Category: Media

Character Development In The Third Draft

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m really itching to start working on the third draft, and yet, I also realize that this pause I’m allotting myself can be used to improve it significantly. I’m actually READING for once. My goal is to read some very important books that could really take a number of elements of the novel to the next level.

It’s been a real struggle, however, to get myself to this point. I just either want to write or daydream. I kind of fell out of the reading habit a number of years ago but now I’m forcing myself to read some books for the purposes of research.

I have come up with a specific detail for my heroine’s character that I feel will really take her to the next level. It’s the type of “color” that readers — and marketers of the book — could really latch on to. But I have to kind of put myself in the proper mindset to know enough about the subject I’m thinking of to actually pull it off.

One issue I’m having is I’m just, by nature, too silly. I have to center myself and take things a lot more seriously if I’m going to successfully write about the subject at hand. It at times like these that it really hits home how important it is to do research when it comes to writing any novel worth it snuff.

Anyway. I am very eager to start writing again. I’m also eager to see what beta readers have to say about the second draft. But I’m pretty much at the point where the “it sucks” response on their part is already baked into the cake. I know –I just know — that I can make the third draft professional enough that I can show it to a manuscript consultant.

Goals For The Third Draft

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

My goal for the third draft of this novel is to make it good enough that I can hand it over to either a professional beta reader and / or a manuscript consultant so I can turn around and then begin to query the novel. Given money and time involved, I figure it’s probably going to be late 2024 before I really get into querying.

Which, of course, is just about when all hell is going to break loose and either Trump turns us into an autocracy or we have a revolution / civil war. I find something poetic about that. If we DON’T have a civil war / revolution — which I find the most likely at this point, then that definitely increases the chances that I will sell this novel given that the entire six novel project is one long screed against MAGA and extremism.

I really fucking hate MAGA.

Anyway. The goals of the third draft are to improve world building and character. I want people who don’t know anything about small towns to “get” the setting in a way they probably won’t with the second draft. I also am going to try to really flesh out characters in a way that makes them more cohesive and interesting.

I have a few ideas for my heroine that I hope will really make her a lot more memorable. But now that I have some sense of the totality of the story — and the overarching arch of the six novels — there are some things I hope to improve about some of the smaller characters as well.

Overall, I have a lot of work ahead of me — but it’s a lot of fun.

If Trump Doesn’t Win In 2024, He’s Going To Start A Civil War

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The thing that Republicans are wilfully oblivious about is not only is Trump going to be the nominee, but if he does lose in 2024, he’s going to single-handedly start a civil war. And if he wins, he may cause a Blue revolt that will be marketed as a “Resistance Revolution.”

The point is — 2024 is it. It’s the year a lot of macro trends come a head, just as the pseudo-science book The Fourth Turning predicts. And, at the moment, it seems like Trump is going win in 2024 — or start a civil war if he doesn’t. Trump is an avatar for a LOT of macro problems in American politics and, as such, we can’t just keep punting these problems down the road.

The Second American Republic, the one founded by Lincoln upon his death, is just about to end and either we turn into an American Autocracy or we have some sort of rebirth into a Third American Republic. At the moment, it could go either way.

My bet is this is it, Trump wins and he and his eventual successor turn us into something akin to Russia, Hungary or Turkey. There might be a WW3 along the way as we transition into an autocracy as well.

But I do think that if Trump loses — as all these well meaning Republicans seem to think in private — we’re going to have a civil war, probably with Texas being the first state to leave the Union. And, add into the equation how fucking old Biden is and…oh boy.

Anyway. Get out of the country while you can, if you have the means.

Yet More Literary Existential Angst

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I got some blood work back today and it indicated that I have high cholesterol — a leading cause of heart attack and stroke. Which, of course, makes me think of how Stieg Larsson died just as he learned he had gotten a book deal. I’m the same age he was when he died of a heart attack and I still have about a year left before I will start querying.

What gets me is that even if I stick the landing with this novel that because of post-production, I could be 55 or 56 before I’m a published author. That really gives me pause for thought when I realize I may drop dead at any moment from a heart attack or stroke.

