Regarding "Front Buts"

Don't start your sentences with 'but'. Unless serving to emphasize a pause in a character's reasoning, a but at the front only indicates that you don't know what a dependent clause is. A but serves as a way to point out a direct contradiction, or problem with an original statement. If you start a sentence with but, you are saying that the full stop itself is contradicted. A period cannot have a counter argument against it, unless a character is releasing that the original statement is not completely accurate, and therefore not completed. Stop being lazy and learn how to use a comma to create a dependent clause (See the previous sentence). - Cheers

A Message on Brevity in Writing

Get your point across in as few words as possible.

A Brief Reflection on Narrative

          Last week a gaming culture and media site did something every agency dreads. It broke narrative. I will not go into the specifics of the event, but I will use it as a way to jump into this commentary. Narrative is the story that news agencies want to tell you, or make you believe. Different news agencies have different narratives depending on which politician their sponsors have bought. Both left, and right wing news agencies do this. The events they choose to report on and filtered down to only those that fit their narrative, then they use dishonest rhetoric to sell it even further. The result being that unless you diversify your media intake between stations representing multiple interests, foreign and domestic, you're only being feed one sided propaganda. 

          Of course, nothing really matters. Huff Po, Fox, and MSNBC are the worst. None of us owes anyone else anything, and we all have to die someday. - Cheers

Read And Run

          Something that is always odd is how the intelligentsia drum up critical reading. Often times, to instruct younger minds on what specific subtext means they will use classic literary works from authors such as Salinger. If Salinger knew about this he would strangle every last one of them. A while ago he wrote a letter of praise to "anybody who reads and runs." He like so many other creators holds the belief that art is entirely subjective. The artist will create a work out of a particular expression or reflection, but the audience will see what speaks to them.
          Teaching children how to read subtext is the same as to teach them what to think. If a writer wants you to think on something specific, it is overtly present. An example is Salinger's Catcher in The Rye. The work has been examined, dissected, and molested in English classes throughout the nation, but only two main points were highlighted for discussion. Firstly, the theme of the book, the confusion, self-realization, and insecurity that comes with growing up slowly overpowering the innocence of childhood. Second, but perhaps most important, the popular people, intelligentsia, and vox populi are more often than not phony. This includes teachers of universal thematic extraction. - Cheers, and if I ever want you to discuss a theme in a work, it's in bold.

Why Changing Your Profile Picture Is Important

          On Friday, the 13th, something horrible happened. Evil men decided to do something that no decent person could even conceive. I, like most people, learned about the events in Paris through social media. The following morning a good number of friends and members of my network had changed their profile pictures to the French Flag to show solidarity; however, just as many were posting about how changing your picture isn't helpful.
          These people have never experienced calamity. These people probably aren't donating to the Friends of Fondation De France. Most of them are just trying to prove how deep, and thoughtful they are by actively campaigning against spreading awareness of the victim's plight.
          The purpose of changing your profile picture is not in itself to raise funds. It's to let others know that something is happening. When a person checks their feed when they wake up in the morning and sees a multitude of French Flags, they ask questions. They might have the funds to donate that some college student, who had changed their profile picture, does not.
          The flags also serve, more importantly, to show solidarity. Donations to organizations are great, yes, but they support only a minority of victims and those affected. Many families lost sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers that day, but they still have a house, food, and, to a non-profit, will be seen as without need. What they do need is support. To know that they are not forgotten, that the world at large cares about their loss. That is what the picture means, that you care.

          If you do want to offer donations to organizations helping those directly affected by the attack, you can do so here: Friends Of Fondation De France, Inc. - Cheers, and be safe.

A Writer's Thoughts on The Mondays

Something that I've noticed in this year of 2015 is a sudden acceptance of Monday by several influential people. Say what you will about the Illuminati, but when people aren't content with the status quo they try their darnedist. Personally, as a writer, Mondays don't matter. They have always not mattered. I'm sorry Monday, I'm not trying to be rude.

Writing is an interesting profession, since you can do it everyday. I usually do a lot of writing on Sunday, because I'm bored, and go skateboarding on Monday. Not dreading any day of the week is pretty awesome. I can just flow from thing to the next, but then again I also loose track of the days, months, years, millennia etc. Spreading out work across several days is super helpful when it comes to stress, in general, so do that.

