PROMETHEUS

     Let's make this short and sweet, as business calls and I have much to do. I'm currently at the moment editing THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the sequel to last years little baby, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, and I started noticing a few peculiarities. I started the book, I think, in September last year and as I have stated on many occasions, it was a terribly difficult conception. I never believed in the curse of the second book, but it was true and I was living in its torturous nightmare. The first three chapters were conceived and written during that time, before I had the break to regroup and come back full of gusto and vinegar.
     Now, what I've noticed in the editing process, going over those three chapters, is how hard I was trying to write at the time. What do I mean by this? As you write each successive book, I think you have to up your game from the last. You have to learn from your mistakes, learn from your structure, your composition and the story itself and start to get a sense of what you're good at and ultimately what you are poor at. Now take this with a grain of salt. I'm no expert, certainly no best seller, but I have a sense of what works for me. By the time I started that second story, I wanted the book to be so much better that I committed a sin, the big no-no in writing...I OVERWROTE! I  found the prose to be flowery, cumbersome and pretentious. It was as if I was using each word, each sentence, each paragraph to build a wall around my unconscious to stop the story downloading from brain to page. It was horrible, frustrating, but it wasn't writers block. I don't believe in writers block. I believe in doing the job and gaining perspective. Which is what I did. 
     That break from the story was what I needed. I re-evaluated what I was doing and ceased being the writer I thought I ought to be, and became the writer I originally was. And that made all the difference. Except now I find editing those frist three chapters a pain in the arse, but live and learn. It's all we can do, people.       


Fun stuff:
Saw John Carter at the movies and enjoyed it (no 3D for me. Fool me once Hollywood but never again, unless it's shot using actual 3D cameras!) It was a wonderful mix of whimsy, old style sci-fi with a certain European sensibility. I would love to see where the story goes in a sequel but alas I doubt that will see the light of day. Perhaps I shall buy the books... ( I have a wonderful idea for the Green Lantern movie franchise, let me tell you one day. It would have been Star wars on steroids, only with Green magic rings...)


Reading at he moment:
The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie which is occult techniques used as psychology. Intersting stuff.


And still plowing through The Kamandi Omnibus by Jack Kirby. 'Nuff said.


Have a great week!


Cheers,


John