Category Archives: New Works

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21 Aug

Writing Update – Aug. 2022

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Greetings.

It’s been a hectic summer. New ‘real’ job while dealing with the shenanigans caused by the owners of my current residence, which has led me to start packing in order to move…lots of time and effort and calories spent. Also, surprisingly enough, a great deal of writing. Even in the midst of all the chaos, I’ve managed to devote some time to my craft just about every day. Some days have been more productive than others. but on most nights, the Muse has blessed me with new ideas, and taken my current WIP to places I never saw during its conception, which is always a pleasure for creatives such as myself, one of the few rewards an artist is given in today’s world.
I’ve been working on two manuscripts simultaneously, one fiction and one a memoir detailing my experiences suffering from narcissistic and legal abuse. I have been concentrating on the former for the last few months, as the latter is mostly transcription of a journal I kept for a decade during my disastrous slavery in the form of my second marriage. This extra time was required, for this is the longest fiction work I’ve ever attempted, and by far the strangest thing I have written to date (something I’ve said many times during its creation, so apologies for repeating myself). I think my Muse is aware of my upcoming move, and has been pushing me to finish the first draft before I am forced to pack and move my computer. It will be close, as I am close to the finish line, with approximately twenty-five more pages or so to go on the first draft. I doubt I will be able to finish this epic-length beast before I have to up and move, but I will give it my best shot.
The Muse will not be denied, it seems.
That’s okay. I don’t mind.
A bit over two chapters left to go.

Until Next Time –

~Namaste

7 Jun

Quick Vanishing Act

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Greetings all,

In case anyone was paying attention, the site may have gone down for a day or two. That was completely on me; I lost track of time and forgot to renew my domain for a bit, but that’s all fixed now.
When I have time, I’ll be tinkering with the pages again, not so much for appearance but to clean up some mobile issues and change some content I’m not quite happy with at the moment. Websites are always a work in progress, and that is true for this site as well.
On the writing front, I’ve begun the last group of chapters for my current work in progress. It is a long work, the longest I’ve written so far, and though this is still a first draft, I do not know how much I would cut in the editing process. I do not usually waste time on elements of the manuscript that are not integral to the story, or the characters. I may find a way to condense some sections, but even so, this book will still be longer than my other works. With my hectic schedule, it may become a race against time to finish my first draft before I need to move, and I’ll cross that bridge when and if I come to it.
Until then, I’ll just keep writing. The finish line for this new book is in sight.

Til’ Next Time –
~Namaste

17 Apr

Update 4-17-2022

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After a long buildup of events, I have been put into a position that requires me to find a new place to live. The new owners of my building have proven to be a nightmare in their own right, creating a hostile workplace that is also my home. They have required me to go way beyond my job description here, and I ended up doing over $10k worth of rehab work in the building for no pay, and harassing calls and texts when I finally said enough was enough. In the process, I lost over 14 pounds, had my sleep and eating schedules disrupted, and subjected to severe stress and anxiety. So, in addition to having to find a new place to call home, I need to deal with courts and lawyers, as I refuse to take this abuse sitting down.
Just another weekend for this writer, boys and girls.
Fortunately, writing has been, and always will be, a means of therapy and solace for me, and thus, has not slowed my writing. To the contrary, in times like these, I find myself writing more, which in a sense proves that art is born of pain, I suppose. My current work in progress is currently a bit more than two-thirds complete in terms of the first draft. It is my longest, and strangest, work to date I feel, and hope to have it completed this summer. With luck, the events surrounding me will not entail too many delays, and I will complete this new novel on schedule. The cover is complete, and I’m itching to do a title and cover reveal, so stay tuned.

