Month: September 2018

Weekly Ramble #8

Lee Hall Leave a comment

I’m writing a screenplay. It’s a world of rules and words I have yet to explore. A venture in which I inevitably wanted to pursue, maybe there is someone out there who see’s the vision of Open Evening as I do, a thrilling, run and chase story that delves into the unknown and unexpected.

There has been progress in my indecisions of what to do next as a wordsmith. We are a species that is in fact always drafting. I have at least 3 future projects in the pipeline and there will always be more. Sometimes it feels as if there is no finish line but to keep working for me is bliss, a purpose, even a calling.

Writing is something I find myself needing more everyday, I also find myself enjoying it even more. The success I have had is minimal; but these books are an investment in time, they will always be there, even when I am not, I wonder if authors of yesteryear thought that too. Many of which never saw their titles reach the pinnacle of success in their lifetime. A true artists lament. But that isn’t why I write. Of course the fame and lifestyle of earning big bucks would be a desire, but I write because I enjoy building worlds and the characters that reside in them. Their struggles and overall battles towards redemption echoes mine and others in real life. If there is no element of realism in fiction then why write anything at all?

Have something to say, even if it is whilst being chased by unholy demon creatures who came from underground. There is always a message, there has to be. We function as humans by looking at the finer detail by taking someone else’s words and interpreting them for ourselves.

This all sounds artistic and deep, but it’s truth, and truth is something all fiction must contain if you want to grasp a reader. Pull them in with shit that you’ve seen or seen others go through. Make it life or death, convert the mundane into high octane, put action where there was once just peace and solitude. Overall make the reader believe what you have to say, base characters on real people without dropping their name to avoid a lawsuit, relate to where you work and the fact management will always be the bad guy. Look for the hero where there are only villains and maybe that saviour you need so much is staring you back in the mirror.

If you plan to write anything in this life, make it count, and make it as if you have something to say. In years to come some English lit major will probably spin that into some prose study stuff, but that’s alright, people are still reading your work. To write is to build and vent, it’s probably what sets us apart from the animals, we can create, and we can do it well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly ramble #7

Lee Hall Leave a comment

I don’t know anyone who looks in the mirror and is entirely satisfied with what they see. For some it can grind heavily upon the conscious mind. For others it can be an impossible hurdle.

I’ve stepped up my cardio game recently. Running can be a great mind clearer and that’s something a writer needs and when you hit those targets damn those endorphins feel good. But why else do I exercise? Because that mirror is waiting. That isn’t why I exercise entirely, I know for a fact if you look after yourself in youth, your body will look after you in age. And exercise can have long lasting benefits. With that in mind and the instant gratification of todays society I try to adhere only slightly to the image percieved by it.

I’ve had my fair share of injuries over the years. Sciatica the worst and niggling shin splints, something I still suffer from but have leaned into the pain of rather sucessfully. As humans we need to get that heart pumping and sweat flowing. Even for 15 mins a day is enough.

Back pain is the bane of my life. I slouch and of course I sit a lot for my writing so I find myself walking near enough everyday.

My advice is get active and discover a new world where you may just forget about that mirror for a while. Image isnt everything but mind and soul is. A healthy heart equals healthy functions of this vessel we ride through life. Of course indulge, pick a poison and enjoy it in moderation. Dont be a Kurt Wiseman. Be responsible, treat others how you would want to be treated, dont listen to every single word of advice, make mistakes because thats how you learn and more importantly above all, read a lot.

Weekly ramble #6

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Every day is different. I’ve reached that limbo place I call the off season. The time of year where I have finished all book drafting efforts and editing. Now I have actual time to think and process. So much progress has been made in my life this year but I continue to shuffle around with a kind of cloud over me. Only this cloud sometimes lets the sun in and then it becomes overcast again. 

Cemetery House is heading for release, a book which I know will face limited success. All sequels do, only a select have read Open Evening and this has very much weighed down upon my thought process. I expect only the loyal to invest, perhaps there will be flurry of selfies from my nearest and dearest; sometimes that’s enough, especially at this still embryotic stage of my writing career. The characters and their story is worth so much more, maybe that’s what keeps me going. Their struggle can mirror the reader’s every day battle’s, like me.

Whilst my marketing efforts remain consistent I now have all this time to decide what comes next. Script writing comes to mind, already I have had partial success with my latest pantomine play which is currently in the early rehearsal stage. There is also the bugging and returning desire to convert Open Evening into a film screenplay, a mountain I know is realistically climbable and a venture which could act as an entry into an industry I know nothing of.

Either way my emotions are continuing to reel, the disappointment of not getting a somewhat deserved opportunity still fresh. What happens now? I’ll process and think, that’s how I heal, slowly, then when I am ready another project will loom. I must carry on forward and sink beneath the surface of words. Writing is the greatest therapy for any soul in distress, creativity feeds the emotions and persona. I am a writer, I tell stories of reality mixed with the absurd and extraordinary. Every life experience good or bad can be relayed into a characters struggle within the confines of fiction, that’s what makes it feel real. This rough patch is just more fuel for the likes of Kurt Wiseman; the deep thinking hero, or Twister, the ever pessimistic survivor who is always shit out of luck. This stuff fuels character arcs and plots.

Writing is my escape, I spent the first years learning how to do that, now I know I can, that’s what I do, it’s who I am. Every day is different, and each one that passes is filled with opportunity to rise above bad feelings. I’m stronger than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cemetery House Blurb Reveal!

Lee Hall Leave a comment

With Halloween on the not too distant horizon, this year comes the long awaited sequel to Open Evening; Cemetery House. Those who survived are back to continue what has already been started.

I began production of ‘CH’ quite literally after Open Evening, well sort of. The first portion of the book serves as a prequel/origins story of a man named Twister, I wrote that very early on. The rest of the story is a continuation of Open Evening making the whole deal rather unique. I’ve tried to take all the good stuff from sequels I like and put those concepts into this book along with being conscious of what makes a bad sequel also (I didn’t to put that stuff in). There will be answers this time around, especially from the many questions Open Evening asked. What this has resulted in is a story in which I am so damn proud of, these characters who carried the last story were given another opportunity to prove how wonderful they are, and for me they wrote this one.

Those that do know, this story is indeed linked to Darke Blood and their universe is shared. There will be more nods towards that in this book, so look out. 

I have just finished my final OCD edit, and reading through Cemetery House has actually pulled me out of a rather rough time I have been having as of late. August was a pretty hard month personally but I am over myself now and this book has helped leaps and bounds.

So there’s only one thing left for me to say, here’s the blurb of Cemetery House….

The survivors from Open Evening are back for their next chapter and together they must face life after high school. Led by a man named Twister, they learn of his origins and where he came from; a place that suffered a similar fate to their hometown. Accompanied by his newly formed crew; Twister must return home to face the demons of his past, only now the town has been converted into a horror themed amusement park.

With a ‘purge’ imminent in the park, those who survived High School must look for answers as they take on their next challenge. The world of work can be filled with horror hiding just beneath the surface which has returned yet again for the roller coaster ride that is Cemetery House.

So get ready to run, think, fight and live, because ‘survival was just the beginning…’