It's A Wrap II

Today I learn my Dad buys his fake daughter a car. I say "fake" because she is not kin to him. He dropped my Mom like a hot potato and ran off into the sunset with the fake daughter's Mom. We don't talk much, my Dad and I, which is sad. He doesn't say much when I call him. I think he wants to get me off the phone as soon as possible.

When I worked for a certain cell phone carrier, I got him a phone. He let's his GF use it all the time. When I call to speak to him, she has the phone. He was suppose to pay his bill, which he does, late every month or not at all. Well he doesn't call me and lets the deadline pass, and he hasn't said peep this month.

I should be offended, because he didn't lavish even half of the attention and gifts he gives to this young lady he calls his daughter. He makes sure she has every advantage in life, and brags on her success as well. So I think to myself, "what makes him do for another woman's child, when he's got three biological sons?" What makes a man turn on his own family? Is there something wrong with me/us?

Well, this is a wrap, because I didn't need to hear this. I worked for everything I got, and had to struggle to get to graduate school. Life is so difficult. I'm looking through a window and seeing my Dad have a great time with some other family. Why did he marry my Mom? Why did he have children with her?

I so want to be bitter about this , but I so can't let that coat my life. I am strong, talented, and undeniably independent. I don't need someone in my life trying his damnedest to erase us from his life. Why do I even care?

Prometheus (Repost)

NOTE: Looking back on my poetry makes me want to write and share more.

Prometheus

Art thou making a comment perchance?
Who is this fool?
Why doth he not know,
That through experience, passions, and exploration
With no self-imposed limits,
Is the key to thine own glory?

Where is thy pride in thy craft?
Where is thy heart and soul?
Ye used to say that ye ached and suffered
Stretched across a rock
Naked and shackled for eternity
While thy innards be ravaged by carrion

Doth thy not sing
With such intensity-
To move a hardened man to tears?
It was as if you, who dared
To steal fire from the gods,
And give it to man to warm himself
Now shackled and shamed
For all eternity.

© Stacy R. Haynes

Brilliant Lines to Write

Of course I leave the darn notepad at home. How the heck can I type it up on my break if it's home? Somedays I have those moments where I trip on myself and wish things were as easy as walking around the corner to retrieve my writing. Alas, I have to work with what I got, and give it my best. Break over.

Comic Book Math

Bear with me for a moment. I’m not a math friendly person, and this is not a word problem. More like my own theory.

Comics are typically 22 pages an issue, with some exceptions. I decided to work on a new comic that I am writing real loose (much like CSI: YABS). That is to say I am simply getting the thoughts & dialog typed. I’m currently not too concerned with heavy details yet. Because of this I have decided that this 3 to 4 issue comic I am writing will have 15 loose pages written for each chapter, and the last issue will have 10.

Here’s why: When I write in a loose format, I am not taking into account panels and pages proper. If I stop myself at 15 pages, it means when I start adding panels and doing a page count, it’s possible to expand scenes in the 7 pages I left over. If anything spills over, the last issue will have more than enough room to resolve the problems.

This theory does not even take into account the amount I will have to spend on the artist, letterer, and/or colorist. :-(

Does this make any sense to y’all?

More Flower Power II

I need a flower on my page after all that heavy, but so good text. I may never have a revelation like that again, so I would like to thank God for it.

The flower is from Mom's garden, and y'all know I loves some flowers. It was summer, and I remember my allergies were behaving. I liked that. Otherwise I would have stayed indoors.

Let It Flow

For those not in the know, I love to entertain people with my writing. Been that way since I learned to write. The ideas have been a real simple formula all this time. As per the last post, I’ve been writing spoofs/farces/parodies featuring my family and friends. People who read them have had positive responses to my writing. I must say “thank you” to all who have been reading CSI: YABS and responding. I had no idea I was that funny. Honest. I just like to write, and it makes me feel good.

Here is how I write my spoofs. I get a scene in my head, and I let the characters talk. That’s all. Essentially I can break a story into scenes. I don’t think too hard on it. I simply write what comes out. I edit for misspellings (in the future, I may have revisions for additional content or research). Now if I apply this to all my stories and scripts, I can write them better.

