Crimson Ink

The Great Script Frenzy Debate

2011-02-24T12:07:00.003-05:00

I have tried to participate in Script Frenzy every year since its beginning, but so far I have yet to write more than ten or fifteen pages. I know by now that script writing is not my creative medium of choice, nor will it ever be. I also know that there are too many ideas in my head at any given time to be healthy.

I haven't had much of a drive to do any writing lately (as evidenced by this being the first time I've updated any of my blogs since last summer) and I know that writing something completely different (i.e. -- not involving the supernatural in any way) just may be the kick in the pants that I need. But as I said, I know there is a good chance that I will fail spectacularly. Plus, my sleep has been too erratic lately to even think of participating in a long writing challenge such as Script Frenzy or even one involving novel-writing.

I do have an idea for Script Frenzy but I think I may save it for a NaNoWriMo. It may give me much more time to do research and outlining (which would be a good thing because you can't just write by the seat of your pants when doing a murder mystery).

In other news, I have decided to try my own personal Blog Posting Month. This means that I will try to post something to either of my blogs every day for a month (starting on March 1). While not fiction, this may be the kick-in-the-pants that I need. I think I will try to update this blog at least every Wednesday and try to come up with a schedule for the other three. My main goal, however, is to get back to writing what should be my top-priority WIP and then rewrite my very first novel (because the idea behind it has mutated much and I do genuinely dislike major parts of it at this point).

Pre-Nanowrimo 2010

2010-07-01T17:46:00.002-04:00

I'm NaNoing early!

This year I am determined to get 50K words for NaNoWriMo by any means necessary. So I'm trying to get the prelininary work out of the way now instead of October. I have so far narrowed it down to two possibilities.

The first is a deconstruction of the wizard school trope and it features two characters that I can safely say has a personality beyond "he's a sociopath." The problem is that there really isn't any plot. The second involves the wacky hijinks that take place on the grand estate of a perpetual supernatural weirdness magnet. This one has slightly more fleshed out characters as well as actual plotlines.

I have already mapped out the settings of each work and some other preliminary work (the cirriculum for the school, the number of staff members at the estate, etc). I think I'm just glad that I got something on paper. I'm going to work on both until November and use whichever story that I feel more comfortable with.

Just a fanfiction

2010-04-07T13:51:00.001-04:00

Harry Potter and the Howlers of Voldemort by J.B. Drake
(all characters belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. I’m just borrowing them for a second.)

Harry sighed as he poked his eggs. Ever since word got out that Lord Voldemort is finally out in the open, no one gave him a moment of peace. Even now as he ate breakfast in the Great Hall, he could feel every pair of eyes in the room staring at him. “I hate this,” he sighed.

“It will get better,” Hermione said.

“I was talking about the eggs. The house-elves sure have lost their touch.”

“Well, maybe if they weren’t forced to cook for a bunch of teenagers-“ she began.

“You still on that spew kick?” Ron asked.

“It’s S.P.E.W. and I will have you know-“

“Oh good,” Harry said changing the subject, “the mail’s here.”

All three turned their heads up and saw a flurry of brown against the bright blue ceiling. They ducked when a large eagle owl swooped towards them. Its right foot landed in Hermione’s oatmeal and the other knocked over Harry’s pumpkin juice. It clutched a bright red envelope in its beak.

“I think it’s for you, Harry,” Ron said through a mouthful of eggs.

“Oh great, this is exactly what I need.”

Hermione took a sip of her pumpkin juice and said, “Open it and get it over with already.”

Harry took the envelope from the bird and it flew away. He closed his eyes as his finger neared the seal. Before he could slit it open, the entire thing exploded.

“FEELING INADIQUITE? IS THAT SPECIAL WITCH IN YOUR WIFE UNSATISFIED? THEN YOU NEED WAND GROW! THIS ALL NATURAL WIZARD-ENHANCEMENT POTION IS ALL NATURAL AND WORKS IMMEDIATELY. INCREASE YOUR WAND SIZE BY INCHES! YOU HEARD THE SAYING ‘IT’S NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR WAND BUT THE WAY TO WAVE IT. NOW HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS WITH WAND GROW!”

