Faith and Forgiveness, The Fall of ISIS and Islam

Faith and Forgiveness.

Two of the most powerful forces in the universe. They can also be two of the most ridiculous and a couple of our biggest problem issues.

Faith

We need faith, but not when it goes too far.

If you believe in God, you have faith. Faith that what you believe in is not total lunacy. Why is that? Because that is so obvious to anyone but a young child, that to continue on in your belief from childhood into adulthood, takes a constructed and enduring contract with oneself to continue to suspend belief in order to have faith, to believe.

Faith means to build an enduring ignorance, irregardless of reality, of fact, of  anything contrary to your beliefs. It's institutional ignorance.

When we step onto an elevator in a tall build, we suspend our belief in science (distance to ground concerns, one of our primal urges to protect ourselves) and replace it with our faith that the elevator won't drop us to a horrifying death.

In that sense, faith is good, it's a useful thing in daily life. It was a useful thing as monkey's climbing around trees having faith int heir grip that they won't fall to their death, even though, some always did. Either in a branch breaking, or falling while asleep. Faith, allowed what was necessary to survive. To stay off the ground when you could become food for a more powerful animal.
But when faith crosses the line to affect our judgement of others, to go even further to take our faith out of the realm of the suspension of belief into that of affecting others in their daily lives, then we have simply gone too far.

Forgiveness

In the Catholic religion, there is a thing called Last Rites. As you are dying, you are giving forgiveness for your life and then, you can go to heaven when you die. Uh huh, sure...like that works. The only way that could happen was if there was a contract with God, an agreement that this would be accepted and well, that doesn't make any sense at all. See the section on Faith, above.

Just as I cannot lift weights heavier than what I can normally do without first working out long and hard enough to be able to lift that heavy of a weight, so too forgiveness does us no good in being instantly forgiven. It is merely an initiator, a catalyst to start on the road to being able to lift those "heavy weights" in life. And if death is moments away, well, sorry Charley. Forgiveness merely gives us repose and a breath in order to adjust and begin on the path to getting somewhere. But when you die in a few minutes, you've had no time to adjust, to build the "muscle" in order to affect real change.

To think it is instant, is ludicrous.

Everything we have learned from nature shows us that to think you could be forgiven as in Catholic Confession, or even worse in Last Rights, and then suddenly you're purified, you can now gain entry to Heaven, simply does not in anyway reasonable way follow what we have seen in all of nature. Nature, if you buy into God, is a Nature that He created. Why would he choose one path for nature and another for humans? That too would make no sense.

But today, after hundreds of years of it being otherwise, Catholicism isn't our worst problem.

We need to have faith in order to get through the tough times. To allow us to move smoothly through life without having to be fearful of just about everything. As in a relationship with a spouse, so too with ourselves, or a deity, even.

Forgiveness is the same, sometimes, some people need to be forgiven as a right of passage to begin on a new path, to build upon our good intentions and continue that way of being in the end game, of arriving at a point where we can lift a "heavy weight" without thinking, because we have done the hard work leading up to that point, where it is at all possible and not, in spite of it.

To think otherwise, is childish. At the very least, it is naive. And as we have seen a lot in recent times, it can even be, destructive in applying religious faith to common human endeavors. The Middle East is our most gross example of that. It is Faith, lacking Forgiveness, and has shown what a destructive force that can be when you apply one in the extreme and completely turn your back on the other.

Religions Extremism

Regardless of what you believe in, especially, if you are one of the pathetic followers of ISIS\ISIL, or any religious extremist movement for that matter, you need to view life in the moderate if you want to survive; to apply both Faith AND Forgiveness, properly.

Humanity has a grand tradition of striking down what irritates it the most, be that a good irritant or a bad one, with the bad typically dying the most prominent of deaths.

To apply too either much (and you can apply even forgiveness with too much extremeness and it too can become dangerous), you are then on the road to destruction. If not yours right away, certainly those others who are innocent who you have and are, slaughtering.

In the end, we can all be assured of your own destruction. You, can be assured of your destruction. It just takes time. Perhaps not today, perhaps not right away even if you succeed in taking over regions. You cannot however hold on forever. Because in the end, all regimes of this type fail. It may very well be that yours will be spectacular.

Your failure, will be spectacular. You see, the world knows you for what you are.

I suspect you know it too. Greed always loses out in the end. Greed in religion, being the worst. The Catholic religion was once a force to reckon with and now is a dilute belief system that most people even if practicing, really don't pay that much attention to.

These capitalistic religions are a dying breed ("do good now, for reward later"; pay now, get something later; pay\receive: capitalism).

