Keep going, down for the win

Forgot to post this one:

New work in play at the moment with a new editor.
Inspired by a music video, a game show and a story that got a movie series that just did not do it justice.

Been a long time.

Been a while so here we go again. Blogging time.

New work, new people. Working with a new editor and to be honest there is a lot to be said for it. For too long now I have wrote and then stagnated when it comes to actually moving it forwards.

To be honest, reading my own work annoys me. Most probably because of the speed that I write at means that editing just feels like a distraction. Lazy yes but hear me out.

Writing is a pasion but working with an editor means I can just keep on pushing the words out. Right or wrong they keep flowing.

Now there is a draw back to all this, namely I leave a part of the creative process to someone else. Those little word plays I thought were all so clever might be stripped away or washed over. How much control do I give away. Well here's the plan. In the first instance I am keeping a watchfull eye on the editior, questioning each change, each choice but slowly over time the questions stop and so do the extensive edits. This shows how two people work together, finding the right editor is key here, someone you will listen to and also take some blunt advice from.

So here's to editors and here's to seeing how the first work goes. Proof will be in the pudding I suppose or in this case, the time it takes from the last word to the spine on shelf.

As you can tell, none of this was edited to spot all the spelling mistakes....portable devices for the win.

Blood & Sand

New work, new people.

Here begins a new chapter in my writing career. For the first time I am going to support a fellow writer as we attempt to author a joint novel together. This is a first for me in two ways, one it is the first time I have wrote vampire fiction. Two it will be the first time working with another author.

Batman Vs Superman - My take

Good afternoon all, so here you have it my take on Batman versus Superman.

There's been a lot of hype in the media over this one and also a lot of heat from the critics. I often find this kind of attention detracts from the users ability to submerge themselves within the movie so I deliberately did not read or watch any reviews prior to watching the movie.

So here you go, a couple of things to note from me before I begin and what I intend to do within this blog entry:

1. I have not read the comic book of the movie or for that matter any of the comic books.
2. I am seated in the camp that Keaton was Batman, Bale was good but still lacked the maniacal elements that Keaton brought to the movies for me (I know the Keaton Batman's were very cartoony - but I liked this)
3. Is it a good movie? (The big question of the hour and I suppose if you are reading to point three this is why you will continue)
4. Is Affleck good in black?

Right then 1, having no previous knowledge of where the story line was going on this one I like probably many others came at this from the trailers only. Which were surprisingly complete. I was originally put off by this movie but the trailers got me excited for it and to be honest having grown up with the original Superman movies the latest one had a slightly different take on the franchise but that review can wait for another day.

Having no knowledge of what was to come allowed some real magic in my opinion. The fight between Batman and Superman, although very late into the movie was a pure delight to watch and both actors really connected throughout it. Starting with Superman's up to Batman's triumph the action swung back and forth and left the viewer really wondering who would come out on top. To those that have not watched the movie it is worth it just for this one scene and the emotion it brought with it.

Is it a good movie? Well here's the thing having digested it for nearly a day now and again whilst writing this review plus conversations with family and friends. I would have to say clearly that it is, so I am in the yes camp but here are my reasons why.

1. It made me think.
2. There were real moments of (non franchise) he's going to kill him.
3. You chose who to root for at different times in the movie, culminating in the big fight where allegiances changed in a heart beat.
4. It was not easy to watch (this is a true statement for me) I honestly could have done with a break at times, feeling like I was being washed along in a very bleak take on the Gotham elements (but surely this is the right way to portray it)
5. The story was not self evident, again if you want to watch a movie where you are spoon fed every element of the plot then you might be looking in the wrong place. For a typical superhero movie there were layers (yes I used the word layers) to peel here.
6. The ending was emotional. Yep again we all probably know you can never keep a good man down but it was emotional. All those who love both the Bat and the man in Red will feel it. Regardless of if you are a new or an old follower.
7. It introduces us to a lot of new characters, at times I was fighting as to who the real protagonist was in the movie and hey, I was OK with that. Too many movies are one dimensional, its good to have a movie play out like a book.

Now to the big one for me.

We all know that Henry Cavill plays a good Superman, yep I've said it. There have been many over the years but there is no denying it. He looks the part can act well and really adds a depth to the man in the cape that we all want to know about.

So is Ben Affleck up to donning the cowl. Again, here I am going to go with a solid yes. No if's or buts from me on this one. From the wry smile when Kent and Wayne first meet to the pain and anguish of a man torn by disaster, unwilling to bow down to the general consensus. Yes he plays him and he plays him well.

So here's the really surprising thing for me, we have seen the Bruce Wayne to Batman story told a lot recently yet here in the movie I was not bored in seeing it again. It harked a lot to the Dark Knight plot and at times you as the viewer were being asked to take a lot on faith, hence we know the story. You don't need to be told x amount of it again, yet this worked for me. It allowed me to make my own assumptions.

So do I want to see another Batman movie with Affleck in it. Yes I do.

So all in all, if you have not seen the movie yet. Go see it, take an open mind and enjoy it. Not every movie is a carbon copy of another, not every critic will like it just like not every viewer will walk out and take the same thing from it but that for me is why I liked it so much.

Going well

New book and a new style all helps to get you writing again. My latest work is a collision of two short stories. One fantasy and the other is science fiction. So far it is coming together nicely.

Sometimes a step back from a slow project and gorging in a new one is all it takes.

1/3 of the way there

It has been an interesting 2015 to say the least.

For someone who used to be so prolific at writing and trying to get published over the last few years higher priorities have taken hold, family, career. However I believe I am finally making some headway in both of these areas and therefore I have managed to forge more time for writing.

It always surprises me how quickly you get can get back into something that you love. Writing has and probably always will be a great release for me. Like many writers or fiction it provides a release for all that pent up imagination that we accumulate on a daily basis.

So here I find myself, new tech, new story. Many changes.
I felt that Gen's Tale would require a rewrite of Hal's Tale and therefore, not to scare myself too much I decided to author something new. Nothing like a new challenge to get you back into the art.

A few more things to note as we begin on what I hope will be a new venture into writing, firstly the website is looking a little tired. So please look out for a revamp coming soon. Secondly, to all those that supported my first eBook publication: Hal's Tale, I would like to say a big thank you. Please note Gen's Tale is progressing well and I am hoping to complete the second episode in the Snow Depth trilogy by the close of 2015.

Writing so fast it hurts

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it can take an hour to write a sentence and then other times the words come so fast you can barely keep up with the mental process.

Well if you have ever be in this place then you will know how frustrating it can be to write so quickly that when you finally manage to draw (finger) breath you realise that your plot line has gone off at a complete tangent.

I am faced with a session such as this tonight. After successfully merging two projects I started to put some glue between the two story lines only to find that I had in all fact created a third one. Frustrating but still worth the effort. Now I need to pull this story line out for use in another project.

Why is it never easy. On the plus side it is really good to be writing again. #AmWriting.