The Great Hall erupted into laughter as Harry collapsed on the floor. “Well, that was strange,” Hermione said.

“Do you think they sell that stuff in Hogsmeade?” Ron asked.

Hermione smacked him in the back of the head. “Will you focus! I think there is something wrong with Harry!”

Ron looked down. “You’re right. He’s all frozen and blue.”

They heard footsteps and saw Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape rush to them. “It’s worse than I feared.”

“What is it, Professor?” Hermione asked.

“That howler was cursed.”

“Oh yes,” Snape said. “The Blue Skin of Death. My we had better get Potter to the Hospital Wing right away.”

“What kind of sick person would send a cursed howler?” Ron asked.

McGonagall smacked him in the back of the head. “Weasley, who do you know that has a high-pitched hissy voice?”

“You-Know-Who?”

“Precisely,” Dumbledore said.

“What was that annoying whistling in the background?” Hermione asked.

“The Death Eaters were probably having a little bit of fun,” Snape said.

Ron bent down to touch Harry, but Dumbledore stopped him. “The curse is very contagious.”

Dumbledore waved his wand and Harry’s body rose in the air. “I really should have told him not to touch a howler if he gets one. Just this morning I got one from Voldemort telling me about a potion that made the wand harder. I probably should have replied to him saying that I already take it.”

“You do, Professor?” Ron asked.

“At my age, you need all the help you can get,” Dumbledore said sadly. He walked out of the Great Hall with Harry floating in front of him.

Script Frenzy 2010

2010-03-28T18:03:00.002-04:00

I know that last year's Script Frenzy post is only a few posts back. I know that it's sad and I need to actually try to maintain my blogs. I'm just too fucking lazy.

Anyway, I am going to participate in Script Frenzy this year. Instead of doing a stage musical, I am going to write the script for a webcomic that I have kicking around in my head. The working title is Bats and Cauldrons and is basically going to be made up of multiple (loosely connected) sub-series set in a fairytale/Universal Horror-esque fantasy world.

This is going to be a different format than what I'm use to, but it's not without its advantages. Describing each panel would pad out the page count and since I am not writing a musical, I wouldn't have to try to make an awkward rhyme. Plus since it will be made up of constantly shifting storylines, it probablty wouldn't get dull.

Long Time, No Blog

2009-10-19T21:51:00.002-04:00

I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I would because I do want to keep maintaining this blog.

For those wondering about this year's Script Frenzy, I failed miserably.

Anyway, I have so far written about sixty pages of the sequel to my first vampire novel and am probably about 1/4 of the way through. The other novel I started is not going so well because I just don't have time. Speaking of time, I have no clue how well I will do in NaNoWriMo but I will give it my damnedest.

I will try to update every once in a while, so wish me luck.

Guess what Amazon did!

2009-04-13T01:13:00.004-04:00

Come on, guess!

Stumped?

Well I'll tell you. Apparently, Amazon is deranking books with 'adult' content. Included in this is a disproportionately high number of LGBT-themed books. Now Amazon is calling it a 'glitch' but for some reason, I'm not buying it. There are gay-themed sites that have been urging for a boycott of Amazon for years, but I never understood why. If this 'glitch' is any indicator, I can understand why. What does deranking mean? It basically removes the sales rankings. This makes it impossible to know whether or not a book is a best seller in the category and it hurts potential sales.

Now as a gay man and a writer of LGBT-themed fiction, I am deeply offended by this. I understand why some that are just erotica would be deranked so minors would have a harder time finding them but according to one of the articles posted above, Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds hasn't been deranked. Nor has books such as Mien Kampf or The Dog Pit - Or, How To Select, Breed, Train and Manage Fighting Dogs, With Points As To Their Care In Health And Disease.

And look at some of the books that have been deranked. You have classics such as Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room and Gore Vidal's The City and the Pillar. Not to mention quite a few YOUNG ADULT novels featuring LGBT characters. So what Amazon is saying that naked women, Hitler and dog fighting are appropriate for minors to pursue but anything featuring a same-sex relationship isn't.

I don't buy books online, period. Browsing in cyberspace just isn't the same as going to the nearby bookstore and actually holding the book, going through it to see if you want to buy it or not. However, I know now that if there is a book I want but can't find I know were I won't be getting it from.

