It is the beginning of the National Football League. Millions of men were glued to their big screen television on Sunday. (If you still have a cathode ray television, you are eihter a tight-wad or a thrifty genius. Just watch the games on your computer instead)
When I was a kid, I fantasize of being a great football player -- just like any normal red blooded Asisian-African-Caucasian American boy. I alswo wanted to be a katara sword wielding Ninja and Rockstar singer. As the Bay Area teams struggled in weak 1, my attention shifted to other programs. The History Channel caught my fancy, as it broadcasted America's significant physical, social, and industrial changes centered with the use of TECHNOLOGY.
With the advent of the power loom, T-Ford production line, the microchip and silicon wafer, America had surged forward as a world power.
My mind drifted back to my characters, Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips (protagonist vampire) and Mephistopheles (antagonist vampire) as they witnessed America's transformation throughout the centuries. A vampire starts to die when he stops to adapt. Both undead have learned to adjust well to their environment and are quite formidable characters.
Quick Summary C21 to C31
C21, Underground Cell
Previously, Aaron Sanborn, one of Mephistopheles' vampire goons, had kidnapped Margaret, Andrew's former missionary assistant, at SFO in broad daylight. Aaron drove down to San Jose State University campus and raided Nicholas Paige's office. Nicholas is a revamped vampire like Priscilla Drake and their mentor, Fr. Andrew. Discovering an underground storage room, Aaron placed Margaret there for safe keeping as ordered by Mephistopheles.
C22, Mephistopheles & Margaret
Mephistopheles arrived from southern California to SJSU campus along with his vampire minions, Vrinda Wilhelm (a knockout & voracious blondie), Sergio Rodriquez (a L.A. street gang banger), Chang Lee (a superior martial artist), and Winston Slaughter (a western cowboy). Just like Aaron Sanbor, when Mephistopheles seen Margaret for the first time, he was infatuated by her beauty. Vrinda, Mephistopheles's girl friend, felt jealous over her. Mephistopheles decided to handle Margaret as gentle as he could, while developing some trust between them.
c23, Secrets of the Mind
Mephistopheles' patience ran thin, while Vrinda loomed over him like a jealous mother. Vrinda wanted Margaret's blood so bad, she salivates at the thought. Finally, Mephistopheles resorted to a mixture of sodium pentathol, the truth drug, and hallucigenic and administred it to Margaret. She had some of the most remarkable accounts from the previous missionary journey in Philippines, which excited and enamored Mephistopheles. The Daralingas and their vampire-like craving for blood, their ability to transform into dragon-wolves, and their possession of an ancient Crystal Skull demonstrated their immense power physically and electromagnetically. Mephistopheles absorbed every detail. Afterward, Mephistopheles & Vrinda made love at the foot of Margaret, while they shared in her blood.
c24, Ravaged
The information that Margaret revealed also included the cabin location of Andrew at the top of Skytrail Mountain in Scicon. Mephistopheles ordered his vampire minions to run roughshod San Jose, while he garnered a Blackhawk helicopter at Travis Air Force Base. The pilot dropped Mephistopheles outside Scicon near the the small town of Springville. Wearing a camouflaged outfit, Mephistopheles, a 6' 4 inch v-shaped vampire who was dependent on technological devices and gedgets, decided to go 'natural.' In touch with his vampire instincts, he stalked the land in pursuit of Andrew and the other revamps. They had abandoned the cabin just a few days ago, which made Mephisstophees go ballistic, ravaging interns, students, and anyone who got in his way.
C25, The Blood Pit
As ordered by Mephistopheles, Vrinda, Sergio, Chang, Winston, and Aaron devasted San Jose. Sergio made east San Jose his cup of blood; Chang invaded Japantown; Winston galloped Valley Faire, because he loved the valley and fond of country fairs. Of course, it was a mall, so Winston did some mauling; Vrinda planned her attack at the magnificant Fairmont Hotel. As a pyrotechnic guy, Aaron exploded police cars, ran eighteen wheelers into buildings, over-turned and burned whatever automobiles he could get his hands on. What an infamous night to remember.
C26, USA Today Newspaper
The kidnapping of a female at SFO airport was a side note to the destruction -- basically a war zone -- that occurred in San Jose obviously made every newspaper's front page, especially USA Today. After visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano for a few days, Andrew, Priscilla, and Nicholas Nicholas Paige traveled west on Highway 99 through the Grapevine and stopped at AM/PM Store at Delano's County Line for gas and liquid soybean refreshments. Nicholas noticed the USA Today's headline news and quickly showed it to Andrew, who was completely devastated by San Jose's tragedy and the kidnapping of his former assistant, Margaret Beinford.
C27, Revamps Game Plan
Instead of returning to Scicon, the revamps regrouped at a dilapidated migrant cabin between Delano and Richgrove. It was as clear as daylight. Andrew needed backups fast but who? He knew of the elite warriors, members of the Daralinga tribe who had the power to shape-shift into majestic animals other than dragon-wolves. Tehy could track down Margaret and battle the vampires. But Andrew had to return back to Philippines in some disguise, because he knew the vampires were monitoring them, should Andrew reveal his identity out in the open. Andre had a vision of Hare Krishna followers with himself being the bald-headed master guru. It just might work.
C28, Bat of Prey
Before he entertained the notion of returning back to Philippines, Andrew wanted to make sure the parents of his ceceased assistant Jude Marlowe were alright. He dispatched Priscilla and Nicholas to the local bank and obtained necessary funds for air tickets and other expenses that needed cash only. Andrew transformed into a great bat with his priestly collar still intact around his neck. He flew off into the afternoon sky and headed for the Marlowe Ranch. Andrew perched himself on top of an American Flag, which the Marlowe's found quite odd. A great bat with a priestly collar around its neck. Mr. Marlowe decided to shoot that creature down with his shotgun but resisted. An omen or something about it altered his feelings.
C29, Bank of America Branch
Nicholas and Priscilla took the Chevy Silverado to Main Street and found a local Bank of America branch, which enthralled Priscilla. She happened to be a B of A executive at New York City. Inside the bank, Priscilla was surprised to find out that her savings account had been embezzled. The other surprising twist was the presence of Jason Hatfield, that son-of-a-bitch wannabe cowboy, who nearly blew Andrew's brains out several months ago. Priscilla needed acces to a computer. Jason had strike up a conversation with Priscilla and informed her of his latest gadget, an IBM Aptiva personal computer. Priscilla decided to ride with Jason in his Ford F-150 pick-up and use his computer. Jason lived next to the Rambo's at Earlimart. Their son Dak Rambo was a famous Hollywood star and a fine American cowboy!
C30, Honest Banker
Priscilla took advantage of Jason's hospitality. Actually, she knew Jason wanted to take advantage of her by getting her drunk and hopping into her pants. Priscilla managed to contact a co-executive and reversed the the wired money transfer. She thanked Larson Dewitt, the honest banker, so profusely. He did not want to accept any cash reward but agreed to receive one million doolar from Priscilla and donate it to his favorite charity. In a drunken state, Priscilla felt so spaced out. When Jason was about to rape her, Nicholas stepped in and rendered Jason unconscious.
