The Status of The Book (February 13th, 2006 AD)
"So, how's that book comming along?"
I hear it every so often, or a variation of the same.
Recently, my mentor and former next-door-neighbor, John, sent me an email, basically a reply to an email I sent him like...3 years previous. In the email, I asked him whether I could use a small series of poems he wrote in my book. I mentioned that he was in the book, as Ranger, and laid some of the shit down for him, if ever so basically. I even sent him the chapter-piece where one of his poems would first show up.
He asked me if I was still working on it, and what the status was, though his wording was prolly much more interesting...
That prompted me to get off my lazy arse and get back to work on a project I started in October of 1997.
This isn't my story, this is the story of my story, and how cool is that?
----
The Book
----
First and foremost, the book has its roots all over my past. I wrote a chapter of it, for the most part, on a computer belonging to a girl I dated my senior year of high school. That's May of 1996, if you wanna keep score. Ten god-damned years ago. The translation program didn't get the formating, but it did let me grab the words, though I had to retype them into a working file. That is where the story of Chilton first came to light. Chilton is a town on Earth that, I hope to god, I invented. The name, dear readers, is stollen directly off the side of a series of car manual books that were really hard to ignore in the library, because they were large and bright-colored. The struggle between Dominion and Saulzek begins in a cafe, during a cup of coffee, but the world that Justin and his friends are now living in began in Chilton, in a small public library.
I was in the military from November 1996 until October 31st, 1997. During that time I met several people who I thought would make good DND characters. I didn't get to play much actual DND because, well, I was busy fucking and drinking alcohol and trying to get by my first year with as little effort as possible.
Amongst the many people I met was a woman named Jerri. The memories of my time with Jerri, I will always cherish. I told her that I was thinking about a DND character based on her. She mentioned that she'd like Thor to be involved somehow, as she was quite fond of him. I said I could promise to get lightning, at least, mixed in there somewhere, but I thought too highly of her to have her worship a brute of a Norseman. Jerri had a laptop, and on it I wrote a very interesting poem, and began concocting the idea of a world based on DND rules, where I, Jerri, and a few other people would have to survive, and make our way back to Earth. It was pretty violent, with lots of battles and such, though very short.
I don't have any of that material, save for the poem. I'll spare you that poem for now, though I think I MIGHT still put it in the book. It's about a dance. My poems tend to be about dancing, merry-go-rounds, thrones, or death. Usually, death by burning or death by hanging...
Hey, a guy's got his fun side...
Well, the idea of the rift-stone was created then and there, some time in mid-1997. By October, I knew for sure I was comming "home" to Pennsylvania, and I began working on a role-play game for my buddy Tom.
From November of 1997 until February 1998, my life was almost exactly like the song "No Rain" by Blind Melon. Tom and I played a game, which I think was very damn good. The basic premise are no new story for anyone who's played DND with me before I moved to Elizabethtown. I used to use this method alot. I WANTED to do it in E-Town, but, though I had a crew, I didn't have a reliable group where I'd know who I'd have on what days and soforth. When I did it with Tom, I played all the PCs but his, and that wasn't very easy.
The premise is what I used to call the "Ring Bearers" premise, or, for dorks, the "Captain Planet" premise. There are a series of characters, 5 through 7, and each has a ring denoting that they're members of a group. Each ring has a power, given to the character at all times, and a second power, which is activated on command, and can only be done on a limited basis. All of the rings can be activated at the same time for some uber-effect, though I assure you, none of mine ever called forth that dickwipe, Captain Planet...
The Ring Bearers were in charge of promoting peace on the Northern Continent. This is the same Northern Continent, dear readers, that the MageKnights were hanging out on, but hundreds of years earlier. The other 3 largest continents had groups as well. Staves, Talismans, and Bracers (I think). Each of the four groups was a different alignment, at its core. The Ring Bearers were Lawful Good, or at as Lawful Good as a group containing an Illusionist Thief (Backo) and a Fighter Thief Mage (Kelly "Crow") could be.
Tom and I got a HUGE blast out of the game, and we'd bring Lynn or Aaron in from time to time. The characters in my book have ALL had a shot at the "Scorn" DND game, save for the Southern Continent group. Viewrs of "Lost" would call them the "Tailies" of my book. I've been saving them...
So, I wrote down character bios and special moves and scenarios and stuff like that for about 15 or 16 PCs, and some of that shit's still around, surviving a transition from a notebook (a real one, made of paper) to a Mac II computer to a Compaq Presario to this Dell. It's hard to convince the Corel files to open. And, then, I can't do a cut/paste because all my programs hate each others's fonts...
It's never easy...
In 1998, I was once again living in my mother's basement. I'd wake up around 1 pm, watch Hogan's Heroes, then write until Tom got off of school. This was on the MAC II. When Tom got off of school, he'd come to my house, shove me aside, and read what I'd written. He'd comment, giving me praise when he thought I deserved it, and smacking me if I did something boneheadedly.
Like using a horrible word like "boneheadedly."
For a time, it was very easy to write. Tom was a great sorce of input, and I had my favorite people in the world along side me. Forget the fact that they only existed inside my head, they were there goddamn it. Feykin, Titania, Navar, and Huntz were my constant companions, helping me to get through some really shitty days.
Over the course of 1998 and 1999, I wrote about 300 pages in a row of story, and about 300 pages of things that were "out of context." I've posted several of the out of context bits in various journals over the last 3 years.
I really love those little snippits, and they often end in the middle of a sentence. Always good to keep my readers wanting more...