If some of you still hate the idea of Monday, here is a tip: don't. Also stop procrastinating, clean your house on the weekend, and yes the milk is spoiled, so get some more on Saturday. - Cheers

The Pain of Dyed Hair In Florida

          This one isn't going to be related to writing, but rather a journal of a personal struggle. I am one of those individuals who keeps my hair new and exciting colors. Right now, my hair is gradient of blue, so that's fun. This does come with a multitude of complications. For about the next week, until all the excess rinses out, the tub of my shower will look as if I had been committing ritual sacrifice of Smurfs.
          Another problem comes from my place of residence itself, Florida. Which is always hot, and is most accurately described as sweaty. I do not have my beloved Ford with me so I walk, or ride my skateboard to get around. This process leads to voluminous amounts of sweat. This little beads of despair like to carry dye that still sits on my scalp and transport them all over the freaking place. By the time i get to where I am going I have runoff in my ears, nose, eyes, and covering my face. I look like I was at the center of a blueberry themed frat house hazing, in that teal vomit is commonplace and it gets everywhere. Don't ask.

A Time For Writing

Not everyone has the luxury of being paid to write full time, or the ability to attend an art school with a writing program. That does not mean that are not writers. Everyone is a writer, even your grandmother's racially insensitive Facebook posts are written works. One might think that in order to write their passion project novel they would need a vast amount of open hours over several months. Well, yes, and that is a large commitment. I would instead suggest short, or flash fiction. Take an hour, or a day off and write a story under a thousand words. If you have an open weekend, write something around five-thousand words. Write stories and throw them at the internet. Self-publishing has never been easier, and you never know what might just catch on. Cheers.

Screenwriter Plus Is A Hellhole

Screenwriters now have the ability to work on set, and during post in order to make to maintain a synergy between the script and the director's vision. While it is nice being able to see after the creative path of your baby project, it also leads to hours of pain and suffering. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a energy drink and cigarette filled editing office, learning about the "wonders" of working with raw footage in premiere. I don't mind the previously mentioned items, in fact I welcome them, but good lord, it's three in the morning,  and we haven't even got this thing looking like the short it's supposed to be. I plan on sleeping for the entirety of Monday, and just letting every DOP ever just destroy my beautiful babies. For now, I will flood my blood stream with Monster. Cheers, or whatever.

Screenwriting Torture

Over the last week, a group of colleagues, and myself, wrote, shoot, and is currently editing a short. It was traumatic. The short is just one torture scene, in which, essentially, I batter a friend of mine with brand name products. Somehow, he ended up being more okay with everything than the rest of the film crew. It probably had to do with us blitzing takedown to make it to Joe's Crab Shack. The theme of the project is horror comedy, and I sincerely hope the finished project makes you both laugh and vomit (ideally at the same time). I know that we sure did during production. I'll keep you updated and when it gets published! - Cheers!

Regarding The Fact That I Hate Talking

          One thing thatI have noticed about myself, and I sincerely hope others will empathize with me on this one, is that I am the most awkward person I know when it comes to conversing. I can handle myself in groups of three or more, but that is only because I can bounce off of others, and interject whenever I have a joke, then remain quiet the rest of the time. One on one is where it gets weird. It probably has to do with anxiety, and my ADD, but I have no idea what to say most of the time. My go to phrase is, "that's dope, man", and that makes up about 70% of what I say on a daily basis. Other than that I mostly ramble on about unimportant subjects, and, afterwards, feel guilty about not shutting up. I find it much easier to put my thoughts to writing, but unfortunately this is not the 1800's, and I can not like myself away as a monk, and commune with the world only in letters.
          That being said, I do have a solid group of close friends that I can interact fairly normally with. I still prefer to listen though. Others peoples lives, and stories are fascinating. Taking time to listen to people connects us to them. In a sense it makes them more real. Their experience, emotions, and all the immaterial matter in them becomes tangible in their words. A lot of my creative work is inspired by others stories. I would encourage you to take time to listen to others, and just ask people about their day, and how they feel on a regular basis. Most people are fine with talking about themselves, and will actually appreciate a good listener. Connect yourself with others, and try to avoid saying "dope" on repeat, as I do.