C31, St. Mary's Church
Nicholas and Priscilla returned to the dilapidated cabin and waited for Andrew's return. Andrew did return shortly after he was sure of the Marlowe were not monitored by bad vampires. The three revamps returned to the bank and withdrew fifty thousand dollars in cash. Afterwards, Andrew decided they needed some prayer and meditation at a local Catholic Churck. A passerby suggested St. Mary's Church at 11th Street. The revamps had a moment of quiet time and reflection before their great undertaking. They even met the priest of St. Mary's Church. Andrew leveled to the priest of their true nature, which was of course a shocker to Fr. Sam Mobley. He left them there at the Church quite abruptly, due to information -- wackos -- overload.
Alright, until next time again. Happy reading!!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Half-way Home, Bite-size Chapters, & C16-20 Summary
Meet Me Half-way!
My initial 40 chapter book of Great American Novel is going well according to plan. I reached half-way point. There were some bumps and gaps along the way, mainly dealing with initial addiction to Facebook, which seemed to fizzle for now. Chatting, serching for friends, and making new "click-clkick" buddies had me hooked for a few weeks. During that time, I neglected my writing, audiobook listening, reading researching, thinking, and dreaming of the novel and subsequent ones. I basically had to slap my self silly and drag my mind and body into a literal closet-like seclusion. I believe I'm back in traching and chugging away like Thomas the Train.
Bite-size Chapters,
Chapters are like either big chunks of meat or small edible pieces. I was averaging between 10 to 12 pages per chapter with about two to three sceenes included. I find it much more palatable for me and perhaps for the reader to average 5 pages per cahpter with one primary scene. Naturally what happens are the influx of chapters that were initially forty will probably double to eighty. Although it is a big jump, the decrease length per chapter will mitigate the burden of reading rather lengthy chapteers. I say go for that approach as did Dean Koontz in his Frankenstein series. Previously, his normal writinng style included lengthy chapters. But in this particular series, he goes by the one-scene/one-chapter approach, which is a stark contrast from what I'm used to, but I quickly adjusted to the new method and found it much more enjoyable, while captivating my senses withvisually descriptive and action oriented scenes.
C16 to C20 Quick Summary
C16 The Quiet Room
Mephistopheles, CIA Directorate of Technology & ruthless vampire, assigned his top-notch psychics, who were busily tagreting terrorist enclaves and strongholds, to remote view Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips and the other Revamps location. Having obtained visual, auditory, and impressionistic cues, Mephistopheles had a clear view of their location. He thanked his psychics profusely by giving extra time-off and an exorbitant amount of financial compensation.
C17 The Vampire Seekers
Along with Aaron and Vrinda, Mephistopheles had three other vampire minions under his creation and supervision: Chang Lee, a super Brue Lee type of vampire with equally matching Kung Fu fighting skills, if not more so. Sergio Rodriques, a wild, gag-banging east L.A. vampire with the craving for lowrider cars, hot chola women, and respect from Mephistopheles. Finally, Winston Slaughter, a southern vampire with the love for cow's blood, the great outdoors, and Winston Lights cigarettes. Mephistopheles met them at the San Gabriel Mountains, as they try to smoke out the rebelious Revamps.
C18 Aaron's Infatuation
Based on extensive intelligent reports, Mephistopheles identifed a close associate of Andrew, Margaret Beinford, who assisted him during his missionary excursions. Mephistopheles dispatched his minion Aaron Sanborn to San Jose, California. Aaron boarded a Continental airplane at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Landing at San Jose Airport, At first galnce, Aaron had a strong infatuation for Margaret, a tall red-head, pearly skin, ample bosom, and crystal green eyes -- the same physical characteristic of Priscilla Drake, a Revamp and former execuive banker. Aaron felt paralyzed with lust and hunger, as he lacked his normal vampiric efficiency.
C19 Beinford's Get-Away Trip
Sensing that their life was in danger from a stalking vampire, Margaret convinced her parents to go on a much neededget-away trip to Kauna, Hawaii. As they packed their bags, Aaron Sanborn lingered around the lofty Beinford Estate. Initially driving a red Corvette, Aaron managed to steal a silver Cadilac from a black suited elderly gentleman. To further disguise his identity, Aaron switched his faded denims and leather jacket to gramp's business suit. Aaron dumped the body in a patch of wild bushes then followed the Beinford's truck all the way to San Franciso International Airport, since he lacked the will overpower them off the road. He made his talk much more difficult then it appeared to be.
C20 Snatched
As the Margaret's parents checked in at the Hawaii Arilines counter, Margaret decided to walk around the airport, while Aaron Sanborn stealthily stayed closed behind. While Margaret checked a wall full of books, Aaron sneaked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her neck. He threatened her should she scream out loud and make a scene, he swore to snap her neck. Inside, he did not know if he could carry out that threat but thankfully Margaret believed him. The two were linked together hand in neck. Margaret galnced at her parents from a distance, perhpas the last time she will ever see them. Several security officers passed by but did not suspect any foul play as Aaron whispered in her ear threats and dire consequences. Margaret should have been shattered physically and emotionally, but she went through much difficult times in the past with Fr. Andrew in the Philippines, as she kept her head and spirits up. Where are yu Fr. Andrew was her prayer and pleading to God.
My initial 40 chapter book of Great American Novel is going well according to plan. I reached half-way point. There were some bumps and gaps along the way, mainly dealing with initial addiction to Facebook, which seemed to fizzle for now. Chatting, serching for friends, and making new "click-clkick" buddies had me hooked for a few weeks. During that time, I neglected my writing, audiobook listening, reading researching, thinking, and dreaming of the novel and subsequent ones. I basically had to slap my self silly and drag my mind and body into a literal closet-like seclusion. I believe I'm back in traching and chugging away like Thomas the Train.
Bite-size Chapters,
Chapters are like either big chunks of meat or small edible pieces. I was averaging between 10 to 12 pages per chapter with about two to three sceenes included. I find it much more palatable for me and perhaps for the reader to average 5 pages per cahpter with one primary scene. Naturally what happens are the influx of chapters that were initially forty will probably double to eighty. Although it is a big jump, the decrease length per chapter will mitigate the burden of reading rather lengthy chapteers. I say go for that approach as did Dean Koontz in his Frankenstein series. Previously, his normal writinng style included lengthy chapters. But in this particular series, he goes by the one-scene/one-chapter approach, which is a stark contrast from what I'm used to, but I quickly adjusted to the new method and found it much more enjoyable, while captivating my senses withvisually descriptive and action oriented scenes.
C16 to C20 Quick Summary
C16 The Quiet Room
Mephistopheles, CIA Directorate of Technology & ruthless vampire, assigned his top-notch psychics, who were busily tagreting terrorist enclaves and strongholds, to remote view Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips and the other Revamps location. Having obtained visual, auditory, and impressionistic cues, Mephistopheles had a clear view of their location. He thanked his psychics profusely by giving extra time-off and an exorbitant amount of financial compensation.
C17 The Vampire Seekers
Along with Aaron and Vrinda, Mephistopheles had three other vampire minions under his creation and supervision: Chang Lee, a super Brue Lee type of vampire with equally matching Kung Fu fighting skills, if not more so. Sergio Rodriques, a wild, gag-banging east L.A. vampire with the craving for lowrider cars, hot chola women, and respect from Mephistopheles. Finally, Winston Slaughter, a southern vampire with the love for cow's blood, the great outdoors, and Winston Lights cigarettes. Mephistopheles met them at the San Gabriel Mountains, as they try to smoke out the rebelious Revamps.
