jon_chaisson: (Default)
So of course I had a Douglas Adams moment and thought of various writing projects while in the shower this morning (he was a self-professed frequent bath soaker--close enough), and one that popped into my head [by way of thinking of our Boston trip: staying in Cambridge => Jon A. lives there now => wonder if we'll run into him => my testy friendship with him => story he inspired] was one of the first serious projects I came up with after graduating college. This was Two Thousand, a coming-of-age story centered on a number of Gen X kids in Boston just after they graduated (read: not quite a Gary Stu, but kinda close at the time).

In short, the story, set in 1993 or so, is bracketed by a conversation one character (me) has with another (Jon A) outside the old Buzzy's Roast Beef one late night, in which one bets the other that he won't have made any life for himself by the year 2000. The story itself is the friendship/animosity between those two, as well as their group of friends, as they attempt to shift their lives from academia to Real Life. Being that a lot of this story was semi-inspired by real life events thanks to my old Radio Radio posts, most of you know how the real-life version ends. It's definitely a coming-of-age story and one that's firmly placed in the Gen X/Slacker 90s. There's the typical whinging, joblessness, and failed dreaming of course, but there's also humor, silliness and a hell of a lot of music too.

I still want to write this one, though I'm not entirely sure when I'll get to it. I suppose I could spend my longhand writing time playing with scenes and outlining, though that may not happen for a bit. We'll see.
jon_chaisson: (Mooch writing)
--Dream I had this morning of watching a movie in which a detective who's on the police force's bad side is obsessed with chasing a man on a motorcycle, trying to catch him before the police do. Apparently the motorcycle man is a sort of Vash the Stampede-type figure who's ultimately a hero but is on the wrong side of the law, and the detective going after him is trying to save him somehow because he knows the police are corrupt and will kill him rather than bring him to justice. The police have stopped the detective many times before, but this time he's just about got the guy. Not in the dream, but awake: thought of the idea while lying in bed, realized the two are brothers (cue typical lines--DETECTIVE: Dude, mom's gonna kill you. BIKER: Yeah, I know...). Also, theme song to story is "The Distance" by Cake because the detective won't stop until he's caught him.

--While in shower: thought of Eden Cycle trilogy, possibility of reviving and revising once LLB is set to go. Realized that I have quite the extensive backstory/worldbuilding/characterizations to write many, MANY stories in that universe. Perhaps build up by writing shorter stories surrounding main characters Alec Poe and Caren Johnson, the two Alien Relations Unit detectives who keep the peace between humans and the alien Meraladians.

--Agree with someone else on LJ flist (forgot who it was, sorry if I dissed you here) that writing in multiple genres = GOOD thing. LLB was vampire fiction crossed with urban fantasy, which I didn't expect to ever write. Also agree with [livejournal.com profile] kateelliott that having more than one thing on hand when approaching editors/agents = GOOD thing. Still contemplating whether or not Then... is worth pursuing (probably not, it's really not calling out to me at all), or perhaps the semi-horror story Children of Dun Corran. Or a stand-alone Eden Cycle book. Or the unwritten PSI:PD stories. Hell, I've got to get my priorities straight here.

--Writing short stories, if I can manage them, also = GOOD thing. I always kvetch that I can't write short stories because my ideas always end up being novel length. In all honesty, though, every now and again (see biker/detective idea above) I come up with something that would fit that length PERFECTLY. I could really have fun with that, too. And I think writing a few PSI:PD shorts would probably be a good idea too, to introduce the whole psychic detective gang.

--More later...must do some errands soon!

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