Islam, will eventually be the same.
Mohammed like Joseph Smith, is on the way out.
They just don't know it yet.

It's painfully obvious to many of the rest of us, however. Religions, are dying.

You see, that is the path Humanity is on. The path to rationality and science. At times like these, the death throws of a belief system, can be painful, for everyone. Religious ones, all the more painful because no one likes to realize that their entire lives, and generations of their families before them, have been fooled.

But it's okay. We were all fooled. Just, let it go.

What really exists, is where humanity is going, and not the ridiculous ancient religious myths and fictions of what used to be. Humanity used to be easily fooled. Many of us are starting to see that now.

With a belief system needing support necessitated to be based in faith with power over others through scripture and Imam or religious translators, and their abuses of power, we see these things on a daily basis now in the Middle East.

Not faith, and forgiveness. Faith, and killing.

Islam's time is rapidly coming to an end and with groups like ISIS\ISIL, countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, they are only hastening yet another ancient Middle Eastern desert religion's demise. Jews mellowed out long ago being the oldest of the three. Catholics burned themselves out mostly in the Middle Ages and after. Now finally, it is Islam's time.

We do need to let Muslim's change their own however, for to try and change it from without, is to prop it up, to support its continuance through their resistance to outside forces. They do want to reform Islam. Most of them want to join the greater work and modernity. It will be reformed. There is no stopping that. There is only slowing it down, or speeding it up.

Faith and Forgiveness.

You can't have one, without the other. They need to be applied in a reasonable fashion. Face it, or face your own eventual destruction.

What's sad is not that they cannot see how ridiculous their beliefs in religion are, or in how upset they get when faced with their beliefs being discounted (drawing a picture of Mohammed is a killing offense, really? Grow up!). Or, the reality of them being proven to be as ridiculous as they are.

It is sad that they cannot clearly see the world all around them, other than in their own tiny view. With their own tiny wants and needs in a world that really doesn't care. The Middle East holds a culture that was once great and they have struggled of late to make it great again and have only succeeded in minimizing their import to the world and exemplified small minded efforts to become great.

Their violent efforts over past decades have made them become smaller and smaller in the world's view. When they really deserve veneration and respect for past accomplishments and an apology for how they have been treated for a very long time.

The world needs to face up to the fact that these are mostly our brothers and as well some of them, our sisters, and that they have reasonable needs too. They really have been abused for far too long.

Mostly, they want a normal, productive life, respect and decorum. But some of them have found the worst possible way to achieve that. One that will in the end, bring upon them their own damnation and destruction. It already is. With faith and without forgiveness.

NO one thinks that they are here for that much longer.
Not even they believe that, not even with their superhuman belief muscles.

And they do know it. At least, those in charge know it. For those who do not know it, it's really time to wake the Hell up and face the burning pyre that is their future, that of their religious agenda and the future of their religion.

If there even is one.

NOTE: this is an add on. In talking with another writer today some other things occurred to me. Here are those thoughts:

Times have past times where the days of sword against sword were the battlefield weapons. We now have these morons running around with weapons of mass destruction and I include in that, automatic weapons, even bolt action rifles. Compared to a sword, a spear or a bow and arrow which itself was a kind of WMD back then, which were more one on one weapons. 

Once weapons left our hands to go out on their own to kill, the format of war changed forever. 

With the payback of weapon's actions today, things are different and Islam no longer has the luxury of taking hundreds of more years to get their shit together. This crap people keep saying about Catholics went through this hundreds of years ago is valid, but inconsequential. 

We need to put these religious murderers down, ASAP and with great prejudice. Then, during and before, we need to put down our religious acceptance of people who are delusional and violent. 

We do NOT need to be going after pacifist theists, they need protection and respect under the circumstances, but we do need to stop giving people the freedom to allow this kind of thing to propagate in our...OUR, world, not their world, because their world Cannot be allowed to exist.

#ISIS #Islam #Iran #Iraq #Syria #Catholic

The Late Alexei Devotchenko and Putin's Post Soviet Return

Week end note: Interesting. I seem to be getting no hits on this blog this week from Russia, where I had gotten quite a few last week. Why is that? Let me mention something here, a device and network. Lantern and Outernet, get access even when your government doesn't want you to.Spread the word, especially if you live in places like China, Russia or North Korea.

Now back to your normal programming and my blog for this week....

I'm writing this on the Sunday before this blog is released on the 25th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down; a nightmare for Berliners that had gone up in 1961 to stop people fleeing the communist East. I always thought that was such a useless thing for the Soviet Union to do. It was such an obvious mark against their form of government when its own people were fleeing their nation.

