Stuff to Write About
Carl's back in the saddle (so to speak... I'm not a big horse fan actually) and writing some new stuff!
So here's the thing.
I went to my latest writers group meeting - North Phoenix Writers Group (North Side!)- and we discussed the whole using technology and social networking to get our "I'm a writer" platform going. I testified to the wonderfulness of Godaddy's build-your-own website stuff and realized that I haven't done anything with it since like September of 2009. Lame!
So here I go, with my first real blog entry.
Admittedly, I don't even know what I am supposed to do with a blog other than spew out a lot of mostly stream of consciousness type stuff, so I'll just say what's on my mind, I guess.
So here goes.....
I have been writing quite a lot lately; mostly on my latest novel project.
I'll give out some info, but please realize this is all mostly in print already and copywrited stuff. Please don't steal the ideas.
Its a Young Adult Story... (I know, I know, I can hear the Harry Potter music playing and maybe feel the cool touch of romantic vampires on my neck... "Oh Edward, I love you. No Bella, I love you more. No Edward, that's not possible."... Enough!
Anyhoo... so my new story/novel is taking place in "Carl's Empire Universe."
(For those that don't know, that's my universe where teleportation through port-gates is the norm and the Empress (or Emperor or some other high-up-the-chain government official) is usually being kidnapped or harassed in some way and the Imperial Space Marines must step in and save the day and, of course, the Empress.)
In this case, with the YA story, (way to use the cool publishing abbreviated lingo, am I right?) I'm setting it about twenty years farther into the future than my last novel I wrote in the universe - about 2360 or Empire year 250. I am centering the story on the lives of some special kids/teenagers that are part of an Imperial Genetics Project to create the ultimate human. They do this through genetic tinkering of the parent DNA and by adding the building blocks of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the mix. As the children grow, their AI's will grow with them. The AI eventually becomes sentient enough to make its presence known when the children reach puberty, around the age of twelve or thirteen. That way, they will have the benefits of their own personal AI as they grow into adulthood.
So based on that premise I came up with a few questions...
How would life be different for the kids? What would they be able to do? This led to the creation of Juliet, my main character's best friend... and possible love interest... Oh my god, I can hear the Twilight music playing... <Carl turns off the BlueRay player.>
What if one of the kids didn't get his AI? (or maybe didn't know it if he did?) That led to the creation of my main character (MC) Kameron or Kam to his friends. A kid who starts out a bit whiny because he is 14 and still has not had his AI come online and the other kids and a few of the teachers pick on him. As the story progresses we will watch Kam, take on the hero role and yes he will of course save the Empress... maybe. Or not.
Also what if a kid's AI turned out to be evil. (Thanks for that Jim) How would that effect the kid? Does that make the kid evil? Did the AI become evil because the kid was bad to begin with? This led to the creation of my "bad guy" character, a kid who got his AI very early (around 8 years old) and let it guide him down the path of, er, evilness. I'm not quite sure of the name yet but I am thinking something like Lucifer... to cliche' probably.
As always, the Empress has been kidnapped, but this time the Imperial Space Marines are out of commission - they were injured during the kidnapping - and it's now up to Kameron and his best friend (and hopeful love interest don't forget) Juliet to save her. They will get a few more friends along the way, I'm sure.
Also, I am going to make Kameron a swordsman. (I just cannot escape the need to make my MC's more Jedi-like than they probably should be.) And I have decided that each kid will get a special "power" that comes from the union of the kid and their AI. Each kid will have something unique that they can do. Basically, they have something to bring to the party during their quest. Think D&D if you're the dork type. (Yes, I played D&D and I am a dork - just ask my wife.) Juliet gets the ability/power to hack other machines just by laying her bare hand on them. (Her AI, Lister can make contact through tiny nanofiliments in her skin.) I think I know Kameron's special power(s) - he being the main character might get more than one. And I definitley know my bad-guy's power. Also I am thinking of a supporting character named Twyla that can let her AI leave her body and travel around in some type of robot body thing.. maybe.
