Follow the Script

I expressed a while back that I wanted to end Act II of this next book sometime in December. Well, December is almost upon us, and although there are only three chapters left in the second act, they are plotted as being dense.

I’m now on chapter twenty-two. Started it over the weekend. Chapter twenty-one was short, very fun; and just as much a palate cleanser—time off rather—for all that’s going on in the larger arc of the Fable Avenue Saga. It could be considered a short story, following a minor character into a task. It took time to write, even though it was short. I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t too cliché or silly. I ran through many scenarios on how the chapter would take place, settled on one, and then went about presenting it in as much of a non-cliché way as I could. The ending is what makes it, and it was something I re-wrote after taking a look at the whole chapter. I added a few more lines, and then it came together.

Now, chapter twenty-two. Our main characters are back on stage, front and center. There’s a lot of action in this chapter, and it builds on the relationship between the main male and female character, and the magic they share and use. There’s also a good deal of the epic poem that runs parallel to the story. I have a page count budgeted for this chapter, but I’d like to run under that count. The great thing now is that all introductions have been made. All characters, heroes and villains, have been strategically placed on the board to make the proper moves toward conflict. Some characters have just been mentioned and not seen, but the setup for their entrance is there. This all plays out within the last chapters of act II, culminating in a rough and gritty showdown.

Finishing act II sometime in December might be wishful thinking at the moment. Early January, definitely. But this all depends on how much I can buckle down and do the writing. One reason I’d like to knock out act II over the coming weeks, is because I can then send them to the editors and start on that (which will happen in January, regardless).

But there is good news. In fact, I’d like to think there’s great news. The rest of the book has been outlined. I now have something to follow besides handwritten notes scattered through different notebooks, and my memory. I’m very excited about that. It almost feels like the project has been completed…but I’m not getting delusional. There’s a lot of work to be done in terms of writing. The outline now has to be fleshed out into proper, narrative prose.

The remaining acts, including act II, are not as heavy in their outline. The beginning squares away a lot of business. Now, it’s time to get down and gritty into the magic.

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Heavy Weights

Just finished chapter 20. It's no small chapter, but it's read is smooth. It takes place over four days, and documents each day with an appropriate length. Although it's long, chapter 20 is written in a way where the reader won't feel bogged down. I made a decision that a moment written for chapter 20 would best serve another part of the story, happening three chapters from now. So, I cut and pasted the text into a separate Word doc, and it's now tucked away for later use. The scene is only three pages long, and was supposed to run into another before I decided to have both scenes take place later in the book.

There was also a bit of a lesson in humility with chapter 20 of Book II of Fable Avenue. When it came to the final pages of chapter 20, I decided to borrow from a sequence I had written for an unfinished manuscript that's 15 years old. The manuscript only has about 60 pages (and some change) written for it. But the scene wasn't going to be a simple copy and paste, and to be honest, I used the direction of the scene, not the entire scene itself.

Anyway, I started reading this old work and I realized how far I'd come in writing. Yeah, it's arrogant, but I gotta give a small pat on my back. Good God, did what I read really suck. It was okay, but it suffered from the amateur, juvenile mistakes that plague aspiring writers (and some established ones, I gotta say. And I ain't talkin' about YA writers.). There was a good amount of narrative, but there was a lot of expository narrative. The dialogue was often cringe-worthy, but there was little expository writing. Too many characters trying to be 'cool' with quirky one-liners. It was heavier than an after school or Saturday morning cartoon, but the juvenile writing was present none-the-less.

In my defense, it was at a time when I was writing to write. I had ideas, and it was about putting them down. Quick. I did know the writing wasn't tight, but, fifteen years later, I'm surprised at how far I've come (and still learning). Even in my final work, there's stuff I go back and read and say, "Okay, we can avoid that for the next project."

But I'm grateful for the guerilla writing I did all those years ago. Now I can pull from them, as well as writings I did far before that.