C18 Aaron's Infatuation
Based on extensive intelligent reports, Mephistopheles identifed a close associate of Andrew, Margaret Beinford, who assisted him during his missionary excursions. Mephistopheles dispatched his minion Aaron Sanborn to San Jose, California. Aaron boarded a Continental airplane at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Landing at San Jose Airport, At first galnce, Aaron had a strong infatuation for Margaret, a tall red-head, pearly skin, ample bosom, and crystal green eyes -- the same physical characteristic of Priscilla Drake, a Revamp and former execuive banker. Aaron felt paralyzed with lust and hunger, as he lacked his normal vampiric efficiency.
C19 Beinford's Get-Away Trip
Sensing that their life was in danger from a stalking vampire, Margaret convinced her parents to go on a much neededget-away trip to Kauna, Hawaii. As they packed their bags, Aaron Sanborn lingered around the lofty Beinford Estate. Initially driving a red Corvette, Aaron managed to steal a silver Cadilac from a black suited elderly gentleman. To further disguise his identity, Aaron switched his faded denims and leather jacket to gramp's business suit. Aaron dumped the body in a patch of wild bushes then followed the Beinford's truck all the way to San Franciso International Airport, since he lacked the will overpower them off the road. He made his talk much more difficult then it appeared to be.
C20 Snatched
As the Margaret's parents checked in at the Hawaii Arilines counter, Margaret decided to walk around the airport, while Aaron Sanborn stealthily stayed closed behind. While Margaret checked a wall full of books, Aaron sneaked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her neck. He threatened her should she scream out loud and make a scene, he swore to snap her neck. Inside, he did not know if he could carry out that threat but thankfully Margaret believed him. The two were linked together hand in neck. Margaret galnced at her parents from a distance, perhpas the last time she will ever see them. Several security officers passed by but did not suspect any foul play as Aaron whispered in her ear threats and dire consequences. Margaret should have been shattered physically and emotionally, but she went through much difficult times in the past with Fr. Andrew in the Philippines, as she kept her head and spirits up. Where are yu Fr. Andrew was her prayer and pleading to God.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Writing Process & Qucik Summary of C11 to C15
Topics of Dsicussion
A/The quick and dirty way to write a novel
B/Quick Summary for Chapters 11 through 15
C/Going Back to School
A/The simplest and most quicket way to write a novel is broken down in 3 stages:
1- Mapping & Brainstorming
2- Filling & Organizing
3- Revising & Polishing
1- Those of you who like to see the "whole picture" would love this stage of novel mapping. It completely taking a universal view of your picture, then breaking it down to individual galactic chapters (which do not expand in the billions) that that contract to manageable chuncks, for example
40 chapters x 10 pages each equal 400 pages
Or 80 chapters x 5 pages each equal 400 pages
Even (but I don't advise this) 120 chapters x 3 pages equal 360 pages
Think in those terms, But we are not worried yet about page totals in the 1st stage of novel writing. OUr purpose is to fill in a LOGICAL chapter by chapter step. Don't rush to fill in MAIN chapter Scenes, but allow yourself about 2 to 4 weeks of musing, noting, and scribbling down thoughts, dreams, or Internet research material into seaprate word documents that are labeled Chapter 1 or you last Chapter 40. Once yu have mapped out your individual chapters and set up main SCENES, this is a great time time to JUMP AROUND, meaning you are not limited to writing chronologically. You can work on the middle chapters, the last chapter, or put your time on the first chapter. Be Creative, Not Inhibited!
2- I am now at Stage 2, as I fill in Dialogues, Action, and Description (DAD) in Chapter s 11 to 15. I won't talk about Stage 3 until I reached that next progression. In stage 2, my thinking process is to narrow my scenes within that individual chapter, like an Island in a Novel body of ocean. Usually in a chapter, I vary my scenes from 1 to a maximum of 3. Too much scenes in a chpater produce an awkward abmount of high-speed tempo, thus exhausting and literally confusing the reader. Slow down, craft you scen, and go with a logical flow!
B/I would now to give a quick summary of chapter 11 to 15
C11 Abduction,
Our protagonist, Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips, and the two newly Revamps resided at the Hermit's cabin in SCICOn, an outdoor school and summer camp near the beautiful Sequoia National Forest area in Tulare county. As Andrew walked through the woods alone and deep in thought, he found himself being monitored, tracked, and eventually abducted by BEINGS, tall large egg
shaped pinkish gray aliens with huge slanted black eyes. Drastic events called for drastic measure, as Andrew resorted to inherent Vampire skills and abilities to deter the aliens and their luminous scouting/medical craft.
(Oops! This out of place. This chapter 10, to set up the chapters 11 to 15. Since I can't cut and paste with this blog, I am going to leave it here and out of order. Just go with the FLOW and adjust!)
C10 The Lost Boy,
A near-sighted, chubby, and low self-esteem summer camper boy stubled at Andrew's Hermit Cabin residence up in the mountain along Skytrail. The boy's name, Gabriel, met Andrew's companions, Priscilla Drake and Nicholas Paige. Gabriel particularly found himself attracted to Priscilla, a red-headed Revamp with the bubbly nature of Lucille Ball. Gabriel talked about a bully, Scottie, who keeps on making fun of and even abusing Gabriel. Scottie, Gabriel and six other students reside in the Earlimart Cabin at the base of the mountain. Andrew is determined to have a little talk with Gabriel's nemesis.
C12 Gabriel's Avenger,
After Andrew escaped from his alien abduction, he is more determined than ever to confront Scottie, Gabrie's bully. Learning to use drastic measure for drastic purposes, Andrew sneaked into Earlimart cabin and snatched Scottie from his warm bunkbed. Andrew took Scotie in an isolated cove of trees. As Scottie watched in horror, Andrew removed all his clothing except for the priestly collar around his neck and transformed into a large, ferocious looking vampire bat. Andrew threatened Scottie if he ever bully Gabriel again, he would transform into this hellish creature and hunt Scottie down in San Joaquin Valley where Scottie resided.
C13 Mission San Juan Capistrano,
After 40 days of spiritual rehabilitation for Revamps Priscilla and Nicholas, Fr. Andrew rewarded their diligence by taking them on a little Great American road trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano, the place where Andrew was converted from a vicious, blood sucking vampire to an Enlightened Revamp and to evenutal priesthood 200 years ago. Along the way to San Juan Capistrano, Priscilla and Nicholas were struck with psychic attacks from other vampires, desperately trying to fix their location. Andrew knew they would eventually have to confront the Kindred of Vampire, who were in full search mode for their vampire blood.
C14 The Ancient Ones,
Mephistophes, one of the 13 ancient onew, who were six thousands years old and older, was informed by his fledgling vampire, Aaron Sanborn, that Priscilla Drake, whom Aaron was complete vampire-smitten with love, had been missing for nearly six months. Mephistopheles, who was also CIA Directorate of Technology, had all the latest gizmos, equipment, governmental resources at his disposal searched for Priscilla and her long-time companion Nicholas and Andrew, whom they suspected of being subversive, a betrayer, and a threat to vampires security and way of life. Andrew must be found, decapitated, and burned into ashes! The vampire rebelion must end with them or all Heaven will break loose.