With other scripts I have thought them out so well, and plotted ideas to the last breath. I lost the spontaneous quality that readers and I respond to. I tend to hold my characters tight, and have to know everything. I suspect that is why my novel never went past a few chapters. I know too much already. Why write it? If I let my characters go and allow them the freedom they need to express themselves, well perhaps I can give more to the story. Their passion is my happiness, as my passion is to write them.

Sounds Zen? No? What is the sound of one hand using a pen on the paper? Why don’t you, dear reader go find out?

So all this complex writing techniques I’ve learned, I can put them to the side and try out the technique that yields results.

Special thanks goes to:
Martin, Aggie, The Rotten Apples Gang, J, Shisho, and everyone who keeps on encouraging me. I want to see you shine as well.

Two Things

Two things I learned about creative writing this year:

When I feel that I am uncreative, or not in the “mood” to write, that I should do something. It doesn’t have to be complex, but I need to write. Y’all know that’s when I do my short blog posts. This is one of them. I always say five sentences are worthwhile. I do know of late I haven’t been feeling like writing, and I told myself to go sit down and write something worth posting. It’s a must to write, and I challenge my writing friends to do the same.

My previous scripts should resemble the CSI: YABS spoof and my Haynes Family parodies. For a little background, I write spoofs of my family in famous movies, and send them to my brother. He thinks I’m insanely funny. I also write CSI: YABS, a spoof of CSI and my YABS pals. Mainly the Rotten Apples Gang are the core characters (ha, cool pun). They are far-fetched farces, and are sincerely fun to write, and share. Well Aggie made a simple observation: my scripts/stories should resemble the spoofs I created. It was a good suggestion. So the goal in my life is to make my stories flow like the spoofs.

As The Story Unfolds...

I decided to give up a little progress report, to let all of y'all know I'm still writing. Below is my task list. The priority is to complete my portfolio, which is coming into focus a little bit more. I love the work. Let's see what I can get done. I'm praying to God to get more done today, so I can. I hope I inspire others to write as well, because my friends are so talented. I love reading your works and hope to see more from you as well.

DRAMA PROGRAM: Typed out six pages from handwritten dialog. Still have more to go, but I know now I need to change change the scene. it's far from perfect, but I'm working on it for the rest of the week.

SHORT FILM: My spoof. I wrote a few new pages of revisions last week. I put this on hold to get the drama pages down. Next week I will be all about some rewrites on this.

SHORT FILM 2: This one needs more scenes. I feel that there is more to the story, and I'm not ready to pronounce it done, as I thought it was. Something poetic is in the back of my head. I will allow some handwritten additions. I don't mind.

FEATURE FILM: I haven't looked at this since I wrote the first scenes, but I had some ideas I will handwrite for this one. It's my "alternate" candidate for my portfolio.

COMIC SCRIPT: It's a short story that needed some editorial input. It's getting a makeover that so far, has me looking at the edits/notes I wrote very clearly.

Shedding Light

I'm in a rather blah mood, which means I likely need some rest. I took this picture a while ago, but I am determined to post it. It's from my Mom's house. yes, I've turned her home into my canvas, as a photographer. The image was put through the levels and color adjustments through Photoshop, as I like making the color adjustments proper. I was fortunate to get the original color back into the image, as originally had a strong red tint to it. Still I love still life and abstractions.

I liked this lamp when Mom bought it, and kept eying it for some reason. It wasn't until I snapped a picture of it that I knew why. There's a beauty and calmness to it. Sedate, yet vibrant. The mix of cool green, and warming yellow. The ying and yang aspects have me hooked.

So on this balh day, I dare to write something positive in my life. I will not be made to sit and suffer and feel miserable. Not when I can see and describe beauty in the everyday things in my life. Somewhere, so close and far away from me, is a better world, and better days that outweigh my blah day. Bank on that.

My Weekend-Rah, Rah, Rah!

The power went out this weekend. I was sitting on my bed, enjoying Clone Wars, when it all went off. No lights, TV, DVD, nothing. Luckily there was a charge on my ipod, which I played to pass the time. I could have played the laptop, but I didn't want to waste the batteries. There was a tornado waring as well. Something that had me worried. Powerless and a tornado warning... I was on the nervous side.

Having one of those transitional moments when I work up and realized I did minimal writing over the weekend. I don't think that's a good think y'all. I did mull over a lot of things in my head, and I wrote out a concept. I did do some minimal cleaning, and I did prepare season some chicken breasts that I will cook today. True to form, I did not look at them when I bought them good enough. They are fresh, and will taste great, but I did NOT realized they were thin cut until I took them out of the package.

