Portfolio Progress - Editing

As I'm writing my portfolio, I've come to realize how much a story can change from its initial inception. So much has been altered from my original idea. With editing my piece, I've successfully altered things in my story from the focus of the main character and the mythology I've been trying to fabricate to character names and even time frames in the story. I have to ask myself if all writers experience this much change as they write their stories.

I like the changes I've made so far, but at the same time, I feel as if though I am betraying my vision as a writer. How does one strike that balance? I think, in the end, I'll be happy with my piece, but, at the moment, it's far from polished and still requires that balance.

Sources for Inspiration

As a writer, I am always inclined to think where my work will take me one day. Don't we all want to get published and make it big? I'm hoping that, one day, I'll become enough of a recognized writer that someone will come up to and ask to me "where do you get your ideas for stories?" While I'm sure that day is far off, I thought I would post a few links to events and phenomena that inspire me to write the things I like to write Let's go on a tour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

The Dyatlov Pass Incident seems like something straight out of a sci-fi /horror movie. Nine hikers, on a trek to Mount Ortoten, are found dead in the Ural mountains of Russia.  Official reports declare that the group died due to a compelling unknown force. All sorts of theories have risen regarding the event, ranging from radioactivity found on the bodies, to hypothermia, to UFOs.

http://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/stonehenge-under-lake-michigan-3125445/

This year, archaeologists found what could be argued to be a Stonehenge-like series of stones at the bottom of Lake Michigan. On the stones are petroglyphs appear to depict a mastodon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript surfaced in 1912. Beautifully illustrated, the manuscript is completely unreadable, in that no one has been able to translate it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

Back to Russia for this one. Just over a hundred year ago, an explosion covered 2150 sq kilometers of land. While scientific theory states that it was an impact from a meteor, again, many more theories have sprung up, including a natural hydrogen bomb, a black hole, and, again, UFOs.

Hopefully this will be an entertaining read for you. Bear in mind that my views aren't reflected in the commentary of these articles. I just believe they make for interesting fodder to write on.

Why Creativity Fails

As I sit here, attempting to work on my portfolio for my class, I can't help but be drawn to browsing the internet. I found this article on one of the regular websites I visit.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/168

It's an article called "Six Ways to Fail at Creative Endeavors" by Doug Beyer. While I first saw it as demoralizing, it helps remind us as writers the pitfalls we can fall into as continue our process. It's definitely worth a read if you have the time.

Attempting to Write

Chances are, when I don't post for a long time, I don't feel like I have anything interesting to say. I don't know if it's that I don't have anything witty to remark or what, but I feel like I needed to post something on here. Perhaps to keep my sanity for another long night of work.

As of right now, I'm wrapping up my two story submissions due for tomorrow. I've been really attempting to experiment with different styles of writing for these two assignments. One is extensively reflexive and meta, while the other is attempting to encapsulate the mundane almost to an absurd degree. Needless to say, these two stories are far from my comfort-zone. I'm not sure whether or not these stories will succeed in their goals. Only time and grades will tell.

Don't get me wrong, it's fun to experiment with different styles of writing. I mean, how else can you grow as a writer if you don't attempt anything new? It's certainly worthwhile to try to expand your writing style just to even see what works and what doesn't.

Anyways, I'll try to post on here more regularly as I work on my final project for my Creative Writing class. The challenges I am expecting to face with my story is working in the epistolary format. Namely, the diary of a suspect that is slowly losing his mind.

Hippocampus Press

When I was writing my honours paper on Lovecraft, Hippocampus Press was an invaluable resource for me. They publish a plethora of books on the man, many other writers during Lovecraft's time, and writers of horror/speculative fiction further back in history. If you're a writer of horror/fantasy/speculative fiction, I find that this press is perfect if you want a sense of where these genres have come from.

http://hippocampuspress.com/

Based on a True Story: How Truthful Are We?

I was having a discussion with my father one day and somehow we ended up on the topic of books/films/etc. based on true stories. We talked about the purpose of adding that phrase to a work and what it meant for the person who consumes that work.

For example, look at the author James Frey in his highly popularized and subsequently denounced book A Million Little Pieces. When it was first marketed, it was based on a true story about an addict and the struggles he went through in his life. After it came out that much of what happened in the memoir didn't actually occur, Frey was deemed a monster. He fooled Oprah, which I doubt is a small feat. When accusations of his book came to light, readers and viewers learned that eighty-seven days in prison was only a few hours and hitting an officer while high on crack was actually only a minor offense, to which Frey was released on bail. After his exposure as a fraud, Frey was demonized. We couldn't trust him anymore and anything he said henceforth was obviously a lie.