That wall coming down in 1989 was a great and hopeful event for so many people, the Germans of both East and West Berlin, and really too, for the Soviet and Russian people. It's sad to see how things turned about only shortly after that monumental event. And now this last death last week is just another nail in the coffin of hope for the Russian people, and those satellite nations around that lost nation. Lost, because of it's mismanagement by its leadership. Something that has turned into a national shame and national tradition. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Russia needs to join the world, embrace the rest of humanity and stop trying to be something apart. This is a tiny planet and we all need to recognize, just how much we all need one another.

Well known Russian actor Alexei Devotchenko (49), was found dead on Nov 6, 2014.

He was well known for his outspoken criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a well known ex KGB thug made leader of what was left of the old Soviet Union regime, with old KGB cronies now in the new FSB and retired. His tentacles extend into business, government and invading countries no longer a part of the old Soviet or the new Russia.

So, did Putin kill him? Probably, there's just no proof and never will be if he did. He's just that kind of guy, you see. You'll find no photo in this article of Vladimir Putin because he deserves none here. This, is all about Alexei, someone who Putin shouldn't even be allowed to cast his shadow upon this national hero's grave. 

Alexei deserves our respect and consideration and those responsible, even if indirectly, need to be brought to pay for this loss of this actor and activist. Even if that leads to the head of the Russian government.

This is very possibly a story more about President Putin than Alexei as Putin has inflamed old Soviet nationalism in the new Russia, much to its detriment and regardless of the nationalism he has spawned or the popularity of this corrupt individual. 

It is sad there isn't more of an outcry in Russian about Putin, yet quite understandable when one of his vocal dissidents is found dead. Fear has always had too much to do with Russian life. There is no need for it, however. Perhaps Putin didn't directly order the killing of Alexei. Perhaps the FSB acted alone. Perhaps merely a Putin supporter did this. Perhaps it was just someone who didn't like Alexei. Perhaps it wasn't suspicious at all or perhaps it was suicide. 

"There is reason to suppose that the artist's death is of a criminal character," said a law enforcement source. It is the Telegraph's contention that Devotchenko’s criticism of Putin might be a motive.

Alexei participated in numerous anti-Kremlin protests and has rightfully condemned Russia’s aggression towards the Ukraine. But it doesn't really matter because of the position he held in Russian society. The actor's death in Moscow seems suspicious and even if he killed himself, it still sheds a red light upon Putin and his personality and his actions in the world of late.

From Wikidpedia:

"Born in Leningrad, {Alexei Devotchenko} studied at the school number 179 of the Kalinin district (1973-1983). At school started playing TYuZe Leningrad Palace of Pioneers. In 1990 he graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography named after Nikolai Cherkasov, workshop Arkady Katzman and Lev Dodin.

"[Alexei] was a member of the United Civil Front in St. Petersburg, the participant Dissenters. March 10, 2010 signed the appeal of the Russian opposition "Putin must go". Participated in other political actions liberal direction. On 18 November 2011, in his blog in the "Live Journal" Devotchenko announced that [refusing] the title "Honored Artist of Russia" and the two State Prizes of Russia,were strongly against the policies of President Putin."

In 2011 Alexei disowned the Russian acting awards he held because he was ashamed of them having come from Putin. He urged others in the entertainment industry to follow suit. He signed a letter in March 2014 saying, "We are with you!"

“I've had enough of all this tsar-state stuff,” he wrote in a blog post. “With its lies, its cover-ups, its legalised theft, its bribe-taking and its other triumphs.” Alexei Devotchenko said that, a prominent Russian actor and anti Putin dissident, found dead under questionable circumstances this week. I'm with him on his anti-Putin thoughts. Whenever a fellow artist goes down, possibly for sharing his beliefs and speaking out against perceived wrongs, it hurts all of us." - Variety

This once again brings up the need for Russia to see that Putin is removed from office, from politics, from power, he needs to be put down and with prejudice. Not simply eliminated from national office, not simply jailed though he deserves it, but in jail he can still pull strings, like some mustache Pete Mafiaso in prison, running his "family" from lock up. But removed from Russian existence entirely, stripped of his Russian-ness, wiped out. 

Perhaps there is a proud Russian Army sniper still in the Russian army who realizes what needs to be done and with a powerful desire to return his country into the vast embrace of the world citizenry, removes him on his own cognition. When you are building for yourself, a legacy such as Putin has and continues to be allowed, to do, these things happen. 

These things happen....

For another power, another country, be it British, American, Ukranian, or any other nation to remove the leader of a nation, is wrong. It is dangerous. But for a Russian citizen to take into his own hands what needs to be done, is an issue within that nation.