I was quick enough to put a couple of notes down for my latest script. I made sure to eat breakfast. I spent minimal time for my break meal. Peanut butter sandwich is the way to go. I'm simply too early to eat a full meal. I should make some corn to go with the chicken, or greens. Greens sound good. Still have pizza I need to devour. No need to go deeper with the meal.

I did go to the movies, which was worth it.

More Flower Power

It's working. My allergies are behaving. Praise the Lord. Sometimes I feel like I'm being beaten on by pollen. It makes my day so awful, and otherwise I don't feel like being a kind person.
I feel like a man in a haze trying to find his way out and people are getting in the way of me finding peace. So here's another picture from my Mother's garden.

Mom has the unique flower pots, and i found them too fascinating to let walk by. Speaking of witch, I need to upload some pictures from my last Charleston visit. How I miss my family & friends. i also miss the familiar places I used to hang out at. I wonder how some people are doing. I need to email them and talk.

10,000 B. C.

I decided to go see the movie. Something of a treat for myself. Check out the website for the movie if you're curious.

The movie was ok. Not Earth shattering, but nowhere the horror people were trying to tell me it was. It's really a "coming of age" story, where the young warrior learns courage and leadership. His people are taken to be slaves, or course, the woman he loves is one of the captured people.

I loved the giant chickens (terror birds). Real aggressive for their meals. Sadly not enough of them in the film, not enough saber tooth tiger (that sucker was HUGE) as well. It was like they were union, put in their parts, and dipped off.

There is a slave revolt in the movie. it was worth seeing. None of that we must suffer all through the movie and nothing happens. They kept whipping that African, and he was waiting for the signal. When they gave it, that slave whipping dude was toast. Kinda wished they spent a few more minutes on dude getting his ass kicked.

Worse part, the near ending. Girl dies, and is magically brought back to life. Very, very weak in my opinion. Wounded I could accept. Still more terror birds were needed for me! I had fun.

Last Day of Finals

It's been a heady week with us working and toiling to get things done. To those who worked hard to get things done with a round the clock sense of urgency, I applaud you. It ain't easy, and so many of us tried so hard to get things done proper. I need to go to sleep and relax the rest of the day, which I suspect I won't because I have stuff to do. Life can be hard, and exhausting, but it's my life, and its rough sometimes, but I make do.

Now, onto my other projects, which is working on my portfolio. I want to knock a chunk out while I have a week of free time to develop materials. Writing was never easy, and growth and development doesn't come easy, but it needs to be worked out. I suspect I wouldn't like writing if it were easy.

Ode To Old Friends (It's A Wrap)

Do y'all know its good to catch up with an old friend you haven't seen in a long while, and have a cup of tea with them as you remind yourself of your long-standing friendship? The answer is, "yes I am being very, very sardonic."

This is my ode to old friends who don't want to talk anymore. The ones that can't wait to get off the phone with me because quite frankly they don't want to talk to me. They don't return calls or emails, and quite frankly, you suckers make me sick! Even further if I call them they find ways to hang up. Non creative ones too. Yes I saw through them, and I am putting this experience on paper.

Was talking with my my good friend J about sometimey friends. We all have people who are in our phone books that don't call us, and if we call them, they're too busy. After say a year or two, I have to wonder, why would I call said person anymore? I didn't know them like I thought I did. My emails and calls have gone unreturned, so I will not have a lot of numbers in my address book, taking up space like these people mean something to me. Fake friends, you gots to go.

Let There Be Flowers

Took this picture a while ago in Charleston. I love this picture and Spring is upon us now. I thought I could welcome Spring in my own way. This is also a peace offering to the flowers. Please don't beat me up. Y'all know my allergies are merciless. Please leave me be. My poor eyes.

