(minor S&S update): AKA, not a real "blog," but I'
Current mood: amused
These are the kind of things I think about when I'm sitting alone late at night and the creative flow hasn't yet run itself dry:
"It's become a bit of a running joke that he has a little blood in the
coffee stream, a sentiment that in retrospect, might not be so
farfetched." -- Actually if I take a closer look at my beverage consumption over the last three months, perhaps the running joke should now be "The rumors are true: He's now got a little tea in the coffee stream!"
Maybe. Maybe not.
Obama got re-elected on Tuesday. And I realized there's no need for much redecorating at the White House this time. No, I'm not pro-Romney, nor am I pro-Obama. I'm pro-neutral... I've my own government to think about up here.
It probably doesn't help I have a potential second story idea for UG when I've still got Sticks & Strings to focus on. Well, that and the non-music oriented novel sitting in my desk drawer begging for a revision. Discipline, discipline... By the way, it's always been Sticks & Strings to my mind, not AND. The formatting doesn't seem to allow ampersands, which is fine for here, can't control everything. Though I can't say I like the prospect of calling the story SticksStrings if it mattered that much.
My LiveJournal account has been deleted. No biggie, haven't been on there for over two years. All the work's saved anyways.
I get a smile out of the fact that the day Part 24 gets posted, I finish Part 25 and half of Part 26 all in the same day. No big delays should occur anytime soon. Truthfully, I'd love to commit to a regular weekly posting schedule, but that's not all up to me. I admit it, I F'd up with a couple of the chapters early on, one of which I've come to loathe. I'll let you guess which one. Lesson learned for next time.
I'm resisting the urge to trim my Mo down and let it grow the full month. That is if I can stop chewing hairs out of it. Damn cross-bite...
A non-UG reader suggested I turn S&S into an e-book or something once I'm done. I told him to wait and let me finish the damn story first before that can even be considered a future option.
Oh, and should anyone be reading this and waiting for some 'real' news, I offer this, in closing: The total number of chapters is less than 100, but more than 30.
Hello, my name is G.N. and I am a writer. No, it isn't really my legal name, but it's what I go by on here. As I finish up what aims to be Part 19 of my story, Sticks And Strings, I've grown contemplative about the future. Read on for a glimpse, if you dare!
Sticks And Strings can't continue forever, nor do I want it to. At some point in every story, there comes a time where the muse simply guides the writer towards the final blank page, leaving only two words left to write before moving on... "The End."
I've many other stories in my portfolio. Some are finished while others remain dangling in mid-sentence, crying out for one more word. Some are music related and might be UG-worthy, that decision's not entirely up to me. Others belong elsewhere, other writing websites, blogs, maybe altogether offline; again, not just my call. What I do is that one or two in particular have been on the back-burner for far too long, and the desire to go back and revisit them grows stronger each week when I sit down to finish up the latest chapter.
Fear not! Don't panic! The end is not coming next week or anytime this month. Although, ever since Part 1 was submitted, I've known deep down how the story will end, and while we're not there yet, I've never had the intention to drag this out as long as Riot Band Blues, (Nolan, if you ever read this, massive respect to you, dude,) nor would I ever do something stupid like attempt to copy it. I vision Sticks And Strings lasting maybe 40, 50 chapters at the longest. I have a feeling it could finish up somewhere in the thirties, but I wouldn't put stock in that just yet.
For those who have followed the story up to this point, my thanks to you all for your readership and patience. I don't stick to an iron-tight schedule for submission as my life is just too herky-jerky right now, full of surprises both good, bad and unscheduled. I try to aim to submit on Monday nights, Pacific Time, but it doesn't always work. I don't foresee any long interruptions like the ridiculous months between parts 10-C and 11. God, that was insane...
However, I will be taking a winter break in December until the new year, provided we aren't all obliterated on 2012 Day, whenever it is, the 21st? The 22nd? Ah, who really cares? When that time comes around, I'll tag a note onto the latest submission at the time.
Well, that's all for now. I better go see if I can polish off Part 19 tonight. If the mood strikes me, next blog I might share an insight or two on the characters and maybe even a teaser of other works. Maybe.
"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates,
getting laid or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the
lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life as
well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting older. Getting
happy, okay? Getting happy.
...Writing is magic, as much the
water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink,
drink and be filled up." - Stephen King. - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Amazing quote. I just had to share it.
That's
why I write. Sure, if I ever do get published and become a successful
author, that would be a dream come true. If writing ever made me enough
money that I could support myself comfortably for the rest of my life,
awesome. If either of those failed to happen, would I stop
writing? Not a chance. I write because I like to write. I obviously
have a talent for it, so why in God's name would I not play to that
strength? I like the stories that I think of, I like the little
surprises I get when I write something I never thought about before.
