Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 10, 2012 15:34:49 GMT -5
Earlier this week I punched a hole in my thumb. I've been in a lot of pain, but what really pisses me off is that I'm right handed and that was the hand I hurt. Every time I reach for something, by reflex, that's the hand I use. It's not as easy to just...not use it as you might think.
I've been practice writing around it and its been slow going, but I'm trying.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 14, 2012 3:09:06 GMT -5
I Write Like...I used this analyzer today which studied portions of my work and gave me an author my writing style was close to. I submitted five different sections of different stories I've been working on, and the results kind of caught me off guard. I put in two different parts of the story I've devoted the majority of this thread to, and the two authors I got took me by surprise. It compared me to Stephen King and Mario Puzo. King and Puzo. Shawshank Redemption and the Godfather. Rolled into one. That's me, baby. The others I got churned up two authors I had never heard of: David Foster Wallace and Cory Doctorow. The former seems to author a lot of essays. Only briefly glanced at the second on Amazon. The final author I got was HP Lovecraft. Buh? Okay, I know I'm not that creative. I don't really take this all that seriously. After all, it analyzes style, not quality. Though I do feel a bit upbeat that it compared me to several authors that not only got published, but are praised for what they do. That's reason enough to keep me going, to see if I can measure up. Though I have a gut feeling that my expectations of myself are kicking my ass far more than the expectations of anyone else.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Oct 6, 2012 2:48:29 GMT -5
Rick Riordan's latest came out this week, the Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus Book 3). At 600 pages, it's his longest yet, but I breezed through it in three days. Page per day ratio, that's nothing compared to the two days I spent locked away reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when I was a teenager. I may not be the fastest reader, but when I mean business when I do.
Maybe I shouldn't be discussing these books on a forum where I'm certain I'm the only person that reads them, but if there's something about them that speaks to me, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Personally I love a good episodic adventure story, and if one features monsters or impossible superheroics, then all the better! I've always been in touch with my playful and childish side, and I doubt I'll ever lose it, as it has been one of my most defining qualities. Though I do tend to filter out details with a critical eye that I'm not fond of. This book in particular gives us three love triangles and not all of them go anywhere (one can argue that not even one goes anywhere). I imagine this is the result of seven different character storylines intertwining throughout a five book series, but when they start clustering up like that, you might want to edit a few of them out.
But I imagine it makes the tween girls who read it squee, so who am I to judge? At least it's less ridiculously told than the romances in Twilight or the Hunger Games.
This book, cross-based on Greek and Roman mythology, finally brings the seven demigod heroes of the prophecy together, which Riordan has been building to over the last two books: Percy and Annabeth (the heroes of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series); Jason, Piper, and Leo (who were introduced in the Lost Hero); and Hazel and Frank (introduced in the Son of Neptune). The book seems to have taken some cues from the Avengers in that the heroes have issues in getting along and personalities and loyalties clash, but come together as a team when they are needed the most.
Despite there being seven main characters, Riordan tells the story from the point of view of the descendants of the Greek gods...
Annabeth, daughter of Athena: Chosen by her mother to find a sacred Greek relic which will bring peace between the Greek demigods and the Roman demigods. But as she continues this quest, she discovers she must make her journey on her own if she is to succeed.
Leo, son of Hephaestus: Accidentally sparks a war between the Greeks and the Romans after an minion of Gaea possesses him during a crucial yet fragile time of truce, putting the demigods on the run. He and the Roman demigod Hazel also look to their past to discover their connection to each other.
Piper, daughter of Aphrodite: Goes on a journey of self confidence and morality. She finds herself bringing more to the table than just being pretty, as she uses her intellect and compassion to help the heroes pull through some of their toughest challenges.
Percy, son of Poseidon: After leading the Greeks to victory over the Titan lord Kronos, Percy faces insecurity in partnering with Roman demigod Jason, who was a leader of the Romans. He also must find solace in letting his girlfriend Annabeth go on Athena's quest alone.
The switching narrators have their ups and downs. Every time the POV switches, a new storyline blooms that helps progress their overall arc. Some drag, but most are fun and feature grand character insight.
