Death is Eternal #355
Sunday. July 2, 2023. 2,782 words.
A free-for-all Death is Eternal? You bet! After all, this is the first newsletter of July, and, as in every other month, the first one is always free. Why? It’s my way of trying to convince you to upgrade your subscription. I offer you a taste of what you could have every week and hope this is enough to make you at least entertain the idea of going from free to paying subscribers. Does it work? Not yet. But I remain confident that maybe someday it will. Regardless, let’s dive into this new and exciting Death is Eternal.
Contents
The Slaying of the Spaniards (intro)
The Slaying of the Spaniards
Writing: Plotter, pantser, or plantser
Bye! Oh, wait!
What have I been writing lately?
TL;DR vs. TL;WR
Last week (June 26 to July 2, 2023)
This week (July 3 to 9, 2023)
Death is Eternal review #217: History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky
Death is Eternal review #218: Show Me a Hero
The end
1. The Slaying of the Spaniards (intro)
Although tragic and horrific, this story is so crazy and with a plot twist so unbelievable that it’s impossible for me not to love this chapter of history. And so, I couldn’t not write about it. I won’t spoil too much because, if I did a good job, I explained everything in the following short story. If I didn’t, well, you can always read the Wikipedia page afterwards. But hopefully, you won’t need it! Also, please remember that this is a first draft, so be kind and try to enjoy it despite that.
2. The Slaying of the Spaniards
“Dishonored and sunken into sea, as if they were the worst pagans and not innocent Christians,” Jón lærði Guðmundsson the Learned wrote first in his head, then in his notes, after seeing the drowned bodies.
He ran to talk with Ari Magnússon to explain the atrocity he witnessed. Unfortunately, it was too late.
When Jón Guðmundsson the Learned arrived at the sheriff’s place, Ari Magnússon had already fallen victim to the poison.
Of course, he was still alive and would live for many years to come. Magnússon had received the poison, but the victims would be others.
The Basque whalers that a few days ago saw their ships destroyed by a storm had to eat. With no money nor knowledge of the language, they did the only thing they could: they robbed an empty house.
The locals of Þingeyri didn’t like it and decided to do justice with their own hands. The Icelandic slaughtered fourteen Basque whalers. That was the bodies seen by Jón Guðmundsson the Learned.
However, there were still surviving members of the crew. And now, the locals had poisoned the sheriff. Now, Ari Magnússon thought that all Basques were dangerous.
Jón Guðmundsson the Learned tried to argue with the sheriff but lost the battle twice. After the second one, he understood that he also lost the war. He could condone it, but things would happen.
And they did.
In a decree, Ari Magnússon determined that the Icelandics needed to kill all Basques on sight. Murder a Basque wasn’t wrong; it was a civil obligation.
Over 30 Basques died because of that. Most, if not all, were brutally tortured and murdered.
The worst part, Magnússon’s decree only was revoked in 2015. The good thing is that Icelandics decided the right thing was not to follow the law.
The end
3. Writing: Plotter, pantser, or plantser
Before going too deep into which type I am, and why, let me explain the difference between the three:
Plotter: A plotter is a term commonly used in writing to describe an author who meticulously plans and outlines their story before they begin writing. Plotters typically create detailed outlines, plot diagrams, character profiles, and other organizational tools to guide their writing process. They prefer a clear structure and direction for their story before putting words on the page. Plotters often have a well-defined beginning, middle, and end and may know significant plot points and character arcs in advance.
Pantser: In contrast to plotters, pantsers are writers who prefer to fly by the seat of their pants, also known as “pantsing.” Pantser writers dive into their writing with little to no pre-planning or outlining. They often rely on their creativity and intuition to guide the story as they write, allowing it to unfold naturally. Pantsers enjoy the spontaneity and freedom of discovering the story as they go along. They may not have a predetermined ending or specific plot points when they start writing.
Plantser: A plantser is a hybrid of a plotter and a pantser. Plantser writers find a balance between planning and improvisation. They may start with a basic outline or general idea of where the story is heading but leave room for flexibility and creativity during the writing process. They might have some crucial plot points or character development planned out while allowing the story to evolve organically. Plantser writers enjoy having a loose structure to guide their writing but are open to making changes and exploring new ideas as they arise.
In summary, plotters prefer to plan and outline their stories extensively before writing, pantsers prefer to write without much pre-planning and let the story unfold naturally, and plantsers strike a balance between planning and improvisation, utilizing some structure while allowing room for creativity and spontaneity.
Now that you know the difference between the three and given everything I wrote in all previous Death is Eternal, which one do you think I am?
I’m a pantser. Well, that’s it. See you next week!
...
...
Ok, there’s more to it.
The thing is that I’m a pantser despite trying really, really hard to be a plantser. I’ve tried to be a plotter in the past, but that went horrifically wrong. So I stopped trying to outline every detail and decided to plan only a few crucial things—i.e., plot twists, big revelations, and/or the ending. But that, too, went wrong. The thing is, I can never follow my plan because the story and the characters come alive when I’m writing. And that means they’ll behave as they want to, not how I intended them to act.
