Jinked

Havik from my story MAGE. Drawn by my friend Casey.

Rahsaan just left. He had brought me some salmon he wasn’t going to eat. I’m always up for salmon. It’s one of those things in life I just  cannot refuse. It does need a little butter though, with some salt and garlic. That would be so nice.

This weekend I did a lot of careful editing, finishing up Twelve this morning and sending it off to the appropriate parties. I feel… well, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s hard to write sometimes, but when it flows, it flows very well. Words do that. They find this way of gushing past all barriers, all inhibitions. I’m writing about me, yes. But soon I will be writing about characters. Their lives and meaning, if they have any.

I have always loved that about writing, the way things tend to flow on their own. Some don’t put much stock into the whole “allowing characters to dictate the story” way of writing, but I do. My characters always knew how to steal the show, for better or worse. Havik is a good example. While writing REIGN, I learned much about his childhood. Things I didn’t expect tumbled out on paper. Poor thing, he wasn’t as evil as I initially made him out to be. I sort of regret making him the villain in MAGE, but not really. I won’t change the story.

Oh, past characters! They have a way of sneaking out of your memory. Vicarious always had a unique way of sharing his history during the REIGN time line. Some things I didn’t plan on writing or making part of the story, but they was so interesting I couldn’t refuse. He has to be one of my most favorite characters I have ever created, but that could be because I instilled within him my love for mineralogy.

The reason I took a mineralogy class in college was because of him. I wanted the knowledge to make him smarter, not so much myself. Hmmm, something is to be said about that, I think.

No zine writing today, which is fine. I think I’m going to spend the rest of the day curled up on the recliner reading. Such a good day. I’m happy to have spent it with so many words.