C15 Devar,
After Mephistopheles had a secretive meeting with the Ancient Ones, he contacted Aaron Sanborn to meet him at DeVar, a bohemian bar at the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. DeVar was a hangout for wanna-be vampires, touristss, celebrities, bohemai, and a couple of genuine vampires. Mephistophes ordered Aaron to fly of to the Bay Area and locate the betraying bastard, Andrew, and his fledgling vampires. Once their strategies were planned out -- the business aspect diligently thought out -- it was time for Mephistopheles to mix some pleasure. A beutiful blond celeb headed out of DeVar, which Mephistopheles stealthily followed. After subduing the chick, Mephistopheles handed over the body to Aaron Sanborn. Aaron enjoyed the pleasure of sucking blood as wel as ccreating a high-speed car crash pyro-echnic show that usually covered up Mephistopheles' dirty deed. What a fine American vampire, officer, and gentleman!
C/ Going Back to School! It's that time of the year where students renew their educational pursuis, so should wanna-be novelists, short story essayist, or diarists. If you just have a thought in mind -- no mater how vague or juvenile -- jot it down on a notebook or a Word document. See if you can expand it. This initial type of note-taking or jotting down can be consdiered the Pre-school or Kindergarten level stage. Don't be afraid to materialize, embody it with the CLOTHING of words. When something is vague, it is not made concrete, not given an incarnation of words. As you progress from infancy level to Middle-School type level, this is the universal multi-subject stage of writing. Explore your world through reading classis American novels like The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mocking Bird, etc. Whatever genre excites you like Science Fiction, Historial Fiction, Magical Realism, or Romance, read through those works with the eye on how the author blended, pieced, or sewed the novel together. Until next time, happy reading, audiobooking, and writing. REMEBER Facebooking is not considered Writing. It's just a Distration from your task at hand. Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Delay! Delay! Delay! NO MORE!
A/The quick and dirty way to write a novel
B/Quick Summary for Chapters 11 through 15
C/Going Back to School
A/The simplest and most quicket way to write a novel is broken down in 3 stages:
1- Mapping & Brainstorming
2- Filling & Organizing
3- Revising & Polishing
1- Those of you who like to see the "whole picture" would love this stage of novel mapping. It completely taking a universal view of your picture, then breaking it down to individual galactic chapters (which do not expand in the billions) that that contract to manageable chuncks, for example
40 chapters x 10 pages each equal 400 pages
Or 80 chapters x 5 pages each equal 400 pages
Even (but I don't advise this) 120 chapters x 3 pages equal 360 pages
Think in those terms, But we are not worried yet about page totals in the 1st stage of novel writing. OUr purpose is to fill in a LOGICAL chapter by chapter step. Don't rush to fill in MAIN chapter Scenes, but allow yourself about 2 to 4 weeks of musing, noting, and scribbling down thoughts, dreams, or Internet research material into seaprate word documents that are labeled Chapter 1 or you last Chapter 40. Once yu have mapped out your individual chapters and set up main SCENES, this is a great time time to JUMP AROUND, meaning you are not limited to writing chronologically. You can work on the middle chapters, the last chapter, or put your time on the first chapter. Be Creative, Not Inhibited!
2- I am now at Stage 2, as I fill in Dialogues, Action, and Description (DAD) in Chapter s 11 to 15. I won't talk about Stage 3 until I reached that next progression. In stage 2, my thinking process is to narrow my scenes within that individual chapter, like an Island in a Novel body of ocean. Usually in a chapter, I vary my scenes from 1 to a maximum of 3. Too much scenes in a chpater produce an awkward abmount of high-speed tempo, thus exhausting and literally confusing the reader. Slow down, craft you scen, and go with a logical flow!
B/I would now to give a quick summary of chapter 11 to 15
C11 Abduction,
Our protagonist, Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips, and the two newly Revamps resided at the Hermit's cabin in SCICOn, an outdoor school and summer camp near the beautiful Sequoia National Forest area in Tulare county. As Andrew walked through the woods alone and deep in thought, he found himself being monitored, tracked, and eventually abducted by BEINGS, tall large egg
shaped pinkish gray aliens with huge slanted black eyes. Drastic events called for drastic measure, as Andrew resorted to inherent Vampire skills and abilities to deter the aliens and their luminous scouting/medical craft.
(Oops! This out of place. This chapter 10, to set up the chapters 11 to 15. Since I can't cut and paste with this blog, I am going to leave it here and out of order. Just go with the FLOW and adjust!)
C10 The Lost Boy,
A near-sighted, chubby, and low self-esteem summer camper boy stubled at Andrew's Hermit Cabin residence up in the mountain along Skytrail. The boy's name, Gabriel, met Andrew's companions, Priscilla Drake and Nicholas Paige. Gabriel particularly found himself attracted to Priscilla, a red-headed Revamp with the bubbly nature of Lucille Ball. Gabriel talked about a bully, Scottie, who keeps on making fun of and even abusing Gabriel. Scottie, Gabriel and six other students reside in the Earlimart Cabin at the base of the mountain. Andrew is determined to have a little talk with Gabriel's nemesis.
C12 Gabriel's Avenger,
After Andrew escaped from his alien abduction, he is more determined than ever to confront Scottie, Gabrie's bully. Learning to use drastic measure for drastic purposes, Andrew sneaked into Earlimart cabin and snatched Scottie from his warm bunkbed. Andrew took Scotie in an isolated cove of trees. As Scottie watched in horror, Andrew removed all his clothing except for the priestly collar around his neck and transformed into a large, ferocious looking vampire bat. Andrew threatened Scottie if he ever bully Gabriel again, he would transform into this hellish creature and hunt Scottie down in San Joaquin Valley where Scottie resided.
C13 Mission San Juan Capistrano,
After 40 days of spiritual rehabilitation for Revamps Priscilla and Nicholas, Fr. Andrew rewarded their diligence by taking them on a little Great American road trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano, the place where Andrew was converted from a vicious, blood sucking vampire to an Enlightened Revamp and to evenutal priesthood 200 years ago. Along the way to San Juan Capistrano, Priscilla and Nicholas were struck with psychic attacks from other vampires, desperately trying to fix their location. Andrew knew they would eventually have to confront the Kindred of Vampire, who were in full search mode for their vampire blood.
C14 The Ancient Ones,
Mephistophes, one of the 13 ancient onew, who were six thousands years old and older, was informed by his fledgling vampire, Aaron Sanborn, that Priscilla Drake, whom Aaron was complete vampire-smitten with love, had been missing for nearly six months. Mephistopheles, who was also CIA Directorate of Technology, had all the latest gizmos, equipment, governmental resources at his disposal searched for Priscilla and her long-time companion Nicholas and Andrew, whom they suspected of being subversive, a betrayer, and a threat to vampires security and way of life. Andrew must be found, decapitated, and burned into ashes! The vampire rebelion must end with them or all Heaven will break loose.
