More Star Wars, Artwork, and Editing a Story

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

So, the newest Star Wars is out and, apparently, fans are mad. I understand. Although I enjoyed the movie, it left many of the questions I hungered for the answer to . . . hanging. Actually, not just hanging; they basically wrinkled them up and tossed them into a furnace.

But I'm sure you don't want to hear another nerd rant, so enough about Star Wars. If you really want to know more about my opinion, feel free to drop a comment below.

On a different note, I have been editing a story for an acquaintance in exchange for some artwork. I'm sure you've all heard about my continual issues with artists, but hopefully, this will be a mutually beneficial exchange. The idea behind his story shows promise, and after a bit of tidying up, it should be an excellent read for anyone interested in the fantasy/superhero genre. After seeing the artwork that he has previously created, I feel hopeful about his ability to provide me with greatly improved cover art.

Ta-ta for now!

~ Michael C. Sahd

Wordless Wednesday?

I've been told today is Wordless Wednesday. Seems kinda silly for a writer, but...

Brooding skyby realityDream on DeviantArt

Old Memories

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down to write something on this blog. I admit I'm terrible at keeping it up.

This morning, I complained as such to a coworker. He responded, "When I can't think of anything to write, I like to think up some old memories." He then proceeded to tell me a story from when he was a teenager, and after which, I shared my own story:

One cold November night my family was driving through Texas, somewhere in the flat expanses on the west side of the state.

I sat in the front seat next to my father, and my brother and sister were in the back seat. We had just left New Mexico and were on our way back home to Brownwood, Texas.

My father and I were "discussing" religion. Being a staunch Catholic, my father was of the belief that only humans have souls. I, on the other hand, had a taste for something different. The tiring dogma of organized religion left a nasty film in the back of my throat.

The argument centered around the belief of what had souls and what didn't. I argued that animals indeed had souls and he adamantly denied such a thing. At the time, I believed that in order to exist in a physical realm a spiritual counterpart must also exist, and I stubbornly insisted this was correct.

Off in the distance on this icy night, a bridge quickly loomed into sight, but we were too engrossed in our argument to notice the watch for ice sign.

"Actually," I said, obstinately, just like any know-it-all teen might, "Even rocks must have souls."

At this point, my father was furious. Such things were sacrilege, and could lead one straight to Hell. "Rocks..." he said angrily, punctuating each word, "Do... Not... Have... Souls!"

Immediately after "Souls!", our vehicle passed over the bridge and directly onto a patch of ice. The car started sliding sideways. My father over corrected, and we skidded sideways in the other direction. We fishtailed several times before finally crashing gently into the side rails of the bridge.

We were all wide eyed and breathing heavy. My father asked if everyone was alright, checking on each of us individually. When the shock of the crash faded away and my father backed up and continued down the road, I turned to him and said, "See? Sacrilege. You pissed off the spirits."

My father just ignored me after that, but the memory of that incident will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Inspiration in the Most Unlikely Places

Many writers will share that real life experiences inspire the tales they tell. Many, myself included, scoff (or have scoffed) at such a statement; telling themselves, "My life isn't nearly so interesting." What I have learned, however, is that this is rarely the case. Experiences take place daily, and though they may be mundane to you, they won't be after "enhancing" them.

Just the other day, I took a trip to the local library to find the second book to the Septimus Heap series. I, of course, found Angie Sage's books fairly quickly, and although they had many of her books, the one I wanted was not on the shelf. Naturally, I asked the librarians to see if it was checked out. It wasn't.

I informed the lady at the counter that I had looked and it wasn't there; she responded by telling me to look around, because people don't always put them back in the right place. A little disheartened, I went back to look again (I had already looked around the nearby shelves, duh). After not finding it, I went back to the librarians for help. Instead of helping, they shrugged and said it could be anywhere. I left, rather annoyed by their lack of help.

However, the librarians, were interesting characters, and a version of this scene has already made it into my next story with Damian. I have changed many of the details and spiced it up a bit, but the entire scene is inspired by this short interaction.

Your experience doesn't need to be Hollywood material. Just the smallest interaction, large enough to catch your attention, but not much more than that, can turn into a scene in your book. Take notes, make a voice memo, or just tell someone about it, and you will be able to get it down on paper. Embellishing the experience into an interesting scene is what makes you a writer.

And no ... I still have not found the second book to the Septimus Heap series. 

Assassin Marked Completed

After a late night of last minute editing and fussing with Amazon Direct Publishing, my first short story is published.



Assassin Marked
by Michael C. Sahd et al.
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Assassin Marked tells a story of a man and his lover who work for the mafia in a futuristic setting. I believe it is an interesting read.

Although I have overcome a great hurdle, my nerves are twisting into a ghastly knot, much like a pile of unraveled yarn. The pressure to provide more stories to the public weighs heavy on my mind. The last thing I want to do is provide this one story and then not release anything again till years later.

Assassin Marked, written almost ten years ago, sat edited and for almost a year now (maybe more). I'm really hoping that future stories will come more quickly.

Yet I'm not done with Damian. Already, work has begun on a larger story involving the assassin, and the addition of some new individuals.

Balanced Tipped faces a serious revision, but I'm confident that I will turn it in to my editor, Laura Pruett, very soon. Incidentally, if any of you reading this article are in need of an editor, click on the link I provided. I know of no better editor than she.

Keep checking back here for more information on published works.

Artwork: A Writer's Obstacle.

In the past, I always felt that writer's block was my biggest problem. After finally finishing a piece and having it ready for publication, I find that finding an artist poses a much more harrowing problem, especially when low on funds.

At least with writer's block, my issues stem from self-induced obstacles, but finding an artist is beyond my control.

Over on Goblin Savant I had my friend Ian illustrate Gerald der Zeichner, the Goblin Savant. However, finding suitable art to portray my protagonist in Assassin Marked proved near impossible, and after months of searching, and waiting on the good graces of others, I decided to dust up my own photoshop skills. I created a very plain cover, but I like it.