Traveling

I’ve traveled a lot (mostly for work) and it’s one of the things I enjoy most. And considering I will win the lottery sooner rather than later, my traveling experiences will only grow. Along with all this, seeing new places, experiencing new things, always inspires me (most of the time after I’ve returned home). From all I’ve seen, however, ideas grow. They blossom within my mind like spring flowers. They are cultivated like fields of wheat. And they are harvested like autumn crops. Traveling is what makes my thoughts go round.

In all the places I’ve traveled outside the United States (mostly Europe), 3 places have held my mind and body more than any others. Those places in order of preference are: Rome, Tel Aviv, and Paris. Rome for its food, history, religious aspect, and architecture. Tel Aviv for it food, people, and its surrounding significance in the religious world. Paris for its food.

I say Paris for only its food, but it is more than just that, though it’s the only thing that sticks out in my mind. My first impression of Paris (some 25 years ago) was that I’d never want to return. The people were snobby. Since then I’ve been back a few times and each time my impression has changed. Not only have the people gotten more tolerable, I have become more worldly, my palate has changed, and I have (at times) become as snooty and standoffish as most Parisians. Really though, if not for a friend named Simon, I doubt I would’ve gotten to know the real Paris, and still I’ve only received a glimpse of it.

As for Tel Aviv, the city and its people can only be called wonderful. With danger surrounding them on three sides, and the Mediterranean on the fourth, they’ve come to appreciate every day they are not threatened by war. They live life. They are full of energy. And they treat visitors as if everyone was a dignitary. Beyond that, though, is Jerusalem, Eilat, the Dead Sea, and so much more. Everywhere you turn there’s a significant historical place. And no matter your religion, you realize this little strip of land was the center of it all for a very long time. It’s awe inspiring.

And then there is Rome. I could dine on the architecture for decades and never go hungry. I could drink in the ambiance for centuries and never go thirsty. It is the main course which need no dessert, though a simple trip to the Vatican provides one. In a sentence, Rome is the center of the modern world. It brought about democracy, higher thought, and much of science. It is both slow moving and fast paced. Its like witnessing a festival of oddities where anything and everything is only a cab ride away. It’s my favorite place, and yet there is still so much I want to see.

Beyond these three cities, I have still yet to breathe in Greece or smell Madrid. Maybe one day I will and my short list will change. Until then, I dream of them all.

Writing Differences

From other writers I’ve spoken to I’ve discovered I’m a bit different in the way I approach things. I say this while typing frantically at 36,000 feet in the cramped quarters of coach. I have the front of my laptop touching my belly with arms splayed at odd angles and the screen tilted downward to the point I can barely read the words I’m typing. Believe me when I say the image (like my body position) is awkward to an extreme. However, I find that I do some of my best writing in the oddest of locations. Whether I’m above the clouds, in a bustling terminal, or sitting at a bar with a beer a few inches from my grasp, I seem to prefer the surrounding distractions much more than the silence of a lonely room when putting my thoughts on paper (or virtual paper as it may be).

Now why is that?

To answer the question, I have only one idea; I’m a lonely type of guy. I say that knowing I have friends and family in abundance. But also knowing this means I want people around me, just not them. They are more of a distraction because they interrupt, questions, prod for attention while strangers usually leave a person alone when they appear involved in something. I know this and therefore use it to my advantage. When formulating a thought I can hold a conversation or order food or wave down a stewardess, but when I’m actually putting my thoughts in writing all of those people will adamantly ignore me. Basically, they are at my disposal for ideas and don’t even know it.

But how do I ignore them so easily?

Ask my wife… just kidding. Actually it takes practice. It takes a level of concentration my brother mastered at an early age. For me, it’s taken decades, but for the most part I can tune almost anything out for a little while. Perfecting this puts my writing in control until I decide to give up that control. The problem I have is realizing how much time truly passes when I do this. I usually think minutes when in reality its hours (probably because I’m a 40-words-per-minute typist at best, so a few pages takes hours). It’s gotten me in trouble more than once, which is another reason I dislike writing while at home.

And how long does it take to formulate an idea?

That all depends. If it’s a storyline, then anywhere from weeks to months. If it’s just a blog entry or a ‘short’ as I call them, sometimes my fingers seem to move on their own without been driven by thought. Also, I like to roll ideas around in my head constantly. Whether I’m driving or reading a book or watching a movie, my mind is working on ideas for other novels. Most of those ideas are trash, but a few reach paper. Fewer yet get written.

Maybe I’m not so different from the rest of the writers I’ve spoken too. Maybe we’re all nuts. At least I know I’m not certifiable (yet). 

Jeremiah Stone - Fighting Chance

The excerpt you’re about to read from ‘Jeremiah Stone’ is still under draft, but you can get a sense of action the novel entails. In the story, Jeremiah has just saved and taken into protection (from angels, demons, and police alike) a crime syndicate up-and-comer named Zygi Wolf.  They’re currently holed-up in a New York City hotel (which Zygi considers a dump) with Jeremiah questioning him about his importance.

“How should I know?” Zygi replied with innocence. “I’m one of the proverbial ‘bad guys’, so I guess it could be anything.”

