My "Peace" Of Art

So, I am really having a lot of fun over here lately,

http://peace-keepers-canada-inc-onlinecomic.blogspot.com/

writing the adventures of the Canada Peace Keepers Inc team of superheroes.

Initially, I planned to tell the story from the point of view of a constantly changing character, so that no two stories ever seemed alike because different personalities would be living them and telling them. “The world through many camera lenses” sort of deal. But, something strange happened on the way to the Coliseum…

I ended up getting really hooked on the first team member I introduced. So much so, that I have written pages and pages and pages of stuff, and it has all revolved around her and the way she sees things, unveiling to the reader bit by bit just who she is and what she is really like.

It wasn’t the way I intended to do things, but sometimes when you write, things just write themselves. Sometimes characters surprise you, and turn out different than you thought they were. Sometimes a strong personality just leaps to the forefront, and stays there, despite your plans. Such is the life of an artiste. Called by the muse, serenaded under the moon, then jerked about by the puppeteer until your arms threaten to fall off, and you realize that the creation is controlling the creator, the inmates are running the asylum…and you smile, and couldn’t be happier.

The story, such as it is so far, is taking a lot longer to tell than I thought it would. I am learning, that this is what happens when you have a strong female lead character who cries out for more of the limelight. I am really enjoying writing a female character – I find that Vanessa Jensson has unexpected strength, little time for idiots, yet loves people and the little pleasures in life. I think I more enjoy trying to write from behind the eyes of a female character, because they are so much more complex, so many different layers to them. Men are too simple. Really, men are almost exactly how they seem to be. Women, though…fascinating creatures.

The story is also taking twists in directions that I already never expected to go. As parts of the characters’ personalities begin to emerge, the story drives itself in new and untold directions. It goes from the framework you have in your mind, and builds itself piece by piece into a city of fantastic beauty and grandiose architecture. The characters truly choose their own paths, and the paths they choose help to determine just who exactly they are. I have already written scenes that I never, ever expected to be writing; but the characters brought me to them.

I enjoy playful interactions, flirting, subtle eye and facial gestures and body language that certain people pick up on, and others have no clue about. I love introducing someone, and knowing very little about them, and then having one single line of conversation twist and turn in upon itself, and it opens up a whole new level of who this person is, and suddenly I am sitting here filling in their background in my notes. I like writing friendships that do not seem likely but become obvious after you write them, and I like writing two characters side-by-side who do not seem to like each other, but trying hard not to give that away to the reader all at once. I love the thought processes that go into storytelling, I love the background, the history, the bit players who become important, and the characters whom you expect to be one way but you write them in a completely different manner in order to shock the reader and cause the story’s playing field to tilt in an unusual direction. I love researching foreign names and cities on the internet, looking at pictures of moving dollies to firmly fix in your mind what they look like, and also just the feeling of intense satisfaction (and intense pressure) from knowing you are creating a world that did not previously exist. And I love the internet, where you can “publish” these works without having to go through rejection letters and red tape.

All in all, I am thoroughly enjoying my time writing these adventures. But they do take up a lot of my time, so anybody who wants to send me pre-packaged and pre-cooked meals that I can pop in the microwave, that’d be great; that, and some clean clothes. And a new toothbrush, because toiletries are an essential item, don’t you know! And a new keyboard, I am wearing mine out. Oh, and about that food – if you can make it takeout from Rudy’s drive-in in Texas, that’d be just perfect…

Oh, and did I mention how hard it is to be a man and have to learn how to describe women's clothing in writing? Anybody who can help me understand these things, I'll hire you as my assistant (the wages are lousy, but the benefits are...well, non-existent, quite frankly).

So, I hope you enjoy reading my stuff. If you don’t have time for it, or don’t enjoy it, no worries. Not everybody appreciates fine art, after all.

Toodles! And, see you in the funny pages!