Paul
* * *
For Jeff: I put up a first draft of the Clay and Randall scene. Hit that sucker and do what you want with Randall's dialogue or whatever.
Oddly, I couldn't get them to fight. Maybe you can. They just trashed talked for me. Might've got to fighting if the Aliens references hadn't come up. (I found a couple of colorful ones.)
Paul
* * *
I won't be able to read it until this evening, but Randall is in such lousy physical shape by that point that it would completely make sense that he'd resort to trash talk over violence when dealing with Clay. Especially since Clay has guns.
Jeff
* * *
Loved the Clay and Randall scene, Paul.
Jeff, to get Randall to that point, he's gotta ditch the wheelchair dracula, and get the circuit breaker back up.
Joe
* * *
Did I miss the "Jenny on the intercom" scene? I'm going to use that during the Randall vs. Wheelchair Dracula scene.
Jeff
* * *
I'm doing the "Jenny uses the intercom scene" right now. Her message is:
"Randall, I'm still in pediatrics with the children. I need you to...oh my God!"
This will be while the lights are still out.
Joe
September 10, 2010
Since Jenny is using the Intercom with the electricity still off, I see no reason for Randall to put the lights back on. We can finish the novel in the dark. Scarier, more suspenseful.
Get your flashlights, lighters, and torches...
Joe
* * *
I've added Clay and Randall 3.3 to Paul's folder.
Jeff
* * *
A new file up -- Just shy of 3k in length. Clay gets Shanna to safety, meets a TV crew there, offs the dead staties as they become draculas, gives Shanna the ring, hauls out his MM-1, and heads back inside.
Paul
* * *
Sorry, that was just shy of 2.3k
Paul
* * *
Fuckin' A Paul Wilson. Awesome scene.
I've got a Jenny/Lanz back and forth going on that will probably be the grossest scene in the book, then she'll be all ready to be rescued. She also has four kids with her, who should also be rescued.
Clay's gonna have his hands full.
Joe
* * *
Jeff 5.0...is done.
I'm going to do another short Randall chapter where he's stumbling through the hospital, really out of it (which lets us "cheat" the timeframe a bit because it's not specific about how long he's wandering around) and then I'll link it up to the Randall Meets Clay scene.
Jeff
* * *
All - can't wait to read the new pages...I've been quiet this week b/c I've been trying to wrap up edits on AMERICAN GENOCIDE but I should be back into DRACULAS Saturday or Sunday.
Blake
* * *
Awesome scene, Jeff.
I'm guessing Randall will get stuck at the stairs because of his injury, and have to crawl, and the legless dracula will be right behind him in a death race. Won't be so funny anymore when the dracula is closing the gap.
You also need to do a Benny scene where he finds gas. I did some research, and a two cycle engine like a chainsaw should be able to run on isopropyl alcohol. In other words, rubbing alcohol, which is everywhere.
Benny would know this because his chainsaw juggling buddy used to also spit fire, and used rubbing alcohol to both blow flames and power his saws.
Blake - No worries about being behind. Take as long as you need with American Genocide. Because we've replaced you with Brian Keene.
Joe
* * *
Joe, you're a treasure.
Blake
* * *
So let's bury him!
Jeff
* * *
Free sample is live...
http://www.amazon.com/DRACULAS-Chapters-Upcoming-Release-ebook/dp/B0042ANZBU
Joe
* * *
Sweet!
When I tried to download the sampler, my Kindle went dead. 100% blank screen, flipping the power switch did nothing--dead.
Fortunately, a manual reset worked, but clearly DRACULAS is a book of evil.
Jeff
* * *
Honestly, no shit, it crashed my Kindle PC too. WTF?
Blake
* * *
http://www.amazon.com/DRACULAS-Novel-Terror-ebook/dp/B0042AMD2M
Go ahead and tell the world. We're going into full-on promo mode.
Joe
September 11, 2010
My Jenny/Lanz scene is almost finished, then I'll be caught up to Paul. Jeff has one more scene to get him up to the point where he can meet with Clay.
Blake--you've got some catching up to do. If you haven't started it yet, let me do the Wolkenstein explanation, and you concentrate on Stacie and Adam and Oasis.
Or if you're really gung-ho about Wolkenstein, go for it. We can work around you until you're ready.
I'm thinking this whole thing will max out around 70k words. Then we'll each have a shot at editing it.
My wife has read what we have so far, and she couldn't tell who wrote what section. Which is pretty impressive, since she's read all of us. This reads seamlessly.
She loved it, BTW. But the one thing she says is lacking is suspense. She thinks it's a lot of fun, but could be scarier.
We're all in a dark hospital right now, so we might want to use this setting to stretch out the tension a bit. I also anticipate going back into the manuscript and adding a bit more atmosphere and creepiness.
That said, this is obviously a lot more like ALIENS than ALIEN, and I'm fine with that. I think readers will dig it.
Joe
* * *
I've lost track of time. What time of day is it?
Paul
* * *
In the book, or in your personal life?
In the book, I believe it's around 9pm.
In your life, it's 11:18, right about time for your first nap of the day. Your name is Dr. Wilson, and you also write books.
Joe
* * *
I made way more progress last night than I thought I would, and will be finished with my edits by tonight, which means I'm back on Draculas tomorrow and should catch up pretty quickly. I'm happy to do the Shanna scene, and I'll do it first, but if it's slowing anything down, feel free.
Blake
* * *
I left the end of Clay 3.0 open for that. It can then be connected to Clay & Randall.
Paul
* * *
A non-gory scene with our lovable clown.
Jeff
* * *
Nice, Jeff. Though, in total candor, I'm not sure if we want to step away from the story for a full-fledged flashback. What do you guys think?
I just wrote a scene with Lanz that actually made me a bit nauseous. I tried to keep it clinical, because he is a doctor, but it ranks up there with the grossest things I've ever written...
Joe
* * *
I thought about that, but I think we have to embrace the sheer absurdity of the "clown gasses up chainsaw with rubbing alcohol" concept. It's a quick enough scene that it doesn't really disrupt the pacing, and it provides a "quiet" moment in a book that has few, and Benny-in-flashback gets to speak for the reader who is saying "C'mon, gimme a break!"
Jeff
* * *
I revised this to a night scene.
If Maria wants suspense, I'll try to give her some. I'm sending Clay back up to the 4th floor (that's where Randall and pediatrics are, right?) Any problem if the emergency lights in this hall are knocked out so it's DARK -- I mean, pitch black?
Paul
* * *
I might be wrong--I think pediatrics is on the third floor. I went off the idea that Clay found Benny on the third floor. So now Randall is going up to the fourth floor to find a different route back to pediatrics, where he'll meet Clay and link to your chapter, and then he'll continue back down to the third floor to reunite with Jenny.