Well Styled and Profound

From H.L. Menken, his introduction to his translations of Nietzche's Der Antichrist (which can be translated either "The Antichrist" or "The Antichristian"; both are probably intended) the second-to-last book Nietzsche ever wrote.

Because the average philosophical writer, when he essays to expose his ideas, makes such inordinate drafts upon the parts of speech that the dictionary is almost emptied, these defective observers jump to the conclusion that his intrinsic notions are of corresponding weight. This is not unseldom quite untrue. What makes philosophy so garrulous is not the profundity of philosophers, but their lack of art.

The book itself is equally stunning in its eloquence. As expected from Nietzsche.

New

I've begun work on a new writing project. The others I've put on hold. This semester I am taking an independent study in "Advanced Creative Writing" (that's at least what it's called on my schedule). My professor has given me interesting assignments. First I was to write a parody of Bartleby the Scrivener.

Next he asked me to bring in excerpts from different projects. Long story short, the project he most liked was the one that I'd done the least work on. Specifically, aside from the 5 page section I wrote for my excerpt, I hadn't done anything else. Still, though it will mean more work for me, I'm glad he's leaning toward that novel.

I think it will give me a good chance to ferret out and then work on my strengths as a writer. From my short stories I've discovered that I do best with character-based stories, stories where the real appeal is the characters, not the setting or the plot. In plenty of my longer projects, the scope and complexity of the world forces my attention away from the simple and powerful elements of human nature.

The story I'm working on now is called Avalon, though that will likely change, possibly to Valentine. It's a science-fiction piece set near enough in the future that modern vocabulary still has relevance. (I can use words like T-shirt and Swedish.) My goal is to keep the plot relatively simple. Like Firefly, this novel takes place mostly on a spaceship and focuses on the handful of people that crew it. A lot of the tension and the conflict is personal, not external. I'm attempting to tell a sort of everyman sci-fi story. More updates to come.

I recently went a purchasing spree. I've now completed my Tiesto library (until he releases something new). I've become a bit obsessed with the song "The Force of Gravity" original by BT and remixed by Tiesto in volume 4 of his In Search of Sunrise series. I also bought a DVD of his recent show in Copenhagen, which was part of his Elements of Life World Tour. Watching that DVD has redoubled my conviction that my life will not be complete until I see this man live.

I also watched the debate tonight, but that post will have to wait. Need to digest it first. Initial thoughts: blech.

An Ultimatum For Myself

Some of you out there know the tangled history that is my writing career. I started in July 2001. By Spring 2004, I had completed my first novel, Legacies. It was 142,000 words long and it was a steaming pile of shit. In the years since, I have worked and reworked Legacies. I wrote Legacies Draft Two, completing two of the five intended books. Then I scrapped that project, started Draft Three, which was again restarted and renamed We The Dreamers. (Trust me, that's the brief explanation.)

Anywho, the drastic changes I've made have been for the best. Still, I've always felt bad about what happened to Legacies Draft Two. In particular, I remember my friend Jeff and how much he enjoyed the reading the whole thing during our calculus class. Though the writing of that book is pretty terrible, the story itself is a solid adventure/Bildungsroman.

So, I have decided to resurrect Legacies. The finished product will be a five book fantasy-adventure series, centered around the protagonist Alexander A'Zura.

Here's the ultimatum part: I want to finish book one of Legacies by September 15. By 1:30 PM to be exact. At that date and time I have the first meeting with my adviser for my independent study. If I have the first draft of the book completed, we can then spend the semester working through it.

This feat should not be as difficult as it might sound. The major work--creating the story--is already done for me. I've already re-read Legacies draft two and taken out all the key elements. So long as my determination does not falter, I can do this.

Of course, I must also create the perfect writing playlist. I'm thinking an eclectic mix. Tiesto and Underworld, Jimmy Eat World and Disturbed, some Dragonforce alongside some happy hardcore. I'll throw some eurobeat in there for fun.

18 days. Ready. Go.

On Epigraphs and Angel Wings

I am a fan of epigraphs. I have seen them used to great affect in novels I admire (American Psycho, for example.) And for my own novel--We, The Dreamers--I may have found a perfect choice.

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.
--- Lucretius.

Considering one of the central themes of the novel, and the larger work of which it is a part, is human solidarity (without need of anything to succeed but H. sapiens), and since there is an angel-wing motif in there (designed to evoke the idea of the angelic figure in Italian sonnets, not anything religious), the quote might fit very well.

The quote might also come off as too cheesy. The point of the inclusion would not be a sappy, romantic notion of "finding the one who completes you." The point is human solidarity, divorced of all other prerequisites.

Just for shits and giggles, I considered:

We may now summarize our characterization of authentic Being-towards-death as we have projected it existentially: anticipation reveals to Dasein its lostness in the they-self, and brings it face to face with the possibility of being itself, primarily unsupported by concernful solitude, but of being itself, rather, in an impassioned freedom towards death--a freedom which has been released from the Illusions of the "They", and which is factical, certain of itself, and anxious.
--- Heidegger

I don't think it would work very well, but for the record I think that sentence of Being and Time is absolutely incredible. I can honestly say it changed my life.