Random Thoughts 01-Nov-09

So I just finished Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman. If you get at a chance to see it, it's really something else. The only other horror musical I can think of is Little Shop of Horrors and that was pretty much a straight comedy. Sweeney Todd has an undercurrent of black comedy but thanks to the crazy amount of gore it presents, it's pretty much a slasher film. Yep, you heard thats right: it's a musical slasher film. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then I'd give it a rent. Plus Sacha Baron Cohen is in it, and I swear he couldn't not be great unless he tried.
One thing I really like about it was that it's a Victorian era horror film, which you don't see much of nowadays. It's odd too because it seems like the perfect period to see a horror film in. On top of the Victorian obsession with death there's a lot of creepiness to be gained just from the hospitals of the time. From what I've read you went to the hospital pretty much as a last resort since they were quite nasty places and the main way to cure anything was bleeding and cupping. (If you don't know what cupping is, thats a good thing, stay ignorant.)
I'm kind of obsessed with the Victorian era, but I don't know enough about it yet to write stories set in that time period. I know it was a time of huge technological advances which created more misery than anything since there were no work safety rules and if you lost your arm in a machine, they could just fire you and that was it. There were no child labor laws either. If you were rich you were alright though. Unless you caught some horrible disease.
I also know they had a rigid class structure and insane hang ups about sex.

So anyways...
I was thinking today about artists vs. writers and people, like me, who for whatever reason, have no artistic ability. I think John K actually called us "slightly retarded". I think that's a bit harsh. I think the ability to create images in another person's mind using descriptive words is not something not everyone can do. Not well anyways. It's an art like drawing or playing an instrument that requires skill, natural talent, and a large amount of practice to get good at. All you really need to convince you of that is to pick up a bad novel or short story or read one of the millions of horrible fan fictions that pepper the Internet.
I also think it's harder to sell writing than it is to sell paintings or drawings. If you're a good enough artist you can find people that be willing to buy your stuff but nobody ever commissions a writer. Art can be hung on walls and looked at by anyone easily, writing requires a single person's concentration at a time. Plus, who reads anymore? Ten years ago there were a ton of magazines you could send writing to, now it's hard to find any.
Okay, so here's an idea. I know that Justin said he was going to throw a book of my writing together for his own personal use. I've tried to put my own together lots of times, but it always fell through. What I was thinking of doing was having you guys pick the best stories and poems you've read on here and then I'd put them in a book and publish them through Lulu.com. I hate everything I write so maybe it'd be better for you guys to pick instead of me. Also, if you have any ideas for new stories you'd like me to include, go right ahead and throw your suggestions out there.
And if any of you wanted to do a cover picture or inside illustrations, and have a paypal account, I'd pay up to 20 bucks a drawing and you'd get a free copy of the book!

Alright, so thats actually the second project I'm working on. The first is a kid's book I wrote that I'm having illustrated! I'm really excited about it. It's not my usual bloody disturbing stuff, I wrote it for my little sister, but I think it's going to turn out to be pretty cool. I think you'll be surprised who the artist is too. Hopefully I'll have that all together sometime next year.

I'll end this with a huge thanks to my readers. I'm not deluding myself into thinking I have a huge fanbase, but the one's I do have are awesome. Thanks for all your comments and encouragement, it really does mean a lot.