Happy Blog Day Everyone!
Today, I've got a rather unfortunate job to do, but a necessary one, but before then, let's see what Brennan and Riz are up to!
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Well, how are they going to get out of this one? Don't ask me, I've no idea! Yet anyway...
This continuing story has been a fun experiment, and if I had to guess, we may be rapidly approaching the half way mark (if not there already). While I'll do a full post mortem once everything has been wrapped up, I'll say that of anything, this has hammered home how important planning is.
While not the first time I've done a serialised drawing series like this (look at Phantom Dawn below), it is the first one where I have a fixed layout of 3 panels. The others I could alter freely, this one is trickier to gauge, and it's a skill I'm looking to improve upon before December rolls around.
Phantom Dawn: Memories of a Rose
Last week, Rose was getting a history lesson from Neal, and that continues here. However, that isn't the only thing that's happening...
(First posted 20th May 2021)
Neal lost himself in memories, some he cherished, others he despised.
"My wife, Shauna, and I, were blessed with one child, a girl, Mina, born with #Mustard coloured hair. Despite Shauna passing, she was able to light the room with a smile."
(First posted 21st May 2021)
"Mina," Neal took a deep breath to settle himself. "Used to say that this world was a #conundrum. Justice was nowhere. So she literally took it upon herself. Stopping the poor from exploitation. She found love but she also found powerful enemies."
(First posted 22nd May 2021)
"One of her enemies tracked her down to her home. Two bullets ended her life. I arrived too late and found her and her husband dead in pools of their own blood. Kurz was hiding in the corner, afraid that the #Tawdry man had returned for him."
(First posted 23rd May 2021)
"We buried Mina and her husband just on the outskirts of #Iris, alongside my wife, under the gaze of the Phantom Dawn. Kurz's days of the happy child were over, that innocence slaughtered alongside his parents, and I, I didn't know what to do..."
(First posted 24th May 2021)
"I felt empty, till I remembered something Mina once said, her #PonyTail fluttering in the wind. She said 'I'm not strong enough to help everyone, but as long as I help someone, anyone, then I'll keep going.'
So I resolved to take that to heart."
(First posted 25th May 2021)
"With her words in mind, I started acting as a guide for people who wanted to escape Finch, taking them to a #quaint place out past his domain. My years as a shepherd helping to evade detection. Kurz, well, he swore that no one else would suffer."
(First posted 26th May 2021)
"Wait!" Rose blurted out. "Are we talking about the same Kurz, who was blind drunk last night!"
"Yes, while most people have different aspects, Kurz's are heavily polarised. With #wine in his system, he becomes the happy boy once more," Neal said.
(First posted 27th May 2021)
Rose had wanted to ask about the porcine creature that had been with Neal the whole time. She froze as she heard a sound, her senses telling her that danger was near, like a #doppelganger stalking.
"Watch out!" She screamed, as the guns started...
(First posted 28th May 2021)
Outside, armoured soldiers rained bullets down on the building, tearing down walls. Reacting in time, Rose had dragged Neal by his #earlobe, behind the table. The pair watched as more and more of their makeshift shield was whittled away.
(First posted 29th May 2021)
"Stop firing!" Mason gave the command and the guns fell silent. He surveyed the damage to the building and grinned:
"Well, let's see if they're #valiant now!"
A response to his statement was made when a battered table thundered through a wall.
(First posted 30th May 2021)
Mason watched with shock as the table almost smashed into his men. He looked back just as the dust was settling. Standing defiantly, was Rose and Neal, with Kurz speaking from behind them:
"I'll give them their just #desserts. Leave this to me."
(First posted 31st May 2021)
Mason relaxed a little as he saw Kurz coming out to fight, he was terrified of fighting the girl again. He felt the sense of #Finality in the air, that if nothing else, one pest would be out of the way. Kurz tightened the rope in his hands.
We're closing in on the end of this run. How will Kurz deal with these thugs? Will Mason get the last laugh? Find out next week!
Dissection
Last time I did something like this, it was for my ill-fated crossing the tees 2019 entry (my last time I entered that contest). The subject this time? A very fresh one, as its the folklore story I was talking about last week.
Let's start off with the most elementary of errors that I made, the fact that I got the smegging date wrong for submission (something I've been doing a lot lately!). I was under the impression that I had until this past Monday to get it done...but no, the deadline was the Sunday before! This shortened my plans but then I lost a lot of writing time for various reasons which certainly didn't help things. However, these were things that could have been overcome. What couldn't have been overcome (at least not in the current time frame).
These problems were to do with my writing and the idea at the heart of it all. What I mean here, is the process of dragging a 2000-4000 word story out of a 128 (or whatever the limit was) character tweet. This took a lot of time trying to figure out a path to the central point, and no matter the version, I wasn't happy. Each one of then lacked menace and threat. I wanted a Wicker Man sense of unease in the first part of the short, wanting the reader to be wary of what came next without ever revealing what was behind the curtain. Turns out I was severely lacking in this area, with the majority of what I'd written being quite mundane. It is very annoying as I love the central concept but as it stands, it'll have to wait a while before I can give it the justice it deserves.
This has been deflating though. I was so geared up to do this story that I got in over my head without even realising it. I love folklore, so the idea of twisting it, embracing its often darker edges...Yet, I failed. I was blinded to my own faults and to what I needed to do (I.e work on adding more of the theme throughout).
To say I'm feeling down about it would be an understatement.
What does this mean for me now? Well, I still have the steampunk story there that I paused mid edit, that will be my next focus, then after that, I more light hearted approach to Halloween in the form of Ghost Duty will be the order of the day.
That's all for this week!
Till we meet again,
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin.
Quick Links
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 1
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Book 1: A Boy and A Rat
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 2
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