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.