L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 56
March 18, 2016
Old Stories
I just found an old folder on my computer with about fifty thousand words of pretty much finished original fiction.
Damn.
I need to keep better track of all my stuff. With a bit of polishing and some reworking, I can probably publish the lot as a collection. By my count I’ve got the following:
Three stories written in Lovecraftian style (two are science fiction and one is a Western) One contemporary fantasy story Two high fantasy stories One horror story One story written in the style of Asi...
March 13, 2016
Predator and Prey
The owl perched on the tree branch and peered into the darkness. Its keen eyesight picked up movement in the undergrowth nearby, and it readied itself to swoop down on whatever was foolish enough to leave the safety of the overgrown bushes and shrubs that lined the path through the forest.
Perhaps it would be a rabbit? It had been at least a week since the owl had enjoyed a nice, tasty rabbit.
Perhaps it would be a field mouse? It wasn’t unusual for field mice to wander into the forest and lo...
March 4, 2016
Internal Consistency
When writing science fiction or fantasy, one of the most important things to remember is internal consistency. Readers will eventually adapt to and accept almost any set of rules or guidelines if those rules or guidelines are enforced consistently. In other words, even if a particular fictional universe is completely whacky and zany, readers will generally be able to manage so long as that wackiness and zaniness follows the rules established by the author.
Let’s consider a couple of examples....
February 23, 2016
The Dentist’s Waiting Room
I had a dental appointment today, and I must confess that I was a bit anxious about it. My anxiety can probably be traced back to an incident in my childhood in which I had a tooth extracted but, for whatever reason, the anaesthetic applied did not actually work properly.
Cue screaming, horrible, horrible screaming, followed by my father pretty much kicking the door open demanding to know what was happening (go dad!). Funnily enough, we stopped going to that particular dentist soon after. I c...
February 16, 2016
Awkward Writing Mistakes
February 14, 2016
How Overpowered Characters Can Ruin A Story
It would be best, I think, to begin by defining the relevant term. An overpowered character is one that is far more powerful than the other characters in a story, to the point that the character in question may seem perfect or even god-like to the other characters. But how would such a character ruin a story?
Let’s consider a typical fantasy scenario: a group of heroes are on a journey to defeat the villain. The group contains five characters: a wizard, a ranger, a warrior, a priest, and the...
February 11, 2016
I Have Some Weird Nightmares…
Perhaps it says something about all the things rattling around in my head, but some of my nightmares are really quite odd and, I suppose, quite terrifying. Here’s one from today, perhaps influenced by some original fiction that I’m working on.
In my dream, I’m a government agent that has been assigned to protect this woman from supernatural threats. To help with that, I sleep in one corner of her bedroom in a fold-out bed.
The dream becomes a nightmare when, in the dream, I wake up to find my...
February 2, 2016
Language Barrier
The last stop on my trip overseas was Paris. I stayed there for about a week. One of the issues with Paris is that Paris is in France. They speak French in France. My French is, to put it bluntly, somewhat less than good. Indeed, the word‘crappy’ comes to mind, followed shortly by the words‘extremely crappy’.
Nevertheless, I did try to use what French I knew when I was out and about. It wasn’t too horrible when I was buying something from a store (e.g., a croissant) since simply saying the na...
Short Stories In The Internet Age
I am a big fan of short stories. As much as I like novels, there are times when a short story is just better. Whether it is on something like a train ride or a bus trip, being able to start and finish a story in one quick sitting is a pleasure all of its own.
Thus I watched the decline of the short story format in the 1990s and 2000s with a mixture of sorrow and disbelief. How could a format that had stood the test of time for the better part of a century go into decline? How could something...
January 28, 2016
A Pox Upon Their Houses
A pox upon their houses!
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!
Lay wrath and ruin upon their doorstep!
Woe and suffering be upon them!
Today, I attempted to upgrade my macbook to the newest version of OS X. I will never, ever try that again.
El Capitan, or El Crapitan as many have come to call it, is one of the single most horrific pieces of software that Apple has ever put together, and that’s saying something considering how hideous some of their previous efforts have been. Zero stars c...
