April 2024 News

Happy April

Whenever I dread these monthly posts, it’s a surefire sign I’m at a productive place in my writing and I should listen to it. That said, this will be brief, he lied.

Writing

I’m drafting The Heathen Tide, which is the sequel to Violence & Vigilance, and the conclusion to Turesia Untamed. My writing process is truly a chaotic beast but I’ll attempt to give you a bit more than just “It’s going well.”

Since Turesia Untamed’s inception, I’ve collected notes which include situations, scenes, quotes, dialogue chains, visuals, descriptions, and so on. Before starting this draft in earnest I compiled those notes into a single document that was about 35,000 words. As of this moment that compilation of notes has reduced to 25,000 words, and Draft 1 of THT has reached 20,000 words, or roughly 1/14th of its total expected size. Sadly, these words aren’t yet ready to share with any audience. That’ll take another draft. After that I can begin bouncing these scenes off a beta reader if one is forthcoming. Writing group stuff. I mentioned I have some potential takers on that.

Watching

This section is more populous than usual, David whined, wanting only to resume writing THT.

The Gentlemen

The Gentlemen has that unfortunate side effect of making me yearn for a future story. Best I can do at the moment is take notes on specifics that inspire me. In this case, it’s all the little aspects and characteristics that make a mobster/crime story.

Shogun

They did amazingly capturing this novel on screen. My only complaint is that it’s flying by too fast. So many details and situations are breezed over or cut. That’s to be expected, surely. But it’s why I’m forced to read the entire novel. Again.

Three-Body Problem

The show was confusing at first. I couldn’t tell what was the premise or direction. I wasn’t sure who were the actual heroes, and none were leaping out at me. Then came a scene so brutal, horrific, and glorious that I find myself emphatically recommending this show. Holy shit. Nanofibers. That’s all I’m saying.

Physical: 100 - Season 2

I can not explain my infatuation with this show. Maybe it’s all the peak-physique humans in competition. Maybe it’s the glimpse into Korean culture, at least in their conversations and reactions. Sometimes the hero-worship they exhibit toward one another feels like an anime. I can’t explain it. Luckily I don’t have to.

Dune 2

The long and short of it: Yes. I recommend.

Pros: They built such a convincing world and displayed it confidently and competently, trusting their viewers to understand what needs to be understood, while sparing us the details that aren’t crucial to the story. For example: They could have taken 5 minutes for a character to blabber on how the hooks the worm-riders use prevent the worm-vents from closing, which keeps the worms from diving while being ridden. Instead they showed it for maybe 4 seconds, knowing that those who care about such world-building have their answer and those who don’t care… well they don’t care.

Cons: Pacing. Some story events are analyzed closely. Some are breezed over in a near-montage. I realize that’s the price of stuffing a fat novel into a film.

Kayaks

We’re picking up. Our plans for expansion are growing clearer. This week in particular I have a lot to do for said plans. Here’s some brief behind the scenes.

I’ve been dragging my little brother and my oldest son on adventures in the woods or water for the last twenty years. Before that I had to convince friends to join me on Ill-Advised Journeys (which could be the title for my first novel instead of A Sawmill’s Hope). I plan to put that same energy toward “dragging total strangers on adventures on and around Lake Hartwell and making them pay me for it”. That’s the gist of 2024’s expansion strategies.

By this time next month I’ll know more. In the meantime, follow LHKRAD’s IG or FB page to keep up with us.

Wildlife

#OperationOdin - I’m attempting to befriend crows. But I’m attracting a broader crowd than I expected. These pictures don’t include the squirrels, because a camera is not what I aim at them when they come gnawing and thieving…

Next Month

More words written.

Kayaks will be busier.

see you then

dtl