Monday, December 27, 2010

In Gear

I really love workin’ on Otha People Newz. It brings a particular balance within my own work that I don’t get if I have too much free time. Other people complain about having a job. Not me. Dedicating my time, carefully and professionally, to people that need my services (editing and proofreading), allows me to appreciate the free time I get, and use it to my best advantage. Now, everything is in gear, and the Ancient-Art-of-Facts machine’s motor is heating up. A lot has happened in the last several days.

First off, a new Enlightenment Teaser was posted on Monday, and it has stirred up a lot of interest in the second Epic Poem: 2 Enlighten The G.O.D.Z. One last teaser is ready for next week, and then begins The Imaginative Trip Campaign, which will focus on (of course) the re-release of 12 Stories High, coming in February. There has already been a very long, long book trailer for 12 Stories High. I like it, but, as I said, it’s long. I mean, there are 12 Stories to feature. So, I re-created the campaign a bit by focusing on individual stories. There will be 5 teaser trailers. One trailer will feature 3 stories, something known as the How To Resurrect A Black Woman Trilogy. These stories are related only in theme. So, it makes them an ‘unofficial’ trilogy. The campaign will take us into February with the re-release for 12 Stories High.

The remaining bit of news that I’m excited for is that I’ve begun work (outlining only) on my next writing project.  This project will be a series, and it will last approximately 3 ½ books long. Lol. I’ll get into what the ½ is about…much later. The first book in this series was at first not attached to the rest of the work. It was completely separate. And it was a story I so much wanted to express. It has gotten many revisions, and even started off as a screenplay that I wrote back in the summer of 2001. I only got about twenty or so pages into the screenplay, but I have notes.

When I was outlining what works would be released when, I had this particular story separate from a very jumbled, wishful thinking, ambitious project and story told through a series of works. But before combining this new work with this larger story, it was combined with another project. That’s when the project showed life, but the two projects (the stories and the series) were still separate from one another, and continued to go back and forth on the debate to combine this story to the larger series. I’ve spoken about it before. I didn’t want the intensity of this story, and its characters, to get bogged down with the responsibility of projecting the larger story. I didn’t want the characters, and their purpose to get lost, and this project is ambitious by itself, even before combining it to a greater series.

However, this was all supposed to be put together. There was a hole in the series, and that hole was basically a character that, although we don’t see, has a great influence on the rest of the series. It was easy to substitute that particular influential character from the greater series into this new writing project, and it doesn’t change the flow or vibe of the story. The story’s importance has become greater, and the intensity and drive of the characters has been amped up. The villain’s purpose has become more dangerous, and the consequences of her actions more detrimental (to her victims and her overall plan). Now that this story has been added to the series, has its own tweak, the outlining is going very well, putting together the backstory for the main characters to work through.

I’m not sure when the actual story writing will (officially) begin. I have started the first paragraph of the first chapter. Lol. I’m thinking around April or so. Birthday.

Too much fun.

Even with all the drama.

b write black

Monday, December 20, 2010

Editing The G.O.D.Z.

The first read through for 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. has been finished. Again, the story is extremely intense, but balanced with a very colorful narrative. It is dark. The first act especially. The second act is a breath of fresh air, and feels like a bright new day. Then, of course, we are pulled right back into the intensity of war and struggle.  The second act ends with a heartbreaking and gut-wrenching climax. But the act three opens with hope, like the opening of a seed. The reader will be routing for the main character to get back on his feet and fight back. I do believe the reader will step into the emotion of the main character, and be as determined as he is to right great wrongs (none committed by him).

At first, I was nervous about 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. A Company of Moors has been successful, and continues to roll into an intense snowball, with new people discovering its story and enjoying it. Code-47 also has seen new life, which I do appreciate. I always believed Code-47 got a bad rap (no pun intended). And people have also scooped up The Ronin Poetz, boosting it to a number two position in African-American poetry on Amazon (for a short while). All this while people are hollering and filling my inbox with questions about the re-release of 12 Stories High. 12 Stories will be a trip for people. I have people that bought the original book waiting to snatch the re-release. Wow. Feels good. And the stories in there will keep people talking. I am really psyched for 12 Stories being back on the market. It reads better now, and a lot of stories have updated commentary **cough**Obama**cough**.

2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z., however, is an emotionally jarring story…it’s also told in poetry, which some may find a turnoff. But, as many told me when reading The Ronin Poetz, they actually forgot they were reading poetry. Truthfully, it’s an Epic Poem, but it’s not ‘poetry’, y’know. It’s on the scale of the epic poetry in ‘classical’ literature. It is a story first and foremost. Don’t get it twisted. But the ability to get people to read a story told in poetry is not my main concern, in the obvious way. The poetry actually intensifies the story. That’s what I’m afraid of. It’s like a bolt of lightning and a boom of thunder. It’s pure emotion, in a way that not even The Ronin Poetz pulled out. Originally the story was called 2 Anger the G.O.D.Z., until Tracey Wingfield of The Chosen Publishing ‘accidentally’ called it 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. I don’t know if her flubbing of the title was intentional or not, but I did like the word ‘enlighten’ far better than ‘anger’. It was soothing, and appropriate to the overall mission purpose for writing the tale. It was very calming, which aligned with the main character’s name.  It was the difference between Return and Revenge (of the Jedi).