We don't however, need a bottom feeder like Putin, martyred. It is wrong, however one can savor the thought if only for a moment. But even an attempt on Putin's life would exemplify the true nature and beliefs of the Russian people.

Putin has earned this kind of an end and it's certainly within the realm of possibility; for one lone gunman to give his own life to save the history and reputation of a once great Russia that is on the road to becoming great no longer or ever again in any form. And that, is just sad. The Russian people deserve better.

That was all that Alexei wanted. And he is dead now. We, I should say, the Russian people and the world, need more Alexei's and fewer Putins. 

We can only hope that the Russian people can find it within themselves, through voting booths, or very possibly some kind of coup, to remove one who we really have to ask ourselves, when an artist is killed such as Alexei, whether the leader of the Russian people, had him murdered, over ego, or fear. And we ALL know about Putin's ego, it is as vast as the Russian landscape.

Pussy Riot

We need (we, being the Russian people, countries near and around Russia, and the rest of the world), we need more people in Russia to speak out. 

Groups like Pussy Riot, who received nominations: NME Award for Hero of the Year, NME Award for Greatest Music Moment of the Year. They deserve your and all of our support. Those who will speak out deserve the support, protection, and respect they earn every time they leave their home, appear in public, or become imprisoned. They, are the heroes of today. Not, Putin.

From a May 2014 article in The Washington Times:

"As a result, Russia’s “white ribbon” protest movement, which was once able to attract more than 100,000 people to anti-Putin rallies, has been brought to its knees. Two of its most high-profile leaders, the anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny and the leftist Sergei Udaltsov, are under house arrest, and many rank-and-file activists are behind bars. Others have been forced to flee the country."

This, is a free Russia?

In comments regarding Crimea, considering the positive praise of the nationalistic bully Putin, Mr. Shenderovich, the writer, said that such sentiments are indicative of what he called the “sickness of imperial greatness” infecting many in Russia. “Unfortunately, many intelligent, educated people in our country are susceptible to the idea of Russian greatness,” he said. “This is our sickness, one that we have not yet been able to cure.”

Russia needs the world and the world, needs Russia. But not in on it's current path.

This east versus west nonsense from the old Cold War days needs to be laid to rest, finally and once and for all. It needs to be shot in the head and buried. Or it's testicles cut off an left in a glass of water next to the victim's bed, as in the old KGB affectation.

The west needs to accept Russia, to help them heal after a hundred unbelievable years and be their trading partners. But Russia needs to allow the west to embrace them as comrade and friend, and no longer the enemy. 

It is a two sided partnership that needs to be forged, openly and honestly and it falls on the west to treat Russia with the respect it deserves, something they may failed to do properly after the Berlin wall came down. But that wasn't out of disdain, but ignorance and a desire to let Russia find its own way, perhaps, when it most needed the west's help to heal and grow strong. 

But decades of Cold War confused sentiments and understanding, on both sides. We have our own issues with our right wing conservatives with their own confusion and our left wing liberals too afraid of their own shadows to stand and fight for what is right, so that in the end we have the moderate, functional government we need most. We have our own issues to fight through. 

We are however where we now are and at this point, it is in the lap of Putin, and in the best interests of the Russian people to embrace the world and stop this aggressive, old style Soviet attempts at returning to greatness, 

Doing it the right way will bring Russia back, perhaps for he first time really, into a greatness it has never seen. 

This will never happen with Putin as head however, at the controls, stumbling around like the ex-KGB drone that is all he has really ever been. It will not be easy, but we would welcome a free and open Russia. 

At some point, there will be a functional world type government on this tiny planet and, Russia, China and North Korea, can either be on the inside or the outside of it. 

It's your choice. But we'd love to help.

Open Letter to Cable, Satellite, Broadcast and Networks

I have DirecTV. I like them. I like my shows. I like The Walking Dead. I'm watching The Walking Dead right now and top and bottom of my screen they keep showing banners that say:

"YOU MAY LOSE THE WALKING DEAD AND AMC!!! CALL 855-KEEP-AMC OR GO TO KEEPAMC.COM"

DirecTV has also displayed its comeback on this situation.

I've seen this over this past week and on other shows.

Here's the deal, AMC. And, DirecTV. And all the other TV stations, Cable and Satellite Networks, film and show owners.

This isn't the first time this has happened. And it's not just been AMC and DirecTV in the past nor will it again just be them in the future.

This is a negotiation issue between producing networks and media delivery companies.

GET YOUR ACTS TOGETHER!

This has nothing to do with the subscribers, with those who keep you ALL up and running. We don't give a damn about your problems, your budgets, you agreements, your legal issues.