So, what do we got now? We got the next chapters of this current project. Chapter 21 is short and fun, a nice break from a storm of thick, heavy weight chapters to come before Act II of this piece concludes. I've already begun outlining what needs to happen in Act III, and it looks like it won't be as long as I've feared. I'm sitting at 334 pgs so far, and hoping, at best, that 220 is all that's left. Again, at the most.

Other activities going on at the moment are a design for the book cover, and there's some scripting for videos for the book. TwinGriffinBooks.com will also get a makeover, and the ball on this is already rolling.

Most likely, the end of December will see the beginning of the third act. I hope to finish the book around late May or early June, which gives a good amount of time for editing. A first round of edits will begin in January and run parallel with wrapping up the book's writing. As things come along, there will be some teaser videos for the new book, a title reveal (when it can be more than just Fable Avenue Book II), and book cover reveal.

Writing this series continues to be an amazing experience. 2014 will be big.

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Fable Avenue. Book Two. Act Two. Chapter Twenty.

Ah, the month of October. The month where the second installment of The Fable Avenue Saga™takes place. And, as it is, I am hammering, hammering, hammering out the second act for the second installment of The Fable Avenue Saga. I've reached the 280 pgs mark, and budgeting for another 250 pgs (to be on the safe side). I'm not looking for the second installment of The Fable Avenue Saga™to go too long. So, where am I exactly in my progress? It's been a while since an update has happened, but I've been hard at the most important work in an author's literary life. Writing.

I've hit chapter twenty, well within the second act of this new project. The female lead has been introduced and her character is fleshing out more than I've hoped. She's drawing upon an inner strength that I hadn't intended until I started writing her. I was so caught up in her backstory and the trauma she undergoes as a six-year-old child. But like many female characters composed before her within The Fable Avenue Saga™, she moves forward with a believable footing.

The character also brings with her two mysteries. Both mysteries are personal. One focuses on her mother and father. The other focuses on her intentions as she and her grandmother become reintroduced to the Fable Avenue community. It's nothing wicked, but it makes the character human, rounded and real. With her entrance, we also find another story from 12 Stories High as canon and connected to the Fable Avenue universe. Earlier in the book, another story was referenced as the lead male character has an experience that parallels a character from a story in 12 Stories High. This first reference, though subtle, will be expounded on later in the series. So that makes 3 stories so far that have their connection. The only one I can mention is Ah, Moor, having been referenced in Fable Avenue's first book (also known as the "Prologue book") The Ghost of Gabriel's Horn.

The villains have also been introduced early in this second act. They are a great parallel to the main male/female heroes of the story. And much like the main male lead character, who they are, and how they connect to the main characters, allows me to give a nod to my favorite comic book hero, Spider-Man and his villains. This part of Fable Avenue was supposed to be a graphic novel, as I've said before, originally titled The Nu Ancients, and then, Street Fables.

Four more chapters are lined up before the close of the second act, and they are heavy. The beginning of the second act was quick, as the setup of the first act took care of presenting the characters (obviously). Even with new characters poppoing up, the story moves forward at a quicker pace. My notes aren't as thick as with the first act, but I have outlined a good deal of events and placed them in the proper order of their presentation. I have been writing out the second act rather quickly. I'm far ahead of schedule, and I do hope that I'll be creeping into the third act by December, if not a good ways in. I'm already thinking ahead in terms of outlining the third act's pacing. The fourth epic poem is also expanded as the main female character adds her touch to the poetic narrative. I'm currently chopping away at this event. As well, festivities and celebration are in the air, but villains are around the corner in coming chapters.

We all know how second acts within narratives can go. Protagonists + antogonist/villains + perils/collision = dark and hopeless, emo-moody gloom and doom. But there is still a party, and nothing can be too gloomy with jazz playing. Just ask famous jazz pla-...no...he was a heroin addict. Okay, just ask famous jazz sing-...no...they were strung out too...and so was she... Okay, when you hear jazz, it's like seeing oranges in The Godfather.

The sky under Fable Avenue is falling, and everything including the kitchen sink, will hit the fan. But don't worry, we ain't got heroes for nothing. It'll seem like that, but they'll eventually get the job done.

