Saturday, November 21, 2009

I’ve got you my pretty, and your dog is long dead.

I love that line, and the bit that comes after it. Since i just finished cleaning up that section, i think it's in chapter 15 or so; it all blends together after awhile. I have such a hard time keeping track of the numbers, but that's a minor concern compared with getting done. But that section is done, i hope, I went back to the conversation chapters mostly out of fear, but actually realizing if i was gonna lay out some plot concrete, now would be the time to go from dribbles to thick lumpy clumps. Yeah, like, i know, weird huh.

The events that the title eludes is something that won't be expanded, or reconciled until much much later. Whatever happened to Dorothy Gale is something i have in store for somewhere towards the end of what would be the second book or somewhere in the third. Since i have the last few pages pretty concrete in my mind, it's a perfect setup, guessable, but that's my assumption.

My point being that this post will be all about the land of Oz. My favorite books to this day, and I'm always dismayed that people are really only familiar with the movie. Which makes my job that much harder. I think the average person doesn't know squat after the first book, which really sucks. No clue about the Nome King, Mombi, or the governmental makeup of Oz.

If you think about it, outside of one movie (return to Oz), the Oz mythos haven't really moved forward since that Ruth lady finished her series of Oz books. Even Wicked goes nowhere, and I'm being serious here. Wicked goes to the past, lashes out at continuity, and calls the Wicked Witch a lesbian. Please, now who in their right mind can see Dorothy and company insinuate that the Wicked Witch of the West is some sinister crotchety old lesbian a la lizzie Borden.

Lots of people actually, i haven't decided if this is a good or bad thing in regards to my own project yet, but hope springs....

I've always wanted to tell an Oz story, what happened next, and so on, but it wasn't ever only about that. To be honest, Oz barely makes up ten percent of the pages that will be the first book. Despite using Ozma as a major character, the main villain, if i can call him that, and the direction of the story, only use Oz as a vehicle and distraction. That sounds more trite than i intended, but Jake Fastet, as the story lunges toward its final coup, is intent on traveling in a complete earth based direction. In my mind, I'm trying to leave it open whether or not if he makes it to Oz at the end of the book. For awhile, i was going to have the ending be Jake landing a few yards shy of the Emerald city, a kind of TADA ending. But that is doubtful, well more than doubtful, but that would be telling. It's not even what you're thinking about, you're probably wondering who Ozma of Oz is, and that sucks.

At the end of the day, it's obvious, i hate Wicked. Not only does bathing in mile sound like a contrived detail, but Munchkins don't have gay anal sex. You can mix gay and Oz, but just not like that, it isn't too hard. Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. If a gay person found their way to Oz, they wouldn't be having inappropriate relations with the munchkins. There's a story there, but i don't think I'm the type to write about gay things. If you know me, and have read this far, you're probably laughing right now, go ahead, yuck it up.

This has been a fun book, yes, it's more work when i clearly have enough, but i can look at it, and say I've done good. There's only so many times that i can go through everything with a fine comb making sure everything moves in the right direction. I wonder if there's too much in there. That's a complaint i look for when i find a reader, but nothing like that. Sometimes i rush, i can see it in the pages sometimes, makes editing last longer, but at least i catch it.

There's a scary story i heard as a child, it sums up my experience with this project perfectly. There's a house out there, and as you walk toward it you never get any closer to getting there. Even if you run, the house always seems to pull back, farther away from you. That damn house is the last chapter, but i've gone and cloned myself so either it's surrounded, or the guy in back is going to get trampled. Sounds like a good ending.

Be good all

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A pile of notes

My desk is full of this ridiculous paper. It wont take me long to get through them, most are confined to a hundred page span. It's just like I'm behind on these things, but i cleared up some time and by January, i should be fine. I got real close to finding a new reader, something I'm currently searching for, but, La Rouse e La Damme, all was not meant to be (I have no idea what those words mean.) Hopefully, these next few weeks should be more flexible. On my dry days, I can do the final stabbings at the stuff that's written. The stuff that i got is good though, at least to my eyes. I'm really not having major trouble. With the heavy weed whacking done, my worries over pacing issues were just in my head.