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The Horrifying Lure of the Deep
Posted on 30 September 2011 | 3 responses
Meister of the Secret Chapter Three.
All around is darkness, and who knows what lies in it. Your high power flashlight barely penetrates the gloom, and you could swear you see something moving. Life should not be here, yet somehow, it is. Where are you? Millions of miles away in the cold depths of space? A thousand miles lost in a massive, dank, lifeless cavern? No, you are merely a few miles away from the normal. You are on the ocean floor.
Why is it that nearly a quarter million miles away (the surface of the moon) is more acceptable and less terrifying than five miles below the water? Why does the claustrophobia of a deep-sea submarine weigh in more than the endless vacuum of space that has honestly less material between you and it? And why can we talk about putting astronauts on the surface of Mars as a feasible, decade-attainable goal, but setting up a space-station like research facility or mining/living operation even a few miles down in the ocean is still a complete idea of science fiction? It isn’t just because we don’t want Cthulhu to eat us.
Tags: Cthulhu, Horror, John Wyndham, Lovecraft, The Kraken Awakes, weird tales
Categories: Writing
Posted on 23 September 2011 | No responses
So, Facebook has been in the news lately. Granted, this social network isn’t exactly about writing, but I’ve never been too hard and fast on this being exclusively a blog about writing. I will make a tangent somewhere along the way, I promise. In fact, I’ll make it at the very beginning. Facebook was stopping me from writing Wednesday night, and I turned it off, along with Twitter, Google+, and even my email. The only thing I kept open was AIM/MSN, and no one bothered me there. Suddenly, my writer’s block vanished and 1500 words appeared on my screen. It was magical. So, was I just distracted? Well, yeah, but there is more I want to say. Below the break.
Tags: distraction, Facebook, Google+, overcoming writer's block, Twitter, writer's block
Categories: Writing
Meister of the Secret
Posted on 16 September 2011 | No responses
And here we go again: Volume Two is launched! Remember to read it all, prologue and chapter one put up today. Speaking on that, a good number of people seemed to miss the epilogue of Volume One, if my hit count is anything to go by. If you missed it, that link is to it (and the next button will take you through the cover of Volume One, then the cover of Volume Two, then to the Prologue of Volume Two). To my new readers, you will probably want to start there.
Tags: Free, Illustrated, Meister of the Secret, serial novel, Site Revamp, Steampunk, Tijervyn
Categories: Writing
One Week Delay, Again
Posted on 9 September 2011 | 2 responses
So, I thought I had given myself enough time, and while the product, that is to say, the prologue, first chapter, and associated art for Meister of the Secret is ready, I have a bunch of other legwork that is not, and some personal life stuff has kind of eaten up my time so that I couldn’t have it ready for today. So, next week, Volume 2 launches. In the meantime, have the first chapter of a novel I was working on a while ago and sat down. I have about 20k written in it, but I didn’t really like the feel of where it had been going since about 10k, and put it down to try to come back to later. It is a bit of a post-modern fantasy, told form the point of view of both the mentor character and the naïve hero (or in this case, heroine.)
Rust on the Blade, by Richard Fife: Chapter One.
Tags: delay, post-modern fantasy, Short Fiction, Tijervyn
Categories: Short Fictions Writing
Bleeding Symbolism
Posted on 26 August 2011 | No responses
First off: Page 8!
This is the last page of “The Story of Cook”. I hope you have enjoyed this short interlude. Next, a small pimpage of my social media. If you are a twitter or facebook follower of mine (links to the left), then you will soon get a special treat in your feeds by way of the cover art and title of The Tijervyn Chronicles Volume 2! Weee! Anyway, onto actual blog posty stuff.
So, part of the “for sale” eBook I’m putting together for Revenant is that I wrote a special short story/23rd chapter that will be in the “for purchase” version of the book only. Well, I’ll probably post it as a $0.99 download on its own too, but regardless! I wrote this chapter.
And, in this chapter, I suddenly started to realize I was using some symbolism and phrases I’d used in other short stories, in particular dealing with cheating destiny and forging your own fate. And I had the sudden worry: am I becoming a theme writer?
Tags: coming of age, G.R.R. Martin, morality, personal agency, Robert Jordan, symbolism, themes
Categories: Writing
The Business of Writing
Posted on 19 August 2011 | No responses
Page 7 of Legends of Tijervyn.
