Semi-Complete Unknown
The ramblings of horror writer, John Paul Allen.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Creating Better Characters and Stuff
Hey
Folks, just a quick check-in between shifts this week (working 10am to 6pm
today and Friday, then chilling for five-hour days on Saturday and Sunday). No
desire to talk about work – let’s ramble on writing.
Today,
I want to delve a little into the world of character development, specifically how I'm
upping my game with my current novel, "Gone." In the past, I confess,
my characters weren't exactly...well-rounded. Take the three teenage girls in
the first chapter: identical twins, Bianca and Kim, and their friend Evie.
They're driving around town, celebrating Evie's birthday – what could go wrong?
(Big hint: a planned accident, which you'll discover later).
Here's
the thing: in my earlier works, these girls would have swapped dialogue like
shuffled cards. Bianca speaks, then Kim, then Evie, with no thought to their
personalities. Now, I'm creating detailed character profiles and arcs. Each
girl will have distinct motivations, even if some of them remain hidden until
their later "returns" (remember, this is a horror story!).
This
shift from plot-driven to character-driven writing is all about reader
connection. By letting my characters breathe and react authentically, I'm
hoping to create a more engaging story.
Speaking
of the story – you guessed it, there's more to the suicide pact than meets the
eye. The real twist? Evie’s father gets a shot at reliving the day
"everything changed." Yep, it's a classic "second chance"
trope, but I believe I can spin it in a fresh way. Plus, the "gift"
won't be limited to Eli (that’s Dad) – the girls and even the wife might get
their own do-overs. Here's the kicker: these "returns" might not
always be human. Imagine coming back as an eagle, a cat, or even a rattlesnake!
(Maybe even a male character returning as female – the possibilities are wild!)
I got to be honest – I don’t know yet where this is going.
Don’t
I outline...not really my thing. I start with a loose framework, but the story
often takes unexpected turns. Half the time, I don't even know the ending until
I'm typing! That's where the fun twists come in (I can't resist them!).
Short
thought: Everyone has a story. Don't be afraid to grab a pen and paper, or
pound away at the keyboard. Even if it's a "shit draft" (I credit
Hemmingway for that one – not sure) get your ideas out there. You can always
revise later.
Happy
writing, everyone!
Friday, March 29, 2024
How I Feel About Taking a Decade Off
For
some, the year 2014 might conjure up memories of viral challenges or the rise
of ride-sharing apps. For me, it marks the year I went silent; a bad case of
writer's block slammed the brakes on my writing career.
Ideas,
though? I had them. A dozen stories buzzed in my head, notebooks, index
cards, digital note pads filled with thoughts that refused to turn into
narratives. The frustration was immense. I would struggle, just to produce a
paragraph, but produced nothing. So, I gave up. I quit. I never used those
words (even to myself), but I wasn’t publishing. It was terrible.
For
a decade, I accomplished nothing, as. time passed the nagging sense of "what
if" lingered. Then we hit 2024 and it was like a spark has been lit. I
have to stop with the mental punishment I put myself through, wondering what
the hell happened. Perhaps, I needed the break (for whatever the reason). The
important thing is that I have the stories and I’m a killer on the keyboard (my
wife tells me I, “type mad”). I’m writing again.
I’m
viewing my 70th year this July, but longevity is a gift that runs in
my family. There's time, I tell myself, time to spin those thoughts in my head
into readable tales (I like that). The key, I believe, lies in organization. As I mentioned,
my fingers still fly across the keyboard, and I'm setting a (slightly
ambitious?) goal of 5,000 words a week.
This
blog serves as a promise not just to me, but to you, the reader. Here, I'll
share my ups and downs, the triumphs and tribulations, the characters, and the
worlds I will build. This will be a front-row seat to the resurrection of a
writer.
Got to stop. I apologize for the ramble. I get into these moods. I need coffee. Come
back soon.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Where Ideas Come From
OK, where do story ideas
come from? Anywhere, everywhere – totally out of nowhere. Since I began writing
I’ve constantly said, “Anyone can write a story.” Possibly, but not anyone can
write a good story. To do that, one needs to come up with an idea. Can you
learn how to do this? You can probably learn anything, but not everyone will be
good at it. I believe I am. This is not bragging, because I have so many weak
areas. Creating a story isn’t one of them.
A story idea can come to you
at the least expected time, and sometimes it takes years to go from idea to writing
the story. Here I’ll briefly share where some of mine came from:
Gifted Trust – began watching
a made-for-tv movie about the murder of Adam Walsh (son of America’s Most
Wanted host John Walsh). That led to a poem for a college class and 20 years
later it was turned into a short story for another class and 18 months later it
became a 100K novel.
Hello Neighbor came to me
watching a news reporter interviewing conservationists. I turned them into a
radical tree hugger who threatened to kill my main character after killing his
cat.
I rented a room to a guy who
used to live in his girlfriend’s bedroom in her parent’s house. When he told me
that I thought, what if the girl was seriously injured in a car accident and
living on life support in her bedroom. That might give the boyfriend a reason to
stay.