Though one wishes for more progression of Jason, Hazel, and Frank, who I assume are going to take centerstage in the next book, the House of Hades, which looks like it's going to be interesting given the ending of this book, which has the bleakest ending Riordan has written since the Battle of the Labyrinth. That book echoed Voldemort's return in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in that Kronos had risen once again and pushed the war between the Gods and the Titans into full swing. This book is more comparable to the ending of the Empire Strikes Back, where the heroes have made it out alive, but at a cost. They are split up as they face their toughest challenge yet. The final fates of two of the main characters are left up in the air (and no doubt have set the readers of these books abuzz with excitement and/or outrage) and while it's alluded they're still alive, it leaves the remaining characters pondering whether or not they can save them.
I have no doubt they will, though. While Riordan has killed characters though out his books, it has never been the haphazard pointing of a finger and saying "You're dead, you're dead, you're dead..." that haunted JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Usually death has been used as a point of plot movement in his works. Though he has set up potential character sacrifice in order for main baddie Gaea to arise for the concluding book in 2014, who it is, I won't pretend to have any clue. Common sense would dictate that the obvious choices would be Frank and Hazel, who each were established in the previous book as having death hanging over their head. But is that how their story will conclude? I'm not sure. Riordan doesn't have a knack for plot twist, but I like to think he has something different up his sleeve for them. What it possibly could be, I couldn't tell you, but I'm eager to find out.
I will say, despite my assurance that everything will work out in the end, that I found Rick's writing of the scene where the two heroes are lost to be well written and touching. That's the sort of thing that assures me that even if I am reading a book aimed at a younger audience, I have good reason to. I attempted to read the Hunger Games this year, but Suzanne Collins' emotionless drone of a writing style made that experience a disaster. I somehow made it through the movie, only to be assured I had done the right thing in throwing that book in the garbage. It's all about technique.
And as I've finished my nerding on this subject, I'll state I'm well aware that I've bored everyone who bothered to read past half the first sentence. But, you know, this subject speaks to my aspirations, even if it doesn't mirror it. There's a heart and personality about the way that Riordan writes that I can only hope to accomplish. The Mark of Athena may not be his best book (I heart the Titan's Curse and the Last Olympian, personally) and it's arguable whether it's the best book in the Heroes of Olympus series (I need to reread Son of Neptune again, but I think that book had more highs), but it's his last for a year. I guess I'll have to fill this void by studying his works further.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Oct 16, 2012 4:17:15 GMT -5
The story I was developing when I first started this thread was designed to be stand alone. The ending felt right for the story I was telling, and I feel that there wasn't really anything more to say. A while ago, I had decided I didn't want to do a sequel, as opposed to other ideas I have in my head, where I have multiple plotlines mapped out in case they somehow hit it off. This story, on the other hand, was particularly experimental for me. I didn't come up with a groundbreaking story, but I made up one that gave me a chance to do an episodic character piece, and as such I literally find myself squeezing every interesting situation I can from those who it is centered upon. I don't really intend on anybody reading it. I wouldn't even be surprised if I never sold it. I don't think it's bad, but I'm not sure cutting my teeth is what a publisher or a reader would want.
This week I had mused "Well, what if it did sell? What if people did read it?" while editing my work. The thought kind of scared me. There's kind of a demand of "more is more" in the genre I dipped into. While I can always say no if asked if I could follow it up with anything. I mull over the characters I had created, and I confirmed to myself their story is complete. There is nothing else to tell.
But my attention drifted to a minor character, and while I dipped into her past, I kept her mostly a mystery to keep her interesting. I laughed and said "I could always spin her off." I didn't really take it seriously. Ideas come from funny places. This one was a doozy. The minute I started thinking about her, I started fleshing out her past. Not only that, she started merging with ideas I had in my head that I didn't have stories attached to. Suddenly, I had an opening for a new book.
What can I do? I wrote it down. How I can even consider writing a sequel/prequel/spin-off before I'm even finished writing the original, I have no clue. It seems presumptuous and arrogant. I don't have a damn thing to show an editor, except "Hey look, I can write sentences! Yay me!" But the idea was so pristine in my head, I didn't want to lose it.
I reread what I had wrote. A sadness came upon me. It was gripping me in a way few things I have written had gripped me. It begs me to finish it, but how can I? If the first book doesn't pan out, there would be no audience for it.