C15 Devar,
After Mephistopheles had a secretive meeting with the Ancient Ones, he contacted Aaron Sanborn to meet him at DeVar, a bohemian bar at the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. DeVar was a hangout for wanna-be vampires, touristss, celebrities, bohemai, and a couple of genuine vampires. Mephistophes ordered Aaron to fly of to the Bay Area and locate the betraying bastard, Andrew, and his fledgling vampires. Once their strategies were planned out -- the business aspect diligently thought out -- it was time for Mephistopheles to mix some pleasure. A beutiful blond celeb headed out of DeVar, which Mephistopheles stealthily followed. After subduing the chick, Mephistopheles handed over the body to Aaron Sanborn. Aaron enjoyed the pleasure of sucking blood as wel as ccreating a high-speed car crash pyro-echnic show that usually covered up Mephistopheles' dirty deed. What a fine American vampire, officer, and gentleman!
C/ Going Back to School! It's that time of the year where students renew their educational pursuis, so should wanna-be novelists, short story essayist, or diarists. If you just have a thought in mind -- no mater how vague or juvenile -- jot it down on a notebook or a Word document. See if you can expand it. This initial type of note-taking or jotting down can be consdiered the Pre-school or Kindergarten level stage. Don't be afraid to materialize, embody it with the CLOTHING of words. When something is vague, it is not made concrete, not given an incarnation of words. As you progress from infancy level to Middle-School type level, this is the universal multi-subject stage of writing. Explore your world through reading classis American novels like The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mocking Bird, etc. Whatever genre excites you like Science Fiction, Historial Fiction, Magical Realism, or Romance, read through those works with the eye on how the author blended, pieced, or sewed the novel together. Until next time, happy reading, audiobooking, and writing. REMEBER Facebooking is not considered Writing. It's just a Distration from your task at hand. Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Delay! Delay! Delay! NO MORE!
Friday, August 6, 2010
A quick overview of written chapters, etc.
This is my thrid blog installment, and it's safe to say -- I'm free of vampire bites -- I have completed 25% of Great American Vampire. Not bad, but still much work ahead. It feels good that the working maroscopic chapters are working according to plan. Each chapter is separate and distinct and are confined to their boundaries. It is quite essential to have a holistic view of your novel from beginning to end. In doing so, it clearly removes the dreaded "writer's block" for me. Additionally, my creativity is paradoxically enhanced, rather than suffocated to a mental apathy.
Now, I would like to give a bried summary of the first 10 written chapters for the reader's perusal.
C 1 Hijacked,
The vampire priest, Fr. Andrew Phillips and his loyal assistant, Margaret Beinford, returned to the States along with two precious cargo, two caskets containing two vampires, Priscilla Drake and Nicholas Paige. Philippine Arilines pilot, captain Alexander Gallegos, had been possessed 30 minutes into the trans-Pacific flight and diverted the Boeing 747 into the "Devil's Triangle," the region between China, Japan, and Philippines. A couple of the female stewardess heroics, Fr. Andrew's faith, and Margaret's emotional support diverted a highly precarious position.
C 2 Custom Delivery,
Landing safely at San Francisco International (SFO) airport, Andrew and Margaret faced customs. Andrew was asked -- if not coerced -- to participate in an Federal Aviation Agency debriefing in regards to an hour of radio silence and the first officer and chief engineer sustained minor injury. The airplane issue was swept underneath the table for fear of ridiculment. Possession and alien abductions were atypical reasons as opposed to mechanical failure or pilot error. Anyway, Andrew and Margaret get a lift from a Filipino martial expert, a passenger as well, who drove a white custom van, as they headed to San Jose where Margaret parents owned a mansion on Silver Creek Road.
C 3 Beinford Chateau,
The Beinford's mansion reminded Andrew of a French Chateau from his roaming vampiric past. In the dark days of his past, Andrew felt French blood was much sweeter than French wine. Margaret's father, Douglass Beinford, privately owned an electronic company and several car dealerships. Margaret's mother, Chelsea Beinford, lived like a Hollywood starlet, as she who frequently flew to Paris for the latest fashions, skied in the Great Alps, and dined in London.
C 4 Chevy Silverado,
Fr. Andrew needed a truck in order to transfer the two caskets to his high mountain cabin near Springville, California. Priscilla and Nicholas had to be buried symbolically sort of speak of their former vampiric nature. Margaret made a deal with her stubborn parents. It was not necessarily a deal with the devil, but Margaret now had to attend college and obtained a formal education in exchnage for the truck. She happily accepted the offer and gave Andrew the keys to a spanking new 1991 Silverado.
C 5 The Marlowe's Misery,
Fr. Andrew other male assistant, Jude Marlowe, perished on their last missionary adventure, which completely devasted him. Jude was like the son Andrew never had. Jude had the heart of gold, just like Margaret. Andrew broke the news to Jude's parent, Daniel and Beth Marlowe, who live in a ranch ontside of Delano, California at the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. It was like re-experiencing Jude's death again through the parent's perspectivem, their only childd.
C 6 The Hermit,
Gathering the emotional fragments together, Andrew traveled through the country back roads and reached SCICON, a science conservation outdoor school, under the auspices of the Tulare County Supervisory Board of Education. The outdoor school provided sixth grade students from all over Tulare county the opportunity to spend an entire week in Scicon, as they slept in log cabins, hiked various mountain trails, and observed nature in its pristine state. Andrew was not the original "hermit" that dwelled in a lowly, dilapidated cabin on top of a mountain at the end of Skytrail. But a previously arranged deal with the site administrator allowed him to stay there, while Andrew played the ambassadory role of the hermit.
C 7 Catharsis,
Priscilla and Nicholas underwent the lengthy and grueling process of "humanization," since they no longer drink blood from humans or animals. Call it an extremely cold turkey undertaking which arose cathartic repercussions. Thank God, Fr. Andrew was there to guide them through the process, since he experienced himself similar reactions several hundred years ago. Implementing uplifting meditation and a strict diet of boiled vegatables, Priscilla and Nicholas passed through the valley of the shadow of death it seemed.
C 8 Historical Journeys,
Andrew retold his mystical conversion which occurred in 1806. During this time, Spain had established Missions along Alta (northern) California coastline. One particular mission, Mission San Juan Capistrano, proved to be the site of Andrew's great conversion from a souless, voracious vampire to an enlightened being. He mentioned his missionary enounters in Central Amerca, Afric and his latest and most difficult mission in the Philippines dealing with the Aswang (witch) tribe called the Daralingas, translated as Blood Hunters. They had the power to transform themselves in dragon-wolves. Priscilla and Nicholas listened with fascination and horror.
c 9 Nightmare,
Priscilla and Nicholas steadily progressed in in their spiritual growth. Andrew on the ohter hand had slipped into terrible dreams. One particular night, he experienced a full blown lucid nightmare. Tatsulong, Dragon god of the Daralingas, visited Andrew, who found himself at the center of the Roman Colosseum. Aided by the "Elite Warriors," four noble Daralingas with amazing shape-shifting powers, Andrew slew the great dragon. Of course, it was only a dream.
C 10 The Lost Boy,
A lost sixh boy named Gabriel Robinson, who had severe myopia, wandered into Andrew's mountain top area. Gabriel met Nicholas and Priscilla, whom he had a big crush. Gabril spent a wonderful time with Andrew, Priscilla, and Nicholas, as he moaned over a bully who constantly harrassed him. Andrew made a note to himself of visiting Gabriel's tormentor.