And, what’s more, there is the issue of what the fuck is going to happen in late 2024, early 2025 just about the time I’m going to start querying my first novel aggressively. It could be that the either we’re slipping into autocracy or we are about to have a civil war or revolution just as I’m doing that.

I don’t think we’re going to have a civil war or revolution. I think Trump is going to win and that will be that. He will use Schedule F to turn us into an autocracy and I’ll have to start to seriously think about how I’m going to escape an ICE agent putting a bullet in the back of my head.

And, YET, given that it was my anger over Trump that caused me to start working on this six novel project in the first place, the case could be made that if some agent learns the nature and overarching subtext of these six novels that they might be more interested in buying the first novel.

The subtext of these six novels is I fucking hate MAGA with a white hot rage to the point that I’m willing to write six novels that let me rant about how much I hate political extremism.

Anyway, we’re totally fucked. I just don’t see any “third way” like what happened in 2020. Something really unexpected will have to happen pretty quick. Trumpism has gone septic and this is it — America is going to be an autocracy starting in 2025.

Will There Even Be A 50th Season of SNL?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

First, I have no idea if there the strikes that currently are happening in Hollywood will still be going on this fall. But we have to begin to take the possibility that there won’t be a 50th season of Saturday Day Night Live seriously.

At the moment, there is a lot of chatter that the strikes will be wrapped up by around September when it really starts to hurt the industry in practical ways. And, yet, the case could also be made that lulz, because of AI, these strikes are going to linger for months and months AND MONTHS because suits are simply waiting for AI to catch up so the strikes are all moot.

I would estimate that we’re 18 months away from pretty good all-AI generated movies being practical. As such, that’s about how long I could see all these strikes taking before they’re wrapped up because there’s pretty much no human involvement in recorded entertainment at all.

But back to SNL.

I suppose SNL could get a specific exception? Maybe? Or maybe they might be able to get a specific carveout JUST for their 50th anniversary special? I suppose that’s possible. There is a darker possibility — the strikes, if they linger — might be used as an excuse to END SNL once and for all.

Lorne Michaels has suggested that he may retire after the 50th season and if there is obviously NOT GOING TO BE A 50TH SEASON then, lulz, he may just pack things in and the show goes out not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Taking The Prospect Of A ‘Resistance Revolution’ in Late 2024 – Early 2025 Seriously

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Let me be clear — I hate violence! So, think of this as just some mental masturbation that is toying with the abstract idea of there being some sort of “Glorious Revolution” in the United States in late 2024, early 2025 in reaction to the ding-dong thug and tyrant Trump becoming POTUS again.

First, the reason why I’ve latched on to the idea of a “revolution” rather than a “civil war” is, lulz, I don’t want to leave the US. I love America and what I want is an opportunity found a Third American Republic, not build a new, separate one from scratch.

It’s take me a loooooong time to realize what it was I wanted. It took so long because I was confused and distracted by all the talk about a “National Divorce.” It took me a long time to realize that I don’t want a National Divorce! I just want the opportunity to force through some much-needed political reforms.

So, in my mind a “Resistance Revolution” would begin not with a lot of Blue States deciding to leave the Union, but something far more broad in scope. The issue would not be state level objection to the establishment of “Trumplandia” but, rather millions of individuals across the country take a stand and refusing to allow a tyrant ding-dong like Trump from seizing and consolidating power in the first place.

But as I keep saying, I just don’t think that’s even going to come anywhere near happening. At the moment, at least, it just doesn’t seem viable. Trump is going to win in 2024 and we turn into a MAGA Nazi-themed autocracy soon there after.

I just hope my Trump-branded concentration camp has Wifi.

‘Magadonia:’ We Have To Take The Prospect of American Autocracy Starting in 2025 Seriously

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The key thing to mull whenever the idea of “American Autocracy” is broached is how quickly and peaceful the transition might be. That would be when the autocracy is at its weakest — when the consolidation of power occurs. It’s as our long-term political infection finally goes septic that there is a put up or shut up moment.

The issue is, the United States is at the moment a huge nation that has a strong democratic tradition and is pretty decentralized. Many — many — people have some pretty basic assumptions about their relationship to the government and if as we transition into an autocracy that were to change in a quick, dramatic fashion….holy shit.