Until next time,
~Namaste

16 Feb

Update – Feb. 15, 2022

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Greetings all,

It’s been a rough couple weeks, and things do not look like they will be getting any easier in the near future. Much like the main character in my current WIP, I have found myself swept up in events beyond my control, part of a larger pattern. This has resulted in my having to work much longer days, as I’ve not only been tasked with renovating one of the apartments in my building, but am also working full time in another construction-related job. This would be fine, if not for a little thing called ‘limits’. I have not worked for less than twelve and a half hours a day for the last month, with most days lasting much longer. The work is physically demanding; my fingers are swollen, and it is painful to type. Exhaustion and physical pain have kept me from making any progress on my newest manuscript for a month, depriving me of both creative satisfaction and the natural therapy for my anxiety the activity provides. For artists, creativity and emotion are closely intertwined, and being deprived of the ability to express the former can have direct and profound effects on the latter. I’ve been doing my best to deal with the pressures and tolls of my current circumstances, but the timing could not have been worse; I was at a critical point in the plot, and could not afford such an interruption.
This proved frustrating for some time, but there proved to be silver lining. The beginning of the current chapter seemed weak, and during my workday, I still have time for inspiration to make its way into my brain, even if I do not immediately have the time or opportunity to act upon it. In this case, the Muse gave me the beginning for what will lead into the third act of the novel, one that reads much better than what I have currently. It’s a small win, but I’ll take it, along with the determination to return to my regular writing schedule as soon as possible. It’s been a longer hiatus than I would have liked, but I am determined to bring it to an end.
Back to work…

Until next time,
~Namaste

14 Jan

Update: Jan 14, 2020

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Greetings Once Again From the Void…

I’m writing this at quarter to four in the morning, taking a break from a depression-induced manic streak. I should be wrapping up my daily writing around this time, but my writing has suffered from motivation problems over the last couple of weeks. This is not writer’s block; I have plenty to say, should I actually take the time to sit in front of the keyboard, but I have had a hard time of late being able to bring myself to do so. My particular cycle of depression and anxiety are best helped by writing in any form, and this has come to affect my writing process, becoming in fact a part of the process itself. The interruptions are rare – as I’ve said, I do not ever really suffer from writer’s block in the conventional sense – but they do happen, and this has delayed the completion of my current novel.
I had hoped to complete two books in 2021, but the second of the two works has turned out to be more of a project than I originally anticipated. Currently, the new manuscript draft sits at forty-five complete chapters, and 116k words, and there could be as many as 50k more words to go. I do a hybrid pantser/plotter process, so my notes give me a direction, but allow room for the Muse to roam where she likes. This time around, however, I am required to do more fine-tuning on the third act, and the nature of the story requires more research than I’ve ever done before, which I can but hope is a good thing, as it means I am attempting to leave my comfort zone as a writer.
Will all the effort be worth it? Time will tell, I guess.

Until next time,

~Namaste

14 Aug

Update 8-14-2021

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Greetings all!

For those of you just joining in, I’ve been working on a new fiction novel for some time now, one I began a few years ago, back when I was unknowingly in a struggle against narcissistic abuse. I wanted this novel to be my second work, but I several short stories and novellas were crying for my attention, and so that became ‘Strange Stories, Twisted Tales’.
Later, when the smoke began to clear, I found the concept of the story – inspired by a number of interests and beliefs of mine cultivated through time – to be intriguing, and began work in earnest on my second novel length work. As I picked up the pieces of the story and worked on establishing a general outline, the project grew a bit in scope. I’ve always been a bit long-winded, but I’m comfortable with that, at least in first drafts, but as I worked on the details of the story, I realized I needed to deal with the effects of the events on the Main Character’s mental health. The story took on an entire new aspect with that realization, and it has proven to be the right decision, if preliminary reactions are to be believed, lol.
Now, I’ve come to that point where I basically have to pull whatever strings I’ve laid out in the story together, and turn it into a plot that makes sense. This means taking a critical look at what I have plotted so far, making sure those strings I wish to tie up will, at some point, be tied neatly. Sometimes I have to condense or trim things. This isn’t an editing phase, not really – more of a course correction. Once this is done, the remaining distance is always easier to travel, and the journey all the more rewarding.
I’m still looking to have this newest novel finished before the end of the year. As it gets closer to release, I’ll have title and cover reveals, so stay tuned!

