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Friday, July 5, 2013

Strange Things Are Happenin'

Strange Things Are Happenin'




Right, so I have two major announcements: 1) This July, I aim to enter the epublishing industry as an independent author producing serials, and 2) I have started a blog for 22, my novella-in-progress. I'll explain both of them in this post.


grumpy confused cat
Whaaaaaaat?


The Ghost Rebellion Serials
In my freshman year at college, I began writing short stories about an anti-government movement in the 23rd century. This was my way of processing what I was learning about the world while I was away from home, in an unfamiliar state, in a place of higher learning. Eventually, the stories took on a life of their own, and so I continued writing them and sending to my peers to give me feedback. Having produced 18 of these serials thus far, and with some nudging from my readers, I've decided to see if anything will come of putting them out for the masses to read.

Each of the serials is under 20 pages long (however, I type single-spaced, so double-spaced they're under 40 pages long). The serials follow the members of the Ghost Rebellion, a small group of college students dedicated to preventing the gradual dissolution of society into a surveillance state, wherein citizen's rights can be ignored in the name of national security and public protection. Each serial is more or less an on-the-go debate on love, death, danger, destiny, and morality, all while dodging bullets, stealing advanced technology, and navigating a minefield of deception and secrets.

I intend to get the first one up on the net by the end of July. Before I get there, though, there's a lot to be done, and it mainly involves trimming the manuscript into the best form possible. I've already taken it through a personal editing session, working out kinks and reworded vague bits, cutting clichés and smoothing out the dialogue. Next I'll be sending it to peer editors to get editorial feedback, so it can be in tiptop shape when I serve it to a wider audience. If anyone reading this would like to step up to the position of peer editor, go ahead and let me know in the comments. The more millstones the grain is rolled through, the finer it is.


22
22 is a novella I started around the same time as the Ghost Rebellion. It's a story that centers about a girl who can only remember events that occur within 7 days, 9 hours, 14 minutes, and 53 seconds from the present. This memory impairment is a side effect of the Treatment, a process used to enhance the physical capabilities of normal soldiers, elevating them to a super-soldier status. The girl, 22, is part of a division of these supersoldiers, fighting alongside normal soldiers to protect a remnant of humanity on a planet overrun with giant bugs.

As you have probably surmised, it falls into the sci-fi category.

Sci Fi - City Wallpaper

However, the story also explores how precious the gift of memory is, captures the power of the written word to preserve the past, and displays the difficulty of being a marginalized social outcast. It's also a love story of sorts. And it's also sort of. . . unfinished.

Yes, that's correct. I haven't finished it yet. And so, in an effort to give myself a reason to finish it, I am posting it to a weekly blog. 

The story itself is written in journal format, which permits me to post it in readable segments labeled "Entries". Every Friday, a journal Entry from the story will be posted to the blog, where it can be read. Hopefully this will give me a reason to get on the ball and finish it, because eventually, my backlog of Entries will run out, and if I manage to accumulate a readership, they'll be mad over an unfinished story. See how this logic works out?

Those interested in reading it will find the link to that blog up at the top of this page, right next to the Home button. The story is not all sunshine and flowers, and occasionally strays into darker territory. For that reason I would only recommend it to readers 14 and older.

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