 It’s not a personal story, but there are a lot of biased emotions put inside the story. Not so much in the way that the narrative is judgmental, but more so in the way that I had to pour emotion into the main character and draw from my own experience(s). Now, you do that anyway when writing. But, one thing you can’t do is have every character react the way you would react. A character must react appropriately, according to his or her personality. With this main character, and with the narrative being told in the first person, I shoveled a lot of emotions into what the character goes through in the beginning. Afterward, he becomes his own person, and the story takes off without my emotionally interference (lol).

 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. is an interesting story. It holds up a mirror to what we as black people have been through, and it’s about fighting our demons. No different than anything else I’ve written. This, though, gets up close and personal with the reader. A Company of Moors was a ‘cool’ story. It dealt with hard decisions, but for the most part, we were dealing with characters that had not been touched by the trauma of slavery, jim crow, segregation, civil rights, mis-education…ect, and the list goes on. So the characters had the ability to be ‘cool’, be within the personality they desired without totally being judged by foreigners or peers. 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. deals with unfinished business from all areas of black people. It’s a wondrous kaleidoscope. And after having gone through a good read, re-working a lot of the epic poem’s flow, even shaving off some pages to the work, I’m not so concerned.

The true test comes when we get to see the reaction of the G.O.D.Z. when they are enlightened (at least come Jul. or Aug. 2011).

b write black.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Epic Proportions

Just because 2 Enlighten The G.O.D.Z. has been finished for the last nine years doesn't mean that it can't do with a bit of editing. I have started the first of the three acts. I forgot how intense the story gets. Where Maa Kheru in The Ronin Poetz may be born into an intense world, it does seem as if the dust has settled. And he's surrounded by a loving family and community.

The main character of 2EtG, not so much. He's born into an experiment that, although it mirrors the Marvel Character Wolverine's Weapon X Program mixed with the real life Tuskegee Experiments, Jim Crow Experiment, Willie Lynch Experiment, and commentary on Western academia and the prison systems (and the experiments running loose in there).

There are very few grammatical errors, or misspelled words. I'm also working with the poetry's flow, especially the fast paced battle sequences -- where I have left off in the editing, the first major fight. It's suspenseful, as most of the story can be, bordering on scary, a li'l spooky like the 3rd teaser for the stories Enlightenment Campaign.

The story does say 'EPIC' (hate the fact that this word is used so much in pop culture). It's far more vast than The Ronin Poetz. But that's not to knock the first piece. But 2 Enlighten The G.O.D.Z. is very expansive, and to no accounts (and this must be said) a sequel in any way shape or form. 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. is its own story, and really opens the mind to an epic mythology, where as The Ronin Poetz is a more contained story, while still invoking a wonderful mythos.

Early next year I will be hopping around spots to get back up on the mic to promote 2 Enlighten The G.O.D.Z. Now that's spooky. I haven't performed poetry in a minute. I've already picked the pieces I will be using for promotion.

b write black.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Snowball

Otha people's newz did not slow down the application of edits for 12 Stories High. Only two stories left, still in the editors' hands. Also, two book trailers have been scripted. One for 12 Stories High, the other for the 2nd epic poem. It will feature the cover (currently being drawn by Raymond Cosico.)

The ball is rolling and gettin' bigger. 2011 is just around the corner. The teaser book trailer for 12 Stories High will come early January, just as the Enlightenment Campaign runs out. The next book trailer for 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z. will be a full trailer.

Until then, promotion continues for the 2 book year of 2011.

And in the meantime, a universe and new project is being created in the background.

b write black

Monday, December 13, 2010

Enlightenment Teaser 3

The Prison of Mist is the subject for the 3rd Teaser in the Enlightenment Campaign, not featured on the YouTube channel for Ancient-Art-of-Facts.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Furnishing

As the Enlightenment Campaign continues with the 2nd teaser released (yesterday, entitled What Is Maa-Tru-Ark?), 12 Stories revisions are coming to an end. All that is needed are the application of the edits, and the first several stories have been worked through. Two stories are left (in the hands of editors), and seven are completed without their edits having been applied. The application of the edits will begin toward the end of this week.

12 Stories High is looking at an early February release (or, rather re-release). And I will be promoting the core 4 (The Ronin Poetz, A Company of Moors, Code-47, and 12 Stories High), while continue to push for the fifth element (the 2nd epic poem) coming in July or Aug. But when the core 4 are up and moving, Ancient-Art-of-Facts will be functioning at 100%.

Ray Cosico has been contacted and is ready to put pen to paper to start drafting the cover.  I'm excited over that. Ray has an amply enough time to finish the cover for the 2nd epic.

Once 12 Stories High has its edits applied, I will continue to push the 'Enlightenment Campaign', while gearing up for 12 Stories High's re-release...and ultimately be working in the background to begin another grand epic story, which is something I have been secretly working on since the release of A Company of Moors. This grand epic has been calculated at 3 and a half books (that will make sense soon). The first book, a tale of music, magic, and murder has been resting in the cupboard for 10 years. It is two stories told as one, and at first, the two stories did not have anything to do with one another, and then (together), they had nothing to do with the larger story that I have been working on since 2002, with elements taken from much older stories.

While A Company of Moors started this blog, this next grand tale will be the sole focus of for the entries once all other matters are straightened. I will begin focusing on this grand tale in February, starting to write more of it around April. The Prologue Book to this great adventure will be 2012's release.

2011's outright focus will be on the 2nd epic poem and 12 Stories High.

b write black.