%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| Novel #6 After Invisible Friend, the next 6 long works were all novellas. Of these, only one bears discussion: Relick is a comedy novella (26000 words) about a group of archaeologists fighting the Catholic Church and the USA in preserving a holy relic ā the poo of Jesus. A few little tweaks and, well, it was my first book sale. Yep, a comedy about poo was my first book. Life is funny like that sometimes. Further, it is still one of the few pieces Iāve written that I actually enjoy. Okay, so we come to the next novel. Return (1995) is an odd 55,500 word novel, told in a twin time-frame format. The stories run side by side; it is not non-linear, just alternating. In the first time frame, set in modern times, a demon has returned to Earth. Tyson is suspected by those in the know, but it is not him. His daughter, and two old friends ā a priest and woman ā get involved, as well as a member of the US military who was there last time. In the second time frame, 8 years earlier, all of these people (except the daughter) are much younger, and the demon makes its first appearance in Sydney, Australia. I liked the way the old story reinforced the new, and the way they tied in so nicely together. reading it nowadays, the connections seem a little forced at times, and the whole child thing does not sit right or ring true, especially after becoming a teacher and seeing how children respond to trauma. The character of Tyson is, I think, well written in the present, but too moody in the past without due course except "he's possessed." The priest is too angst-filled in the present, but feels about right in the past. The young woman is okay in the past, and inconsistent in the present. The US military guy shows no signs of growth or change over the years; maybe he's a little gentler now? The concept, though, is a nice supernatural one with much more psychological horror than I thought I was capable of at the time, and a lot of the gore horror is only implied or the results only are depicted. Again, with some tweaking, I could possibly make it more āadultā than the semi-adolescent state it currently sits in, maybe even find a home for it. Though the two time frames might need updating to reflect today better. Excerpt: Despite himself and his growing trepidation, Brother Galway entered the building. He looked around the back room. Everything was in order; the kettle sat on the small stove, the refrigerator in the corner hummed to itself, the dishes from this morningās Ladiesā Club meeting were sitting on their tray, waiting for himself to put them away. He looked closer; a ten dollar note was attached to a note poking out from beneath the tray. The Ladiesā Club probably wanted him to do some shopping for them. But surely a thief ā even one after the silver chalice and other items the Church possessed ā would have taken a quick ten dollars and at least had a look through this room. His first instincts started to take over, but that feeling was too uncomfortable for him to dwell upon... The three doors he passed through to enter the main Basilica of this building were also unlocked. And he went through each with growing fear until finally he was standing in the middle of the nave, looking up and down. His mind was very wary; nothing seemed out of place, but something definitely was. He could feel it. And the feeling was exceedingly uncomfortable... like nothing he had ever felt before... like nothing he ever wanted to feel again... He cast a critical eye over the pews before he walked up to the altar, slowly, very unsure of himself. And the closer he came, the more that feeling in the back of his mind grew. He could feel it, almost radiating from this end of the building, growing stronger as he approached. And then he saw, in the light coming in through the multitude of stained glass windows, the puddle on the floor. He bent and had a closer look at the liquid. Red, thick... He smelt it ā blood. He looked forward. Small pools of it dotted the floor, leading up the seven stairs to the altar itself. Fresh blood. Genuine panic entered his mind. What was going on here? He knew what he should do ā he should go to the rear room and telephone the police, let them come and investigate this extremely odd occurrence. But he knew himself too well and, ignoring the frantic messages to the contrary coming from the forefront of his mind, he made his way anxiously forward once more. Every step became harder and harder as he went until by the time he was leaning against the lectern with the large Bible resting upon it, he was almost out of breath. There was more blood here and its trail led directly to the room called the sacricity, where the altar items and priestly garb were all kept. He looked closer; there was a lot more blood. Forcing himself to keep going, he followed the bloody track and touched the door of the small room. It swung open with a slight creak... Brother Michael Galway turned and vomited all over the floor. He had never seen so much blood, and all of it coming from Father Wagner ā his wrists, his side, his feet, even his scalp... So much blood... And in the form of Christās wounds... And Father Wagner in so much pain... āHelp me...ā the priest croaked, but the Brother could not move... The pain in the elderly manās chest grew sharply, up into his jaw, down his arm, and both men slipped finally out of consciousness... Yep, definitely one of those religious horror novels that used to sell so badly but are now sought by publishers. The idea came to me with a weird 'what if': āWhat if an exorcised demon came back?ā Then I had the idea to write it spread over the two time frames, 1986 and 1994, and include a childā¦ which was deliberate to leave it open for a sequel that I never wrote. Look, the story is no masterpiece and it will need a lot of work to make it sellable (especially the ellipsis over-over-use), but I was finally starting to get the idea of writing characters, not just events. Not terrible, but certainly not good. |
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