Notebook: Hallam

Evening lovely readers 🙂

Today I want to present to you the first of my Notebook Series of posts. This concept is to portray writing in progress and how the mind of a writer can work. If I’m honest it’s also so I don’t forget the story ideas; hey I’m human, I can admit my faults 😉 Please just keep in mind that the writing might start out rough around the edges but it will improve with time.

My first venture for this series is a sci-fi themed piece centering around Commander Samara Balen and the duties she’s called for in service to The Service. What will happen should the Universe come crashing down around you? 🙂

Please enjoy. Thank you 🙂

Hallam

Sam sighed as her eyes popped open, unfocused as the comm sphere bleeped to life. She had only just finished the graveyard shift in engineering but she knew they needed her for something else. They always did. She could’ve sworn her title was Commander, not General Dog’s Body.

Grudgingly, she swung her legs over the edge of her sleeping platform, her bare feet making contact with the cold harsh metal. Others may shy away from it but Sam welcomed the cruel reality of the bitter cold; it reminded her of the reality of a Universe at War.

Shuffling as she went, she managed to reach the comm sphere after only five beeps. Not bad since she was exhausted. Rubbing her eyes, she pressed the glaringly bright speaker button and said, “Commander Balen here. This better be damn good, Meat.”

*Author’s Note* I had to pause here. Is the name a name, nickname or derogatory term for the person on the other end of the comm sphere? Do I want to turn my character into a hard aggressive woman? Or is she just grumpy when she’s tired? Suffice it to say, for now at least, she’s only grumpy 🙂

“Get your head out of your arse Commander and get to the bridge. The Captain has called a meeting.”

“Ah Meat, I love it when you’re rough with me,” she replied sarcastically. “Where’s the respect earned by my position?”

“You want respect? Join the suits in The Guard.” And with that he pressed disconnect. Sam sighed. She knew being part of…

*Author’s Note* Okay, what do you call the opposing faction of military without it sounding too corny? My brain jumps to The Alliance but that could hark to World of Warcraft (yes I am a gamer) or The Rebels, but that is definitely very Star Wars 🙂

…The Service wouldn’t get her high into the upper echelons of life but still she worked hard at her job. She climbed the ranks faster than anyone had at the tender age of twenty-eight. If the Captain would just up and pissing retire she’d be a force to be reckoned with. He wouldn’t retire though, misogynistic bastard. Damn him for only being thirty-five.

She grudgingly got dressed, ignoring the tempting pull of her mattress. How easy it would be to just curl up and ignore the Universe but she had a job to do, one all the more difficult for the very fact that she was a woman in a male dominated World.

*Author’s Note* The Universe my protagonist finds herself in is a misogynistic one. This doesn’t reflect my personal views as I believe women can do anything just as well as men. It does, however, create tension and I do love me some tension 🙂

She tugged on her knee-high synthetic leather boots, adjusted her waist holster on her black pants, pulled on her black leather jacket over her black tank and tied her waist length purple hair in a band. This was one reason she loved The Service. They weren’t so strict on military wear and weapons. She picked up her dual HZ45’s and placed them almost lovingly in their holster. Next she placed her hypersilver blades in her boots and switch blade in the sleeve of her jacket. Lastly was the hypersilver sword strapped to her back. You can never be too careful when it came to space travel in her own modest opinion. Plus it was far more satisfying gutting someone up close and personal.

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Inspiration In All Forms

My time at the moment is taken up with editing my novel. I find it an interesting process and I will admit that things do seem to be coming together. It flows with vivacity and fantastical nature. I just wish I had more to time to do it as an hour here and there stifles me quite a bit.

While editing I find myself thinking back about the different aspects of life which have inspired me to write. I have always been inspired by my wonderful mother; we share the same taste in literature and she has always spurred me to achieve my dreams in life. Another wonderful inspiration is my friend Jex, a fellow writer and again someone who spurs me on to achieve my dreams. It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off and to experience our writers jaunts to Costa Coffee, or the Yummy Cupcake Company. I’m blessed to know people like these and happy to tell every one of their influence.

A main inspiration of mine I want to concentrate on today is the artist Luis Royo. I actually stumbled onto his work by accident. I was doing the typical student thing of trying to find posters for my Uni room when I found a gorgeous one of an Angel in a ball gown manacled at the neck.

I was entranced by it so took it home. Only after researching it did I realise that it was Luis Royo’s artwork. He puts so much life into his work and you realise that you will begin to fall in love with his art. I have had so many idea’s come to me from just looking at his art that I felt it was worth a blog post at least.

I cannot even begin to describe the effect his work has. Looked at with an indifferent eye you may see only that his work is intense erotica and be put off by this. My suggestion is that you look closer; look at the layers to his pieces, look at the colour he uses and the contrast featured so often in many of his works. I have seen soft pieces from water nymphs to the contrast of beauty and the beast. Every work will get you thinking and inspire you in different ways.

What inspires you to work? Who gives your projects life and meaning?

I intend my next post to be about my novel, I just don’t know what yet. Is there anything you’d like to know about it? 🙂

The Satisfaction of Completion

Words cannot describe the sensation of finishing the story line you have been working years upon. It’s not so much that a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, more that you are that step closer to completing something you have wanted to do so for as long as you can remember. Of course this feeling not only relates to novels but pieces of art, a portfolio, anything.

I have chosen to focus on writing as this is what I find most pleasure and satisfaction in. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love music and take great joy in playing the violin, but there is nothing better than sitting down at your computer and letting the creative energies flow. I can usually see the story unfolding in front of me. I love to take it down and put order to the colourful worlds I imagine. I know several wonderful people who love to do the same and are getting that much closer to the feeling I am now experiencing. I wish them all the luck in the World with it.

Do you know where I am coming from? Have you recently finished something and are just now perfecting it?

I know I still have a lot of work to do; editing, proof reading and maybe padding out, but I am so very happy at the moment that I don’t think anything could top this. My next intention was inspired by my friend Jex and I may put a synopsis of the novel on here but will check it a million times first.

Passion: Underrated or Over Used??

Can you ever have too much passion in your life? We always see it as such a positive emotion to have about your work (and life), be it writing, playing an instrument or anything else. If you have a love for what you do, surely the creative energies will simply flow; but what if too much passion isn’t such a good thing?

I was recently having a conversation about writing with my friend and fellow author Jex (mentioned in the pervious post) and we fell onto the subject of passion. I mentioned that what I admired about her work is she puts so much effort and love of the craft into every piece that you can really see the story unfolding in front of you. She replied that she felt like she waffled too much as the story runs away with her (she has never waffled), much as it has done to many of us.

I can understand her point though. If you find a part of the story you love you tend to run with it and try to get across to the reader your pure pleasure in the writing but you can risk losing the reader should you get too carried away, but it’s so hard to reign in the passion. As writers we need to focus, combining the passion with structure, story and love for everything written and I like to think that Jex, our writer friends, and myself pull this off well without sacrificing anything.

As both a singer and a musician you have no idea how hard it is to say that.

What do you think?