those are the lucky ones.
