Good Day

Well...I wrote Chapter Four out today and I must say I am most pleased with it. I think it's one of the cooler chapters in the book. It starts out with our first real look at the sorcerer Zabarelle and examines his motives which are based on greed and power. I try, through his thoughts, to justify his behavior (which is another good reason why I think it was a good choice to write this as a novel rather than a graphic novel. It's much easier to get inside people's heads and explore their thought processes), even though I basically think he's pretty well fucked up in his spirituality and his views on magick.
I then introduce the Monkey Pawn, who is the beloved puppet-president of the Billowy Wood and I explore the contrast between what he says and what he feels. He comes across as a powerful leader, bravely taking his country into war...but inside, he's very much a scared little child who dreads the impending doom.
I then go back into the bedroom with Starchaser and Bradley who are sharing some playful pillow talk the morning after their first night of magickal sex.
I just like the contrast of the acts in this chapter. It starts out very heavy with talk of an the coming war and ends and ends, rather lightheartedly, with out witchy couple rolling around on the bed and crashing onto the floor. I just like the way it wraps together.
If I ever get around to making the chapters public, you'll see what I mean...
Maybe.
Blessed be!

Absence Makes the Soul Grow Stronger

Look at me! I'm back! After a two month adjustment period to the new place that I'm living as well as other things, I am happy to say that I have returned to writing the book yesterday. I just finished the second half of Chapter Three but hey! The magic is still there! The writing went very smooth and it's still better'n sex.
In fact, I'm happy to report that I have had a creative upswing as of late in a variety of media...I've done several paintings, a couple of box, wrote a few songs. It's been great! I don't know why these things happen the way they do...I'm just grateful for when they come because, like I said...when the creative juices start flowing, I'm not quite sure where they're coming from or what the end product will be...it's like I'm channeling it from some other source...a very strange and yet wonderful feeling.
I've also started a sister blog on Yahoo at http://360.yahoo.com/bradleylore . It's not so much about the book as it is the spirit behind the book and, ultimately, behind my life. Check it out, kiddies!
Well...that's all for now, kids...I'll try to post soon!
Take care!

Still Unwinding...

Hello! Thought I'd put in a post in case anyone was reading and wondered what the hell happened to me. For one, I'm not on the internet as much due to the fact that I moved somewhere that's farther away from the Center Project, which is where I do most of my "interneting." And also, sadly, because I haven't been working on the book because I'm still a bit unwound from the move. Once my room mate moves in, I'm hoping things will become more settled.

I just haven't been as spiritual as I would like to be due to the needs of the mundane in my life in the moment, which is fine...because we alkl have mundane things that we need to take care of...that's life, but...hey...I will be very happy when I can concentrate on the spiritual again...because I do do love it when my mind is in the spiritual plane. I'm so much more at home there...but you know what? Even when I'm not "on" spiritually, it's still there...and always a part of me. That's the wonderful thing, I think, about finding the belief sytem that is truly your own. Your spirit is still strong even during the times when you can't tend to it. When you're strong, you take care of your spirit...and when you're weak...it takes care of you.
Sounds kinda like karma, doesn't it?

And my mind can't help right now but to think about all those spirits up at that college in Virginia who were snuffed out by that crazed madman yesterday. It's so pointless and senseless...and scary. It's a crazy world we live in and...know this...all of the craziest people are running free on the outside and not getting the psychiatric help they need.

But it's like I told Michael...yes...it is a terrible thing...but you must keep in mind...a gunman can only take away their physical beings. He can't even lay a finger on their souls and their souls are still strong...always...and they have moved on to the next level of enlightenment. Bright blessings to them all...

Yeah....my spirit...it's still there...shining through all the murk...and that's what makes it all so incredibly wonderful at the end of the day.

Till next time...
Blessed be!

