Still Writing...And One More Video

Well, still writing the short story but in the meantime here’s the latest video on using comma’s as addressed in a QuickStudy guide that you find in bookstores. It’s such a helpful tool and saves a lot of page turning. I have about 1 more video to shoot on comma’s to tie them all together, stay tuned for that.

It's always a challenge writing a one page story. Not easy, but that's why I do it, to challenge myself. I'll get the story done eventually. I might even make a video on writing it too.

Comma’s are something that have plagued me for quite some time.

YouTube Link: Latest Comma Video

The Comma Series: Part 5 Nonessential Appositive Example

New Griffin Video!

    Finally after about 4 years I've finally put together a new video for Griffin Tutoring on YouTube! Why so long you say? It's because I've been focusing on my other channels, especially 10-Second Cartooning where I teaching drawing and cartooning. This one is more about learning grammar, punctuation, reading and writing, so basically English Language Arts but done in a fun way (hopefully). This video continues the lessons on the comma which I started about 4 years ago.

    Also, if you go on the channel and notice some of my ukulele videos where I explain how to do a simple chord stroke. I'll keep doing those vids too.

    I'll try to do at least a few videos a month but my cartooning channel still has to come first.

    Here's the link if you like it subscribe, you know the deal:

https://youtu.be/nW1wdqhKcmI 

    Looking forward to making some more vids, these will be educational. When I do these vids it's good for me because I'm reminding myself the rules of grammar, punctuation, writing, comprehension and more! It's like a refresher. Hope you'll follow me on that journey.

New Short Story Coming

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, I’m currently writing a short, short story in the spirit of Halloween with the working title The Salesman. I’ll make an audio version of it eventually, it should be a fun story.

I used an interesting method for coming up with it. I don’t want to spoil the story but I liked how I came up with it and I used the ‘Hat Method’ that some indie filmmakers use. This simple but effective technique is great and keep one from overthinking a story plot and has a jumping point from which to start writing from.

Sometimes though you just gotta get in there and start writing too. It’s easy to get analysis paralysis. Also, I don’t want the story to be too long. Sometimes, even the shortest of stories can get out of hand.

Hopefully my next post will be a decent draft of it.

The Shadow by James Patterson - Book Review

    So I just finished reading The Shadow by James Patterson. This would be the first book I read by him. It has a great beginning, a real cliffhanger but slows down quite a bit after that as it introduces new characters and a futuristic world. Maddy, one of the main protagonists in the story, narrates her thoughts and becomes the first person narrator throughout the book. The book shares narration between omniscient and first person. This is a rare thing in fiction and I’ve done it myself in my, yet to be published 4th Hour where I have two of the main protagonists fighting for narration,  I blame The Breakfast Club for inspiring me to do that. Mostly, The Shadow falls onto the third person for most of the story.    

    I blame The Breakfast Club for inspiring me to do that. The book slows down quite a bit after the strong prologue and you really have to hang with it as it switches to a new time era with new characters. I think this is where the book could’ve used some cutting or action. Patterson builds on the setting details and Maddy's thoughts as she does mundane things, at least it's not written in an interesting way after a cliffhanger prologue that was set up.

    It picks up again when Maddy finds Lamont Cranston in a cryogenic facility. That part is pretty good. Finally we get the sense of where the story's going. He’s been in cryogenic sleep and they get him to wake up out of his slumber now that they have the technology. When he slowly starts to wake up it’s done really well.

    He patches things together about where and when he is and acclimates to his surroundings. Once he gets his bearings, they find that his girlfriend Margo Lane is also frozen and they go to release her. That was a big revelation in the book.

    Also they find that The Shadow’s old nemesis Khan is still alive and living in Lamont’s mansion, which I thought was a fun twist.

    Lamont explains the myths and truths of his powers. What’s real and what was exaggerated. They go into his invisibility powers a little bit and how they work. 

    What’s important here is that the author doesn’t take all of the fun out of the character by trying to make The Shadow too realistic but he does ground him in some ways. Lamont also has developed a new fireball power which I thought was surprising, weird but was a neat evolution.

The ending when it arrives is good but goes a bit too quick. It’s very visual like you’d see in movie. Good twist ending in the conclusion. The story could’ve ending a few different ways at least which is good because it’s unpredictable that way.

Overall it’s a good book and I’m glad I read it, I enjoyed reading the short, short, chapters one at a time so I never felt I had to re-read much to get me caught up again. Wish it was a little shorter near the beginning and middle but it’s great to read a new Shadow adventure that has a neat twist on the genre by merging a little bit of low sci-fi with it. If you're a fan of The Shadow you'll like it and if you don't know anything about The Shadow you'll like it too I would think. Patterson knows the voice and spirit of the character which is great. I recommend this as a fun piece of fiction that will hopefully inspire the reader to seek out old Shadow radio shows which are a lot of fun to listen to. I’ll give it an 8 out of 10.