But I have a cold feeling in my stomach as I realize I find the story so much more interesting than the one I've been working on for months. To keep it locked on my computer seems like a waste of something I think is probably the best thing I have written yet. There's always the possibility that I could rework it, but it seems like a shame. The idea I have branching out from the original story makes it all the more interesting. And it's also a story I feel I could follow up if it sold, too.
But there's presumption and arrogance speaking again. I feel like an ass. But it's also something I feel I should be proud of too. Or maybe I just feel like George McFly from Back to the Future, wanting to share something with the world but afraid of what the response would be. I'm entertained by my stories, but I'm sure Uwe Boll is as well. Maybe I'm just a hack who likes attention.
Right now I consider it a demo. Maybe I can attach it to a manuscript with a note that says "For your consideration..."
Edit: I just realized this blog has passed the one year mark. And I'm still not done. That's not encouraging.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Oct 16, 2012 18:49:10 GMT -5
Following up my last post, that demo was the first piece of anything I had written that I had shown anybody. I sent it to several people I know who have all been interested in seeing what I have been up to this last year. The response has been amazingly enthusiastic, which has been boosting my confidence in what I'm doing.
Is it all roses and ass-kissing? No. They've offered me advice in what could be tweeked and what could be left alone. And I agreed with everything they said, which is also encouraging for my own judgment. But as I said before, it's just a demo. I'm not even sure if I'm going to use it for anything yet, so I'm not entirely concerned about such adjustments yet. But it's helping.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 2, 2012 13:43:40 GMT -5
I posted my intentions last night in Poobah World, but I came back briefly to address everyone on the board. This will be my last post for a while. Partially because I want to work on my stories without distraction, also partially because I think my days of message boarding are fading away. I've been a part of this board close to its birth, helped run it during its prime, and continued on well after the traffic died down. This day has been a long time coming, as I think the board in its current state doesn't need a heck of a lot of moderation and if it does, those I leave behind will be up to the task. Am I gone for good? Not likely. I anticipate being back to discuss new sets as they're released. Thanks to Shout Factory, those moments are more frequent than they used to be. Ditto with RT and CT, to see what the latest buzz is about both. And if there are any major updates on what is happening with my work, I won't hesitate to post them. But as of today, I'm locking myself away to get to work. Its may not be goodbye but it feels like an end of an era. To my fellow mods, I'd like to say: Mr. Atari: You'll always be the true Sampo in my book. mummifiedstalin: Keep the peace, bro. Right on, right on. Afgncaap5: Internet or not, you pull any of those Pirate Day filters again I will kick your ass straight through my computer screen. And if you haven't watched the fifth season of Angel yet, you need to do so. Ratso: Give 'em hell for me. siamesesin: I love you. I always have and always will. Whoops, I thought I was still talking about Ratso. Um, I tolerate you? LOL. Keep on rockin'. skyroniter: Without you I wouldn't have every episode of the series we all hold dear to our hearts. That makes you the most special one of all. And the rest: Are here on Gilligan's Isle. To our fallen mods: MonsterX: Used to be my brotha' from another motha' now my sista' from another mista'. You go girl! MightyJack: Agent 86 > 007. One last potshot before I leave. Keep the superhero love on the board alive. All who have gone Emeritus: I will be joining you shortly. I'd urge some of you to come back if at all possible. Cap H, Chuck, yousonuva, and the long lost Ator...the place hasn't been the same without you. To my beloved fellow board members (solgroupie, Mod City, plisken, and many others old, new, gone but not forgotten): Thanks for posting and bringing this wonderful community together. I hope it continues to thrive well into the future and I hope you all are a part of it next time I drop in. I love this place and I love you all. To all we have banned: Especially Wild Rebel, mikeisbetter, dsman71, and Audrey II. You all had it coming. And now my parting words, to all who posted in this thread in support of my project, thank you very much. It is greatly appreciated by me as I struggle with the images rattled around in my head. I hope to come back to you all with a finished product one day, and I feel I will be a better man if/when I do. One of the last things I was trying to work on for this board was a resurrection of the board's viewing/discussion project, where we watch an episode per week and discuss it with one another. I still believe in that project, but I was unable to see it through because as time went on I didn't feel I could commit to it as other projects were put on higher priority outside the board. I'd encourage the admins to give it the old college try and work out the bugs we've suffered over the years in order to perfect a full board community experience, especially as the contest seems to be dying down. And if there are any from the regular community who would like to be a part of it, don't hesitate to ask. But as I said, this isn't goodbye. Just a self-induced isolation for the health of my passions. I'll be back some day, most likely next month when the new set arrives. Until then, this is Torgo signing off... - David
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Post by nondescript spice on Nov 2, 2012 19:53:19 GMT -5
well, everyone talked it over and you are definitely not getting your damage deposit back. i've always liked the idea of everyone watch an ep per week to discuss - i know it's difficult with schedules, time differences, etc. but i think it could be cool if we committed to it. good luck with everything, torgo. someone check his bags before he leaves, though. make sure he didn't steal anything. except our hearts.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Nov 2, 2012 22:35:07 GMT -5
For Torgo:
Aloha my friend. Until we meet again...
