Two Words

There are two words that fill a writers heart with emotion: THE END

I just finished the rough draft of my latest book. A fun little novella that takes place in An Extra Topping of Horror's universe. Here's a little hint what it's about:

One problem I had in writing the ending to An Extra Topping of Horror was the man in the trilby hat should have popped up at the end with all the others. But he was way too pushy. He could either have just a paragraph or another full adventure. He wouldn't settle for half measures. So I ended up leaving him out.

He kept bouncing around in my head asking for another adventure. Then I was talking to my wife about bad movies. Everyone has their own list but here's mine:

The Star Wars Prequels

Batman and Robin

Roadhouse

Showgirls

My wife said that Showgirls was in a class by itself because nothing could save it. Challenge Accepted.

I said, the producer could have sent the script to Hunter S Thompson and Chris Carter and have them hammer out a workable script.

Her reply was, “That would be...Awesome!”

I had my concept.

Stealing liberally from other bad films I came up with a novella that had me laughing my ass off as I wrote it and gave the man in the trilby hat something to do and he even got a name. Vekman.

I was surprised how much “character” I could give my heroes Nomi and Vekman in a short little novella. It was supposed to be a light action comedy but those two really captured my heart.

That's why typing THE END is so hard for me. I love that the book is done. They saved the world and all. But at the same time I'm saying goodbye to the characters I've known and loved for a few months.

Luckily I'll be spending time with them in the rewrites. And I left this one open for a sequel. So whenever the world is in danger and can only be saved by a crossbow wielding man in a trilby hat and a drug using stripper named Nomi they will be back.

By Darrell B. Nelson author of I KILLED THE MAN THAT WASN'T THERE

Writing Wednesday: New Release

Another freebie for everyone. I'm giving away two more short stories. A Home to Die For.

Two weird little tales that I wrote. I've put both of them up on this blog before.

A Home to Die For and The Adjuster.

These two stories have really evil guys in them who have very clear motivations. So I think they pair together nicely.

As far as writing them the process couldn't be more different.

With A Home to Die For, I wrote it. Checked my grammar and spelling, gave it to wife who checked my grammar and spelling. Then sent it to Alienskin magazine who bought it. If writing was like that all the time I could be a full time writer and not have any worries.

With The Adjuster it was the opposite. I knew I had a powerful idea, so I typed it up. I loved the ending but wasn't that thrilled with the rest. I asked my wife what she thought and she said, “My god, did that suck!”

After some prodding she told me she hated the character of Maria. I worked on Maria a bit but the story still kind of sucked. So I shelved it. But it still nagged at me. Several months later I opened it up and reread it. I noticed I told the tale rather than showed it. I rewrote it again.

It still had that suckyness but was readable. Not good enough to publish but it had the ideas I wanted to convey. I shelved it again.

It still nagged me, so months later I read it again. Rewrote the Adjuster's part and threw it up as a post. It still nagged me but I was able to ignore that for nearly two years. I would see something that I'd like to put in it. Or think about it.

So I pulled it out again. Rewrote it. Put it up for my Critique Group at Scribophile. They made some really cool suggestions and I rewrote it again.

Nearly 4 years after I wrote it I feel it is good enough to be sent out into the world. Hopefully I will never work that much on a short story again.

I hope you enjoy the re-re-re-re-re-rewritten version.

By Darrell B. Nelson author of I KILLED THE MAN THAT WASN'T THERE

Shut-up Stupid Sunday: Paul Ryan Abortion

I hate agreeing with Paul Ryan, almost as much as Paul Ryan hates it when I agree with him. But when he talked about Todd Akin's idea of “legitimate rape” and how he believed that a clump of cells should have all the same rights as corporations, he stated, “I've always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn't change the definition of life.” Of course, I draw completely different conclusions.

The GOP's stance on abortion is to make it illegal in all cases. If you make abortion illegal you are passing laws saying that a woman should have less say in what happens to their bodies than they have over their property. I talk about how property laws could be applied to abortion in great length here.  To sum it up, If a woman walks into home and finds a stranger hanging out, it doesn't matter if you consider the stranger alive, how the stranger got there or any other thing. She has the right to ask them to leave. If they don't leave she can use whatever methods, including deadly force, necessary. Period, end of story.

She doesn't have to wait two days. She doesn't have to have a giant probe stuck up her Who-ha. She doesn't have to have the stranger's picture taken. It's her right to decide who she wants on her property.

With abortion a woman isn't allowed this basic property right. People like Paul Ryan believe that woman aren't able to make the same decisions about their bodies as they are about their property.

Paul Ryan has said in the past that an exception to abortion mean you can't apply his reasoning consistently. If you are going on the assumption that woman can't make the right decisions with their bodies as the right of a property owner, than how can they be allowed to own property?

Since 1835 women have been allowed to own property in this country. Oddly this concept started in Mississippi. If you are going to apply Paul Ryan's “reasoning” consistently, if you outlaw abortion you should also outlaw woman's rights to own property.

There is no consistent way you can have woman be full citizens of this country with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that and make abortion illegal.

So to Paul Ryan and all the other freaks that want to make abortion illegal, I say, “Shut-up Stupid, for almost a hundred years Women have earned the right to be full citizens of this country. For over 170 years they have earned the right to own property. You can't take away the fundamental right to exclude who is allowed on a citizens property. So you can't take away the right for a citizen to exclude who they want in their body.”
By Darrell B. Nelson author of I KILLED THE MAN THAT WASN'T THERE