We pay for a service and we expect to be served what you contract for. Start being professional about the fields you are in. Make your deals in the negotiating rooms and not in our living rooms!

We the people are sick of your crap. We don't care who the bad guy or the good guy is.

JUST DO YOUR JOB! Deliver us the media we have paid for. You are not children. Act like adults, come to an agreement and leave the customer, who is always right, remember(?), out of it.

Remember customer service?

We expect a degree of professionalism behind the scenes, and not on our screens.

Do not air your dirty laundry, have some respect and professionalism.

If you have not hired professionals to do these jobs, fire the people in control of these issues and hire professionals.

Do it now!

And leave us out of this bullshit.

JZ Murdock
Professional Writer\Author

Keeping your notes

I write down everything I can and keep everything that I write down.

Why?

Before I get into that I have one thing to say:

Or sometimes simply destroyed by those they rail against....

“I've had enough of all this tsar-state stuff,” he wrote in a blog post. “With its lies, its cover-ups, its legalised theft, its bribe-taking and its other triumphs.” Alexei Devotchenko said that, a prominent Russian actor and anti Putin dissident, found dead under questionable circumstances this week. I'm with him on his anti-Putin thoughts. Whenever a fellow artist goes down, possibly for sharing his beliefs and speaking out against perceived wrongs, it hurts all of us.

Cheers Alexei, you have our gratitude and you will be missed, I'm sure....check out my blog tomorrow on Monday (November 10, 2014) for a full blog on Alexei and Putin.


Because when I get a good idea, it will still be a good idea when I can get around to doing something about it. IF, I write down enough information that it makes sense when I read it, later. It's also different than someone else telling you, "I have a good idea, you should write it down and produce it through your art." And "your art" being you're writer as I am, a painter, sculptor or whatever.

Here's the thing. When I get a "good" idea, it is a good idea because "I" thought of it.

Because I thought of it, there is a wealth of connections in my mind associated with it. If I don't write it down, I may never remember that key clue that leads to all those elements.

It's like I have an idea and I'm at one end of a long hallway. Along that hallway are doors opening into other idea elements which can also have doors themselves. It is a network of ideas I have generated and it is worth remembering.

If I don't write it down then I probably won't remember it and though I may still have that long hallway, I may from then on only see fractured elements of that one primary idea. If however I write it down, I most likely will be able to get to that place again at the end of the hallway and thus have access to most if not all of those doorways again.

If someone just tells me an idea, then I have the beginning of that hallway where it places me and though I can see perhaps down a hallway, there may be doors along that hall but they may be closed for me, locked, or completely nonexistent; where they may be available to that person who suggested it in the first place.

So then, they should write it, not me. Right? But, they never want to do that, they just want me to do it for them. The worst form of this is a new writer, who writes a (usually bad) first draft, asks you to help with it, then expects you simply to rewrite it, make it sell-able and then sometimes, sell it. And give them the credit, though sometimes, they offer me co-credit. Which I really don't need, and they certainly do.

It comes out in the end, very fair for them and yet not really at all fair for me. That may sound unfair on my part, but live through that a few times and deal with people's idiosyncrasies when they are not professionals and you begin to see just how unfair it is to me in the end. And I say me here, but this for any musician who has heard from someone they have a great idea for a song that could make them millions, or a painter who is told someone has a great idea for a painting and they should paint it.

Then sometimes, they ask that I give them five percent or something, as one person has said, of all I might make on that idea. Which is ludicrous, if you know anything at all about that kind of thing. When that happens I just politely decline, though sometimes they can be adamant about it, if not, offended. But that is their problem, not mine. I do after all, have enough of my own great ideas, too many for the time I have to flesh them out.

Whenever I write a note down, I also include other things to key me into remembering, especially if I don't review the notes for a long time. It also helps to review the note the next day and then in a few days, again in a week and then in a month and a year.

Research has proven that to be highly beneficial as we can lose 80% of what we learn quickly after learning it, if we don't properly review and refresh our memories.

If I was watching a movie that gave me an idea, I'll write that movie title and year down and will even include what scene, or why something clued me in to it being a good idea. The more I can include the greater the possibility that I will later be able to recall the largest possible amount of that original idea.

I've had story or book ideas that I later reviewed and used in another story or book, as a way to further enhance that story or book. It lends to what I'm working on, a kind of depth I wouldn't possibly otherwise get. You also never know when that idea later on could fit into something other than why you wrote it down, and save the day, in some way or another, possibly, some never before considered way.

So all I can suggest is, take notes. Take good notes.

Freebie of my book Death of Heaven for Halloween Weekend!