During my time with Beth, I did almost no writting. I stopped writting poetry, and began writting journal entries and the like. My book as laid stagnant for all of the 21st century, save for a few of those snippits. When I feel one, sometimes it's impossible to fight it, and I just have to get to a piece of paper or a computer, and get it down.
Now, with about 600 pages of content, people ask me why I haven't published one yet. I really do need to go through the book, page by page, word by word, and re-do a lot of it. First, the main character has been COMPLETELY changed. The character of Havok, as he was, has only passing similarities to Avatar, the current main character of our little epic tale. I'm doing other changes as well.
Though it's been quite well established that I can't be successfully sued by using a person's real name in my book, especially for a piece of fiction, I felt the desire to change last names in all cases, and even first names, perhaps, in one or two.
I got permission, long ago, to use some of the characters, from their namesakes. I even got blessings from some who thought it was a great idea. Emily mentioned something about killing me if I ever pulled this off.
If she was a lesser character, I might have decided just to forgo using her, but she's one of the four most important. You'll meet her next, and there's a lot there I want to re-work.
Each of these characters are like a really expensive piece of Waterford Crystal. I'm scared to death to take them out of their little case, and let you touch them. The very few people who are going to read my "more polished" version of my tale have been CAREFULLY chosen.
I get people asking me all the time why THEY can't read my story, or why THEY can't be in the damn thing. Don't do this, people. If you're not in my book, it's because you're not in my book. Part two still has some parts up for grabs, and I'm happy to say that some of my E-Town crew might find themselves in the book, either as a cameo, or as an actual role. If I decide to use you, feel free to give me all the input you want. But, if I don't already have enough to create a character for you, then I prolly don't know you well enough to put you in the book.
Aaron, the poor bastard, only awaits a good Pro-Form name.
So, the status of the book, in a huge-ass, drawn-out nutshell:
1). about 300 pages in a row were written, and are going to get a total re-write.
2). about 300 pages of backstory, frontstory, factoids, and other info, called "snippits" were written, and most of that is still available to me on the Dell, in some form or another. Alot of that won't need re-written, but figure at least half of it stands a good chance of being thrown out alltogether...
3). I plan to get this monster up to about a thousand pages. There's a good chance that when I'm done, I'll write and publish one or two shorter "normal" fantasy novels first. That way I've got some credit to my name when I try and sell the beast...
4). I'm so damn protective of the book, it might never see a real publication. when it's done, I was thinking of getting everyone who wants a copy to chip in, and getting a couple dozen of them produced by one of the companies who do that..
also, I don't know if I mentioned this to my new readers, but there is an ending of the book written for each of the 13 main characters. i.e., the true ending, the "Avatar" ending, is only one of several you might get when you buy a copy of this book in stores. I pretty much love this idea, and don't think it's been done before. Each version will have a different cover, i.e. the "Huntz" version will have him on the cover in some way, and there will be extra info about him in the back of the book. The ending will be the "Huntz" ending. Collect them all, lol...
Instead of making people buy all the books, if the thing was successful, I wanted to release a small volume, a companion piece, and include the bios, background, and endings for each of them, and some great art by whatever artist I'm lucky enough to find at that date in the future. In a perfect world, it'd be Wane.
So, that's the that on the book.
I don't know if my faithful readers were faithful enough to get all the way down here, or even if this was at all interesting to ANYONE besides Your Humble Narrator, but it felt good to write something, anything, other than what I've got to write next. I'm not ready for the Emily stuff yet. My next entry, which will once again be "Friends only" is going to be some snippits. They're for your ammusement, and to whet your whistle. I hope I can get at least one of my readers "dying for more."
So, until we meet again,
Walk in Light.
And, as always, I remain
Justin Michael Henninger Grexon Klinger the First,
at least until someone else wants the job...
---
Important Clues to the Book's story can be Found in Specific Song Lyrics;
Here are a Few of Them to Ponder
---
Blondie - Dreaming
When I met you in the restaurant
You could tell I was no debutante
You asked me what's my pleasure
A movie or a measure?
I'll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreaming
Dreaming is free
I don't want to live on charity
Pleasure's real or is it fantasy?
Reel to reel is living rarity
People stop and stare at me We just walk on by - we just keep on dreaming
Feet feet, walking a two mile
Meet meet, meet me at the turnstile
I never met him, I'll never forget him
Dream dream, even for a little while
Dream dream, filling up an idle hour
Fade away, radiate
I sit by and watch the river flow
I sit by and watch the traffic go
Imagine something of your very own
Something you can have and hold
I'd build a road in gold just to have some dreaming
Dreaming is free
Dreaming
Dreaming is free
Dreaming
Dreaming is free
---
Bob Dylan - Subterranian Homesick Blues
Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doin’ it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin’ for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin’ that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone’s tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early may
Orders from the d. a.
Look out kid
Don’t matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don’t try no doz
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don’t need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin’ to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You’re gonna get hit
But losers, cheaters
Six-time users
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin’ for a new fool
Don’t follow leaders
Watch the parkin’ meters
Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don’t steal, don’t lift
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don’t wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don’t wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don’t work
’cause the vandals took the handles
---
Jim Morrison - the end
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger’s hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There’s danger on the edge of town
Ride the king’s highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he’s old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we’ll do the rest
The blue bus is callin’ us
The blue bus is callin’ us
Driver, where you taken’ us
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door...and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother...i want to...fuck you
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
C’mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin’ a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin’ a blue rock
C’mon, yeah
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you’ll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end
---