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4 is Thirteen in the 2nd Stanza

Before a hero’s journey takes a dramatic turn, I have to take a pause from writing the main narrative. The male lead of the story has been given the first piece of the poetic story woven into this narrative’s fabric, and now I have to return to composing my fourth and final epic poem as he’s presented with the second and third parts to the tale.

The scene is much the same, as again the narrative’s reality drops away and moves seamlessly into a poetic story. The main character witnesses time pass, and a degeneration of a once great people take place, including their enslavement. Then, a city built to enslave and encage props up around them after fighting for ‘freedom.’ The main character (for the main narrative) also sees his mirror image, the main character of the epic poem. But the reflection is not what he’s expecting. The character of this new epic poem is less accepting of, and more determined to change, his environment than most of the characters I’ve dealt with in past epic poems. But he’s very weak. So the quest begins to find strength, and the hero to the overall narrative is confused, especially after going through his culture’s rites and believes he’s gained a great deal of strength. How can his reflection look so weak? His reaction to this, I gotta say, is…kinda cool, even if it’s arrogant as hell. If you’re going to prove you’re a badass, and nothing like what something is painting you as, this would be the way to do it.

The third part to the story, of which I’m composing now, is then given to him. I’m still working out how each part comes to him. The first three have been easy. As I’ve said before, unlike Horatio Peters in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn, this epic poem isn’t a past life. So, it’s not based on some spiritually encoded, metaphysical memory. It’s still composed of ancient hieroglyphs, but not mystical music notations played through a magical trumpet. But, as I’m writing, I’m hammering out the outline for the second act as well as picking up old notes for the fourth epic poem and giving a proper outline for that story. For the main narrative’s second act, I have a page and a half of points that must be hit, but not a thorough outline as I’ve had with act one. And that thing made this writing process really smooth. I would love to knockout an outline just as fleshed out that I’m on the third act by December, possibly earlier.

One easy point to the epic poem is that it’s co-composed by the main female character of the story. She’s been introduced in the first chapter but only as a little girl. It’s now thirteen years later, and I’m finally having the main male character and her meet. They already know (of) each other. They attend the same college in Brooklyn, but her family is estranged from the Fable Avenue community, though she’s still entrenched in her culture. She hasn’t grown up in any of the boroughs of New York City. She’s lived the past thirteen years in Mount Vernon, New York. But the main male character, and the matriarchs and patriarch of Fable Avenue, is in desperate need of her grandmother’s help (where most of the ill resonates). So, past wounds have to be healed. All must be forgiven, at least for a little while. And an epic story, told through poetry, must be composed.

Unlike the hero, she, our heroine, has more control over the poetic story. It allows her to be honest and exercise her of much despair and past demons. At first I had considered that the main male character was going to compose the entire poem, and she would be angry at how he ‘viewed’ and composed a character representing her. But as she’s brought back into the fold of the Fable Avenue community, and goes through rites she should’ve received when she was nine and thirteen, I felt that she should have a say. That say should reflect her willingness to confront her past, and how she feels about herself. She can be honest now with a community backing her up. But we’ll see her power blossom.

And, after all this, there’s still some proper villains out there looking to wreck shop.

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Water Bug Hollow Celebrates This Day!

“The defeated slave owner, Elias Jakobi, a man of English and French descent, was buried on the property. An altar was made at his burial site, and every year, on the 12th of August, a bonfire was lit ritualistically and the Negroes of the area danced merrily around it.” – a passage from The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn

Water Bug Hollow is a fictional bayou village featured in The Fable Avenue Saga™. The village is located in Louisiana, thirty minutes west of New Orleans. It first appears in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn in the chapter Water Bug Hollow, Louisiana 1917. Water Bug Hollow’s early history is violent and bloody, spanning from its days as a brutal slave-run plantation to its even bloodier uprising that took the life of many black slaves, plantation owner Elias Jakobi, his family, and all the overseers and white employers.

