Monday 16 April 2012

THE AVENGERS

     It was only last week that I made the following declaration: after my next book is published, I was going to lay off the children's writing for a while. No more fantasy, paranormal boogaloo. No more witches, ghosts and goblins taking up my every waking hour. Even though I have committed myself to a six book series, I have been feeling burnt out on those particular genres. Is it time to do something a bit more adult? A bit more literary?
     I don't know where my book, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, came from. I never had any intention of writing a fantasy novel or even a book. It was always going to be about screenplays for me, a format I feel more comfortable inhabiting. But fate has a way of intervening and there you go, a book was born. But it has been doing my research that I have been astounded by how many new writers today (specifically the $0.99 pot boilers on Kindle and Smashwords...don't worry, I'm one of 'em!) are writing supernatural, paranormal themes into their work particularly populated with vampires and zombies. I wonder, are these people after the big bucks in the wake of Twilight, or do they generally have an interest in these genres? Do they read outside these genres and find more comfort in the styles of more traditional writers? I barely read any fantasy or paranormal fiction which I guess is strange for someone writing in those genres. It never has interested me particularly, other than reading a few comics in my lifetime. Good god, I had to put Lord of the Rings down half way through and just go "No, no, I don't think I have time for this. Get to the mountain already. Enough with the names and introduction and...well, you get the picture." Does an over saturation of paranormal fantasy represent the human condition in any viable way? Novels should reflect the human condition after all, so with the proliferation of these genres....what does that say about us now? I would love to hear from other authors who feel the same way. Or if they don't. I love process stories either way.
     So this brings my ranting into the present moment, as I finish edits and readying publication on THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the second book in my series. I'm proud of the story. It's bigger and grander in it's theme and written a little better than it's predecessor. But I'm quite happy to lock the door on that world for a while. But soon I have to start writing again. Plenty of non fantasy ideas, to be sure, so now may be the time to start. The itch of the daily grind is starting to crawl up my back and infect my musing thoughts. But no goblins working their foul magic on me. Time to start...yes, time to start.


Let me know if you have any thoughts on the subjects raised.


Reading at the moment: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. As a writer you could do no wrong in studying McCarthy, particularly The Road with it's spartan dialogue. What a master class right there...after reading Child of God, my brain nearly melted and Blood Meridian is sublime!


Watching: Justified Season 1. Up to episode 7 and I get my Deadwood fix with Timothy Olyphant (also noticed a couple of Deadwood actors scattered in there as well.Give me Ian McShane in Justified and we are in Heaven).


Have a great week and see you soon!


Cheers,


John