*runs to take Zyrtec*

xxxHolic

This is a CLAMP double feature. For those not in the know, CLAMP is an all female creative team that makes manga (Japanese comics). Many of CLAMPS manga has been adapted into animation (referred to as “anime”), which brings us to this title. I have posted several of the manga./anime titles I have read or seen by CLAMP. They work on titles specifically aimed at girls or boys. They have quite a following in Japan and the US.

xxxHolic (pronounced “holic”) is a supernatural series. I’m just getting into it,. Can’t say much about it other than I like what I see, and I need a few more views. Like I said at an earlier post, I like the figures expressionistic figures. They look jarring at some points, and awkward, yet interesting. Looks like CLAMP was going for a different art aesthetic this go around.
As promised the list of what I have seen/read by CLAMP

• Card Captor Sakura (TV show and movie)
  
• Magic Knight Rayearth (TV show, seasons 1 and two)
  
• Rayearth (OVA)
  
• X/1999 (movie and TV Show)
  
• Clover (manga only)
  
• Chobits (TV series)
  
• RG Veda (anime)
  
• Tokyo Babylon (OVA)

Justice League New Frontier

I love this DVD. I am so curious about the comic it is based on. My girl Aggie says its real good, so I have to peep it someday. Right now it’s out of reach. I was going to go in-depth with a review, but I need to see the full DVD a few more times, and absorb some of the details better. I can and will tell you some of the things I liked reading.

The Flash is impressive to me. I love his battle with Captain Cold (who reminds me of a pimp in that getup, not the parka outfit.). He seems to be the more down to Earth hero. He’s very vulnerable to me, and I know that seems simplistic, but he’s a guy with powers, in love, and feels he doesn’t measure up to the other heroes (which he does). I like a modes hero with some insecurity. They all can’t be Batman.

Speaking of whom, is still the hardest bastard on the planet. I like how he doesn’t soften too much, and realizes that he came off too strong in one particular situation, and kept his edge. Damn he’s serious.

Wonder Woman. She’s taller than superman, and I wished we had more scenes with her, but I liked what I saw. I question Lucy Lawless as the voice of WW because I kept hearing Xena in my head, which makes it a personal prejudice more than a logical objection.

Enough babbling. Please go see it for yourself please.

Writing Theory 1

What do we write? How do we write? What does our writing say about us, and what do we want to say with our writing? Sounds inane? Well, it’s good to know what we as artists and consumers like about our entertainment. We know when the creative team on film or television is full of garbage. We know when our favorite novelist if full of him or herself. We know who got lazy and how to articulate or disdain and praise. How is it that some of us don’t know what we want to write, why style or genre?

If we are letting the writing simply take us where it wants to go, then why we are not subject to chance? That is to say we are letting things happen and playing passive role in the story. The characters are dictating to us completely. This is chance. That is a chance writer. Inspiration must catch us and be our muse.

How do we enhance the chance? Can we dare to be more random? Does the gamble pay off? Does chance writing say anything about the author?

What I'm Watching

I love xxxHolic. The figures are very elongated, and Expressionistic. Something I am well absorbed into these days. I am also loving New Frontier. Stylish, and cool. Why does Batman always seem so cool? He is a god in Gotham when I look at him from a mythological point of view. My only gripe is the show is too short. I will do a full review later this week.

Chef Heystacy

Realized that I made the spaghetti on the spicy side. It’s not overpowering, but it has a bite to it. I am going to have to put the cayenne pepper down sometime. I’m thinking about using rigatoni pasta next time. Just for something different, and meatballs. Yes, its much more involved, but I need to work at the cooking sometimes.

Feeling much better than yesterday’s Claritin fog. I swear the side effects are so draining on me, and I hate it. Gotta lot of work to do. A lot of filing and organizing. I am positive I can get it done.

3/02/08

I took some Claritin, and hoped the 12-hour non-drowsy version would have better results. Guess what? I feel liker my mind is a distorted mess. I can’t concentrate like I need to. I am very sleepy, and I feel like I could fall on the floor and sleep there. This disturbs me. Once again I will leave the allergy meds alone, and suffer to keep up with my studies.

I am so tired.

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Now playing: Ghost in the Shell OST - RISE
via FoxyTunes

Adventures From 2007

I snapped this pic while with Mom in Chas. I have plenty more so expect to see them. pretty lights. LOL

We went to see this light show. My cam phone doesn't do the light's justice, and the colors were much more intense in person. I do think that M0m and I had quality time here. It is such a great memory for both of us. I think next time I visit her, we're going to the IMAX theater in Chas.


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Now playing: Toni Braxton - Rock Me Roll Me
via FoxyTunes

Experiment

Some simple vid clip taken by my phone.