I wrote Prader-Willi after
doing volunteer work with someone who suffered from it. This is a terrible
syndrome where those who have it will eat anything. This became a frightening
story.
Little Miss was inspired by
a friend of my 2nd wife, who forced her daughter to take part in beauty
pageants. The mother would do anything to help her little girl win.
On a vacation to New Mexico,
I visited a Native American reservation and from that visit wrote Runs Like
Rabbit. I created a character who keeps calling home and imagines his family being
murdered.
Monkey Love began as a 3-beer
joke. I would drink and when asked what I was working on I’d say, “A story
about a woman who believes her husband is a reincarnated gorilla.
I wrote Marquee when I was
asked by a publisher to write something totally different from Monkey Love. Of
all my stories, these two have more of me than any of the others.
The point –
ideas come from everywhere. One needs to look at an idea and think “what if…”
and add to what they have.
Later
Saturday, March 9, 2024
The Bucket List I Never Planned on Writing
I just completed
a Lifespan Calculator assessment, and the findings suggest that I shall live to
the age of 90. Considering my mother and grandmother made it to 92 and 99
respectively, it makes sense. I don’t use tobacco, rarely drink alcohol and
there are no Biden signs in my yard. If my wife doesn’t rent a woodchipper I am
probably safe.
. Travel –
if it has a beach and the sun, I’d be happy, but I would love to visit DC with
my wife or any place she might suggest. We haven’t traveled since the Pandemic,
and I miss it.
. Quick
working away from home – not today, or soon. I feel healthy enough to work, but
I’m not always going to be young and the drive to and from Nashville is 45
minutes each way.
. Take a
trip to my hometown (Coldwater, Michigan) and have coffee with old friends.
Social media is great for bonding, but I’d like to make an extra effort.
. Take
myself seriously as a writer. If I accomplish this, others might follow, but
what I think about myself is most important. I am working on this.
. See my
brothers again without involving a funeral. Sorry for how I put that, but we’re
all “getting up there” and although we got together last year, I miss them.
. To win a
Bram Stoker Award – testing to see who reads this. I don’t want to swamp you
with items connected to writing, but with 20 years left this is important to
me. I write daily (or plot out pieces of stories) and plan to have 3 novels
completed in the next two years. Hopefully some shorts as well (that means
available for readers).
. Be a
better husband – in case she reads this I will make it short. I’ve got a
wonderful wife and want to make her happy. I can be quite irritating at times.
Stopping at
eight items, otherwise it would be forced, and I can always add more (I have 20
years). I’ve always thought bucket lists were stupid, but I think we all have
them. We just don’t write them down.
Have a great
day.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Creating an Antagonist
Writing my first story (working title: Gone) in a decade, and I’m
attempting to put more consideration into character building. In the past, less
thought was put into them. I went with my gut, which doesn’t tell you much
beyond if it felt good, I used it. I have
learned that if you want to create multiple levels, it pays to consider the
nature of your character.
I’m considering the above in reference to developing an
antagonist for Gone. Let me give you an idea as to what I had in mind in the
beginning. Who is my antagonist? The villain? Not necessarily. It’s the character
or thing that stirs the story up. When I wrote Gifted Trust, it was Virago (a
badass evil entity who made the lives of most of the other characters hell. In Jaws
it could be the shark or even the mayor, who wanted to keep the beach open. The
antagonist can be a bad storm or the feeling of loneliness. It is something
that if you took it out of the story, there wouldn’t be one.
The original idea of Gone was simplistic. I had my protagonist,
a husband and new father, who is forced into remaining in a relationship for
his daughter’s sake. As a teen, the girl dies in an accident and the man offered
(by the antagonist) the chance to return to the moment that changed his life so
he can make corrections.
I ask again, who is my
antagonist? Originally, I saw this as a “deal with the devil” sort of plot –
trading for a soul. I wasn’t sure if that was the direction I wanted to go with
the story. Still not sure of everything, but I’m not leaning on an evil
antagonist, although I am looking at a character like Mephistopheles from Faust
and did a pre-Christian search on Pan for personality.
I'm going with Mephista Abendroth ("evening red" in
German. It has an air of mystery. Possibly nicknamed Meph or Misti and though
she's going to shake things up I don't see her as a source of evil. Although
she has a finger in on what is going on.
That’s a start. I’m putting together notes now on her.
Have a good day.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Story Ideas
The following are possible story ideas:
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Welcome Back or Something Like That
A few of you might realize that I opened an extra Facebook page, also titled Semi-Complete Unknown, about a week ago. The intent was to keep posts on my writing to a minimum on my personal page and allow curious individuals (or those who gave a rat's ass) a chance to be a part of my attempt to return to the Horror/Dark Fiction market. For those who don't know, I took a decade off due to some sort of artistic block.
Well, I went over to my newly created Semi-Complete Unknown page on facebook and discovered dozens of posts I didn't approve. Feeling lack of control I decided to move to his space and go the blog route. Let's see how this works.
Soon.
John