In closing, here is an open letter from someone else as pissed about this as I am.

And the Frenzy Begins!

2009-04-01T11:34:00.006-04:00

It's April 1 so you know what that means! So far I have only done the title page, the character list, the scenery and a few lines, but I have only begun! I don't think I will reach the 100 pages needed to win (my goal is about 20-25 pages) because of school, but the month is young. The first song is turning out to be rather dark -- it's basically an ode to various notorious serial killers. So far I've got H. H. Holmes, Son of Sam and Jack the Ripper but I know that Dahmer and Zodiac will probably be thrown in as well. Aren't I twisted XD

Anyway, I will be posting weekly updates. Wish me luck!

Why I Left Myspace

2009-03-16T11:25:00.004-04:00

Normally I would post this in J.B. Drake's Random Thoughts but I'm trying to balance the post between the blogs.

Anyway, I haven't been on my Myspace since last fall. At the time, I thought it was due to technical issues but I discovered a subconscious reason.

I think Ellen put it best on The Tonight Show last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvCa814JpFI

Skip ahead to 1:50 and replace the words "Facebook" with "Myspace" and "Twitter" with "Blogger"

I must say I agree with her -- except for the French braid part.

Thoughts?

Script Frenzy 2009

2009-03-14T16:47:00.003-04:00

What is this you ask? Put simply, it's a sign of insanity.

Long answer:

Script Frenzy is a competition where in the month of April, participants must write a 100 page script. And if you're wondering why that sounds familiar, it's from the makers of National Novel Writing Month (AKA NaNoWriMo).

This is technically my third year participating, but I don't count 2007 because I didn't really do anything. Last year, I wrote a musical loosely based off the true story of Leopold and Loeb. This year it's going to be another musical. It will be about a serial killing cannibal who works as a chef when not doing what he is truly passionate about. Anyway, he decides to either get revenge or win back his ex boyfriend by killing the ex's current lover and feeding it to him. Or something like that, I haven't quite hammered out the details yet. The working title is currently Psycho Ex-Boyfriend.

Here is the site for those of you who are interested:

http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/

And here is my Script Frenzy profile. Add me to your writing buddies if you like.

http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/184638

Writing Update 2-16-09

2009-02-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

If you recall, I finished a draft of the novel I've been working on for many years. I find it easier in the editing process if I put down the ms for a while and start something else. And that is exactly what I did. A few weeks ago, I started with the second book of my vampire series (formally the third). It takes place a little bit over three years after the first one ends and is my twisted version (one may say parody) of the vampire romance subgenre (don't worry, I'll post my rant of modern vampire fiction later on).

The other I started late last week and is a prequel to my vampire series. It is about a family of sorcerers (in which two of the main characters in the vampire series is apart of). The story begins in Elizabethan England with the tragic romance between a powerful warlock and a thief he met on one of his travels. Then the story shifts to his son who moves to the Virginia Colony in the early 17th Century. Basically, I'm planning a trilogy that tells the story of a family that spans almost four centuries. I'm hoping this one turns out good, because I've spent about two years researching it.

For those of you that remember my post from last August, the house is going to be featured in the warlock novels. Actually, it will be built at the end of the first book of that series. Oh and if anyone is wondering how that project is going, I now have about 20 pages of graph paper worth of drawings. I have built up the history and layout of the house and grounds which is pretty much my preliminary work for the series. I need to remember to buy more of the stuff because I have a few more houses that probably manifest into the trilogy.

Finished current draft of the Never Ending Novel

2009-01-24T23:57:00.000-05:00

And it's about fricken time, too. I will soon start with the new sequel (formerly, the third part of the series) as soon as I get a chance.

Out with the Old and In with the New.

2009-01-19T23:48:00.000-05:00

One thing you should know about me is that I am very interested in politics. It is midnight my time and in twelve hours, a historic transition of power will take place. To commemorate this, I have written a set of poems I titled "Out with the Old and In with the New."

Out with the Old

It has come down to this.
I hope you are happy
Because we are all pissed.
Your reign has been crappy.
It's time to say good-bye.