 

Using Story Games and Dice for Writing Prompts and Ideas

      I’ve been playing Untold the story game and have come up with a few good stories with it. It’s pretty good for short and comic book stories. I highly recommend the game if you’re a writer that needs a good idea. Using Rory’s Story Cubes helps a lot with writing beginnings and scenes. Here’s some writing prompts you can use for your own story or just for practice. I rolled up some story leads from the original cube set.

Prompt 1: Sometimes I see my shadow and it follows me wherever I go. All over the world even. One day though my shadow left…

Prompt 2:  Harry went to work one day but on this particular one he found that it was infested with termites. His co-workers were a little freaked out about it. The secretary, Agnus, was bent forard looking down as a couple of her friends tried to keep her from falling down…

Prompt 3: Sal parachuted into the pyramid. He had planned this landing for years, so it in his head like some woud dream to. He was proud of himself for nailing the landing as his feet touched the ancient stone. Lunch could wait, his search for the black scarab had begun. He bunched up the parachute with his waving arms… 

Writing Ideas and going back to the things you like to read.

    So, how to come up with new stories and be inspired again?

    It’s never a sin to go back to the stories you loved growing up or the genres you liked growing up. Never a bad thing to go back to the well of what you like, but don’t shy away from a new book if it falls into your lap.

    Currently, I'm reading The Shadow by James Patterson. It’s kind of like a revival of The Shadow if he woke up in the future from a cryogenic freeze. It’s a pulp, fish out of water story.

    Also, nothing wrong with going back and reading some classic sword & sorcery favorites like Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard.

    A lot of what I read also affects what kind of comics I write. This next part is tough one, you must allow time to read new books. I try to go to the old classics in literature but sometimes those can be long and you have to be dedicated to get through them. It’s good to comic books too as long as its in a genre you like but you never know when something can completely surprise you in another genre.

    So I guess the point of this blog entry is to get back to reading what motivated me to write in the first place. I’ll make a list and get back the books that I loved to read back when I was a teen. Back to Conan.

The Delve

                THE DELVE

                by Chris Calderon

        The Captain steered the submarine deep into the furthest depths of the ocean with his pet monkey on his shoulder. They were searching for a goblet of legend. It was said to be guarded by a small aquatic gnome who protected an ancient gate to a subterranean cave that held it. All the signs of rock statues covered in coral pointed the way. Each one corresponded with the crude drawings on the map. The landmark of this mysterious goblet was guarded by a legendary giant fish-like beast. Through all his travels he’d seen things not explainable by man but never a fanged-fish as large one drawn on the parchment. If he had to guess it was 30 feet high.

The Captain’s dark vessel approached a cave guarded by a small-long-haired man. The front of the cave resembled a gate. He lowered the submarine in front of the small armed man who held a trident. The Captain thought of the only thing he could and showed the gnome the map he’d discovered through the glassed portal. The small long-haired man looked at The Captain through and then the map. He then stood straight and nodded allowing him passage. The Captain immediately steered the ship forward into the cave.

He hit the high powered beams as the submarine delved further into the darkness. Eyes peered in front of the ship followed by two rows of fanged teeth. The white grin terrified The Captain but he reacted on instinct and pressed the button on the dashboard to release the star pointed missiles underneath. The gigantic green and blue scaled monster twisted its body forward as it bit down on the top of the gold plated roof. The Captain held the ship steady by grabbing the wheel tight. On his shoulders, the monkey yelled in fear holding on tight to its master.

The giant fish creature bit down upon the metal once more scraping the shell. Inside some of the instrument panels flashed various colors. The Captain pounded his fist on the dash. He pushed the steering wheel forward and jerked it to the right simultaneously.

The ship was free and it turned fast searching for sights on the big scaly beast. He caught the oval black pupils reflecting the lights of the submarine’s headlights. Knowing it would be his only chance he fired the torpedoes into the blackness between its two eyes. Its body wiggled and shook. The shell bursted and a flack of light tore through some of the rock and dirty filled the cavern. The Captain knew this could be a problem so he activated the debri vacuums from the push of a gold button. The beast laid on its belly in the murky floor of the cave.

The monstrous scaly body swirled and spun into a fine mist, then dissipated into the floating dirt and sand. A green glow radiated in the cave coming from a small metal grail on the cave floor. The Captain drove his ship forward, a treasure hard won.