Happy Halloween!

Welcome, to your nightmare. But have fun with it!

Horror book for Free!

Now welcome to MY Nightmare! Just for the weekend, I'm offering a free ebook download copy of my book Death of Heaven. from Zilyon Publishing - coupon KL76K good through the weekend.

You've never read a book like this one.

Cover by Marvin Hayes

See the video trailer here at my YoutTube Channel TheJZMurdock

Demons for Free!

Also, my Wattpad story The Unwritten, is always free, available to read on your cell phone or mobile device as it's being written. I'm up to part XII now and part XV is going to be a massacre.

Ever wake in an old cabin which a crazy woman was sticking you in the side with a knife while you were strapped to an old table? I'd advise against it, especially with what this guy has to deal with. Alternate universes, Hell, literally...Hell. It's an ongoing story being posted as I’m writing it.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

BOO!

I mean...Cheers!

What is, The Unwritten? Find out FREE on Wattpad. Experience, the cliffhanger, as it's being written!

[ My editor said she had trouble finding links to

my story on her iPad, so just to be clear,

here is the STORY LINK referred to below.

This is now a finished book on Amazon & Smashwords.]

New parts posted to Wattpad weekly, or more frequently

This past summer I started playing with a site called, Wattpad. An author I know from Facebook, Louis Shalako, was posting parts of a book he calls, "The Mysterious Case of Betty Blue". I wasn't paying much attention to things till I started to wonder why he was using Wattpad. So I thought I would give it a try.

I posted a few things, getting my toes wet. I posted the popular story, To End All War. A short story I wrote on Wattpad. I posted my short short story, "The Fall" which previously was only available in an ebook of mine as an additional story. This was a story that led to an article on my writings, in Indies Unlimited called, "Gender Bender" by L.A. Lewandowski, about writers writing both male and female characters and making it work. I wrote, Crashing Indulgence, as an experiment that got more than a few reads. But these were all just testing the waters, until something of substance came about.

Then one day, I came across an old quote on my quotes page here on my blog called, Quotes Along The Murdock.

Currently only 12 parts, more coming, trust me.

Whenever I post something somewhere that I find interesting, I post it on that page. I posted one a while back and saved it in there attributing it to, "The Unwritten". Which actually meant to be a kind of joke and essentially something that I hadn't written, it was a quote from nowhere. I write just about everything: non-fiction, fiction, horror, sci fi, screenplays, whatever. I try to stretch my skill set.

The quote goes like this:

"I want to learn to love you best of all," she said, "and that's just easier if you're dead."
From, The Unwritten

It occurred to me that I should write it into something so that when I said it was from, "The Unwritten", it could actually be from SOME thing called, "The Unwritten". I thought about Wattpad and figured, what the Hell, let's see what happens. Wattpad is a place readers can watch writers as they write something. Some writers have even gotten book deals from publishing on Wattpad, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

You can see how writers think as they develop a story. It's a kind of first draft platform for many, both writers and readers. Some polish their work before publishing on there so their works aren't first drafts, but some of us are throwing our first drafts up there, a  pretty scary prospect, really. Especially for those writers who think it's offensive to show a first draft to anyone, as I was taught by one of my university professors.

For some, they really shouldn't publish a first draft. But for those who can kick out a first draft that's readable, especially if you already have readers, it can be fun and rewarding to see how a writer develops their stories. It's also a good experience for a writer. It can change how you work, it can embolden you and beef up your skills. I do have to go back from time to time to clean up parts to fit the new parts, new directions as things develop, but I've found that I really don't have to do that very frequently.

So, as for the quote, it is obviously some kind of a quote from a horror story, so I wrote part "The Unwritten Part I". I wasn't sure if I'd go on beyond that, or where it may lead.

Right after I posted that first part, I was on Facebook, joking around with some people I know from a group on there and to give a guy a hard time, who I was just teasing, I threatened to name a character in a horror story after him. I thought about which one and well, "The Unwritten Part I" became, "The Unwritten Part I - Tom". I'm not so sure he appreciated it, but there it is, the protagonist's name is now, Tom. And Tom has been immortalized in one of my stories. 

A part II came along and then a part III and I realized, there was more to come. At this point there's eleven parts published and two more in draft stage, with no end in sight.

I seemed to be publishing them on Wattpad at a rate of about one a week. Then it escalated. I work on it as I have time. I create one or a few drafts of upcoming parts and work on them if I have an idea where those part should go. I do my note taking in these draft parts and dabble in them, altering them as they develop, then sit down and write through the next part and publish it.

It's led to some research on things. Like Hell and how it's perceived throughout history and in different religions and cultures.

