Inky Horizons

I've been thinking about the novel. I want it to be hard and grim. But not cold.

I don't think it's a fine line. But I want to be careful about it coming off as cold. That could be a problem.

I spent most of the day reading the stories and some of my old notes. At first I toyed with the idea of cut/paste story sections and writing around them. But, of course, that's really not going to work at all. For a lot of reasons. This will have to be rewritten from the ground up. Again, not a problem, just more work load. Ugh.

The story "Haxan" is the major framework for the novel. Other things that happened in some of the stories will be worked in as sub-plots. I see them dove-tailing nicely and giving everything an arc. The novel will allow me to explore things I never had time or room in the story, like how Marwood deals with taking on the job of Marshal and the roadblocks that would be in his way. There's a lot of stuff to write about there that would fit well into the overall idea of the novel, I think.

I want to keep that Haxan-voice people have come to know in the stories. I think that's really important. I constantly worry I won't find it. But that's silly it will be there when I need that. I'm just obsessing. When push comes to shove I trust myself and what I'm able to do.

These are just some of the little niggling details I'm working out. Nothing special I just wanted to share the thought process bc I said I would and some people said they were interested.

I'm giving the remainder of the week on doing all this brain-work stuff, which, let's face it, I'm barely qualified ot handle. Next week is slated for starting the novel.

I'm still excited about the project* but it's gonna be a lot more work than I originally thought.


*As excited as I get nowadays about writing. Remember, I've been doing this for quite a while. It's more of a grind now than a love. That's just another normal progression, I think.  It's a job, not a hobby.

My friend cj_ruby created character sheets for Marshall Marwood to be used in a rpg which will be run later on in his gaming group. I gave him permission and I think the outcome is pretty niftty. Most of the talents and stuff are spot on and all the published stories and Haxan page were used as source material. I never describe Marwood's physical attributes so that's all open to interpretation.  (Which is why I never describe how he physically looks. I let the reader decide that for literary purposes.)

Anyway, when they run the game they promised me pics. I'll post 'em here for sure.

So here are the character sheets. This copied funny for LJ but each equal sigh ( = ) means a point out of how ever many circles you start off with. In other words, Strength is a 3 out of 5, and so on. I only have one real quibble. Shouldn't Marwood's "wrath" be more than two out of five, haha? But I guess maybe it depends on whether he's facing you across the plaza or having coffee with Magra Snowberry, lol.

Seriously, give them a look! They're way cool and fun.

11/13/2009 Kenneth Mark Hoover's HAXAN CJ Ruby's Wild West RPG

Name:John Marwood, US Marshal Age:33 Height:6'2” Weight:180 Nature:Survivor

Player: Concept:Gunslinger Demeanor:Lone Wolf

Physical Social Mental

Strength ===OO Charisma ===OO Perception ===OO

Dexterity====OLightning Reflexes Manipulation====O Calculating Intelligence===OO

Stamina ====O Unyielding Appearance ==OOO Level-headed<Wits ====O

Talents Skills Knowledges

Alertness ===OO Animal Ken =OOOO Academics OOOOO

Athletics ==OOO Crafts/Repair OOOOO Cultures OOOOO

Brawl ==OOO Horsemanship===OO Enigmas ==OOO

Dodge ===OO Etiquette OOOOO Finance OOOOO

Quick-Draw ===OO Firearms =====Pistol / Sharps Rifle Investigate ==OOO

Expression OOOOO Gambling OOOOO Law ==OOO

Intimidation ===OO Melee ==OOO Linguistics OOOOO

Leadership ==OOO Performance OOOOO Medicine =OOOO

Streetwise ==OOO Farm/Ranch OOOOO Politics =OOOO

Subterfuge OOOOO Stealth ==OOO Science OOOOO


Empathy ==OOO Demolition OOOOO Geology OOOOO

Carousing OOOOO Survival ===OO Occult ==OOO

Singing OOOOO Disguise OOOOO Telegraph OOOOO

Backgrounds Other Traits Virtues/Vices

Lawman ==OOO __________ OOOOO Perseverance ==OOO

Resources ===OO __________ OOOOO Wrath ==OOO

Soldier =OOOO __________ OOOOO __________ OOOOO

__________ OOOOO __________ OOOOO __________ OOOOO

__________ OOOOO __________ OOOOO __________ OOOOO

__________ OOOOO ____________ OOOOO

Reputation ===OOOOOOO

Hitches (Flaws) OOOOOOOOOO Health

Enemy (4pt)

Ward (3pt) Magra Snowberry Willpower========OO Bruised O

O O O O O O O O O O Hurt -1 O

Injured -1 O

Wounded -2 O

Mauled -2 O

Giddy-ups (Merits) Experience _____________ Crippled -5 O

Self-confident (5pt) Incapacitated O


11/13/2009 Kenneth Mark Hoover's HAXAN CJ Ruby's Wild West RPG

Weapons:
Right hip __________ Left hip 7”SA .44 Colt Dragoon (cap&ball) Hidden Derringer .44
OOOOOO OOOOOO OO

Rifle Sharps .50 Shotgun ___________ Hidden __________
O OOOOOO OOOOOO

Other Weapons and Ammunition:
6” Knife
Hand Axe

Animals & Equipment: Money:$300

Horse: Blue Roan *stallion (stamina 4) “Acheron”
Saddle & tack Income:__________
Grey duster Expenses:_________
History: Miscellaneous:

J. Thaddeus Marwoode served in the 1st Regiment of the Colorado Volunteers
and was wounded at Glorieta Pass. Left the Union Army rather than participate
in the Sand Creek Massacre - November 29,1864.