Until next time,
~Namaste

20 May

Writing Update 5-20-2021

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In most horror movies, and in most novels in the genre, the treatment of the emotional effects of the events experienced by the main characters, including the protagonist, seem to be done in either one of two extremes: it is either ignored, or the character becomes a victim of the emotional/mental effects, going of the deep end to become the final victim or the next generation antagonist. In movies, this is easy to explain; the events are condensed in order to tell a cohesive story in the running time of the film. In many cases, the story takes place over a short period of time. Psychological horror is the exception to this, of course, as the entire story is centered on that very aspect. That being said, there are also exceptions to this, and those exceptions often prove to be excellent portrayals in their respective mediums. I believe Horror is at its best when the emphasis is on the emotional aspects of the characters involved, especially when it comes to prose.
In my upcoming fiction work, the events take place over an extended period of time, which will have the quite natural effect of affecting the mental health of the protagonist. As I suffer from the effects of depression and anxiety related to years of narcissistic abuse, I will be drawing from personal experience to describe the effects of these events on my MC in the terms of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress. This is proving to be both the most challenging and rewarding aspect of this new novel, and I look forward to being able to have it ready for beta in the next few months. I’ll be giving more details in upcoming posts.

Until next time,

~Namaste

26 Feb

Writing Update – 2-25-2021

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Greetings,

My new fiction WIP is nearing the halfway point on the first draft.  I am currently working on chapter 26 of 52 outlined, although this may be subject to change.  This novel will be something of a departure in some ways from the standard, but I really cannot say more without giving it away.  A few close friends are in the know, of course, because I’m basically a hermit and it gives me something to talk about on those rare occasions where I take a break from my cloistered life, but I don’t like spoilers, so I’ll be keeping things under my hat for now.

I do my best to write every day, although real life and physical limits do intervene from time to time.  I am hoping to have the first draft completed sometime around mid-May, although this too will change.  I’ll post further updates in the future.

Until Next Time…

~Namaste

22 Nov

Works in Progress – Nov. 2020

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Greetings,

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately. The Muse was very lively for awhile, and when she rests, I transcribe from hand-written journal pages for my upcoming non-fiction work. This latter is harder for me to write. The account of my life during that time is not an easy thing to relate; to transcribe the events of that period is to relive those events in my mind, and for people with CPTSD, that can be especially difficult. I hope, in the long run, that I will be able to help men who are experiencing narcissistic abuse to avoid a similar outcome. To date, that manuscript stands at 97,293 words.
There is still a ways to go on both my works in progress. My new fiction novel is about a third of the way through the first draft. My Muse has been on a break, allowing me to catch up on the non-fiction work, but I know I will be back to writing on that strange tale soon. This novel will be as different from my first two as they were to each other, with elements of both horror and suspense, with a little metaphysics and science thrown in for good measure. It is the most fun I’ve had writing so far, and I hope to have the manuscript finished within the next few months.
I’m also trying to post more here, and increase my social media presence, something I’ve neglected for far too long, and I’ll post more information about that as it develops.
Stay tuned folks, there’s a lot more coming in the future!

Until next time,

~Namaste

8 Nov

Writing Update: November 2020

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My new fiction work in progress just passed the 40k word mark, which means it is officially a novel. It is my usual weirdness, but I think I have turned things up a notch with this one. The plot mixes quantum physics and spirituality, with a healthy dose of horror. it is by far the bloodiest thing I’ve written, although the body count is nowhere near the billions found in my second book, Strange Stories, Twisted Tales. I pretty much destroyed the planet twice in that one, and that’s a hard tally to surpass.
Also, I’m also officially divorced, which does create a certain distance between myself and the person responsible for so much abuse for the last decade. I’ve been working on the non-fiction account of those years, and that manuscript has passed 80k words, with two-thirds of the 101 pages hand-written journal I wrote while forcibly detained on false charges by my abuser, with another third waiting to be transcribed. With luck, I may be able to finish the novel by the end of the year, so stay tuned!

~Namaste