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Post by Mighty Jack on Nov 2, 2012 23:16:46 GMT -5
but who will leave smart ass comments on my blog now?
Good luck with the writing, hope to see you again soon.
P.S. - I've never understood what ">", with names on each end means. Mr. T has done it a few times over the years but I never got what it was supposed to signify. So it's a dig of some sort?
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Post by CBG on Nov 4, 2012 10:55:08 GMT -5
Farewell, Torgo, I hardly knew ye! Remember: For every word you write, read one hundred...and write every day. All The Best Oh, and I agree 86>007
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Post by Mr. Atari on Nov 4, 2012 20:17:39 GMT -5
P.S. - I've never understood what ">", with names on each end means. Mr. T has done it a few times over the years but I never got what it was supposed to signify. So it's a dig of some sort? > means greater than. So Torgo is saying that Maxwell Smart is better than James Bond (and he's right). And Torgo > 99% of posters in the board's history. You will be missed, Tot-G.
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Post by Mod City on Nov 4, 2012 21:46:38 GMT -5
Dammit, Torgo, I just saw this! I'm going to miss you. You're one of the guys who I consistently found myself in the same threads with. Always great discussion and interesting times. A truly great presence to have around here. Nothing but the greatest of luck with your new endeavors. I expect you back here front and center whenever Fox picks up My Name Is Earl
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Dec 4, 2012 14:38:20 GMT -5
Torgo's back motherhumpers! Just for a few. Said I would drop in as the new set was released, and kept my word. As soon as I'm done MSTie-ing, I'll drop off the map again.
Thanks to all for the kind words. I love you guys, always will. Any updates? Been writing like a fiend. A good deal on projects I have already started, but also on one brand new.
About a week ago, I had a dream where I was talking to a woman. She intrigued me, and as I woke up I found myself obsessed with her. I wanted to know more about her, so I started writing a little drama featuring her, and it started growing. I'm not sure where it's going yet, because I'm still kind of winging it, but it's getting a lot of my attention lately.
I've been using my time well, and it's convinced me that dropping out of the forum was the right move. I'm happy with what I'm doing and I feel as if I have purpose again.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Jan 1, 2014 4:21:33 GMT -5
Merry New Year to all and to all a good night!
This is Torgo giving an update. It's probably not the update you have all been waiting for, but it will have to do for now. If anybody is wondering "Where the hell is your manuscript?" the answer is "I'm working on it!"
Here's what happened. That first story I've been working on, while I like it and had a blast writing it, certain elements didn't come together the way I want to and certain elements don't seem to work. This means I have to overhaul certain aspects of it, and I'm considering a lot of things: reinventing plot points, erasing characters, maybe even starting over entirely. Am I surprised? Not entirely. During the last year I received the blu-ray set of the Twilight Zone and the first season discs had audio lectures from Rod Serling himself, in which he is actually very dismissive of his work on the show (including some fan favorites). When asked why he states that all writers think they grow better with time, putting to work new practices they've learned since their earlier work.
