On to the Next Thing…

Amidst taking a break (i.e. playing Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, watching marathon sessions of Trailer Park Boys, and generally being a lazy sloth), I’ve been conflicted over what idea I should use for another novel. Yep, it’s time for the next big project; I’ve written plenty of short stories the last year and a half and it’s time to move on.

Like pimpin’, writin’ ain’t easy. Well, for me it isn’t. I have plenty of concepts kicking around inside of my brain, bouncing to and fro between the nicotine receptors, the scar tissue, and the foot radar. Yes, for those who read this blog and follow me on Facebook, I’ve resorted to recycling jokes.  

But just because I have a plethora of ideas doesn’t mean that many of them ever see the light of Microsoft Word. A concept has to be something that makes me eager to write; it has to motivate my lazy, disgruntled, and partially disillusioned ass, if you prefer me to be blunt. The one I have right now was actually a seed planted in my head by a good friend by the name of Peter Harrison. Peter, after reading a 1,200-word short story of mine, suggested that I take the concept of the story and turn it into a full-length novel. You ever have one of those moments that make you think or say, “Damn! Why didn’t I think of that before?” That’s what Peter did for me.

In recent days, Peter’s advice has borne fruit in the form of a novel idea that has me pretty hot to dive in, even though the concept has changed significantly from the original short story. I’ve been researching like a madman, sketching out characters (and abominable horrors) in my trusty composition book, and making more notes than an obsessive-compulsive college student. Right now, there’s only a rough outline and sequence of events, but that’s usually how it’s done; “connecting the dots” as I go along is the best way for me to flesh out a plot.

But the story itself isn’t the only aspect that has me excited, even though it’s partially inspired by three of my favorite horror movies: Jacob’s Ladder, Eraserhead, and Seven. No, what has me pumped in how the book will be executed. I’ll be trying some bold writing techniques that – to my knowledge – haven’t been attempted yet, at least not to the extent that I plan on implementing. It’s a move that – if the book is ever put out by a top-notch publisher one day – will either revolutionize and expand the concepts of books, helping them survive in a modern society that craves visual input and immediate satisfaction…or the book purists will all band together, decry the novel as a gimmick, and the big publishers can continue to play it safe by flooding the market with more vampire romance novels and political memoirs.

No matter what happens after the novel is finished, it looks like Peter Harrison just earned himself a credit on the acknowledgments page.

An Update? Whoa.

I see I haven’t made any sort of update to the blog in nearly three months. For the four or five loyal readers out there, here’s why: I got a job, worked my ass off for almost two months, then was mysteriously and unceremoniously dismissed. Why, you ask? Hell, I’m still trying to figure it out. The bosses claimed I made too many mistakes on the job…but they never bothered to inform me of any of the “mistakes” that I was making, which is what they were supposed to do as I went through the training process. It doesn’t take a molecular physicist to know that there was something else going on between the lines.

I plan on writing again…I just don’t know when. It’s hard to stay motivated for your craft when no one really bothers reading any of it and you can’t get even a job at the local dollar store.

Nightmare World Volume 2: Leave the Light On

Check out the graphic novel Nightmare World Volume 2: Leave the Light On, written by good friend (and fellow Lovecraft geek), Dirk Manning. You can pre-order it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607062763/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_d

While you’re at it, hunt down Volume 1 and tell him that Daryl sent ya.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

As I sit here writing this, I can’t help but to notice that everything seems so surreal to me at the moment. The past week has been a confusing blur of events and it seems my mind has run the emotional gauntlet.

Eight days ago, a friend of mine, Lewis Coil, died of a heart attack. Lew was a regular at The Game Room, a fine establishment here in Toledo that I’ve compared to the bar on the old television show Cheers; it’s a place where everybody knows your name. As expected, Lew’s sudden death threw us all into turmoil. I got to know Lew back in early 2006, and over the course of two and a half years, I became very fond of his well-timed humor, charming crankiness as well as his sheer passion for comics and those particular creators who make them special. I didn’t know Lew as long or as personally as my close friend Paul Shiple – the man who helps make The Game Room the great place it is – or some of the other regulars, like Aaron Weisbrod or Eric Palicki. Due to the lack of income, I’ve been able to make only sporadic trips to The Game Room over the last year and a half and I hadn’t seen Lew in a year. His passing fills me with regret, as I missed sitting next to him, listening to his opinions and his well-timed jokes before he passed on. Now I know it’s too late.

After the news of Lew’s passing, my mother – who suffered the amputation of her left leg above the knee a little over two years ago – sustained an infection in a wound on her right foot that required another traumatic surgery. Not only did they have to remove the lower portion of her right leg at around mid-calf, but they also took another section from her left leg because of a lingering infection inside the bone there.

With Lew’s passing fresh on my mind, I wasn’t optimistic of her chances.  For a few eerie days, everything seemed a little darker than normal, the shadows in every room felt as if they were closing in with a malevolent sentience of their own. I saw my mom minutes before she was taken back in the operating room. I said what I had to say to her before having to leave.

It wasn’t until seven hours later when I received the word that she made it out of surgery okay. I exhaled a sigh of relief. I was elated that my mother’s time hadn’t come yet.

Which brings me to now. I’m preparing to attend a memorial service for Lew, a gathering that will have many – if not all – of The Game Room’s regulars. I’ll see many good friends there, and a number of them I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing in a while. It is there where we’ll celebrate our merry little band of marauders as well as Lew’s life. I have no doubt he’ll receive a truly heartfelt goodbye from the gang who loved him and looked up to him.

From relief over my mother to this. When I’m able to go to The Game Room more often again, there will be an empty space there that nobody can possibly fill, and I know the rest of the crew feels the same way. Max Lambdin – another regular – said it best when he posted that Lew was a “great curly-haired guy” on Facebook. Wednesdays will, most definitely, never be the same.

So long, buddy.

Domain of the Disturbing is Online

Welcome to the official WordPress blog of Daryl Brownell, aspiring horror writer and all-around madman (not to mention the scourge of boneless chicken wings the world over). Following the advice of a friend, I’ve started this blog as a means of “pimping” my own work to the masses, as the rejection notices have been piling up and making me feel just a wee bit unstable as a result.

In the future, this blog will be the home to sample excerpts of my artwork, novels, novellas, and short stories, as well as random rants about the things that have the tendency to piss me off.

Prepare youself to be disturbed.