Working to Unwind

Hello...this will be short today. The big move is finally over and the new place seems nice and all. I'm still a bit disheveled by it and the breakup of my routine and all. I haven't been getting as much sleep as I like. I've always had trouble sleeping in strange places so I guess I just have to adjust.
It seems like a good fit though. I'm just waiting for my nerves and everything to calm down so I can get back to the task at hand...writing The Perfect Star. I figure I'll give it another week before I tackle the next chapter. I should be sufficiently unwound by then. I can't wait to get back into it!
I just wish I could find that man...that perfect man who's going to be so totally into my work and so supportive. I have a feeling he may be just around the corner...who knows about these things... ? Just a hunch...
At any rate, he will be my true inspiration.
Gawrd I'm such an idealist. But hey...it's the only way to be, really.
Take care!

Been a while...

Well...geez-ow...I haven't posted in a while I guess. Well...I did make one post, but I deleted it because it wasn't productive. I've been busy moving and getting into the moving mindset so I had to temporarily put the book on the back burner until April.
Once I'm all moved in, though, which will be on Saturday, I'm guessing I'll have much more time to dedicate to the book. Heck! I still have to finish chapter 4. I won't have cable hooked up in the new house for a few days, though, so there won't be that distraction so...who knows...maybe I'll use that time to write. I WILL use that time to write. It's hard to get back into the writing mode after taking a break, but, hey, this story is The Perfect Star after all, so I'm sure I'll find the proper inspiration. I'll also have a computer at the new place so I'll be plenty inspired to do more of these posts and to effectively get my web site out there. I know there's an audience for my cock-eyed idealism...I just have to take the time to find it.
So far the book has been met with a somewhat less than enthusiastic response by my friends...not their cup of tea, I guess...but hey...that's okay. To each their own...right? I'm not going to shove this down anyone's throat. But hey...I actually did get an e-mail from a stranger the other day who visited my web sites and he was very encouraging. He said the story inspired him. Wow! Imagine that? Somebody inspired! By me. The ole ego has gotta love that! It's so great to finally get some encouraging words from somebody who actually took the time to read my stuff. It's nice to know now that there are people out there who feel the way idea about the ideas expressed.
I'll tell you this much, though...I dream of the day that I find that one person who actually is totally into the book and all the ideas expressed within...somebody who actually gets me and understands...well...everything. On the day when I meet this person, I'll know it instantly and I'll know that this is the person that I must spend the rest of my life with. Yes, dear readers, young Mark is finally ready to re-open himself to the concept of being in love...Gawrd! Is that even possible anymore?
I like to think so.
What can I say?
I'm an idealist.

Perfect Time of Day...

Well...what a day so far...been fairly productive, but haven't worked on the book yet. I'm planning on moving at the end of this month and I was literally "cleaning out my closet" today. Not an easy task, but hey...it's DONE! My move should go a whole lot smoother now.
I'm writing this post at The Center Project, the place where I do volunteer work. After I'm done with this, I plan on finding a nice little nook somewhere to write out Chapter 4. I may just go down to the beach. It's a fairly mild day and not too windy, so it should be fun.

I wore shorts out today. It might still be just a tad bit cold for shorts, but I am the eternal optimist.

Chapter 4, which used to be part of Chapter Three, is basically Bradley Lore's intro into witchery... Witch 101 if you will. Bradley is introduced to the elements and learns how to effectively "become a part of them." It'll be a short chapter, but I'm looking to stretch a lot of cool concepts into it so we'll see how it goes.

Well...that's all I gotta say for now...keep ya posted!

Better'n Sex...

Hello there...it's a Monday again and I am in a fairly good mood I guess. The weekend went well. I came into a little bit of unexpected cash and I spent a chunk of it on a new drum. What can I say? I like drummin! I really can't, in the overall scheme of things, afford it by any means...but it's a great drum and it makes me very very happy...and who can put a price on happiness?

