Writing and writhing
I think it only fair to point out to people who are complaining about non-Christians wanting to de-Christianise the Christmas holiday that the Christians started it by de-Paganising what was originally a Pagan feast.
Other news... Connie is stuck in traffic. She left work about 6-ish. It is now 8:10, and the last I heard she'd gone about a mile. *eyeroll* Roll on Global Warming. Let's heat the planet up so we don't get this damn stuff any more. That's what I say!
And one more thing. The story I started writing a few weeks ago and posted the first chapter of already was so well received - NOT! - that I've abandoned it in favour of a slightly better idea.
This one is also pure sci-fi, so I doubt if any of my regular readers will bother reading it... unless of course I point out that there may be some erotic bits in it! But you'll have to read the whole thing to find them. Aren't I a stinker!
Interestingly enough, this idea came from pondering the mechanics of piracy. How does one become a pirate? Well, first and foremost, you need a ship, and not just any ship. It has to be fast, light and manoeuvrable. Oh, and it has to be armed... That sort of goes without saying. There's no point pulling alongside a ship you intend to take and throwing cabbages at them!
Second, you need a crew. Now, many pirate ships probably came with a crew, back in the days of the Spanish Main. A lot of them were probably Dutch, English, Spanish, French or Portuguese warships where the crew had mutinied. But suppose your ship didn't have a crew? Where would you find one? And how would you keep control of them?
Next, you need supplies. Most of these you could probably take by force, but some you would have to buy - ammunition, for example. Go around robbing arms dealers and pretty soon you'll have more than just the authorities on your tail.
Which leads neatly to the last requirement. You need a base. A safe port where you can relax, convert your booty into cash and spend it, carry out repairs, etc.
So, how would one go about getting all these things?
Next question, flip the thing over. If you were the authorities and you had a pirate running loose, especially if it was the first one in centuries, who would you want to send to deal with him? Who, in all of history, is the pirate's worst enemy?
That's all I'm giving away for now. Yes it's Space-Opera, in the classic sense, but it's also a pirate story, with enough sex and violence to keep the perverted and bloodthirsty among you entertained. I've written chapter one and some of chapter two, and I'm incorporating some ideas from the story that failed.
Poll to follow:
(Oh, P.S. - Connie update, she texted me a few minutes ago to say she was almost at the M4, so only another 20 miles to go. Hopefully the motorway is running smoothly if slowly)
Other news... Connie is stuck in traffic. She left work about 6-ish. It is now 8:10, and the last I heard she'd gone about a mile. *eyeroll* Roll on Global Warming. Let's heat the planet up so we don't get this damn stuff any more. That's what I say!
And one more thing. The story I started writing a few weeks ago and posted the first chapter of already was so well received - NOT! - that I've abandoned it in favour of a slightly better idea.
This one is also pure sci-fi, so I doubt if any of my regular readers will bother reading it... unless of course I point out that there may be some erotic bits in it! But you'll have to read the whole thing to find them. Aren't I a stinker!
Interestingly enough, this idea came from pondering the mechanics of piracy. How does one become a pirate? Well, first and foremost, you need a ship, and not just any ship. It has to be fast, light and manoeuvrable. Oh, and it has to be armed... That sort of goes without saying. There's no point pulling alongside a ship you intend to take and throwing cabbages at them!
Second, you need a crew. Now, many pirate ships probably came with a crew, back in the days of the Spanish Main. A lot of them were probably Dutch, English, Spanish, French or Portuguese warships where the crew had mutinied. But suppose your ship didn't have a crew? Where would you find one? And how would you keep control of them?
Next, you need supplies. Most of these you could probably take by force, but some you would have to buy - ammunition, for example. Go around robbing arms dealers and pretty soon you'll have more than just the authorities on your tail.
Which leads neatly to the last requirement. You need a base. A safe port where you can relax, convert your booty into cash and spend it, carry out repairs, etc.
So, how would one go about getting all these things?
Next question, flip the thing over. If you were the authorities and you had a pirate running loose, especially if it was the first one in centuries, who would you want to send to deal with him? Who, in all of history, is the pirate's worst enemy?
That's all I'm giving away for now. Yes it's Space-Opera, in the classic sense, but it's also a pirate story, with enough sex and violence to keep the perverted and bloodthirsty among you entertained. I've written chapter one and some of chapter two, and I'm incorporating some ideas from the story that failed.
Poll to follow:
(Oh, P.S. - Connie update, she texted me a few minutes ago to say she was almost at the M4, so only another 20 miles to go. Hopefully the motorway is running smoothly if slowly)