It always starts off with the best intentions. There’s an idea, be it a character or a scene or an image. Before it’s gone you grab a hold of it and hold on to see where it takes you. Sometimes you ride them out and each new idea reveals a new one behind it and before you know it you’re soaring through the clouds and you get lost in that world.
Sometimes though, like that metaphor, you hit the ground with a thud.
I wanted to say here’s the first chapter from my new book. But that doesn’t seem right when I’ve not put a book out yet. So here’s the deal: I’m about halfway through this tome at the moment but I thought I’d put out a little preview. The title, tentatively, is DEAD BODIES IN A ROW. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds hardboiled. I guess that’s the idea. I love crime stories, but they’re always set in New York or LA or Boston. So why not try setting one in my fair city? I have to admit it’s been strange writing about places that I walk past, and I’m not sure the fit works yet, but I’m willing to give it a try. If nothing else it’s been a lot of fun to write.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this is only a first draft (I usually write about five) so this can and will probably change. I think there’s parts here that don’t work and language that doesn’t flow right, but it should at least give an idea of what I want to do.
So without further ado. Here’s Chapter 1, and sorry for the formatting but WordPress doesn’t care for paragraphs.
First lines are important. In some ways they’re the most important part of anything you’ll write or read. A great first line should invite the reader in, it should invite them to take a seat and want to hear more.
Not to get too base about it but if you’re the fish then the first line is the hook and the author just needs to reel you in. See, that was a metaphor. I might use a simile later too.
Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you’re in a suitably festive mood. If not then I have just the film for you.
During the 80’s and early 90’s, Topps trading cards released cards relating to everything from Gremlins, to Garbage Pail Kids (Which could really do with a whole horrific entry of its own) to Michael Jackson. Basically, if it was big then Topps were there with some trading cards, a few stickers and some bubble gum.
Is it sacrilege to watch Halloween not on Halloween? I’ve been doing it for so many years now that I almost guilty when I don’t. But here we are, all grown up and breaking all the rules.
When I was younger I always put off seeing this film, not because I was scared or anything like that, but because I always thought there was a film just called Living Dead and that this was a sequel. Well the joke is on me of course because what I was missing out on was probably the best zombie film made to date.
A Nightmare On Elm Street was such a massive success on release that it was inevitable that a sequel would be released as soon as possible. That is, of course, what happens. So one was rushed into production and almost a year to the day later Freddy’s Revenge was released. But how do you follow up a film like Nightmare On Elm Street?
Well by making the sequel about one man’s struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality.
I think this might be the first foreign language film on the list this year, which is bad form on my part. There was a time where I viewed a lot of films from around the world, not just horror, and I still do. But there was a particular time where I was watching horror from our Asian friends, so it’s a surprise that this film slipped out of my grasp initially.
A bit of a deliberate change of pace tonight, a little something that suits my mood (In which this dreaded cold was going away and now has come back bigger and badder).
This is a story about ghosts.
Is This Thing On? 