I feel that what Frey did, whether consciously or not, is borderline brilliant. He blends and blurs the line between truth and falsity. Everyone was caught with their pants down. While he is lambasted for being a liar, I believe that Frey exposed a side of the public that we tend not to think about or purposely ignore outright. I think that when we see the phrase "based on a true story," we don't realize that we have been unconsciously conditioned. We've been conditioned to believe that the film/book is going to take us to a world of depravity, exposing aspects of the world we never considered before. However, after this exposure, there is a sense of hope at the end, that feel-good moment where we know everything is going to be alright. Almost any sports movie based on a true story demonstrates this to us. Frey tears down the wall between fact and fiction, making his readers question how much of his work actually occurred. If we don't know whether or not it's true, do we then feel that we have been deceived and, subsequently, should we disregard his story entirely?

In Frey's note to readers post-exposure, he contends "People cope with adversity in many different ways, ways that are deeply personal. [...] My mistake [...] is writing about the person I created in my mind to help me cope, and not the person who went through the experience" and "I wanted the stories in the book to ebb and flow, to have dramatic arcs, to have the tension that all great stories require." Frey is a writer and he is also the person being written on. He wants his story told but he also wants a story told. I think all writers have this problem. How much truth is there in what we write? Is it enough to say that it's based on a true story? Is there too much to call it a work of fiction?

Black Static

In fulfilling my class requirement, I present to you the literary journal Black Static. Black Static is a British horror magazine that I've taken an interest in. While I'll confess that I am not up-to-date on the latest genre journals, I find Black Static to be interesting mostly in part because of their dedication to their website. They publish what stories that they have accepted so far, their competitions, and links to the blogs of their contributors. I believe that I'll be grabbing myself a subscription in the near future.

http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/

Writing My Portfolio

As I write my story for my portfolio, I've found myself encountering a major problem. Since roughly half of the story is set within a diary, I am finding it difficult to keep in character while at the same time providing the needed exposition for the story. I'm trying to incorporate a fabricated mythology in a 1950s veteran. It's proving to be a challenge, as the words I want to use to describe the mythology aren't necessarily the words that my character would use. I'm having trouble finding the balance between my exposition and my character. On the one hand, I could describe a whole parallel universe regarding this fabricated mythology. However, this would either seem boring/uncharacteristic of my character. On the other hand, I could be quite ambiguous as possible and leave the reader to fill in the details, which isn't very fun for neither the reader nor me. I think I'm going to have to look at some writing resources online to help me better understand that balance.

A Cure for Terminal Loneliness

As I was flipping though channels on tv, I came across a short that Showcase played as a bit of filler between the end of a movie and their next program. It is called "A Cure for Terminal Loneliness." I was moved by it that I felt the need to share it. I'd recommend this for anyone who writes in the genres. Even though the film is only five minutes long, there is a lot to be said about it. It's a love story. It's an urban fantasy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMUEuywZFkY

Let's Talk About Flâneurs

I'm sure a lot of writers already do this, but I figured it would be worth mentioning. I've been thinking about what it means to be a writer and the process of writing. Particularly, I've been having trouble writing emotion into my stories. In my search for a solution, my mind started to turn to literary theory. Today, I thought I would discuss one a term from one of my favorite theorists, Charles Baudelaire.

Baudelaire, in his literary theory, uses the term flâneur as a means to explain, at least partly, the writing process. The flâneur is a strange creature. It means "stroller" or "wanderer." The flâneur would stroll the streets of city he/she lives in, play witness to it, and ponder what he/she experiences. It is the job of this person to become part of the city he/she is immersed in: the understand, participate, and portray it in their art(s). By participating in this stroll, it was hoped that the artist would be able to better understand his/her craft.

Whenever I'm out and about, I find that it is always worthwhile to pay attention to the world around you. I'll never forget this time when I was going to a movie with a friend at the theater a few years ago. I picked up the tickets ahead of time, and realized I had time to kill. As I left the theater, I remember seeing a mother and her daughter. The daughter, who was probably no older than sixteen, was covering her mouth with her sleeves. The only thing I heard came from the mother, who seemed terribly exasperated. She said "you don't have swine flu" as she sighed and rolled her eyes. This was during the big swine flu epidemic when people were more afraid and uncertain of the sickness.

It was at that point, I realized I became the flâneur. I couldn't realize at the time how swine flu would progress - whether it would all blow over or become something much more serious. This conversation, I believe, encapsulates this uncertainty.The mother/daughter conversation is a product of its time.


It's something to think about as writers. We all bear witness to our time and cannot possibly know what it was like outside our time. We cannot witness the fear, anxiety, happiness, anger, sadness, optimism, disappointment of events prior to us. And yet, we can witness all those emotions in our time by observing the world around us. For writers having trouble with emotion in their stories, all you need to do is take a stroll downtown and see the city come alive.

Beginnings and Ends

Hello,

I suppose a proper introduction is in order. My name's Farron and either you've stumbled across my blog or you came here on purpose. Either way is fine with me, really. I'm told that this is supposed to be my virtual home. As a writer, I can understand that portion, but as person, I am somewhat flummoxed, because I've never really blogged before and, therefore, don't really know what to actually blog about. Regardless, hopefully this blog will turn into something more fruitful that won't waste your time and end up with you hunting me down with fire and pitchforks and the like.