While mileage may vary on which writers or storytellers actually improved with age, for those who actually practice his words ring true. If I were to cite a literary example I'd be forced to bring up the works of the very young Veronica Roth, who penned a very recent young adult science fiction series called Divergent. Within the last few months I read all three of her books, and was surprised to discover that she's actually younger than I am and published these while she was still in college. In many ways her youth shows in the books, though the concepts are interesting and there are decent characters and dialogue, romance scenes between the leads are stilted and forced and it's hard to really buy the relationship. The first book, Divergent (of course), is actually a pretty good read despite this. It's fairly fun to see her play with this idea she has in her head, featuring commentaries on racism and why mankind always finds itself at odds with each other. I enjoyed it, and I'll see the movie when it comes out.
The sequels on the other hand...
Here's the part where Serling's words ring true for me, because while Roth wrote an entertaining novel on her first outing I would have very much have liked to have read this series if she had published it in her 30's, after she had put more time into developing her writing and had more ideas for what she could do with this story. The sequels very much feel like Roth was a victim of her own success, where she was obligated to pump out follow ups but wasn't entirely sure what they should be. The first sequel, Insurgent, reminded me quite a bit of the film the Matrix Reloaded where it was constantly teasing a revelation but wanted to keep its audience until the end so it puts it off until the last possible minute. The rest of the story? A series of loosely connected action sequences that just pad it out until they get there. Action is more appealing in visual form, so I enjoyed the Matrix Reloaded more than I did Insurgent, but the book feels like a tiresome slog because despite all its incidents it never feels like it's moving. The third book, Allegiant, from my understanding disappointed a lot of people which has been attributed to its downbeat ending. I had no problem with the ending as I felt it fitting, but the idea of the book itself was rather odd. The first two had a good deal of action and occurrences pushing the main characters, this third book is primarily set in a single location where most of what happens are dialogue pieces discussing where to go from here. It feels like a brick wall. Even though it builds up to a climactic action piece where fates are decided, it's a bit poorly set up as there is literally a scene in the book where they discuss what they're going to do in the climax and people run into the room and give them more problems than there need to be. I don't really think that's great writing. It feels unnecessary.
But novels like this are made with a deadline, usually in a year's time from the previous. That leaves very little room for error and second guessing. For that I feel for Roth, because these last two books genuinely feel like she just ran out of time. And therein lies the problem of being an artist of any kind: You want your work to be perfect. And while you can like what you write, it's very rare that you'll love it because you always feel in your gut that you can do better. In a way, deadlines are both a blessing and a curse because they force you to finish when the product itself might be as good as it can get, yet they can also rush you into putting out something that might not be as good as it could be either.
And once that piece goes public, that's it. You can't change it. Unless you're George Lucas. Lucas gets a lot of crap for his alterations to the original Star Wars movies, and rightfully so. I stand by my assessment that every change he made to Return of the Jedi made it worse and worse, and in its current incarnation is almost unwatchable. But until you actually write stories yourself you cannot possibly fathom the desire to try and make your own work better, even if it's fine. Fine isn't good enough for the artist. They want it to be perfect. I could publish what I have today and while the readers might like it, I'd hate it.
But the difference between me and Lucas is that I'm a nobody just hoping I create something somebody might like, while Lucas is a man who already made something billions of people like. His work is public, therefor it should be deemed untouchable at this point. The fact that he is tampering with it is cheating.
What does this mean for me? Maybe it means I'm destined to keep altering and altering and never send anything in because I'll always hate it. I don't know. All I know is that I'm working on things that I'm uncertain about but continue to do so because that's all that I am. I'm driving away at a story that I'm not sure works, but continue to do so because I desire it to.
Hopefully with the new year I can push myself harder and faster than ever and reach my true potential.
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Post by nondescript spice on Jan 1, 2014 10:06:58 GMT -5
are you getting any feedback? writers are neurotic and competitive enough - but it might be good to get find someone who writes to make some suggestions to get through the parts you struggle with - whether it's an online writing forum, or a writing club of actual humans - maybe an instructor to a creative writing class, etc. you can get so close to what you are writing it's good to see it from another person's viewpoint, even though doing that kind of thing makes me nuts. i've always been leery of online groups, because i'm paranoid enough to think someone might swipe my idea. and though family and friends are great, i know giving something i've written to them puts them on the spot and it's difficult for them to give much needed honesty.
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