John T. Marwood appointed US Marshal by the War Dept. in 1871.
Assigned to Montana Territory where he “killed a lot of men” in the line of duty.
Transferred to Haxan, New Mexico in the spring of 1874. The only US Marshal in
the region at that time.

"High Moon", my new Haxan story, is now up at Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Please, click the banner to read the story. Hope you like it:

What does "Inkydoo" mean, and how does it connect with Marwood's past? Find out tomorrow!


HIGH MOON

Appearing tomorrow in Beneath Ceaseless Skies!

12.17.09

Blood.
Dust.
Wind

And who bought licorice for Piebald? Find out what happened in two days!


HIGH MOON

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies!

12.17.09

Blood.
Dust.
Wind

I've been thinking about writing a Haxan novel next year. There are arguments for and against, but at the moment I am coming down against the idea.

First, it's a huge time sink. Even if I set aside six months for the novel, that's six months I could be writing short stories. All kinds of short stories, not just Haxan. Yes, I have a good backlog of stories that might see me through those months, but I'm afraid this could hurt what little momentum I've got going. The publishing industry is all about what have you done lately.

Of course, I've been doing this long enough to know anything can kill your momentum. So that's really not an argument. But to do a novel you have to pimp yourself out and try and find an agent, then go through all the publishing houses. It's a whole big Magilla. You know how it is. It's a pain.

Not to mention the fact I don't know what genre to write this novel in. There are three ways (yay! a three way!) to do this:

1. Traditional western. This is my preference. I really want to write this. Plus, it would be a nice change of pace for Haxan and perhaps bring in readers across the genre barrier. The short stories could have the dark fantasty. But let's face facts. Markets for trad westerns are minimal at best. Even though I preach you should write the story your gut tells you to write, I'm not willing to cut my nose off to spite my face. It's a six month investment. I have to think of markets down the road and risk vs. reward. Writing is a business for me. Not a very profitable one, but that's how I view it.

2. Reguar Haxan story. Which means dark fantasy used to explore western themes. These are most of the Haxan stories so I'm comfortable with that. Opens up a lot more possible markets.

3. Full-blown dark fantasy Haxan. All the stops are pulled out. Some of my beta readers know what I mean by this. Opens up even more markets, but I have to admit I think it takes away from some of the magic that is Haxan. I may be wrong about that. Just how I feel. Probably I'm wrong.

So there I am. Knowing me as you do everything could change tomorrow. I would like to write a Haxan novel. I'm afraid I'll spend all that time and nothing will come to it; I'll never sell it. Sure, that's the risk you run with short stories. But it doesn't take me six months to write a short story, "Vengeance is Mine" aside. So the time investment vs. risk/reward is a much narrower gap.

And don't even mention a Haxan anthology. I'm a nobody. They're harder to sell than novels.

Feel free to give me your two cents worth. I'm still struggling with all this and nothing is set in stone. If you asked me two weeks ago I would have said "Yes, I'm going to write a Haxan novel next year." Go figure.

This is where I am right now. Kinda lost.

It's 1:12 am right now and I have just completed a new version of my Haxan story "Vengeance is Mine".

I think my beta readers are gonna hate me. And if it ever gets published...maybe some fans.

Hooray! The hits keep a'comin', haha. My NEW Haxan short-short "Three Wise Men" was accepted and is now up at The Western Online.

This was kind of experimental for me. I don't often write short-shorts. This one clocked in at 1300-words, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you like it, too. Please, click on the banner below to see the story and let me know what you think, or let the editor of the magazine know.

Thanks, guys! :)

Evan Lewis in his review of my story "In the Image of His Maker" mentioned that, regarding the town of Haxan, "...the locale, the town of Haxan, New Mexico, begins to emerge as a character unto itself."

I wish I could say I invented that trope, but I didn't. Samuel R. Delaney used Bellona in Dhalgren, one of my all-time favorite novels. Clifford D. Simak did it in his novel City. Lots of science fiction and fantasy writers do the same thing. I've seen it lots of times and I'm sure you can list lots of examples, too.  But  for whatever reason it never made a lasting impression on me until I met Richard Parks.

