Starting from Square One is Advisable

Today's blog topics include: Starting from the start; Inspiration Alley; a year's worth of Bleach (anime, not detergent) and my thoughts on its filler; as always, assorted movie references

Tim Cody is currently:
Writing: Crimson Soul II
Playing: Dragon Age: Origins (PS3)
Watching: Bleach
Drinking: A Slurpee from Harrison Ford's head


Note to self: If I'm going to add a major plot point to a story, start from the beginning and work my way forward.

I'm all for some media res goodness, but I've decided that it's a tool better reserved for telling a story, not for writing a story. It's a very messy thing to try and do. "I know how it fits into the middle of the story, but how does it fit into the beginning? I'll just figure that out later," is what I said to myself. A few days later I've been working on the same scene for two days and am generally displeased with it. Two days of Dragon Age: Origins later, I realize that I should start from the beginning, and that's that and marmalade. I think I'm back on track, just gotta regain some momentum and keep moving forward.

I think my pacing is a bit off, so I'm in for a stroll down *stands in a fireplace and tosses magic dust or something* Inspiration Alley!!

"What did he just say?" - "Inspiration Alley."

Watching things with creepy gothic or frightening imagery usually does the trick for me. I'm low on creepy anime and tapped my survival horror video game library dry, so I turn to Evanescence. Mock if you will, but that girl's got some creepy-ass music videos. Hopefully I can find some form of inspiration in them. If I overload my mind with enough creepy imagery, something's sure to spawn from it, it usually does the trick. Or maybe if I just use the word "creepy" a few more times in this blog post.

In other news, I've received my first book review! :D Check it out over on the Book Reaper blog (linked here: http://bookreaper.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-crimson-soul.html?spref=tw), I seem to have given the nice fella nightmares. Kind words to say to a horror writer!

Secret Technique 46: Blog Topic Change!

I started watching the year's worth of Bleach I had piling up on my DVR. At one episode a week for an entire year, I wound up with 52 episodes and a DVR that could only fit two or three hours. But it looks like the entire stretch is the Captain Amagai arch, which I'm pretty sure is filler.

When you open up with the line "Ichigo defeated those dudes in the main story, but here's something else that happened before we show you guys what happened in Hueco Mundo," you pretty much...verify that it's all filler... Which is okay, because it's still awesome and predictable, just like every other anime series that never ends.

The main character's super strong, he nearly loses, gets stronger, wins, someone stronger comes along, the main character nearly loses, gets strong, wins, someone stronger comes along. Etc.

Bleach filler is usually pretty okay, though, a completely fleshed out story and all, I'm hesitant to even call it filler.

I bought a Slurpee in a collectible Cowboys and Aliens cup. Harrison Ford's extraordinarily disapproving glare has been pointed right at me all afternoon, it is most unsettling.

-Tim Cody