Blocked

I am currently suffering from what I like to think of as 'Writer's starting block'.

It is really hard for me to start writing something new at the moment; I just don't have the impetus to work at anything new. It hasn't helped that the site went down on Sunday and I've been stressing about that, but it isn't just this.

I've been quite deflated since I sent ADM off to agents, and I've found it really hard to start a new project. I've had ideas, and I'm still coming up with random little plots and worlds, but they just kick about in my head or end up in my working diary.

I had finally gotten myself worked up to start writing a new short story on Sunday, but with the mess of the site I just didn't end up doing anything.

Font is easy, as that's an ongoing project, but I can't even get the drive to edit some of the half-done short stories which are laying languid in my hard drive.

I guess I'm just quite useless whilst I wait for rejections replies from agents... which is annoying.


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Random thoughts

Do you know what's sad? That we have mapped the entire globe, and that no-one will ever have the profession 'Explorer' again; it can only be "Aquatic Explorer", or "Space Explorer".

This also has an impact upon fiction; writers from before we mapped the earth could create tension and impart terror by speaking of far off and terrible places/landmarks which the reader could not, with absolute certainty, disprove the existence of. Now, people would just have to look on Google Earth.

There is always the mystery of the ocean depths, and so I'm holding out hope that R'lyeh will rise at some point. Iä! Iä! Cthulhu f'tagn!

Something else that's sad is the way in which media has brainwashed my generation; I've grown up to expect that, if your life is dull or not perfect, something interesting, cool and amazing will always happen to make everything better.

How's this been imparted onto us? I'll explain my logic;

Almost every movie, kids show and book involves someone with an imperfect life as the main character.

It is rare to see, especially in media which people below 18 are likely to see, someone who does have an imperfect life in a noble light.

Everyone views themselves as the main character in Life.

Thusly, my generation expect that they will be famous, rich or have amazing lives. Why do you think people jump at the chance to get on Big Brother, or why so many young women want to become Glamour models? Why are there so many people who write things online and expect to become J.K. Rowling? (Please ignore the irony of this statement)

I am entirely guilty of it; I expectantly hope that everyone will come to this site and be enamoured with my writing and return constantly; spreading the word to their friends as they do. I also hope to be snapped up by an agent, and then by a publisher, and get a massive advance.

I'm only glad that I can say that it is a mere hope; I know that if I am going to be able to make a living from writing then it will be a long process, and that I am likely to get rejected several times before I get an agent. But, there are people who don't have my cynicism/self-deprecation...

Finally, it's sad that I'm going to be alone for the weekend. I miss you, my love.


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Plot hooks, lines and stinkers

What happened to sense in modern media production?

Think about it; how many times have you shouted at a TV programme/film/video game because the characters, world or actors do something that just isn't right. It's not sensible or intelligent, or people do something entirely out of character, and it's all just to fit in with some stupid plot.

Or, what's even worse, the writers just don't know what to do in the situation they've written themselves into, or what do with the character because they have developed so much, and so they massively reduce character's charisma, intelligence or powers in order to finish the story. Badly.

(X-men 3 spoiler, if you've not seen it)

Witness Magneto in X3; for that long combat scene where he moves the bridge onto that remote island he pointlessly sacrifices most of his mutant army for no good reason, especially considering that he could have simply bombarded the installation from a height of 100 feet with cars until all of the guards were dead. Hell, he could have dropped the damn bridge onto the building and killed the boy.

(end of X-men 3 spoiler)

There are other many other occasions where this kind of thing happens; physics is constantly abused by action and sci-fi movies, or villains will just die stupidly or suddenly, or when main/important characters just don't turn up until it's cinematic (i.e. a bad point for all of those people he was fighting with, as they will have been beaten badly by this point), for no good reason. The list just goes on.

What's the point of this rant? Well, it's mostly so that, if I ever write something that people think lacks basic sense, they have something to point out to me to make me think twice.

So, future Sean, heed your words!