And...I had Saturday off, so I spent a good part of the day finishing Chapter 3 of the book. Like I said before, this chapter is very important to the overall story and I wanted to make sure all the ideas that I brought forth in it were clear. I believe I have succeeded. I am really pleased with the way the chapter came out...and I added something to it that I didn't have in the first two drafts that I'm very excited about.

This has been the basic line of action in Chapter 3: Bradley Lore is led to the House of You where, for the first time, he meets the witch, Starchaser. Starchaser invites him into his home and offers him a cup of tea...a very special cup of tea...a tea that, ultimately restores all the memories from his lost childhood. After an intense trip down memory lane, Bradley is very tired, so the witch shows him to the guest bedroom where our young hero sleeps for the night.
When he awakens the next morning, he is somewhat shocked to learn, from a television broadcast about the oncoming glorious war.

What follows is a long discussion with the witch, Starchaser about the politics behind the war and about how the press is taking liberties with the truth by trying to pass the war off as great spritual quest. Now, I don't know who you pray to or what your religion might be, but I have to believe that, if you have truly found something spiritual and good within yourself that you have to be opposed to war...all war, no matter what the reason is for fighting. There is nothing glorious about a war...ever! Think about it...do some reasearch. I believe this to be true.

Anyway...so the witch then tells young Bradley that he, The Perfect Star, is the one destined to stop the war and they must embark on a noble quest to do so. But first...he'll need a little training in Magick 101...which is what Chapter Four will be about. Originally, I had Chapter 4 as part of Chapter 3, but there were just so many ideas that I wanted to express that I decided to break them up for easier reading...and writing!

So that pretty much was the gist of Chapter 3, that is, until Saturday's rewrite when I added a new element to the mix...the dream within the dream...an idea that I just came up with as I was writing...usually it doesn't happen that way. Usually I think of something for a while and run it around the block in my brain for a couple of days before commiting it to paper. But this time, it just popped out...and that is such a great feeling when it happens that way!

Anyway...again...this new scene starts after Bradley falls asleep in the guest room and before he wakes up the next morning. The dream starts with him flying through the night sky with Starchaser at his side...fireworks are going off everywhere in the background. Bradley's heart is dancing on a cloud...full of joy and excitement...then all goes dark and the boy finds himself falling throught the darkness in sheer terror. He lands in a black ocean where he grabs ahold of a log and washes upon a dark shore. He spies a grove of trees and enters into them. Suddenly, he finds himself in the middle of a battlefield with gunfire shooting off everywhere. He drops to the ground and covers himself and cries.

He then wakes up.

I dunno...this probably doesn't make any sense, but I thought it was really cool to stick this here. It's like our first glimpse of the absolute horror that will be the glorious war. At this point in the story, Bradley really doesn't know anything about the war expect that Snibblick had mentioned it very quickly in passing so the dream kinda hints that young Bradley possesses certain psychic abilities, as we all do. I think that what I want for this dream sequence to be is the merging of the Bradley that is, the one that we have known up to this point...and the Bradley that will be...the young witch stumbling to, eventually, learn the many ways of the craft.

When I finished with this chapter, I had such a good feeling running through my soul. It's hard to describe this feeling, but, trust me, it is way better than any feeling you can get after sex! Okay...so some of you maybe saying that perhaps I just never had really good sex...this may be true as well. But I can't imagine anything feeling better than the feeling you get after creating something that, while definitely a part of your physical being, branches out way beyond yourself. It's like making an ultimate connection with the spiritual world and realizing that hey...it's all gonna be okay...no matter what happens in mundane life, it's all gonna be all right.
And it will be.

And this is what I have to believe as I watch my friends go in and out of surgery. A couple of weeks ago, as I have said, Michael had back surgery and I'm pleased to report that he is doing very well. This week, my friend Robert is going in for surgery and I'm sure this will turn out for the best also. Robert has a very strong spirit and I'm sure that life won't throw anything at him that he can't handle. The power of the sprit is truly enormous. Never underestimate it!