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!

In like a lamb...

Hello...not much new to say today, but boy...I got a little bitchy yesterday, didn't I?
Oh well...I needed to vent. Better to do it here in print than to take it out on my friends and co-workers...
I will complete Chapter Three on Saturday, my next day off, if all goes well. There'll be a full moon that day so hopefully my creative juices will be at a peak.
I like to drum...on Saturday, they will be holding a drum circle at Myrtle Beach State Park. Michael and I have been going to the last three that they've had there and we've enjoyed them very much. I won't be able to attend the one this Saturday because Michael is still recouperating from his surgery and, as i have stated in the previous post, I don't have a car! I suppose I could walk there...it's really not that far from where I live. But the drum circle is kind of the thing that Michael and I do together and I think I would miss him if I went without him. Besides...I think I'd like to devote the entire day to the book. That would be nice.
You know...that's really about all I have to say! Surprised? Yeah...me too...I just wanted to make a post on the first day of the month and to officially start my BIG MOVE countdown. On April 1, I will be all moved into my new place, if all goes well. I'm going to try to start packing things up this week so I don't have a big fat mess at the end of the month.
I will keep you posted on my progress.
Have a great day!