Wednesday, July 29, 2009

6 pages over

Whenever building something always plan to go over budget. Well, ACoM has not gone too much over the estimated page count for the first major story arc. 156. Just 6 pages over. The final chapter to the first arc in the story is brutal, violent, breathtaking, and beautiful. Of course, when I read over it I'm going to cower in its complete first draft, infantile, and elementary written form.

I'm mapping out the next set of 'stories' that take place. They have already been scripted and outlined, but now they will be made tighter. The next 'through' in the story are just small little plot points that will lead into the final two arcs. Though I have my 300 (+ or -) pages to work with, a lot of combining of events will take place in order to save space. This will not be like cutting corners. The story will have its best presentation. The writing will not be lazy. The final parts of the story are in two parts. I'm estimating 50 - 75 pages to lay out the groundwork. The last story arc (split in two, or two small story arcs) should be 100 - 125 pages a piece.

It's extremely exciting seeing this come together. This book started off as a short story (which will become the backstory of one of the African tribes in the book). Then there was a separate story which became a minor plot point--a character who is a storyteller makes mention of the story as a story he knows and recounts. Then it started to grow into pages and notes as more research started to occur. This all spawned from a short story in 12 Stories High, trying to make a fantasy story that takes place in North Africa seem more realistic, I found out the politics of what I was writing actually played out (minus a Black Moorish kid being granted the powers of a genie). This was back in early 2006. 3 years later, those small pages of notes (with other points of inspiration that I'll speak about when the book is set for release) turned into many pages of notes and have been put together and stretched into 157 pages of, what is at the moment, an incomplete novel.

Some people in their writing don't even get this far. I'm amazed every time I pull it off, considering how lazy I am. I'm a Taurus, after all. Well ... I was born at the early part of Taurus, so I got a hint of Aries in me. Passion. But, I consider myself passionately lazy. But Taurus is a bull, a worker of the landscape. Thus is an empty page by me waiting to be plowed.

... Let's hope I just don't add too much bullshit.

B right black.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Da Mystery of Chess Boxing

"The game of chess is much like a sword fight. You must think first before you move." - dialogue from the film Shaolin and Wu Tang.

A Company of Moors was starting to drag too long. It was finely written but starting to run 40-50 pages over where the first large story arc needed to end. The events were nowhere near being summed up. I decided to go back and re-write the events spanning three chapters and narrow them down to one, all summed up between two characters playing chess. Each set of events represent a move that the two characters reflect upon. Now on to the final chapter for the first large story arc.

I should have 300 pages to play with to tell the rest of this tale.

b write black.

Friday, July 17, 2009

2 Infinity and Beyond

I have been busy with not just writing ACoM, but also plotting out the books that will be released come 2010. The Ronin Poetz re-release has been stalled, though Ray Cosico has worked extremely hard to push out 5 amazing drawings for the re-release. Tracey Wingfield has been busy, and she has the full control for this relaunch edition. When Ray finishes the drawings (some I will be displaying the rough drafts of), I will repaginate the page and hand it to Ms. Wingfield of DaChosen publishing.

I've become extremely excited about future works, plotting out the timelines of release. Hopefully 2010 will see the release of 2 Enlighten the G.O.D.Z and my third epic poem, which more will be spoken about come early next year. I'm thinking at the moment to take 2011 off to plan a series. I've always wanted to do a series. I would like to restore the Infinity Cycles, however, it would look completely different from any of the few who read it so long ago, in an incomplete form, back in 1992-4. Even when the series was finished--by 1997, with all 8 books--it would look remarkably different, with what I have put to notes. I would probably shave 8 books down to 3 or 4. But I'm not sure I'd want to revisit an old story, even if I were to revamp it. I'd like to do something else. But that's the future. I'm also hoping some friends jump into this creative field and stir up trouble for Black literature. We'd be the real Untouchables. Writing what needs to be written, and writing without apology.

In other news, 12 Stories High received a good 4/5 review from RAWSISTAZ review. The only problem I had with the review was the woman said the book had some editing issues. Some? Some!? Some editing issues? That thing is rife with editing issues, and that's the second print.

I do want to go back to 12 Stories and fix the cover and the editing issues. My fiancee contiues to bug me about it. But, even with the editing issues, it gets a high score.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Ray Cosico comes thru!

The pictures, though in a rough draft phase, look amazing. Much more work to do. But Mr. Cosico hits it out of the park. Will post a pic soon.

B write black.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Justin Thomas vs. Keith Joseph

Who's the better con man?

The writer or the character?

Who's playing who?

They're both playing the system.

Just playing the the game, Doc. We'll give 'em a game all right.