Rumors of Freedom amidst War and Rumors of War
The quiet rumblings of the Emancipation Proclamation filtered down South, all the way to Elias Jakobi’s plantation, stirring the interest of his slaves. Elias, not addressing his slaves directly, calmed the hysteria by saying the Emancipation Proclamation was a decree for the Irish workers in the North to receive equal pay. But one of his slaves, a young man named Curtis Jacobson, was inspired to action. Leaving the plantation one night, Curtis’ plan was to find a Union unit and lead the soldiers to the plantation to help free the enslaved blacks.

Dodging the presence of Confederate militia, Curtis got as far as Alabama before being captured by an overseer of a plantation. He was locked away in a large slave shack for the night as the plantation’s owner put out word to see if there was a reward for Curtis. But as luck would have it, this plantation’s owner, Lachlan Mackenzie, was putting together a deal that would swindle a self-proclaimed savvy businessman named Oscar MacRitchie who was newly arrived in America from Scotland. Upset at the shady deal was about to enter into, Oscar decided to get back at Lachlan (who he thought was of good nature because he was a fellow Scotsman) by freeing Curtis and all thirteen of Lachlan’s slaves. In a quick conversation, Curtis, who gained a knack for business by watching closely the dealings and goings-on of the plantation where he was enslaved, was able to work a deal with Oscar MacRitchie to do business with one another once he was truly free.

Curtis devised a plan to that would alleviate Oscar of blame for having freed him and Lachlan’s slaves. Oscar also told Curtis of a cache of Union weapons recovered by Lachlan and two of his overseers and stored in a nearby shed. Lachlan had been planning to sell the weapons to the Confederates. Rallying the thirteen slaves to fight, Curtis stowed away into the night with them as a small militia after securing the Union weapons. Curtis returned to Louisiana to free his wife, children, and her family. The battle lasted forty days, with Curtis’ militia growing in numbers as they freed more and more slaves. The battle ended on August 11th, with the death of Elias Jakobi, his family, and his overseers. Curtis (now known as The Water Bug, or ‘that tricky nigger’), had his army block the roads leading to the plantation while the battle ensued.

After his defeat, Elias and his family were buried on the property. Curtis reunited with Oscar MacRitchie in New York City and forged a trade deal that would bring goods to Water Bug Hollow. Runaway slaves eventually journeyed back to the area and became residents as the landscape changed and the might plantation houses were converted to apartments, and other buildings were erected for schools and local stores and dentistry and infirmary.

Every year, since 1864, the all-black residents of the former plantation celebrate their independence with a wondrous day that begins with games, stories, and reenactments of their bloody emancipation from the slave owner Elias Jakobi by the brave Curtis ‘The Water Bug’ Hollow.

Is it true?
Throughout The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn, Water Bug Hollow’s history comes under question, and Curtis’ brave exploits are considered over time as ‘the stuff of legends and mythology’. Later, the character Lionel Ladon brings to Water Bug Hollow, what he considers to be, the truth of Curtis’ exploits and Water Bug Hollow’s beginnings. Sarinda Fallows, while pretending to be a visiting relative of the MacRitchies, disrupts the culture of Water Bug Hollow, first coming into the community with a false warning that white outsiders look at Water Bug Hollow as a place of ‘devil worship’ because they practice Christianity through the beliefs of hoodoo. The annual bonfire, she tells, makes the outside whites believe that devil worship happens in Water Bug Hollow. However, the citizens are quite aware of how the whites view Curtis ‘The Water Bug’ Hollow as a ‘tricky nigger’ and a ‘bloody murderer’.

While feigning a smile, and with great patience, Sarinda Fallows helps undermine the great, independent black population as she inches closer to an ancient relic harbored by one of Water Bug Hollow’s citizens, the jazz singer Theresa Amat. The remaining pages of the book reveal the truth of Water Bug Hollow’s history and showcases Theresa’s daughter and granddaughter and Sarinda Fallows’ unending pursuit to destroy the Amat talented and spiritual bloodline.

Fun BTS facts
Water Bug Hollow was initially set to appear in a project outside of The Fable Avenue Saga™. Because of intense “research fatigue” (as I call it) from 3 years of fact-finding for A Company of Moors, I decided to incorporate Water Bug Hollow and its history into The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn, and ultimately, the Fable Avenue Saga™. The setting for these plot points and events was initially New Orleans. I had done some research on black life in New Orleans in the early 1900s, but this fictional area better serves the plot and allowed for leeway.