Regarding Work Load And Schedules

          As a writer, it is common to maintain a steady job working in-house at a publication, while also freelancing. This can mean fighting to complete multiple projects within certain deadlines. There is a way to avoid this, however, and I call it constructive procrastination. Most people just call it a work order, but most people are dumb. In a certain cases, freelance work will not have a deadline that is set in stone. One should still try to complete the work as soon as possible, but one should also avoid burning oneself out. If one's attention is divided creativity will fade, the work will seem rushed, and there will more errors than Triple H has sledgehammers. Focus on the in-house work alone, get that done before its deadline, and take a break from writing. Giving one's creative side a rest will give one time to unconsciously work out plots, characters, and figure out where the story should go.
          I cannot tell you the amount of times I had put a project on the back-burner, and blasted out an analytical report, requisition form, or proposal, and then wrote half, or the last quarter of a project over night just because I was fresh creatively. I am currently doing just that. My upcoming novel accompaniment to Zardonic's AntiHero album is currently being postponed. During this time I am working on a serious of short stories, and scripts that will probably pop up on here. These will be around a 2000-4000 word count, so they should offer a quick read for your lunch break. I sincerely hope to hope to have at least the first act of the novel up for free on halloween. The rest will released in the novel's entirety as an ebook on Amazon, and other major ebook retailers. Cheers!

Regarding Your Creative Writing Habit

          In recent weeks, I have noticed quite a few people say that they are not writers. I find this to be a most grievous fallacy. What they probably meant to say is that they are not a professional writer, or are not classically trained in writing. It is true that their work might not be on a professional level, or as well written as one who is classically trained, but they can still write habitually. I would state that all humans tend to be habitual writers. Even if their works are music, debates with friends over text, or just witty microblogs on Twitter, they are still working the same mental muscles. There are many explanatory works that describe the health benefits of writing, one such article is here: http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/11/5/338
           The issue I find most common in these writers-in-denial is that they have yet to find a muse that gives them that creative spark. In quite a few of my more recent posts, I stated that a lot of my creativity comes from listening to music. Most writers require a similar sort of muse. Something that they can focus on and infer their own creative story, without knowing the exact story behind the subject. Some people find that they develop off shooting stories from film, or existing books, or by looking at nature, or historical monuments. My personal creativity comes from music, and people's faces. If I find someones face particularly attractive or interesting, I will awkwardly stare at it for a moment, trying to think up what their story is, or what story their face fits in. You can imagine how that goes if the subject is keenly aware of their surroundings. Some of my inspiration also comes from personal trauma, which I explored in my last bit of short fiction, published last week.
          By now, you have probably noticed that the title of these post was aimed at YOU, but the rest of this discussion used plural pronouns pointed at the ubiquitous 'them'. That is due to the more argumentative nature of the first two paragraphs. This one here, is my personal advice for anyone looking to become more creative with their writing. Take time to explore different possible muses. Listen to albums, in their entirety, marathon several films, go on a nature walk, or even just explore your own city playing that dumb Ingress game, and notice the history around you (Personally, I'm waiting on Pokemon Go). If anything impacts you in such a way that you cannot help but feel some sort of emotion, take time to write. Just a simple paragraph that explores your emotions at this time, or, perhaps, it's a treatise for a story, or a poem, or song. Just create. Do this as often as possible. This will train your mind to view things in a creative light, and let your imagination roam more freely than those people we call 'adults'. Of course, we know they are just repressed writers.