Okay, SPOILERS now -

If you don't want to know anything about the story till you read it, then go read it. It's free.

You can download the Wattpad app for your phone and within seconds of my publishing a new part (or whatever author you decided to follow), you get notified immediately and can read it right then on your phone. Or whatever or however you like. It's kind of a throwback to the old Saturday movie cliffhangers where you just have to wait for a new episode to see what is happening to our here. Or, our antihero, in some cases. 

Here comes a basic description of what you're getting into with this story, The Unwritten.

The story begins with a guy who wakes up in an old cabin in the woods, strapped to an old kitchen table, with a woman standing over him with a knife. She says to him (you'll never guess what):

"I want to learn to love you best of all, and that's just easier if you're dead."

There. Now that quote comes from somewhere and truly is from, "The Unwritten".

Moving along....

With that, she stabs him in the side. Not to kill, but to torture. And, he's not very happy about it. Finally, he finally passes out. When he wakes up, she's gone, he's still tied up and he can't remember anything. Not who he is, where he came from or how he got there. He just knows that he doesn't want to be there or see that woman again since, his host isn't very nice.

One thing leads to another and well, his day just gets worse from then, and then it gets really bad and finally, pretty surreal. Surreal in a way I don't think you've experienced before.

That is to say, things go downhill for him from there; literally and figuratively.

But they also go up.

You see, there is something up there in the cabin, too. Something, is flowing along the ceiling. That's bad enough but where it comes from, is even worse. But that's not all.

There are some others involved. No, they're not there. All three come together in this story in a bizarre exploration of some very disparate things that interact in unforeseen ways. Unforeseen for us, and unforeseen for the characters.

This is a horror story. It's a slasher and torture story. It's traditional and nontraditional. It's a sci fi. A very dark fantasy. Basically, a little bit of everything and, the kitchen sink.

Well, that's all I'm going to tell you. I may at some point in a future post, explain how the parts came to be.

For once, in writing this, I'm just cutting loose and enjoying my writing process. Usually I have a very structured way of going about things. But with this, as Wattpad allows, I can just go for it and see what happens, let my imagination run wild. Which some might say from past writings, I do anyway, but this is different. Maybe it will come out in a similar way to the readers, but for this writer, it's quite a different experience. 

The few people who have read it so far have liked it and have no clue where this story is going. Because honestly, neither do I. I do even more so than usual, write myself into a corner, then try to creatively write myself back out of that corner. If I do a good job in the end is yet to be seen. But so far, I have a pretty good track record in doing that.

One of the cool things about Wattpad, is that readers can make comments, can connect with the writer as the writing is being done. If I were to see a good comment and it changed how the story was going in an interesting way, I just might incorporate it.

I should say that I do have a path in the back of my mind, as to where I'm going. Up to a point. Which is mostly just one to three parts ahead at any one point with an overall thought about where I'm heading, that changes as I come up with a better idea from time to time.

The story is being honed as I write it. It's odd for me since people are reading it before my editor has a chance to do any editing. I should add that she is enjoying the experience and anxiously awaiting my new parts as I post them. So that's a good sign. Because if it sucked, I'd hear about it, I'm sure.

So if you like this kind of thing, please come along for the ride. Because you'll be on a ride that is free, fun, and a touch foolhardy. No, maybe not so much that last one, but it will hopefully keep your attention and be entertaining on several levels.

So, come on down to the dark side! 

Down? Yeah, you'll see what I mean. If you join us for the ride. Experience what the "cliffhanger" is about!

Come join us reading, The Unwritten

New parts posted to Wattpad weekly, or more frequently

Cheers!

We're Not Doomed, It's Always Just Darkest Before The Dawn

There's an old adage, "It's always darkest before the dawn", which has a lot of wisdom in it. Many times, perhaps most times, things do get their worse before they get better.

I've seen the same thing in my life. When times were hardest, once I got through them, times got a lot better. Sometimes just because it feels much better, sometimes because you worked so hard to get out of your bad situation, you overshoot when things start to turn for the better. Or you put out calls and some finally pay off, sometimes after you no longer need them. Not always the case surely, but many times it is true and frequently for some of the worst times.

This certainly isn't news to me but for some, they seem completely ignorant of it and that brews up anger and bitterness in them; sometimes in ways to work against themselves.

I was recetnly listening to Fareed Zararia's Sunday morning news show as I always do on the weekend: Real Time With Bill Maher on Saturday mornings for a lighthearted view of what's going on in the world and Fareed on Sundays for a more serious orientation, as I prep my next Monday blog.