Curtis ‘The Water Bug’ Hollow is named after baseball player Curtis Granderson, Jr. He was referred to in notes only as ‘The Rebel’ up until writing began. I was watching the Yankees one day and Curtis led the team to a come-from-behind victory, and had been doing that for several games. He was kicking ass and leading the charge. I then had a name for ‘the rebel.’

Water Bug Hollow’s initial development described it as a ‘Mos Eisley-type sanctuary for former slaves’.

The celebratory day of August 12 comes from my parents' anniversary.

Water Bug Hollow’s citizens were at first more conscious of the ‘magic’ surrounding the place. This idea was focused into the veil’s power that turns Theresa Amat into Mamma Indigo.

Although not mentioned in detail, Water Bug Hollow’s economy was mapped out thoroughly, and research on small black towns was done to give the feel of an authentic place.

Water Bug Hollow’s varying histories were written to be believable when spoken by characters so that the reader would not be able to tell which was which until the proper history is revealed.

Water Bug Hollow’s ‘rebellion history’ is the second black slave rebellion featured in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn. The first being the central plot to the song/epic poem of The Sun Dial Tone.

Joseph Pepper IV hearing the history of Water Bug Hollow, as recounted by its residents when he enters the area on the annual night of celebration (August 12), was first written as narrative back story. That initially took away from Joseph walking into the area, so, in order to stay with Joseph Pepper ('tracking' alongside him as he makes his way to the jook joint and apartment complex named Eve's Hallow) I had him hearing different residents recounting the history, and turned the narrative into dialogue.

Water Bug Hollow is set to factor in more prominently in the remaining books of The Fable Avenue Saga™.

Character study: Joseph Pepper IV

"He calls his cane the Wand of Blue Light." - Ethan Cassidy

Joseph Pepper IV is a character featured in The Fable Avenue Saga™, specifically the books The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn and the yet-to-be-title-revealed follow-up novel. He appears in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn’s fifth chapter titled Water Bug Hollow, Louisiana 1917. Joseph’s visit to Water Bug Hollow is on August 12, the night designated for the annual celebration marking the area’s independence from slave owner Elias Jakobi. Joseph is there specifically to see his sweetheart, jazz songstress Theresa Amat. He has a gift for her, an ancient veil he claims is magically enchanted and to have been worn by a long line of African Queens, including the legendary Queen Califia, supposedly for whom after the state of California is named. Joseph also brags that he was given the veil after pursuing a bracket of finely cut precious stones named the Pillar Jewels, also referred to as The Sunrise Gems. More alluring, Joseph tells Theresa that he employed the services of the legendary African-American outlaw Thunder John and his crew The Brother Dogs to aid him on the failed excursion. Ever skeptical, but twice as intrigued by Joseph’s astounding tales, Theresa accepts the mysterious garment. Joseph Pepper also proposes marriage, which an excited Theresa also accepts. Joseph leaves Water Bug Hollow weeks later, heading to London. For the remainder of The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn, Joseph Pepper IV is not seen but spoken about by various characters, with hints on his adventurous exploits in London. Theresa Amat anxiously awaits his return, dedicating several songs to him in her performances, and overjoyed when she finds out she’s pregnant with his child. In London, Joseph is pursued by a former American soldier named Ethan Cassidy, an associate of the villainous Sarinda Fallows.

Concept: Joseph Pepper IV is a dashing, erudite adventurer. He is an amalgam of famed spiritualist Paschal Beverly Randolph, literary and cinematic characters Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones, and real-life professor, author and all-around expert scholar on the Moors, Professor Jose V. Pimienta-Bey. Inspired by four people, Joseph Pepper (the English translation of Professor Jose Pimienta’s name) was labeled as “the fourth.” Joseph Pepper’s character was greatly inspired by the tales of black spiritualist Paschal Beverly Randolph and his travels around the world deciphering ancient languages, unlocking occult teachings. His physical description comes from P.B. Randolph, with a few modifications. His intellect and dress mirror that of Sherlock Holmes, his jaunts to procure ancient items for the greater good borrows from cinematic hero Indiana Jones, and his knowledge of various African cultures (and his name) is credited to Professor Jose V. Pimienta-Bey.