In Which I Complain About My Profession

          Writing schedules are a pain. While it is true that this an occupation that often times allows one to work from home, and keep the hours they choose, it also has some of the strictest deadlines. Some writers who have managed to land in-house jobs at publishers, studios, or magazines do maintain a nine-to-five work day, but they also have to spend most of their evenings either corresponding with other writers, working on their own projects, or, in most cases, both.
          Those who strictly write also have to take time to communicate with editors at these establishments since that provides them with updated deadlines, and suggestions to keep their work on track and in theme, but they also have to manage their own daily completion schedule on whatever it is they hope to have published. This is done by maintaining a word count, and it is the bane of my existence. A writer usually has an idea of how many words they want their work to be. Usually it's a rough estimate rounding up or down to the nearest ten thousand, or hundred thousand words. Then divide this by the number of days between now, and a week before you want to get it to your editor, (trust me you still won't have it done in time) and you have an idea of how many words you need to write each day. As a daily goal it's great, it serves as a simple, achievable goal to do whenever throughout the day. In most cases, however, your personally set deadline is a matter of weeks, and if you are doing anything bigger than a small novella, your word counts will give you carpal tunnel just by looking at them.
          God forbid you go grocery shopping, meet up with a family member, or do some dumb adult thing during the normal hours of the day. This will, most likely, cause you to stay up until two, one eye tracking the words you write, the other looking at your counter in the bottom of your screen. Sooner or later, we all go a little cross-eyed. For our editors who have to deal with similar problems, and maintain a nine-to-five schedule, my heart goes to out to you. Of course, most of us don't complain, without a little tongue-in-cheek. We have one of the best jobs in the world, we get to create worlds, and give people fun. This is something I, and many of my peers, are very passionate about.
          We usually lose track of time when writing, and I find myself, more often than not, going over my word count at three in the morning. This still does not mean the work gets done on time. Usually our visions are more grandiose than time permits. If you recall, or simply rotate your eyes to look at paragraph two, I said that it's good practice to set your personal deadline at least a week before your actual deadline. That week will be you frantically trying to tie up lose strings in the story, condensing and revising chapters, and giving your story a conclusion that doesn't feel as abrupt as it actually is. Of course the time for this varies. If it's a short fiction, or novella one to two weeks should suffice. If you have written a full novella, you may want to give yourself a month for damage control, as you probably forgot a character you introduced in chapter two by the time you wrote chapter five.
          This job is a lot of not sleeping. Whether you're writing comics, films, games, or books you will dedicate yourself to perfecting each work, while your publishers believe you can crap each one out in one night. It's an amazing ride though, so grab some coffee, find a place with a view, and start smashing your keyboard for weeks at a time.

A Literary Review And Interpretation of Zardonic's Antihero

In my previous post, I stated that Zardonic's Antihero album is the inspiration for an upcoming short fiction story I have slated to publish on Halloween. I also made a quick comment, about my theories regarding music and literature, but I would say that the Antihero album, as with many others, is a form of literature. This will not be me raving, or reviewing the music itself, but, rather, me starting a discussion about the merits of this album that could make it appeal to the literary crowd, in as few points as possible.

First, and foremost the album tells a story. Each track contributes to this arc that appears to be obscure. There may not be any characters or clear plot points described in the lyrics, but that is because obscurity is where the story is found. It is left open ended with each track conveying a tone and message that the listener's imagination uses to tie together their own story. This is what defines all great stories. 

The reader is given the freedom to interpret the meaning and emotion conveyed without having it shoved down their throat. Parables and myths serve their purpose to educate the young, by giving them a strict moral guideline, but once someone grows into adulthood it is the duty of creators to allow them to think for themselves, lest we make a society of slaves to one man's ideology. 

By creating an album that explores tone, and offers titles and lyrics that suggest themes and action, but do not give away the whole story, Zardonic has made a work that allows the listeners own minds to feel the anger, excitement, and will to fight in their own way and gives them a sense of ownership. This is done in a way that still allows the artist's original emotion to move with the listener, without taking full control of their response.

The other leading factor in Zardonic's Antihero that also lends itself to the literary art form, is the face that album's arc can be divided into acts, with each one carrying a different mood. The following is an interpretation of the story told. It is solely to convey the point, another listener may have gained something completely different, and I encourage you to share it.

The prolog sets the scene with a sense of unease, and the feeling that something big is coming. Then we jump right into the action of the first act with 'Against All Odds'. The story begins with a fight that cannot be won, but the determination and motivation to find a way through gets injected with 'For Justice'. As the story moves through the next track the drive slows, and gears begin to shift as we move into the second act. 

