Writer's Journal

Things get strange

Cicatriz Episode 3×06

Cicatriz Episode 3×05

Here we are.  Take this.

More exposition.  Of a sort.

Cicatriz Episode 3×04

For your reading pleasure(?)

Cicatriz Episode 3×03

Well, that was a short episode, but I think that all the important things that were in my outline happened (yes. They did. Don’t question me.)

These episodes are a little more urban fantasy, a little less episodic. Cicatriz, as a whole, has made a drastic move from one-off events to long stories, which kind of fit the “detective” thing more; in all honesty, the whole thing started because I wanted to attempt the “occult detective” subgenre that was so popular in the pulps, but now occupies only one or two series of trade paperback books (The Dresden Files and Anita Blake, I think, neither of which I’ve read.)

The choice of positioning your work in a genre is important, even if you write mundane fiction. No one would really argue that The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby are the same genre, or that either of them match Great Expectations, Gravity’s Rainbow, or On the Road. Yet those are all “literary” fiction. Funny, that.

(In truth “literary” just means “historical or contemporary fiction.” Anyone who tells you differently is trying to protect something.)

So, Cicatriz is an occult detective story. And something else. Something else entirely.

Because every story should be something else entirely, if only somewhat. You understand?

About Cicatriz:

Okay, the Duplicate. There are going to be more of them, and they serve an important role in the story. No, they’re not the same as the Shadows from Atlus Entertainment’s Persona 4, though I’ll admit that those are back there in the DNA of the idea.
It’s more related to the “Duplicates” from Mark Twain’s No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger, for a variety of reasons. No, I’m not going to elucidate more, you can figure it out on your own.

Back next week.

–Cameron Summers

June, 2010

Well, here’s the new one.  A little short, and a little late, but I like to think that certain things begin to become clearer–or at least more compelling–in this episode.

Cicatriz Episode 3×02

Also, Jave was correct in the comment on the backmatter for the last bit.  The quote does come from Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger.  The reason for that should be made clear in this chapter.

So, I’m writing this in a coffeeshop down in New Orleans (Z’otz, for those who are interested.  Nice coffee, and an interesting place to go.)  This is because I had a bit of a Wade Larkin moment and came on down here for some reason.  I really couldn’t tell you.

But it’s an experience, and if you intend to write, you need to experience things.  I’m not the sort of person who believes that I need to do absolutely everything I write about, but going on adventures is a great way to get ideas.

I feel, at the moment, as if I have a better idea about the sort of person that Wade is, though certain things are still sketchy on the page, there’s a person behind the actions that is only now coming out in my mind.

Forgive the brevity of this post–I’m writing on battery power.

But here’s something:  First person to tell me where the quote at the beginning of the episode came from gets a prize.

Cicatriz Episode 3×01

Now with attempted suicide and awkward sexual tension.

Continuing with my conceit that Cicatriz is laid out on the television series, here are the first two seasons, collected together.

Season 1:

Cicatriz 1×01

Cicatriz 1×02

Cicatriz 1×03

Cicatriz 1×04

Cicatriz 1×05

Cicatriz 1×06

Season 2

Cicatriz 2×01

Cicatriz 2×02

Cicatriz 2×03

Cicatriz 2×04

Cicatriz 2×05

Cicatriz 2×06

Not much to say, today.  I quit smoking last night, and I’ve got work to get done, today.

Expect a change in tone for the 3×0X sections.

Work, work, work.

Sorry, folks.