Well, I'm sorry If I bored the reader to death with the insufferable summary! Until my next installment, I bid you all pleasant dreams, minimum nightmares, and most of all, happy readings...
Now, I would like to give a bried summary of the first 10 written chapters for the reader's perusal.
C 1 Hijacked,
The vampire priest, Fr. Andrew Phillips and his loyal assistant, Margaret Beinford, returned to the States along with two precious cargo, two caskets containing two vampires, Priscilla Drake and Nicholas Paige. Philippine Arilines pilot, captain Alexander Gallegos, had been possessed 30 minutes into the trans-Pacific flight and diverted the Boeing 747 into the "Devil's Triangle," the region between China, Japan, and Philippines. A couple of the female stewardess heroics, Fr. Andrew's faith, and Margaret's emotional support diverted a highly precarious position.
C 2 Custom Delivery,
Landing safely at San Francisco International (SFO) airport, Andrew and Margaret faced customs. Andrew was asked -- if not coerced -- to participate in an Federal Aviation Agency debriefing in regards to an hour of radio silence and the first officer and chief engineer sustained minor injury. The airplane issue was swept underneath the table for fear of ridiculment. Possession and alien abductions were atypical reasons as opposed to mechanical failure or pilot error. Anyway, Andrew and Margaret get a lift from a Filipino martial expert, a passenger as well, who drove a white custom van, as they headed to San Jose where Margaret parents owned a mansion on Silver Creek Road.
C 3 Beinford Chateau,
The Beinford's mansion reminded Andrew of a French Chateau from his roaming vampiric past. In the dark days of his past, Andrew felt French blood was much sweeter than French wine. Margaret's father, Douglass Beinford, privately owned an electronic company and several car dealerships. Margaret's mother, Chelsea Beinford, lived like a Hollywood starlet, as she who frequently flew to Paris for the latest fashions, skied in the Great Alps, and dined in London.
C 4 Chevy Silverado,
Fr. Andrew needed a truck in order to transfer the two caskets to his high mountain cabin near Springville, California. Priscilla and Nicholas had to be buried symbolically sort of speak of their former vampiric nature. Margaret made a deal with her stubborn parents. It was not necessarily a deal with the devil, but Margaret now had to attend college and obtained a formal education in exchnage for the truck. She happily accepted the offer and gave Andrew the keys to a spanking new 1991 Silverado.
C 5 The Marlowe's Misery,
Fr. Andrew other male assistant, Jude Marlowe, perished on their last missionary adventure, which completely devasted him. Jude was like the son Andrew never had. Jude had the heart of gold, just like Margaret. Andrew broke the news to Jude's parent, Daniel and Beth Marlowe, who live in a ranch ontside of Delano, California at the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. It was like re-experiencing Jude's death again through the parent's perspectivem, their only childd.
C 6 The Hermit,
Gathering the emotional fragments together, Andrew traveled through the country back roads and reached SCICON, a science conservation outdoor school, under the auspices of the Tulare County Supervisory Board of Education. The outdoor school provided sixth grade students from all over Tulare county the opportunity to spend an entire week in Scicon, as they slept in log cabins, hiked various mountain trails, and observed nature in its pristine state. Andrew was not the original "hermit" that dwelled in a lowly, dilapidated cabin on top of a mountain at the end of Skytrail. But a previously arranged deal with the site administrator allowed him to stay there, while Andrew played the ambassadory role of the hermit.
C 7 Catharsis,
Priscilla and Nicholas underwent the lengthy and grueling process of "humanization," since they no longer drink blood from humans or animals. Call it an extremely cold turkey undertaking which arose cathartic repercussions. Thank God, Fr. Andrew was there to guide them through the process, since he experienced himself similar reactions several hundred years ago. Implementing uplifting meditation and a strict diet of boiled vegatables, Priscilla and Nicholas passed through the valley of the shadow of death it seemed.
C 8 Historical Journeys,
Andrew retold his mystical conversion which occurred in 1806. During this time, Spain had established Missions along Alta (northern) California coastline. One particular mission, Mission San Juan Capistrano, proved to be the site of Andrew's great conversion from a souless, voracious vampire to an enlightened being. He mentioned his missionary enounters in Central Amerca, Afric and his latest and most difficult mission in the Philippines dealing with the Aswang (witch) tribe called the Daralingas, translated as Blood Hunters. They had the power to transform themselves in dragon-wolves. Priscilla and Nicholas listened with fascination and horror.
c 9 Nightmare,
Priscilla and Nicholas steadily progressed in in their spiritual growth. Andrew on the ohter hand had slipped into terrible dreams. One particular night, he experienced a full blown lucid nightmare. Tatsulong, Dragon god of the Daralingas, visited Andrew, who found himself at the center of the Roman Colosseum. Aided by the "Elite Warriors," four noble Daralingas with amazing shape-shifting powers, Andrew slew the great dragon. Of course, it was only a dream.
C 10 The Lost Boy,
A lost sixh boy named Gabriel Robinson, who had severe myopia, wandered into Andrew's mountain top area. Gabriel met Nicholas and Priscilla, whom he had a big crush. Gabril spent a wonderful time with Andrew, Priscilla, and Nicholas, as he moaned over a bully who constantly harrassed him. Andrew made a note to himself of visiting Gabriel's tormentor.
Well, I'm sorry If I bored the reader to death with the insufferable summary! Until my next installment, I bid you all pleasant dreams, minimum nightmares, and most of all, happy readings...
Monday, July 26, 2010
2nd Installment
Q&A Session 2
Q1 What is D.A.D?
Q2 How much did I write so far?
Q3 Why you should not take me seriously?
A1 D.A.D. stands for Dialogue, Action, Description, whish is proportioning the primary writing elements into distinct ratios. I find it most effective for readers have a sense of balance in what their reading. If one element is overused in writing , i.e. dialog, the readers will find herseld lost in the dialong and is unable to get a firm grasp of the setting or where the conversation leads to. I find it necessary to keep Dialog 50% total of the whole chapter, whereas Action and Description are split into 25% each. This is my normal ration for all chapters throughout the book, but you can make exception for a chapter or two for a determined writing effect, just ast long the reader is aware of the proportional changes.