I realized something about how bad things have been at times and questioning, where's the relief, where's the end? It occurred to me it may be closer than I thought.

The US Congressional Republican's stupidity these past years, the stupidity of China's leaders, the insanity in the Middle East, perhaps all this is their death knell and good times are soon to be upon us? News networks like Fox News who push rational issues to the point of media manipulation and sensationalism purely for the purpose of ratings and money, greed. It's dislikeable, disagreeable and stupid.

Rational people dislike types such as Bill O'Reilly who are a part of the hiding in plain sight, conservative anti-intelligentsia...the "Intelligent Stupid Elite", who exist under the transparent media "rocks" of the anti-liberal wingnut.

People dislike national leaders such as Vlady Putin in Russia, an ex-KGB punk, grown just a bit bigger than tiny. Wait, punks are cool now, let's say, chump, instead then. Look, I'd say thug but I don't want to disdain the good name of thugs everywhere.

Putin who dresses (IN a dress? Hey, who knows in private, right?) when he doesn't have his shirt off, to try to satiate his bloated ego and girlishly sensitive self-esteem. He's like the self-esteem insufficient bully in the elementary schoolyard who picks on poor little Ukraine who was minding their own business and only wanted to talk to the cool kids in the west, and so he steals their Crimea while everybody is looking, then dares anyone to do anything about it. This isn't very impressive for everyone else, by the way.

Putin who takes up a sport like judo (or wrestling for that matter). Unless you are looking to get up close and personal, rubbing up against sweaty skin with other men. Look, there's nothing wrong with either Judo or wresting, But it's different when you are leader of a nation. Things, count for more than the seem to and they should.

When wouldn't he take a really good Martial Art like Aikido, unless he feels that is too peacenik-like so then he could go for, Krag Maga. What does it say about Russia's leader that instead of taking up an excellent home grown Martial Art like Systema, he takes on a Japanese one and not even an Martial Art but Japan's venerable and national sport? Is this a brave Russian Bear of a man?

If he's a real man, if he wants to prove to the world how powerful he really is, let's see him produce a television cartoon making fun of the Prophet Mohammad.

Now THAT, wold take a real man.

People also dislike his similar counterpart in more extreme North Korea's Kim Jong-Un whose carnal and culinary satiations have gotten so far out of hand his ankles rebelled and broke. Or the too thin right up through to the brain, Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.

Or the pathetic movements of ISIS\ISIL, with their sad abuses in allowing juvenile desires to run rampant and free with weapons aimed and fired at who many innocent people? This is a group whose single obvious goal apparently is to get Iran talking with the Great Satan!

Yes, lots of things going on around the world today.

These are sad individuals all, whose sense of self importance trumps that of the abused citizens in their care.

But these are all tiny despots including Putin in massive and still mighty Russia, whose people will one day wake up and kick his abusive ass out of office and take out his cronies and backers as well. Putin who is still just a tiny man in control of a large nation on their way out of this ever modernizing world if Putin remains in power.

Enough of these concerns about these tiny egotisticals.

Consider the slow engagement of governments to clamp down on issues like ebola. An issue which drastically points out how not helping poorer nations, can truly affect those who think, "this isn't our issue".

Because, it is. It's all our issue.

Sometimes it takes things getting to their worst, to gather the attention of everyone, before there is a strong enough and cohesive enough of a reaction in order for real positive change to come to fruition.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we're finally almost there.

Of course, many times things go on seemingly forever. Sometimes bad things fizzle out and suddenly there is a newer, better arrangement and things simply evolve into being better, without an Arab Uprising, a Tienanmen Square, or a Civil War.

But the current issue with ISIS/ISIL is pretty bad, pretty ridiculous, pretty offensive; not only to the world, to the west, but to the Arab and Islamic world, too.

We may be viewing the death knell of much bad in the world. It doesn't look or seem like it. But when it happens we will look back over it and only then see how it was obvious at some point after the fact; when it seems like it should have been obvious during the fact; and yet, we couldn't see it. Why?

Just ask your self, why, and look around you, try to see what isn't obvious. Of course you have to cut through the media's skewing things for sensationalism and their lies depending on what compromised news network you listen to (that is Fox News as opposed to Al Jezeera, maybe), and the spin doctors and publicist's manipulations.

If that is the case, if things are about to get better, let's at least consider it now, when we most need to see the light of a new day and not the sunset of an old one. To be aware of the possibility of an upswing, so that later you can say, I saw it coming and not, I really had no idea and I did unnecessary harm to myself and others in my professing "the sky is falling", which seems to be so much anymore about life in our modern times.

Just... be, aware, be, hopeful. And act toward making things better.