Monday, May 23, 2011

The Deeds of Devils and Angels (blog)

Here it is. This is the beginning of a writing project that I'm hoping will consume most of my creative juices and time for a few months.

This is actually something that I started almost a year ago. It was originally designed to be a novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, look it up). Fortunately I didn't finish it back then. I say fortunately because I don't think a standard novel is the proper format for this.

Anyways, onto what this is exactly. This is going to be my attempt at writing a crime story with the old 1940s serials in mind. Those who are friends with me on facebook probably have noticed my recent obsession with Noir styled things. From movies to books. I'll admit that the recent resurgence of my interest in this genre was sparked by the video game L.A. Noire. I've already explained the reasons why I love this game on Facebook so I'll refrain from doing it here. That being said, this will hopefully become my contribution to that fascinating realm of fiction.

Now I know that a blog isn't necessarily the best format for this sort of thing. I'm hoping eventually that I'll have a website devoted to this, but at the moment I'm trying to focus on actually writing the story rather than working out the kinks in displaying it. I hope you understand. Speaking of plans, I'm planning on this being a weekly feature. A chapter a week until it's conclusion. Yes, this will have a conclusion, I won't even attempt to try and make this an ongoing thing.

Also, as a little disclaimer, in the interest of actually completing the chapters on time and releasing them on time, I've told myself that I'm going to keep editing down to a minimum. So if there's some grammatical errors, or some sections seem awkward, I apologize in advanced, I'm simply playing this with my characteristics in mind. And when I say that I mean my habit of self-editing myself until I've destroyed what I've written and then eventually scrapping the whole thing. So once again, to avoid this, editing will be kept to a minimum. Consider this a rough draft, who knows perhaps when I finish I'll go back, clean it up and then re-release it.

Alright then, Enjoy the little prologue. I promise next week, there will be a much more substantial chapter next week. Also, expect little blog posts to accompany each chapter where I'll discuss the behind-the-scenes and various other fun things. I hope to get some feedback from you guys as I write this little story.

The Deeds Of Devils and Angels: Prologue

The sun was an oppressive sort of friend. It offered up its light, only if a person was willing to sweat for it. It offered up its heat but only if a man was willing to burn a little for it. Most of the people in the city of New Constantinople were smart enough to keep their time in the morning sun short, but some were forced into it by their callings in life. Or at the very least, by the thing that paid that month’s bills. It was well known that the city had grown dangerous. The night was filled with deadly threats but it was the daytime that revealed the gruesome remains of those treacherous nights.

Two uniformed policemen, Gurrero and Jimenez, stood in the city’s central plaza. A large fountain depicting a trio of angels holding up a replica of the earth offered a little relief for the men. A cool mist floated through the air as water poured from the angel’s eyes into the pool below. The earth upon their hands blocked the sun for the cops. At the feet of the cops laid the rotund body of a well known police captain. No immediate signs of foul play, in fact, if it hadn’t been for a letter delivered to the police station before anyone arrived claiming responsibility for the death, there was nothing about the body that suggested murder. But as it stood, the once well respected captain of police would join the nineteen other bodies, each with their own letter, in the morgue.

The body faced the sky. The sun poured into its blank and lifeless stare. The mist from the fountain had fallen on the body for hours it looked. The grey uniform that was standard for high ranking police officers was nearing a shade of black. Water streamed slowly down the well earned wrinkles on the captain’s face. His lips were slightly parted as if they were frozen in an attempt to say something important.

“My God, it’s the captain all right.” Gurrero said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“I guess we better call it in to headquarters. I’m sure they’ll want a detective on this.” Jimenez said.

“Don’t bother. Just call the coroner, those second floor pencil pushers aren’t even bothering with this anymore.”

“What? Why not?”

“Orders straight from the top I heard.”

“The top? You mean Patricio?”

“That’s Father Patricio, but yeah, the word is he has some guy, an American, coming in sometime soon and he’s supposed to get all this squared away with.”

“You don’t say.”

“That’s right, I don’t say, keep your trap shut. Trust me on this one friend. Just do your paperwork, walk your beat and hopefully soon we won’t be having to deal with this shit anymore.”

The policemen nodded in agreement and began the formalities involved with dealing with a murder victim that would never see an investigation.

The night is a dangerous time in New Constantinople, full of hidden threats, sensationalized villains, and paranoia. But it’s the day that reveals the deeds of devils and angels.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

I Come To You Buying Gifts (Blog)

There's a strange and scary practice we do in Western Society that I'm becoming rather tired of. That is of course, the practice of picking up people. When I say picking up people I refer to the act of trying to get someone's attention in order to initiate a romantic relationship with them.
In some cultures, relationships are arranged and the people involved learn to like and love each other. But here it's reversed. We think we know how to love and like someone we just need to learn the person. Now I don't think I'd particularly care for the arranged relationship thing, but I can see how some would think the pros outweighed the cons. The things some people go through to pick up someone is really startling. We buy people drinks, we come up with clever things to say, we put ourselves on the line in hopes that that person will bite plus a ton of other things. It seems like a really complicated set of things we have to do in order to engage in something that's really complicated.
The biggest problem about the whole dance is that there aren't any set rules or processes. Every time you get out on that floor trying to find a partner it's different. A different place, a different person, different words, different everything. All you can do really is pray that you can piece together the right words, looks and gestures from a 100 gallon drum and hope you have the things you need to put together something successful.
Perhaps I'm just bitter about it all because I've never been particularly good at picking up women. I've had a few successes but a whole hell of a lot more failures. I'd be sent back to the minors if my success rate was my batting average. Sometimes I think that little kids got it right. If you like someone, push them down and kick dirt on them. That'd be so much easier.

I Come To You Buying Gifts

A pack of gum
that shall remain a rectangle.
Cigarettes
that will never burn.
A tire pressure gauge
that will never feel the breath of rubber.
One more book of poetry
than I have money for.

I offer up these sacrifices
so that, if you wish it,
you will caress my face
with ten divine digits.