You see, Richard Parks (aka ogre_san) does it with his fictional Mississippi town Canemill. Canemill, in Richard's stories, is definitely a solid, living, breathing character, even if he means for it to be or not.  (I think he does, but I don't want to put words in his mouth.)  Even if it's just in the background in some stories its presence is always felt. It's not just an empty locale he uses. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have a map of it somewhere, even if only in his head. I know he has a history for it because we see some of it reflected in his work. Anyway, I think he views the city itself as an element that sometimes shapes the events we read about in his stories.

Not all his stories are set in Canemill, but those that are...wow. They are more often than not my favorites.

So one day, when I decided I wanted to try my hand at a western, I up and decided to steal that idea and create my own city, place it in the Old West, and call it Haxan.

Okay, I didn't actually steal the idea from Richard or anybody else. As we've seen it's an old literary device, probably from time immemorial. But I wanted to create a town that would be a significant character in some of the stories. Not always. But I did want it there and I did want the weight of its presence known if not felt even when Marwood was riding a hundred miles away in the empty desert wondering why he had memories that stretched back ten thousand years.

Mr. Lewis isn't the first person to remark to me that Haxan felt like a character unto itself. There have been others. I just want to say I am very flattered one of the elements I use in these stories was recognized by readers and that they liked it. It made feel...well, pretty good.

Very good.  *nods* 

I finished my story today at the coffee shop and felt pretty good about it. Now I'll let it sit a day or two before I look at it again. It needs to be tightened up a bit but that's about normal.

Now I'm thinking about a new story. I meet my writing buddy again tomorrow and I may start it then to help distance myself from the one I finished today.  I think it's going to be called "Three Wise Men" and yes, it's a Haxan story, too.  Then again what isn't these days, haha.

My attention was called to a glowing review of my new Haxan story that appears on The Western Online, so I thought I would share with you guys:


Review of "In the Image of Our Maker"

If you haven't seen this phenomenal silent film then by all means do. It's a Swedish film about witchcraft and the frenzied denials and condemnations that surrounded it during the Middle Ages, and up until the present. Well, 1922, anyway, which is when this film was made.

The visuals of Haxan are astounding, on a par with any CGI magic you see today. These pics only represent a fraction of what is in the film. It's an absolutely gorgeous piece of art and seriously, if you haven't seen it, try. You will not be disappointed.

The Western Online has just published my brand new Haxan story "In the Image of Our Maker". Yay! So please click on the link below to check it out, and I hope you enjoy the story. Thanks, guys!  :)

There's some love for my Haxan story "Till Death Do Us Part" and you can read about it HERE.

Awfully nice of him, I must say. I'm very flattered.  *nods*

My Haxan story "Till Death Do Us Part" was accepted by The Western Online and it's up now if you want to read it. Hope you like it!

Beneath Ceaseless Skies told me today my story "High Moon" will be published in December. It's a Haxan story (what isn't these days) and I hope you like it.

But until then, if you haven't had the chance, or if you are new to my LJ, please check out the original story "Haxan" and the podcast as well published at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

And don't forget the Haxan Page and Haxan Gallery for added content, character biographies and other neat stuff.

(Hey, you gotta get your Haxan fix someway, haha. Yes, I know I'm being silly, but it's that kind of night.)

I'm starting to see deeper into Haxan than I ever did before. I'm starting to understand things about it I didn't understand before.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing.

I did three pages on the new story. Not a lot, but I spent a long time working on the previous scene. I'm not a stickler for needing a scene to be perfect before I move on with a rough draft. But this was an important scene and it needed to be right, I felt. So I worked on that and got it the way I wanted it. No, the way it needed to be.

I'll press on tomorrow.  I think this story is about to open up, and with luck I'll get a chunk of it done tomorrow.

Oh, and I slept all right last night, considering. I didn't go to bed until midnight and woke up about 7:15 today. I didn't sleep all the way through but it was better than the night before. So I think going to bed later had some benefit. I doubt I'll go to bed that late tonight, though. Eleven o'clock sounds more like it and I don't mind waking up at five or six to start the day as long as I get some good, quality sleep.

I think I'm going to broil hamburgers for supper. Then I'll spend the remainder of the evening thinking about the story. Funny. Before I started doing this writing stuff I never realized how much mental time was part of it all. And here I thought it was all about the physical act of writing, lol.

Should have known better.

"A gun feels heavier when you have to kill someone."

I did five pages while sitting on the back porch this afternoon. It's very comfortable outside. The wind is blowing and the temperature isn't topping out the thermometer.

I'm pretty satisfied with the start I've made on this new story. So far so good.  *nods*

I'm having a tough time coming up with an opening (as in first sentence) for the new story.

Heh. Isn't that always the way. In a story that's kind of muzzy in my head I can write the first line pretty fast. Then I feel my way through the story while trying to avoid the mesquite thorns. In this case, when I know the story cold, I can't come up with an opening and get it started.

Ain't writing FUN?  :P