The Writing Madness of Oz! Day 9...

As is usually the case when I become immersed in the Writing Madness of Oz, I find myself unable to concentrate on anything else. More often than not, I find myself writing at all hours of the day or night and I generally forgo my other activities until I complete the madness.

Last night was no different as I found myself laying in bed and unable to turn off the dialog and storylines running through my brain. So naturally, I got up at about 3am and returned to chapter 1 of T he Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu. 

I  mentioned in my last posting abut the intensity of this opening chapter and as I sat in front of the screen, I felt more was needed in order to completely resolve the matter at hand. Whether I have succeeded or not, I'll leave to others to decide. I'm not sure how others writers attend to matters of intensity as it pertains to their stories, but I do know that I'm not used to writing about this type of situation.
For me, I believe in Love, family, friendship and all that goes with those things. This particular issue and starting point go well beyond those things into a realm very unfamiliar to me. As such, I have struggled with putting down into words those things which  are usually left unsaid.

That having been said, I feel much better now about the direction and overall emotion of this opening chapter. It was important for me to convey a sense of Princess Ozma's Love and compassion in a way that far exceeds what we are normally used to. Me thinks I done did it!!!

I'll probably sit down later this evening and have another go at it. My co-author for Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings tells me that chapter 3 (his next chapter about Wonderland) is ready to send. I should see it tomorrow... and then we'll go from there.

The Writing Madness of Oz! Day 8...

Last night I sat down to complete chapter 1 of The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu but found the task a bit daunting. Unlike my other books, which I start in the normal way, I chose to go off in a decidely different path this time.

I must confess that the doing of it was far harder than I expected and only tonight was I able to finish chapter 1, which I call The Green Glass Shards.

I'm not sure how it will be received by others, but I have found what showed up on the page to be very rewarding!
I've decided to take on some very intense concepts and sitting down to flesh those concepts out turned out to be very intense in its own way!

However, I have succeeded and now, I look towards my co-authors contribution to our own project, Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings.

As always, I'm curious as to what he has up his sleeve...

The Writing Madness of Oz! Day 7...

I once had a mentor named David Cassady who taught me more in 4 years then almost anyone else has in a lifetime, with the exception of my father.
David Cassady was the Director of Education for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis for 45 years. He used to speak of the Serendipity Effect and its uses in education. I embraced this effect and have found it popping up every now and then.

Today was no exception...

I was at the auction when a patron walked up to me and handed me this as a gift...

She had little understanding of why it pleased me so since she thought I wrote only of Oz. Little did she know that I've written of Wonderland just this very year!

Behold the Serendipity Effect in action!!!!

I'll be sitting down tonight and trying my hand at writing chapter 1 of The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu. 

Wish me luck, though if Serendipity has any say about it, I should do just fine!!!

The Writing Madness of Oz! Day 6...

In the immortal words of my 2nd favorite animated scientist, Professor Farnsworth...

Good news, everyone!!!! The writing has begun.

It would seem that Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings has won out as the first story to get a start. 

It all started this late afternoon when I was doing some Ebay work. For those of you who may not know me, I'm a part-time teacher in Illinois, which essentially means that I make crap for wages and have no benefits. As such, I do Ebay as a means of supplementing my income. 
So I'm sitting there, listing as usual when the muse appears down the hall. Now, I've never been able to figure out if it's a male or a female, but the damn thing is about a meter tall, dressed in flowing white gowns of iridescent silk and carrying a 4x4. This time, the thing had two of them (one in each hand) and it came running at me full speed. Before I knows it, it whops me upside both sides of my head and now.... I gots to write.


Usually, I tend to write late at night when everyone is asleep. I prefer the silence. Tonight however, my wife Amanda (the creator of the legendary Potato Soup) was away at Bingo and the boys were off doing stuff. So it's early evening, I'm alone, there's no noise and before I know it, Chapter 2 (Princess Ozma's Royal Command) has found its way onto the screen. 


This is a sequel to Of Cabbages, Kings, and Even (Odd) Queens of Wonderland and Oz that I co-wrote with my good friend, Ron Baxley, Jr.. We have a most unusual way of writing which works very well for us. In Of Cabbages, Kings, and Even (Odd) Queens of Wonderland and Oz, I started the process by writing of Wonderland and the Red Queen as the villain in chapter 1. Ron would follow up with chapter 2 and the Land of Oz with its heroes. Back and forth we would go, much like a chess match until the final battle about 20 chapters into it, when we would blend paragraphs. It worked extremely well and produced a lovely story. Now, with Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings, Ron is taking the lead with Wonderland and the villain as his responsibility, while I write of Oz and the heroes. As I mentioned in last nights posting, I had immersed myself in L. Frank Baum's The Magic of Oz (1919) as a starting point from which I would develop my characters. I've selected Scraps, The Patchwork Girl as the heroine of the story and included a number of lesser known creatures as her companions for the journey and what knots.


I've also decided, (or more likely the muse decided for me) to go ahead and attempt to write The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu as well. I've never attempted two at once, so this should prove interesting. Frankly, I feel like it should be no problem... but Time will tell!

 For now, I'll think about The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu and see what appears on the screen.

BTW, in case you're wondering, my favorite animated scientist was Clyde Crashcup, who inspired me to become a scientist. Look him up on YouTube. He's crack me up still to this very day!

The Writing Madness of Oz! Day 5...

Time is such a commodity that when it flies by, grab it for all its worth. Such has been the last day or so!

Anyways, I completed my research from Magic of Oz (1919) by L. Frank Baum and it has inspired me to veer off from my planned trajectory. This happens often when I write... and I haven't even started writing. I consider Magic of Oz to be my favorite for a variety of reasons. In particular is the lovely color plate of Scraps, The Patchwork Girl.

I have been inspired to include her in both The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu, as well as Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings. My good friend, Dennis Anfuso has the most wonderful life-size replica of her that travels with him and Linda whenever they attend anything Oz.

In addition, I'm looking at the Glass Cat and the Lonesome Duck, both of whom play roles in The Magic of Oz. 

Tomorrow, I hope to start on either The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu, or Whether the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings. 

I wonder who will win out and be the first to see the light of day here in the Great Outside?