Introducing Dreams in Gunmetal Black
I've been writing the story bible of my super hero universe for about six months now. I've learned that I have well over 250 original characters on all points of the world. I know who they are, I know what kind of world they live in, I know where they can go to grab a bite to eat. I know what kind of beverage they can drink. I even know what they can watch on television.
Everything is set, or at least it was until I got involved in talking about one particular series they could watch. It was an adult-animated series (I mean adult as in mature, not adult as in "walkachicka-walkachicka") about a group of friends finding love and fun in the midst of all of them on opposite sides of the law. It felt like a cross between The Sopranos, Sin City, and Romeo and Juliet with a blending of, well, not Friends, but something with that kind of chemistry without being so vanilla. Sadly, this once again proved a theory I talked about on my website that there hasn't been an original idea since 1967.
The more I developed this story, the more I asked myself "Why aren't I really writing this story on its own rather than just a small part of a large universe?" So, I put the superhero story aside and began working on this "gangster noir" story. No superpowers. No invulnerabilities. No clearcut "good versus evil," because, despite what Rand said, there are shades of grey in everybody. Everybody has their reasons for doing what they're doing. It's not always pretty, but it's probably the most "real" story I have ever written.
For the first time in a long time, I feel truly energized by something I'm actually creating. Probably because it's not giving me a headache like the network-oriented articles I've been writing on my own site for years (man, just when I think Cartoon Network is going in the right direction, they continue to make that right turn at Alberqurque instead of that left).
This will be the place where I'll talk about the progress of this story.
*bang*
Everything is set, or at least it was until I got involved in talking about one particular series they could watch. It was an adult-animated series (I mean adult as in mature, not adult as in "walkachicka-walkachicka") about a group of friends finding love and fun in the midst of all of them on opposite sides of the law. It felt like a cross between The Sopranos, Sin City, and Romeo and Juliet with a blending of, well, not Friends, but something with that kind of chemistry without being so vanilla. Sadly, this once again proved a theory I talked about on my website that there hasn't been an original idea since 1967.
The more I developed this story, the more I asked myself "Why aren't I really writing this story on its own rather than just a small part of a large universe?" So, I put the superhero story aside and began working on this "gangster noir" story. No superpowers. No invulnerabilities. No clearcut "good versus evil," because, despite what Rand said, there are shades of grey in everybody. Everybody has their reasons for doing what they're doing. It's not always pretty, but it's probably the most "real" story I have ever written.
For the first time in a long time, I feel truly energized by something I'm actually creating. Probably because it's not giving me a headache like the network-oriented articles I've been writing on my own site for years (man, just when I think Cartoon Network is going in the right direction, they continue to make that right turn at Alberqurque instead of that left).
This will be the place where I'll talk about the progress of this story.
*bang*
posted by Jeff Harris at 1:59 PM
3 Comments:
*brings in popcorn*
This sounds great Jeff. I'm having the same originallity problems. I keep thinking up generic stories with the same basic character personalities. I'm glad you finally found something that clicks.
I love the title. Are you going to type some of the story here or will you publish it on some different outlet?
I'll be reading ^^
Thanks for the support, Ellen.
The thing is, I've talked about the independent creative spirit on my site for years, but, because of bum equipment, I couldn't really showcase anything. I mean, the last time I actually shared an idea on my site, it turned into a failed network in the UK.
But with Dreams in Gunmetal Black, I think I'll explore what inspires me as well as weave a story in threads, hopefully making something coherent, even if it's for my own amusement. So, in short, it's a production blog of a project that's a work in progress. A story and myself (despite being a tenured veteran, I'm still relatively in the warm, liquid goo phase of life)>
This is my first time seeing this blog, Jeff, and I must say that I am eagerly awaiting a second post.
Thanks for the link to my other blog. I am honored.
Post a Comment
<< Home