'Vigilante' takes the story to a more subtle place, as the conflict becomes personal and internalized. The hero puts the desire to win before any other consideration. Then the sense of dread is realized in 'Override' as the big thing finally arrives, and the story begins to look dire. The energy and will are still there, however, for the third act, which opens with 'Pure Power' as the listener's hero finds a way to fight back and push through, but now their mission has become selfish, and they walk a darker path. At this point, we find ourselves rooting for the antihero. 

The final battle begins with 'The Time Is Now', and the antihero is bent on the ultimate destruction of their villain. Emerging victorious the hero who has taken the destructive path to victory is now blamed for the fallout of the battle. Now they must fight for their own survival as they have become the villain, but that is what happens when you make a deal with the devil.

The album is out now, and I highly recommend you pick it up. The artist and the label have clearly put time and effort into making a quality experience, and deserve the compensation.

Regarding Upcoming Projects, and Space Ninja DJs.

          I have recently been working on a short fiction piece that explores struggles that I have had to deal with over the course of my life. This piece has been a form of catharsis for me, and it is my hope that this work will also help some of those who deal with the same daily war with these inner demons. The work is, of course, fiction, so the meanings are all wrapped in metaphor. I sincerely hope that the use of metaphor bridges a disconnect that I have found with people who do not have a first hand experience with these issues. The first draft should be completed sometime this week. After I do my first run of revision, I will be sending it to an editor, and hopefully releasing it for free either as an e-book, or perhaps just a pdf. No matter the course, I will be providing a link on this site.

          I was working on this piece when my favorite space ninja (With the mask, he's clearly a space ninja), Zardonic, released his Anti Hero album, and it is fantastic. Unavoidably, I started listening to it while I was writing. Then things got weird. My metaphorical piece set in 1930's New England was now a scene for an alien invasion. The connection between music and literature is something that's very prevalent in my work. Often, I will have one album on repeat when working on a certain piece, and translate the emotions and tone in that album into the writing. For the 1930's piece, I had been listening to a collection of piano music, and carrying the sadness and longing, that can be so easily conveyed in piano, into my work. I have a feeling that my Anti Hero piece is going to be full of explosions, one liners, and the very human struggle to fight against impending doom. I am hoping to release this work in a sci-fi journal, but it might find itself being a free ebook for all of his fans to download. 

          After separating my ideas, and getting my piece back on track I made a joking tweet, tagging Zardonic. One thing that I have always loved about Zardonic, is that he actively engages with his fans on social media. A discussion followed, then in a view brief moments he had followed me, and had his PR team email me the press release, which I will write about soon. He even sent me a message saying that if I want an interview with him to contact his PR team. I am not much of an interviewer, and have no connections within the music press. If I were to post an interview on this meagre blog, without a larger network, it would be a disservice to the artist. I am currently in the process of finding a music journal, or magazine that would be willing to publish said interview, should it occur. 

So As To Simulate The Shaking Of Hands

          Good evening to you, most intrepid clicker of internet links. This is the blogspot of a one Mr. Timotheus Thiessen Killoran. If it please you, you may call him Tim or T.K. A student of philosophy and wordsmith.  He is a writer who's works have been featured in articles that your eyes may once have grazed. Seeking new publishing partners, editors, and even to have words with the wandering poet he makes his way across this land of Northern America. These are his words:

          It has to my attention that in order to publish complimentary short fiction pieces, as it is in my intention to do so, I should make a form of online repository, within which said fiction shall reside, at the leisure of the proletariat. If pieces of a non fictitious or, perhaps, editorial nature should arise, which in all likelihood they will, they shall also found lodging in this cache of words and thoughts. If my use of vocabulary paints me as the prude, I'm sorry, but I just enjoy words, and this is a place that I want to use to share my love.
          I write a lot of short fiction, which I plan on posting on here for free. I also have a novel or two in the works. I have written for the occasional video game in the past, but I plan on doing many more in the future, and am actually going to school specificaly to write for video games. I have friends, and contacts in the entertainment business who also want to be involved in this work and have even offered interviews. Be on the look out for those, since I might be looking at exclusive content, or getting to learn about something really cool that's coming up. I hope that if you found this place you also enjoy the English language, and want to explore new ideas, and learn a bit about entertainment media.  Here's to the written word, and the imagination.

Sincerely,
Tim T.K.