It could be, however, that I’m over thinking things. The core group of people who would otherwise be the ideological tip of the spear against autocratic “Magdonia” will slip out of the country and move to the south of France where they will continue to the smug liberal celebrity podcast grift without blinking an eye. Those “Smartless” episodes aren’t going to produce themselves, you know.

So, at the moment, I think Trump wins re-election and that’s that — America begins its transition into an autocracy. And, in the end, it will be not Trump but his successor who is our “Augustus.”

In fact, I will be quite stunned if Blues can get their act together enough to really try to put a stake through the heart of the autocracy that is beginning to grow within the American political system. In short, we’re fucked.

Get out while you still can.

I Don’t Think People Realize How Serious The Stakes of The 2024 Election Are

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The thing about the 2016 election is people voted for an autocrat and what they got was a dumb, lazy, ding-dong who had no idea what he was doing. He just thrashed around, yelling to the point that he could not do something as simple as steal the 2020 election.

F

With that in mind, he and his toadies, according to The New York Times, have decided to do all kinds of things in 2025 once they’re in power again. Apparently, they’re going to purge the government of the “deep state” and pretty much turn us into Russia.

As such, late 2024, early 2025 is probably going to be lit. The issue is, what are we going to do about it? At the moment, I think nothing is going to happen. Smug, wealthy liberals will use their second passport they got through their refugee grandparents and simply flee the country — probably Europe. So, there will be a massive America diaspora that could radically change world culture. I just don’t think the people who would lead any “Blue Revolution” or “Resistance Revolution” have it in them to do it.

But I suppose there is a greater-than-zero-sum possibility that something like that might happen. I hate violence to much to support any such thing, but on a purely abstract basis, it is an intriguing possibility. I continue to worry about Mike Flynn’s brother, who in charge of U.S. Pacific Command. If there was any sort of “Resistance Revolution” he would be in a position to help squash it. UGH.

The crazy part of all of this is even if The Good Guys win in 2024, there is a good chance that rather than a revolution, we’ll have a civil war as Reds decide to leave the Union.

The point is — my long-held prediction that late 2024, early 2025 is going to be a shitshow is holding up.

Why, Yes, I *AM* Ready For My Close Up, Tik-Tok

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I just don’t trust Tik-Tok very much. So, when my view count suddenly started to go up from ~300 to ~2,000, I started to wonder What The Fuck Is Up. I, for one, haven’t changed anything about my videos and, as such, either nothing is really going on other than some tweak in the We’re-Not-Reading-Your-Mind Tik-Tok algorithm or Something Is Up.

This could all change, of course, but it’s a brutally hot summer day, so I find myself idle musing if maybe Tik-Tok is somehow fucking with me. Maybe Tik-Tok is trying to either bait me into using their business account feature or they want to Tuhn Me Intoa Staah!

Now, remember, at the moment, I’m a total nobody. Total. Nobody. So any additional attention to me for any reason –even you, reading this blog post — is Of Note to me. I just don’t really get much attention in the real world and I’ve reach a point where I’m invisible to anyone under 30.

Anyway, lulz, nothing matters. But it is somewhat amusing to imagine a situation where I’ve caught the eye of someone at Tik-Tok to the point that they want people to know about me and my videos.

But that — just like me being unnerved by the idea that Tik-Tok can read our minds — is just regular old crazy talk.

Jesus Christ, I Need To Read

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I have “all the time in the world” as the old Twilight Zone episode says when it comes to reading and, at the moment, I still want to write rather than read. I say this in the context of vowing not to start writing on the first novel again — the third draft — until Sept 1st.

So, what I really need to do is just read, read, read.

But I don’t wanna. I wanna keep daydreaming or writing. So, for the moment, I’m at something of an internal impasse. But I hope to force the issue starting today. I’m going to force, force, FUCKING FORCE myself to start reading something, anything this afternoon and evening.

I’m very grateful for the very unique situation going on in my life at the moment and I know that at any moment it could change and I will be upset with myself for not reading more or, just in general, being as creative as I possibly could be.

Anyway. I think I’m going to allow myself a little bit of a pass the next few hours then once I get some shit out of my system, I’m going to sit down and read a book.

Wish me luck.