I'm a writer who leans towards speculative fiction, horror, and even a little dark fantasy thrown in there. I've been writing since I was about knee-high. I prefer to write short stories and novellas, but I am also attempting at a stab at a novel for the hell of it and see if it gets me anywhere.

The title of my blog is Pocket-Sized Multiverse because I believe that it has that sense of uncertain mystery, awe-inducing fear and futuristic wonderment that I try to incorporate in my stories. Each one of my stories so far have been standalone, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have things that they share. I want for my stories to be escapes from the real, but not so much that they've become utterly alien. What I like to think that my stories share is a blend between the natural and the uncanny.

Imagine, if you will, a world beyond a world. It is accessible to you only if you know where to look for it. It's hidden in the cracks of walls, the flicker of stars, the reflections of ponds, and the silhouettes of people, just to name a few. At the best of times, you can only catch a glimpse of it, but that glimpse may as well last a lifetime. Suddenly, that world is in everything you perceive. It's superimposed on the one you're living in and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish the two, or three, or five worlds apart anymore. There is no limit to how many worlds you're immersed in. It's existence so infinitely big that is rich with experiences, perceptions, and memories. Yet, it is also infinitesimally small that it cannot be properly quantified nor counted by anyone else but yourself. That's what I mean by a pocket-sized multiverse. Worlds upon worlds stacked upon one another, all of which are able to conveniently fit in you back pocket.

But, I digress. I hope that his has been an adequate enough of an introduction for you. Over the coming weeks, and perhaps years, I would like to further develop this blog by including my thoughts on writing, sources of inspiration for me, and whatnot.

Prost!

Farron

Places That People Forgot Part 1

Yes, I know I have been postponing this. Hopefully it will be worth the wait!

There's a place I know that is not too far from my home. It's an abandoned campground about five minutes away. It's got everything: overgrown flora, abundant fauna, even paved roads, oddly enough. I know that it sounds like something straight out of a horror movie. Despite knowing this, I decided that I'd take a drive down to the area. Armed with camera and a cheap hunting knife (because of the apparent cougar sightings in the area), I set off to find something half-interesting hidden in the sleepy farmland.

This is the entrance to the campground and the start of my tour. For those familiar with the Saskatchewan Prairies, you'll know that a place like this is an anomaly. The densely populated trees and serpentine paths allow me to become lost every time that I've been here. I can't honestly say I have not had that experience in any southern Saskatchewan. It's simultaneously terrifying and thrilling.

Here's a shot of the entrance/exit of the campground. Around the corner is the road that leads to the Trans-Canada. Weeds have struggled through the concrete and is starting to reclaim the site, providing splashes of color to the drab grey. Unfortunately, all of the buildings on the property have been broken into and looted, so there's really nothing of interest to note in there.

If you ever get the opportunity to tour the campground, you are going to see a lot of this: paved road surrounded by plant life overtaking it. In this place, there is hardly a straight pathway, which makes it very easy to get lost.

Here’s one of the more intact signs. It still retains most of its color and is still legible.

A perfectly abandoned swing. It makes me wonder how many times children have played on it. At this point, the campground has been abandoned for about six or so years. From how the grass is pressed down leading to it, it seems that someone has made use of it despite the thistle growing around it.

Parts of the campground are now inaccessible as they are becoming part of the increasing morass that's threatening to engulf the entire site. These pictures remind me of the old horror stories I used to read as a kid, such as the Goosebumps series.

The juxtaposition of the the artificial and the natural really seems to hit home with me in this picture. It reminded me of the lamppost from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I half-expected a faun to pop appear.

The thing with a place like this is that you never know what you are going to find here. This picture is a perfect example of this idea. This seems like something straight out of a horror movie. After I thought I heard a cough from the nearby restrooms, I made a break back for my car a few meters away.

I found this near a boiler room towards the back of the campground. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see how deep it extended. I didn't have the courage to stick my head in and find out neither.

This was one of the sections where the campground fades away and we return to the golden crops. The contrast of light between the crops and the campsite is phenomenal. It is as if there is a natural border distinguish itself apart from the rest of the prairies.

Tiptoeing though a minefield of broken glass, I came across a drawer full of junk in the old mess hall of the camp. These are some of the few things that haven't been destroyed or stolen.

In the process of getting lost, I stumbled upon this place, which I have never come across before. This is one of the few communal fire pits that have not collapsed yet. Beer cans and cigarette packages littered the interior The two pines that shade the site are two of only a handful that are found on the campgrounds. Poplars mostly populate the site.

That was my late afternoon tour of the campgrounds. Going back there always freaks me out, but it also excites me. It seems like every time that I go there, there's always something new to be found, even though the place is allegedly abandoned. I might have to incorporate this place into one of my stories one day.