So that's what's happenin' at the moment.
L8r all
I went to my latest writers group meeting - North Phoenix Writers Group (North Side!)- and we discussed the whole using technology and social networking to get our "I'm a writer" platform going. I testified to the wonderfulness of Godaddy's build-your-own website stuff and realized that I haven't done anything with it since like September of 2009. Lame!
So here I go, with my first real blog entry.
Admittedly, I don't even know what I am supposed to do with a blog other than spew out a lot of mostly stream of consciousness type stuff, so I'll just say what's on my mind, I guess.
So here goes.....
I have been writing quite a lot lately; mostly on my latest novel project.
I'll give out some info, but please realize this is all mostly in print already and copywrited stuff. Please don't steal the ideas.
Its a Young Adult Story... (I know, I know, I can hear the Harry Potter music playing and maybe feel the cool touch of romantic vampires on my neck... "Oh Edward, I love you. No Bella, I love you more. No Edward, that's not possible."... Enough!
Anyhoo... so my new story/novel is taking place in "Carl's Empire Universe."
(For those that don't know, that's my universe where teleportation through port-gates is the norm and the Empress (or Emperor or some other high-up-the-chain government official) is usually being kidnapped or harassed in some way and the Imperial Space Marines must step in and save the day and, of course, the Empress.)
In this case, with the YA story, (way to use the cool publishing abbreviated lingo, am I right?) I'm setting it about twenty years farther into the future than my last novel I wrote in the universe - about 2360 or Empire year 250. I am centering the story on the lives of some special kids/teenagers that are part of an Imperial Genetics Project to create the ultimate human. They do this through genetic tinkering of the parent DNA and by adding the building blocks of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the mix. As the children grow, their AI's will grow with them. The AI eventually becomes sentient enough to make its presence known when the children reach puberty, around the age of twelve or thirteen. That way, they will have the benefits of their own personal AI as they grow into adulthood.
So based on that premise I came up with a few questions...
How would life be different for the kids? What would they be able to do? This led to the creation of Juliet, my main character's best friend... and possible love interest... Oh my god, I can hear the Twilight music playing... <Carl turns off the BlueRay player.>
What if one of the kids didn't get his AI? (or maybe didn't know it if he did?) That led to the creation of my main character (MC) Kameron or Kam to his friends. A kid who starts out a bit whiny because he is 14 and still has not had his AI come online and the other kids and a few of the teachers pick on him. As the story progresses we will watch Kam, take on the hero role and yes he will of course save the Empress... maybe. Or not.
Also what if a kid's AI turned out to be evil. (Thanks for that Jim) How would that effect the kid? Does that make the kid evil? Did the AI become evil because the kid was bad to begin with? This led to the creation of my "bad guy" character, a kid who got his AI very early (around 8 years old) and let it guide him down the path of, er, evilness. I'm not quite sure of the name yet but I am thinking something like Lucifer... to cliche' probably.
As always, the Empress has been kidnapped, but this time the Imperial Space Marines are out of commission - they were injured during the kidnapping - and it's now up to Kameron and his best friend (and hopeful love interest don't forget) Juliet to save her. They will get a few more friends along the way, I'm sure.
Also, I am going to make Kameron a swordsman. (I just cannot escape the need to make my MC's more Jedi-like than they probably should be.) And I have decided that each kid will get a special "power" that comes from the union of the kid and their AI. Each kid will have something unique that they can do. Basically, they have something to bring to the party during their quest. Think D&D if you're the dork type. (Yes, I played D&D and I am a dork - just ask my wife.) Juliet gets the ability/power to hack other machines just by laying her bare hand on them. (Her AI, Lister can make contact through tiny nanofiliments in her skin.) I think I know Kameron's special power(s) - he being the main character might get more than one. And I definitley know my bad-guy's power. Also I am thinking of a supporting character named Twyla that can let her AI leave her body and travel around in some type of robot body thing.. maybe.
So that's what's happenin' at the moment.
L8r all
Welcome
Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.