But most importantly, I write because it DOES enrich my life. Writing makes me feel alive.
To anyone who's ever written anything, be it here on Ultimate-Guitar or in any other arena, I hope that your writing enriches your life too.
"Why has heavy metal been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned?
...What's
become clear to me is that metal confronts what we'd rather ignore, it
celebrates what we often deny, it indulges in what we fear most, and
that's why metal will always be a culture of outsiders...you either feel
it or you don't. If metal doesn't give you that overwhelming surge of
power, and make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, you might
never get it. And you know what? That's okay, because judging by the
40,000 metal heads around me, we're doing just fine without you." - Sam
Dunn
I love metal. Yet everywhere I go in my daily life, I am
subject to criticism, judgment, even hatred just because I like certain
music. It's something that's been wearing me down for years, yet it's
something I never really explored or talked about in the open…Until now.
One
of my favorite films is a documentary entitled Metal: A Headbanger's
Journey, which chronicles the origins, evolution, genres and various
social and cultural issues associated therein. Having watched this film
countless times, I can say with courage and conviction that when I
listen to heavy metal music I feel so connected to myself; metal is a
genre of music that truly makes me feel alive; be it the best of times,
or the less pleasant times that we encounter in life.
The emotion
I get from certain metal songs is simply stunning at times; the
thundering roar of a driving bass line, the cannoning echo of the drums,
the eerily shiver that a keyboard solo sends down my spine…WOW! Talk
about moving! I daresay at times I could almost cry with joy at the
magnanimous sense of authenticity that I feel flowing through my veins
when I have a metal song on.
Contrary to many stereotypes society
has cast upon it, I do not believe metal is 'gloomy,' I do not find it
depressing, nor do I become depressed and turn within while listening.
Metal empowers me, it gives me strength. If I am exercising, metal gives
me the energy and the excitement to continue exercising; Empowerment
over Evil, for me.
What really has troubled me personally is the
supposed claim that there are subliminal messages hidden in heavy metal
songs that cause violence within people, particularly teenagers and
young adults. I cannot support or deny these claims; however, speaking
for myself, I have not had a single violent thought or outburst directly
from listening to metal. Sure, I get angry at times, but so does
everyone else, it's just human emotion. Believe it or not, metal
actually helps me to rid the anger from my soul.
Forgive me if
this seems a bit defensive, I don’t seek to victimize myself nor offend
anyone who reads this. I didn't write this to be controversial or as a
spigot for anger, I wrote this because I wanted to share some truth
about myself, this is merely a young man inspired to offer a little
insight into his life.
I am simply a metal lover, I will always
love heavy metal, but everyone who knows me for who I truly am knows I
am by no means an evil person because I listen to metal, I'm still me,
nothing changes me just because I like a certain kind of music. I don't
dislike people who listen to country music, so all I ask is that you
don't judge THIS metal-head without getting to know him first, I'm not
such a bad guy.
"It doesn't judge me, it doesn't criticize me,
it's just always there for me. Always." - Anonymous quote, Metal: A
Headbanger's Journey
By now, many of you I'm sure have heard about the horrific incidents in Norway in which a lone assailant set off a bomb in the government square in Oslo and followed up with a mass shooting at a youth Labour party headquarters, claiming well over 80* lives and leaving an ugly scar on a beautiful country rich in culture, music and history.
Since the attacks, there have been countless outpourings of grief, sympathy and condolences for the people of Norway, myself included. Yet I'm almost sickened by an article published in today's Music News section which, in my opinion, demonstrates an appalling display of compassion.
The artist Morrissey, known best for his role as vocalist of The Smiths--and perhaps just as famously known for his outspoken, unapologetic defense of animal rights and controversial opinions on the music industry, among other things--has stated that the attacks in Norway are "nothing" compared to the equally controversial practices of food giants KFC and McDonalds.
...What?
Now, it is not my intention to ignite a heated debate about Morrissey, his talents or beliefs--though I admit to having problems with a lot of what he's said in the past, that's neither here nor there. Nevertheless, I feel this particular "opining" bears mentioning. I think it a pretty audacious move to take a tragic event like this and twist it into your own personal "rah rah!", albeit animal activism is a good cause. (The irony, this coming from a self-confessed carnivore...but that's a topic for another time.)
The point, if there is one I'm trying to make is that I really think Morrissey's gone too far this time. I try to be objective when reading articles like this but to touch on an already delicate nerve like that and not even acknowledge the horrible pain the people of Norway must be facing right now seems way too cold for my liking.
I have to wonder Morrissey. God forbid a member of your family were to die in a similar massacre, would you be so quick to make that same statement then?
*Note: As of this blog's posting, this number continues to change almost daily, if and when a final official casualty list is published, I will update.
