Monday, March 25, 2013

It's always tricky to do any sort of writing while I'm also doing some reading, because I risk being overly influenced by the stuff I'm reading.  Drawing inspiration from existing material isn't necessarily a bad thing, however I tend to go a bit too far with it.  For example, I feel my story Kobel has a bit too much of Naruto's influence in it.  This doesn't surprise me, because the whole reason I started writing that story was to create something that had the feel of Naruto, but where things actually went the way I wanted them to go.  Most of Naruto's stories left me dissatisfied, either because they ended poorly, or didn't end at all.  For that story, it probably would have been wiser for me to go the fanfiction route.  Instead I created a whole new universe of characters and cultures.  I'm not really sure how well I pulled it off.

That is often the case with my writing.  I do it to fill a void; to make up for the weaknesses in stories I've already read.  It's a bit egotistical when you think about it, isn't it?

I'm keeping all this in mind as I whittle away at the current project I've been writing.  Part of the inspiration of the story is Stephen King's Dark Tower series, so I find it as no coincidence that I started reading "The Road to the Dark Tower" a few night ago.  I have to be careful.

That being said, I offer a link to the first chapter of this story below, if you are inclined to read it.  It is not contained on my FictionPress page, for two reasons:  One, I have grown tired of fighting with their publishing module and having to reformat everything each time I post text.  Two, after someone tried to scam me by pretending to be a "publisher" wanting to publish my work, I don't particularly feel inclined to post my things there.

Have a read if you'd like.  Depending on how satisfied I am with my future progress on the story as a whole, I may post more chapters here in the foreseeable future.  It's hard to say, really.  If you are so inclined to provide feedback, you can do so via e-mail.  I'd be happy to hear from you.

When it comes to a story, I've always liked Stephen King's method of getting an idea.  He always would ask, "What if X happened?"  I love the simplicity of that.  "What if a car came to life and murdered people?"  "What if a superflu wiped out America?"  "What if a clown in a stormdrain murdered children?"

That's what I did before I started writing this story.  Of course, I cannot tell you my "What if...?" question.  Not yet.  Spoilers.

 
 
Chapter One.


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