So, as I’ve mentioned before, I am starting to look into opening a storefront here on RichardFife.com that will have the compiled eBook of Revenant and the ability to buy high quality prints of the artwork. My announcement was made of light and hope and dreams. And no, I’m not saying that it isn’t going to happen, I’m just saying this is becoming a headache to figure out. I mean, what I am doing is basically a step above a glorified lemonade stands, small business wise, but I’m having to worry about all the sales tax (which in North Carolina is a bit of a hassle), business licenses, learning ZenCart, figuring out the best and easiest way to take payment (which will most likely be paypal). Oi. It is all exhausting, especially when I’m dealing with an understaffing at my dayjob and several big issues/projects that decided to crop up during said time, finishing the edit and re-ebook-ification of the novel, the starting of the new novel, Dragon*Con… Yeah, I got my work cut out for me.
And as thus, this is all the news post this week. I actually have some good stuff I want to talk about, just too pulled-in-all-directions right now to settle down and do it. Now, back to reading on how to sell my e-Lemonade to the world.
Tags: business, plans, small business, writing
Categories: Admin Blog
The Lost Skeleton
Posted on 12 August 2011 | No responses
Page 6, which, if you squint and hold your head to the side, might have something to do with lost skeletons. That is a coincidence, as it happens.
To the main body of today’s post, I watched a movie called “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.” It was actually a rather new production that was made to resemble the old b-movie low-budget horror films of fifty years ago. It was amazing Read more
Tags: b-movie, bad movies, Horror, Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Movie Review, parody, satire, Science Fiction
Categories: Admin Blog
Volume Two Is Coming!
Posted on 5 August 2011 | No responses
So, April and I have really been enjoying this vacation while Kassy does most of the work. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be replaced with another good thing, right? So, I am please to announce that Tijervyn Volume Two is coming. And this time, I’ll even actually have a title for it other than “Volume Two” before we start. Not that I’m not still going to fly by the seat of my pants all “serialized fiction” style, but I think I have a stronger feeling of where the Tijervyn story in general is going, and I’ll be able to create a title, at the least, by the time is starts.
Wait, what is that you ask? When is this start going to be? Well, the way I have things scripted out, Legends of Tijervyn Issue One will end on the 19th. Dragon*Con, the only super-major convention I currently attend, is the first weekend of September, so I don’t want to start on August 26th only to have to deal with an “on the road” update for chapter two, so April and I have decided that Volume Two begins on September 9th.
Other things to look forward to in the perhaps foreseeable future:
- More Legends of Tijervyn.
- A “For Purchase” fully compiled eBook of Volume One, edited, including an additional short story in the Tijervyn world.
- A print version of Volume One.
- HQ Prints of the Chapter Art.
- A new short story in the “random short fiction” work. Not quite sure what yet, but I have the itch burning in me. Maybe something a little Lovecraftian….
If there is anything else you’d like to see (including possible products for the implied storefront), let me know in either the comments or an email. Exciting times!
Tags: Announcements, Cyborgs, serial novel, Steampunk, Tijervyn, Volume Two, webcomic
Categories: Admin Blog
Review: Captain America
Posted on 29 July 2011 | No responses
I meant to put this up Monday, but then it got pushed back and back and I said, whatever. Anyway, I saw Captain America last Saturday. Long story short: it is awesome. Short story long below the fold.
Page four of Legends of Tijervyn here, by the by.
Tags: Captain America, heroes, Movie, nobility of man, review
Categories: Admin Blog
GRR Martin is not JRR Tolkien
Posted on 22 July 2011 | 1 response
They share two initials. That is it. And just as their names are only tangentially analog, so is their writing. So much so that when The New York Times review of A Dance with Dragons compared Martin to “The American Tolkien”, I instantly lost respect for the reviewer. So, in addition to reviewing A Dance with Dragons (ADWD forthwith to save typing and italicizing), I am going to talk about my thoughts on Martin’s work in general and espouse, in semi-rant form, about why the reviewer from the New York Times is a nitwit, at least somewhat.
Oh, and Page Three of Legends is up.
Tags: A Dance With Dragons, A Song of Ice and Fife, G.R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, review, Robert Jordan
Categories: Writing