A2 This is my pre-determined Table of Content
1 Hijaxked
2 Custom Delivery
3 Beinhord Chateau
4 Chevy Silverado
5 The Marlowe's Misery
6 Hermit's cabin
7 Vampiric Withdrawals
8 Revamps Rehabilitation
9 Nightmare
10 The Lost Boy
11 Abduction
12 Gbriel's Friend
13 San Juan Capistrano
14 Ancient Ones
15 DeVar
16 The Quiet Room
17 Vampire Seeker
18 Aaron's Infatuation
19 Beinford's Vacation Time
20 Snatched
21 Underground Cell
22 Mephistopheles & Margaret
23 Mind Proe
24 Ravaged at Scicon
25 San Jose, The Blood Pit
26 USA Today Headline
27 Revamps Game Plan
28 Bank of America Branch
29 Honest Banker
30 St. Mary's Church
31 Bat of Prey
32 Golden Gates
33 Manila Boys
34 Bald New World
35 Dragon Boy & Funguy
36 Stimulating Discourse
37 Fists of Flurry
38 Double-crossed
39 Visitor of the Future
40 Heavenly Oasis
Quick Points
a. I find it necessary to title a chapter, because it give a separate identity in the book, instead of just attaching a numerical value.
b. It also lends to treating each chapter with respect. Writers and thier book on writing novels like Jordan Hill "Create the Scene" (or was it "Make the Scene" I have it and read it, a good source of info) and Jack Bickam's "Scene & Structure" indicated the necessity of an introduction, body, and conclusion for each chapter -- just like a min-essay.
c. I wrote the first 5 chapters. The chapters are written out and subject to editing, so they are not formalized yet, which gives me the opportunity to add or delete scenes. I like the flexibility to change the content, since the chapter has not been written in stone yet, which makes it unbelievably embarrassing and difficult to edit. Imagine God had to tell Moses, please discard the stone tablets due to a grammatical error! We human authors on the other hand have much leeway.
d. A pre-determined Table of Content actually foster more creativity than an wide-open format from my experience of writing my previous two books. And the pre-determined chapters reduce my natural ability to RAMBLE or sink the the swamps of mental exertion and frustration. Just as long as I can stop at Chapter 1 that leads to Chapter 2, I have accomplished my task -- nothing less, nothing more.
e. Incremental development of the novel through daily tasks of writing, researching, and organizing will hasten the process of getting your book out-of-the-shop sort of speak. But find your system that works best for your writing.
f. I have averaged about 10 to 12 pages per chapter. Ant there are 40 chapters pre-determined, so Great American Vampire will be at least 420 pages, which is usually larger than the typical novel. Why so large? I believe in expressing yourself, and you can always cut later if necessary.
But with a well thought out book should not be sliced to size becuase of the editor's desire to abridged the novel. This is my contention, so always write more than less. The disclaimer, of course, is that your chapters contribute individually and relevantly to the whole book.
g. In my prvious two books, my setting was located in the Philippines. So, I wanted to branch out of the tropics and enter American soil. The places that have a prominent role in Great American Vampire is in San Jose of course, specifically SJSU campus. Other places included Delano, which is at the heart of San Joaquin Valley and the place where I grew up in the midst of sweltering summers and fog enshrouded bone-chilling winters. Scicon, which stands for Science Conservation is located outside the city limits of Springville, southeast corner of King's county at the foothills of Sequoia National Park. There are two places, which I have not been there yet but relied on YouTube, websites, and books to grasp the setting, namely San Juan Capistrano, Orange County and Greenwich Village, New York, NY.
A3 I don't have a formal MFA degree, so whatever I say can be refuted or discredited easily by a more knowledgeable writer. The main purpose of this BLOG is to provide an open view of my writing process and this novel itself. I struggled for years on the writing process. But now I seem to have gotten the knack of writing efficiently. Instead taking me yars to write, I reduced the completion time of 4 to 6 months from my previous two books. I must be doing something right -- or it could be plain delusional on my part. The judge and jury is ultimately the reader.
Q1 What is D.A.D?
Q2 How much did I write so far?
Q3 Why you should not take me seriously?
A1 D.A.D. stands for Dialogue, Action, Description, whish is proportioning the primary writing elements into distinct ratios. I find it most effective for readers have a sense of balance in what their reading. If one element is overused in writing , i.e. dialog, the readers will find herseld lost in the dialong and is unable to get a firm grasp of the setting or where the conversation leads to. I find it necessary to keep Dialog 50% total of the whole chapter, whereas Action and Description are split into 25% each. This is my normal ration for all chapters throughout the book, but you can make exception for a chapter or two for a determined writing effect, just ast long the reader is aware of the proportional changes.
A2 This is my pre-determined Table of Content
1 Hijaxked
2 Custom Delivery
3 Beinhord Chateau
4 Chevy Silverado
5 The Marlowe's Misery
6 Hermit's cabin
7 Vampiric Withdrawals
8 Revamps Rehabilitation
9 Nightmare
10 The Lost Boy
11 Abduction
12 Gbriel's Friend
13 San Juan Capistrano
14 Ancient Ones
15 DeVar
16 The Quiet Room
17 Vampire Seeker
18 Aaron's Infatuation
19 Beinford's Vacation Time
20 Snatched
21 Underground Cell
22 Mephistopheles & Margaret
23 Mind Proe
24 Ravaged at Scicon
25 San Jose, The Blood Pit
26 USA Today Headline
27 Revamps Game Plan
28 Bank of America Branch
29 Honest Banker
30 St. Mary's Church
31 Bat of Prey
32 Golden Gates
33 Manila Boys
34 Bald New World
35 Dragon Boy & Funguy
36 Stimulating Discourse
37 Fists of Flurry
38 Double-crossed
39 Visitor of the Future
40 Heavenly Oasis
Quick Points
a. I find it necessary to title a chapter, because it give a separate identity in the book, instead of just attaching a numerical value.
b. It also lends to treating each chapter with respect. Writers and thier book on writing novels like Jordan Hill "Create the Scene" (or was it "Make the Scene" I have it and read it, a good source of info) and Jack Bickam's "Scene & Structure" indicated the necessity of an introduction, body, and conclusion for each chapter -- just like a min-essay.
c. I wrote the first 5 chapters. The chapters are written out and subject to editing, so they are not formalized yet, which gives me the opportunity to add or delete scenes. I like the flexibility to change the content, since the chapter has not been written in stone yet, which makes it unbelievably embarrassing and difficult to edit. Imagine God had to tell Moses, please discard the stone tablets due to a grammatical error! We human authors on the other hand have much leeway.
d. A pre-determined Table of Content actually foster more creativity than an wide-open format from my experience of writing my previous two books. And the pre-determined chapters reduce my natural ability to RAMBLE or sink the the swamps of mental exertion and frustration. Just as long as I can stop at Chapter 1 that leads to Chapter 2, I have accomplished my task -- nothing less, nothing more.
e. Incremental development of the novel through daily tasks of writing, researching, and organizing will hasten the process of getting your book out-of-the-shop sort of speak. But find your system that works best for your writing.
f. I have averaged about 10 to 12 pages per chapter. Ant there are 40 chapters pre-determined, so Great American Vampire will be at least 420 pages, which is usually larger than the typical novel. Why so large? I believe in expressing yourself, and you can always cut later if necessary.
But with a well thought out book should not be sliced to size becuase of the editor's desire to abridged the novel. This is my contention, so always write more than less. The disclaimer, of course, is that your chapters contribute individually and relevantly to the whole book.
g. In my prvious two books, my setting was located in the Philippines. So, I wanted to branch out of the tropics and enter American soil. The places that have a prominent role in Great American Vampire is in San Jose of course, specifically SJSU campus. Other places included Delano, which is at the heart of San Joaquin Valley and the place where I grew up in the midst of sweltering summers and fog enshrouded bone-chilling winters. Scicon, which stands for Science Conservation is located outside the city limits of Springville, southeast corner of King's county at the foothills of Sequoia National Park. There are two places, which I have not been there yet but relied on YouTube, websites, and books to grasp the setting, namely San Juan Capistrano, Orange County and Greenwich Village, New York, NY.
