Reflections of Recent Writing

I have just finished writing the third chapter of the second Tale. I invite you to see my thought process.

Wait, how do I title these? I should check.

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Oh, story number comma chapter. Got it.

Can a screen so faint it's all but imperceptible flash? No, wrong implications.

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Flicker! It implies darkening as opposed to brightening.

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I hope.

No, idiot, s THEN apostrophe. There are multiple shadows.

Does he type for the screen? No, he can point. I can imply age through finger description. Wait... I can do that? I love writing.

Wait, rather than enlarge the screen, imply advanced technology by having it approach the man. In midair.

Old people in shadows always have hooked noses. It's a fact.

How many words does it display? Three is a good number.

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What words are they?

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Oh! I'll figure out what it says, then write how many words the screen displays.

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Well this deals with last chapter, so the Speaker's fondness for regulations carries over.

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Is Speaker capitalized?

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I should check.

No? That's stupid. I should've capitalized it.

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I could fix it without a word. No one needs to kn-

No. I am infallible. Changing the word would admit fallibility. Which I lack.

I like the way I described the smile.

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Wait... tightening means stress. I need to lift the corners of his lips too.

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Is that clearly a smile? No, remember that idiots might read this. Cater to all fools.

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That should be Reoganworks' motto. 'Cater to all Foo-

Stay on track! You're almost done.

Ooh, yes. Mention how he stretches out his fingers. Details make the story.

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I really wish I capitalized speaker. It would so much better. Oh well.

The Odor of Tuesdays

The second chapter of the first of the Tales followed the same style as the first. This one, however, focused on smell. While the first spoke of buzzing, here I spoke of ozone. Things are no longer in pristine condition. As I progress, I try to communicate that something is horribly wrong with the world. Burning Fields can only be the product of some horrible event, be it polluting wildfire or massive funeral pyre. Then I tried to give the reader a sense of the alien nature of this world by referring to what I now call the Vortex. I make it an ever present spectre. I give death form. I make the world farther from the light in which you live, but I give it dwelling in the dark recesses of your mind.

Did it work?


And, yes. Today was the last day of the first tale. I was delighted with the ending. I hope you liked it.

The Beginning of the First

I wanted to create something that could go anywhere, even though I had an outline from Light up Your Room for the first Tale. I wrote about one thing, using only one sense. Sound. The sound of humming wires. I wanted a sound that pervades everything; something that is background yet never fades from one's notice. I wanted to place a hint of madness in them, an eternal despair. I wanted to create an open-ended world, built upon madness, with only the sense of sound. The next few chapters were built by the same formula.

Birth of the Tale

Tuesday Tales originally was inspired by the song Light up my Room by the Barenaked Ladies. Yes, I realize they don't quite match. Let me explain. Light up my Room leaves me with two thoughts. The first is an image of the burnt copper color of some light bulbs. That color is shared, in my mind, with the eternal twilight of life after all is ended. The second thought is of a rundown building. The song tells of when the wires in the walls which sing in tune with the din of the falls, from which the humming wires were born. The field of tires that's always on fire became the Burning Fields. I may have subconsciously converted the aforementioned falls into the things in the walls. I may not have.



Hydrofield runs through my neighborhood. Somehow that always just made me feel good. I can put a spare bulb in my hand and light up my yard.