Jeremiah stared at the man for a few seconds not satisfied with the answer while hoping his stoic stance would intimidate the man a little. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re not the typical drug lord or mafia type, but you run in both circles. So what are you not telling me?” Even as he asked, however, Jeremiah made a connection of his own, one he didn’t want to contemplate, but he felt was the truth. Then, just as Zygi opened his mouth to answer, Jeremiah heard a whisper. An instant later he launched himself across the room at Zygi, grabbed a fist full of the man’s shirt, altered his weight, and flung Zygi through the doorway into the single bedroom with a crash just as the door to the apartment burst open. Luckily Jeremiah’s momentum was already moving towards the door, so he let it carry himself into the midst of policemen even as they brought their weapons to bear. 

Training helps a person prepare for real life situations, but when the opposite occurs during those times than everything is thrown off balance. So it is with the police, as they expect people to either freeze or run away giving them a second to analyze the situation and react accordingly. They never suspect an unarmed man to dive into their midst faster than humanly possible. To say they lost the upper hand in that first second would be an understatement as Jeremiah’s fist impacted the fourth man’s flak jacket with enough force to put knuckle imprints in its quarter-inch thick steel plate. Then Jeremiah turned his attention to targets one, two, and three. Spinning, he kicked the legs out from number three while backhanding number two shattering the man’s visor, then slammed his fist down into number three smashing him into the floor. By now, number one was spinning around bringing his weapon about. Jeremiah was just a bit slow in turning as two shots thudded into his chest and shoulder, but knowing his timing was off by just that much he altered his weight and skin density allowing the force of the bullets to twist his upper body to the right as his left fist shattered both the door frame and the man’s right bicep. As the gun dropped, Jeremiah shifted all his weight to the left stopping his momentum abruptly as number one’s momentum continued into him allowing Jeremiah to grab the man’s vest. Yanking it downward, the man caught Jeremiah’s rising knee. With a heavy grunt the man stilled before Jeremiah let him fall to the floor in a heap.

Jeremiah stopped, surveying the scene in satisfaction. Four down in four second and all of them would live, which was a good thing since none of them were either angels or demons.

With a turn, he took a step back into the room and saw Zygi lying limply against the dresser, though still breathing. Damn, he thought. He wasn’t about to carry the man away, so he’d just have to leave him for now, though he wasn’t that useful anymore, he told himself as he reflected on his last thought before the policemen’s interruption.

Jeremiah’s ability to alter his weight became a study (after his second death) into whether it was truly his weight or his density he was altering. Believing it had to be the latter; he’s since tuned his power and thoughts into increasing his skin’s density into something more like hardened leather while making his innards lighter. This means he’s able to maintain his weight while turning his skin into something akin to a bullet-proof jacket. Granted he still has to dig the bullets out of his skin and receives some really bad bruising, but he survives and is unhindered by the bulkiness of a true Kevlar jacket.

Current Projects

There are two stories I’m currently working on (though one of them I’ve barely started so it’s hard to truly say I’m working on it). Realistically, I’m still formulating that story, working it over in my mind until it solidifies like congealed milk (yuck). Already, I’ve spent more time doing research on the story and backdrop than I’ve spent on almost all my other books combined. It’s something new to me because normally I just jump in feet first and let the story take me away. This time, however, I’m actually trying to nurture this new style of writing within myself and create a truly reverent story. It definitely won’t be the next great American novel, but I hope it will be better; more laid out and thought provoking than all my other pieces of work. Unfortunately I’m not going to discuss it here other than to give the title (as it stands so far). Originally I was going to call it ‘Golem’ because, as the word suggests, golems are rudimentary living creatures formed of clay and molded for a specific purpose. That title has since changed to ‘Burden’ because of the choice this molded piece of clay must make.

The other piece of work, which I’m more inclined to discuss at the moment, is about a man who dreams reality. After a horrific car accident, one he’s lived through many times in his dreams, the main character Michael has an ability almost impossible to believe.  It’s fostered by the belief that if you die in a dream you die in real life. Because of his deja’ vu car accident in which he’s supposed to die, Michael, throughout the course of his life, has learned to manipulate his dreams so he survives. As it would stand, his first dream out of surgery is of being mugged. Strangely, and more vividly than ever, he avoids dying during this mugging dream by altering it in a of couple ways.  What he doesn’t realize is his dream is actually an out-of-body experience coming true on the other side of the country. Before he knows it, he’s cast into a world where dreams, reality, and perceptions are so intermixed it’s hard to tell one from the other. From this reality, he doesn’t know if he can survive.

Beyond these two novels, I have a few ideas, though the problem is I want the stories to be unique. I want situations compelling enough not to be repetitive, but that’s getting harder and harder to accomplish. As with most movies now, everything seems a cliché with remakes and sequels being the norm. And if you haven’t realized it already, I like avoiding the norm. Nonetheless, I have a lot to work on before I’m done with my current ideas and plenty of time to finish them since ‘Jeremiah Stone’ has yet to come out, followed by ‘Limbus’, ‘Azazel’, and ‘Beginnings’, all from the same series.

Next week, maybe I’ll post a short excerpt from ‘Jeremiah Stone’. We’ll have to see.