A3 I don't have a formal MFA degree, so whatever I say can be refuted or discredited easily by a more knowledgeable writer. The main purpose of this BLOG is to provide an open view of my writing process and this novel itself. I struggled for years on the writing process. But now I seem to have gotten the knack of writing efficiently. Instead taking me yars to write, I reduced the completion time of 4 to 6 months from my previous two books. I must be doing something right -- or it could be plain delusional on my part. The judge and jury is ultimately the reader.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Journey Begins...
Question & Answer Session
Q1 A little bit about me?
Q2 Whate is Great American Vampire?
Q3 Previous books?
Q4 Who are the Daralingas?
Q5 How far am I in Great American Vampire?
Q6 What will I focus on?
Q7 What do I accomplish next after this?
A1 My formal name is Gabriel Tapaya Rabanal. I like the pen name of G.T. Rabanal. And my generic unisexual slang name is Gabby. I'm not an English professor but I do work as administrative/support for SJSU English department.
A2 Great American Vampire is Book 3 of my series called "DARALINGAS," which is hybrid term from the Ilocano and Kalinga dialect of the Philippines meaning Blood Hunters. This book was unplanned. It's my MARKETING Bok for Fr. Andrew to muse on previous experiiences that occurred in books 1 and 2 and meets with new characters in upcoming books, while he deals with pressing matters and devious devourers in the current context.
In fact, it resulted from a rejection letter that I received from an unmentioned Publisher in New York. A few months back, I initially submitted Book 1 titled DARALINGAS, Vampire & Aswang. The book was rejected for publishing on the account, it was not commercially sellable. It was not sexy enough for the American reading public.
I took the comment constructively, and it was on paper my first rejection letter. Excuse me. Actually I took it a slap to my face. The letter continued that they reject many manuscripts and I should not be discouraged. In fact, the publisher encouraged to send more subsequent manuscripts that may be "sexy enought" for the American taste, sight, and sound, lubricated in an American setting.
Taking the message to heart, the main protagonist, a spiritually rehabilated and true vegetarian vampire priest, Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips, returns to America, along with his assistant Margaret Beinford, and two converted vampires wrapped in pretty caskets. (Comment, it is so damn expensive to ship a casket from the Philippines, let alone two caskets!) The Ancient Ones, the trueblood vampires got hold of Fr. Andrew's betrayal of the Kindred and are in hot pursuit of him in on American soil.
A3 My two previous books DARALINGAS, Vampire & Aswang Book 1 and DARALINGAS, Blue Eyes & the Beast Book 2 are set in the Philippines. Fr. Andrew, our beloved and enlightened vampire priest, came to the Philippines in order to convert a vampire-like tribe, namely the Daralinga tribe.
A4 If your teen-agers had read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Series, she briefly mentions about a vampire-like tribe in the Philippines called the "Danag tribe," I was writing something similar to that concurrently. How strange and fascinating writers' works overlap with each other. The only difference with Daralinga vampires as opposed to the American vampire is their Mortality. Daralingas do die like normal humans, but they have the ability to "shape-shift" into Dragon-wolves and are every bit bloodthirsty as the immortal vampires.
A5 I have charted all 40 plus chapters for Great American Vampire, created the primary and subplots, researched the multiple settings, and now what I need to do now is GLUE my butt to the leather upholstered chair and gently unleash my fingers of flurry on the keyboard.
A6 My subsequent blogs will chart my struggles, pains, aches, and joys in creating, organizing, and revising a mental elephant of a baby project like Dumbo. So far, I'm enjoying the process of mapping out the book, exploring American soil, and dealing with a whole new set of villains and villainesses that are equally evil and every bit as challenging as some Daralinga tribal members.
A7 The short and sweet answer is Marketing! Writers must understand that they must continually market themselves and their wokrs in order to achive maximum success. I learned this lesson quickly and will utilized all avenues possible. Until my next blog, best to all writers and their inspiring projects!
Q1 A little bit about me?
Q2 Whate is Great American Vampire?
Q3 Previous books?
Q4 Who are the Daralingas?
Q5 How far am I in Great American Vampire?
Q6 What will I focus on?
Q7 What do I accomplish next after this?
A1 My formal name is Gabriel Tapaya Rabanal. I like the pen name of G.T. Rabanal. And my generic unisexual slang name is Gabby. I'm not an English professor but I do work as administrative/support for SJSU English department.
A2 Great American Vampire is Book 3 of my series called "DARALINGAS," which is hybrid term from the Ilocano and Kalinga dialect of the Philippines meaning Blood Hunters. This book was unplanned. It's my MARKETING Bok for Fr. Andrew to muse on previous experiiences that occurred in books 1 and 2 and meets with new characters in upcoming books, while he deals with pressing matters and devious devourers in the current context.
In fact, it resulted from a rejection letter that I received from an unmentioned Publisher in New York. A few months back, I initially submitted Book 1 titled DARALINGAS, Vampire & Aswang. The book was rejected for publishing on the account, it was not commercially sellable. It was not sexy enough for the American reading public.
I took the comment constructively, and it was on paper my first rejection letter. Excuse me. Actually I took it a slap to my face. The letter continued that they reject many manuscripts and I should not be discouraged. In fact, the publisher encouraged to send more subsequent manuscripts that may be "sexy enought" for the American taste, sight, and sound, lubricated in an American setting.
Taking the message to heart, the main protagonist, a spiritually rehabilated and true vegetarian vampire priest, Fr. Andrew Mark Phillips, returns to America, along with his assistant Margaret Beinford, and two converted vampires wrapped in pretty caskets. (Comment, it is so damn expensive to ship a casket from the Philippines, let alone two caskets!) The Ancient Ones, the trueblood vampires got hold of Fr. Andrew's betrayal of the Kindred and are in hot pursuit of him in on American soil.
A3 My two previous books DARALINGAS, Vampire & Aswang Book 1 and DARALINGAS, Blue Eyes & the Beast Book 2 are set in the Philippines. Fr. Andrew, our beloved and enlightened vampire priest, came to the Philippines in order to convert a vampire-like tribe, namely the Daralinga tribe.
A4 If your teen-agers had read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Series, she briefly mentions about a vampire-like tribe in the Philippines called the "Danag tribe," I was writing something similar to that concurrently. How strange and fascinating writers' works overlap with each other. The only difference with Daralinga vampires as opposed to the American vampire is their Mortality. Daralingas do die like normal humans, but they have the ability to "shape-shift" into Dragon-wolves and are every bit bloodthirsty as the immortal vampires.
A5 I have charted all 40 plus chapters for Great American Vampire, created the primary and subplots, researched the multiple settings, and now what I need to do now is GLUE my butt to the leather upholstered chair and gently unleash my fingers of flurry on the keyboard.
A6 My subsequent blogs will chart my struggles, pains, aches, and joys in creating, organizing, and revising a mental elephant of a baby project like Dumbo. So far, I'm enjoying the process of mapping out the book, exploring American soil, and dealing with a whole new set of villains and villainesses that are equally evil and every bit as challenging as some Daralinga tribal members.
A7 The short and sweet answer is Marketing! Writers must understand that they must continually market themselves and their wokrs in order to achive maximum success. I learned this lesson quickly and will utilized all avenues possible. Until my next blog, best to all writers and their inspiring projects!
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