Do you even realize
How much you fucked us up?
And do you know the size
Of those who think you suck?
Don't you say you don't know!

It has been eight long years
And we are all worse.
Need to clean out your ears?
We need to lift this curse
That you had brought on us.

You were on borrowed time
And I'm glad you're gone now.
Do you hear the clock chime?
And you had better vow
To vanish forever.

You know we are all pissed
So good-bye forever
And you will not be missed.
Just to pull a lever
Would just be amazing.

Then again, you can't fall
Even more than you have.
Though you gave it your all,
We are glad to be rid
Of you once and for all.

In with the New

I try to be cynical
And know you're like the rest of them,
And that you're only human.
At least you don't seem to be dim.

Thanks to him we're in a mess
And so we wish you the best luck
In trying to fix the damage
And clearing away the muck.

Don't let it get any worse
So we can finally move on.
We will look back in anger
And thank the gods those days are gone.

I look at where we are now,
I hope the days are behind us
Where we hang our heads in shame
And then start to bitch, moan and cuss.

We're walking through the darkness
And I think I can see the light.
Though it goes against every-
Thing I know, hope is in my sight.

My First Interview

2009-01-17T19:58:00.000-05:00

I was just profiled by Aisling at her blog From the Creative Depths:

http://creativedepths.blogspot.com/2009/01/creative-souls-jb-drake.html

The Never Ending Novel is Almost Done...

2009-01-15T00:22:00.000-05:00

...or at least the current draft is.

A little background first:

I started to put pen to paper for this tale in November 2004 (for those wondering, this was before I even heard of NaNoWriMo and it's not even 50k words long now). And now, over four years later, it has twisted into something completely different. Parts in the first half still bear a resemblance to the original versions found in packed-away notebooks but now I have another protagonist (the son of the original), a handful of new characters and a storyline for a series where the main characters of the original version are almost non-existent.

And wait, there's more:

I started what was then the second book of this series when I thought I was finished with the first. I got halfway through and the entire thing fell apart. So I'm combining them by adding the more important bits of the former second book into the first when I write the second draft. And then there are a few chapters that I thought up and would fit into it.

But back to the current draft. I'm going to tie up the rest of the plot the next time I get a chance to sit back down and write.

The House

2008-08-04T12:32:00.000-04:00

I haven't done much with my other (active) writing projects lately because recently I have been fixated on a house. And not just any house, either. For the past two months I did nothing except sketched out maps and drawings of this house and the surrounding land. This is a house that I plan to use as the setting of a few future novels. However, in the novels, it is not going to be built until the end of one of the novels I plan to write next year.

I need to try to get back to actually writing. I did revamp the first part of the second half of my second novel in my head (hope I didn't lose you there), and I am working on getting that on paper, I mean, flash drive. Nothing else except working partially on my NaNo and partially on my script.

A Singing Ransom Note and a Few Paragraphs.

2008-06-10T21:51:00.000-04:00

I got back to two of my longer projects and am happy to report that I see an end in sight. My recent edition to my long-term project was a few paragraphs that helped form a transition between one chapter and the next. I think all I would need is another chapter and to rework later scenes I already have down.

As for the singing ransom note, that was a song I wrote today for the musical that I'm writing. I also wrote a few pages of spoken lines. Now all I need is one more song and I will be finished with the first act.

I want this all done by the 21st.

Where to Begin?

2008-05-31T21:56:00.000-04:00

Let's start with the basics. I'm a twenty-year-old college student currently studying the culinary arts in Norfolk, Virginia. I am currently on break from school and am looking for a job. I'm gay and single and content about it.

I'm also an unpublished writer of homoerotic dark fantasy although I do write straight up horror and am toying with writing plain fantasy as well. Someday I would like to experiment with other genres but not now. I also write poetry and scripts and I'm a mediocre visual artist.

Which leads me to why I started this blog. My purpose is to post progress of my work (currently four manuscripts and a stage play), jot down random thoughts or rants about the writing process and post any minor spurts of creativity that I find fit.

So without further ado, I will leave you with the burst of creativity that inspired the name of this blog:

On the page pours crimson ink.
At times I must stop to think
That on this page is my blood.
On the page my soul does flood.