Joseph Pepper was added to The Fable Avenue Saga™ as a means to incorporate an adventurer who could point the story in the proper direction for ancient, mystical items. In earlier drafts from around 2002, 2004, he served as the main character’s great-grandfather. This was when Fable Avenue was called The Nu Ancients, and was meant to be a graphic novel or comic book series. Later on, and through study, he developed into the character he’s presented as. This was around 2010, near the end of editing and toward the release of A Company of Moors. Joseph Pepper’s erudite mannerisms come from British actor Jeremy Brett’s classic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

Joseph Pepper often wears the most fanciful clothes of his time, and presents himself as an aristocrat. Joseph likes being a ‘fancy nigger’ as he believes many whites probably refer to him, and he indulges in scholarly conversations that trip up many a prejudice person. He cares deeply for the well-being of black people scattered throughout the diaspora, and believes with all his heart that it is his duty to present correctly all of the pieces of African and black history, solo or in a team. Joseph always carries with him a peculiar cane said to be blessed with an alchemical anointment. It’s also encrusted with seven sapphires. Joseph Pepper refers to his cane as “Wanda,” which many believe to be either his grandmother or mother’s name. However, “Wanda” is a feminine play on the word “wand.” Joseph Pepper truly refers to his cane as the Wand of Blue Light, a self-made, mystical weapon that carries within it, according to Joseph Pepper, the power of Shango and Indra.

Both Joseph Pepper’s adventures in London and his adventures with the outlaw Thunder John and the Brother Dogs will appear in the next installment of The Fable Avenue Saga™.

The first Act, a wrap!

The first act of this new installment to The Fable Avenue Saga™ is complete. It clocks in at nine chapters and about 130 pages. Not too bad. A little over budget, but what had to be written was essential. I do wish it could’ve hit at around 100-110 pgs. But that was ideal. Realistically, I knew it would come in at around 120-125. So, 130 isn’t too bad (if I ignore my ideal). There were a lot of changes made. I stuck to the outline, but many happenings and goings-on and tiny details had their presentation reworked. One of the last scenes in the act was supposed to be a big blowup between characters, but I started seeing the confrontation as being too much. So I pulled back and toned it down. It comes off a lot better for both characters.

I’ve also introduced the first scene of my fourth and final epic poem which will be intertwined with the plot. The scene attacks the novel’s main character like a train crash and leaves him tight with emotions. I’ve plotted the course for the remainder of the fourth epic poem, now I have to hit the proper beats within the story’s narrative to put them on display.

I won’t be going directly into the second act. I’m now composing two short stories, in a sense, that will arc the narrative back to London, 1917 and Tanzania, 1883. Two major events, hinted at in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn will be the center of attention for the next (hopefully) 50 pages. One of those events deals with the question: What happened to Joseph Pepper IV while over in London? And what mythological bauble was he seeking? We will also get to know a young Madison Goodspeed who was constantly talked up in The Ghost of Gabriel’s Horn, and finally presented here.

The second act will have a focus on the story’s female protagonist. She was introduced as a six-year-old girl in the first chapter, but now she’s nineteen and a college student. Much of the fourth epic poem will inhabit the second act, a device used to bring the female protagonist and the male protagonist together. We will see her confront the trauma she witnessed as a young girl, and blossom into a young, bright leader on Fable Avenue. A few villains will step into the story’s narrative within the second act. Unlike Sarinda Fallows, these villains are not cunning, destroying lives indirectly through clandestine means. The first villain to appear, on orders of the two Big Bads is a brutal man. And his followers are worse than him.

There will be no rest for this writer. I’ve already plotted and outlined Joseph Pepper’s London adventure, and the story dealing with the ‘Tanzanian incident’. On the move. Getting things done.

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