It’s rare for me to get to where I want, and even more rare to get there the way I planned. And it’s curious because despite knowing that, I still insist on trying to create some planning. I know it’ll be useless, and I know I’m only wasting my time, but every time I start a creative writing project, I first take days to lay out a plan.
Why?
I don’t know.
I asked myself this question over and over again. And I don’t have an answer to it, which is frustrating because if I’d an answer, I’d probably argue with myself about the uselessness of it, which would probably save me some time. But because I don’t know why I do it despite knowing it’s useless, I keep wasting my time.
Anyway...
TL;DR, I’m a pantser trying, for some unknown reason, to be a plantser.
4. Bye! Oh, wait!
Here’s where we say our farewell to the free subscribers... Oh, wait! Not this week. This week everyone can read until the end. If you’re a paying subscriber, you know what to expect. If you aren’t, you should seriously consider becoming one!
5. What have I been writing lately?
Nothing. After finishing the edits on all my The Writer’s Studio (TWS) submissions, I decided to take the last week off to give my brain a rest. And I mostly accomplished that.
Why “mostly?”
Well, because part of me is already thinking about my next book. I want to write a 50,000-word Harvey Turpin novel. And since the character is my chance to have fun and twisting things, I want it to be different from a classic hardboiled book. Meaning, I’ve been thinking about structure-- a lot!
But why structure?
If you know me at all—and Death is Eternal is a great way to know me—you know I’m a huge comic book fan. And you may even know that not-so-secretly, my dream job is being a writer, a comic book writer more specifically. But if being a writer is tough, being a comic book writer is a thousand times tougher, especially if you don’t know how to draw, which I don’t.
But I want to write, and I want to write comics. So, how can I do both?
Well, enters Harvey Turpin. Because the character is my way of having fun and twisting rules, I want to use comic book structure in the book.
Explaining: I want the book to be five 10,000-word short stories. Each story has a full investigation, but it also lays the seed for the next one, and an even bigger one that it’ll be the last and probably will be more about Harvey than about a specific case.
For example: story one is about a murder investigation, but at some point, someone will mention a kidnapping (story two) and something about the army (story five). Then, story two will be the kidnapping investigation, and at some point, someone will mention a robbery (story three), and a person will talk about the war (story five). So on and so on.
The thing is, that means planning five plots. Not in detail, but at least knowing what the stories will be about. And since the investigations will be 10,000 words instead of 50,000, that also means planning the length so I don’t have to rush the end—as I commonly do.
The problem is, as I already mentioned in this Death is Eternal, that, as a writer, I’m awful at following plans, which is frustrating because I really don’t know if I can accomplish what I want if I go full pantser. And that makes me not want to plan and write because I’m afraid of not living up to my expectation... But that’s a discussion for another time.
In short, I’m not writing anything, but I do have some ideas. The question is, will I move forward with them?
6. TL;DR vs. TL;WR
I like TL;DR! I like it a lot! I think most things should have a TL;DR because it helps you prepare for what its come—because, let’s be honest, I always read the TL;DR first. And that’s the problem with the TL;DR; we either don’t get there because whatever we’re reading is not good enough to keep us wanting to get to the end, or it’s the first thing we read, and then we have to go all the way back to the beginning.
That’s why I propose the TL;WR—too long, won’t read. It’s more honest and can be put on top of things. Opening things with TL;WR would improve engagement while increasing the number of eyeballs on whatever you are writing, or wrote, or is asking people to read.
“But do we need to create a new thing? Couldn’t we move the TL;DR to the beginning?”
Well, yes. But it’s harder to adapt a consolidated thing than create a new one—I think. Also, I’m a creator; I like to create things. So I created a solution instead of adapting a thing.
Additionally, yes, I know I’m being very, very literal with the meaning of TL;DR. But what can I do? I’m always very literal.
Anyway, thoughts?
7. Last week (June 26 to July 2, 2023)
Similar to last week, it seemed that it would be a chaotic week, but it turned out to be a chill one. Not as chilly as the week before, but still... I had only one hectic day, which, you know, isn’t ideal. But one out of five is a good ratio. One I can live with.
That was, of course, work.
On a personal note, not a lot happened. Aside from hitting the gym, the only other thing I can remember is that I put my hands on my Wonder Woman Historia, and I must say, it’s gorgeous. I got the direct marker edition, and the cover baffles me. I don’t know how they managed to put it together, But I’m glad they did it! Seeing Nicola Scott, Phil Jimenez, and Gene Ha’s art in a single drawing is superb!
But other than that, not a whole lot happened. Jessica and I thought about doing something to celebrate Canada Day but decided to stay home because of one simple but colossal thing: lines. We hate lines, and with everyone going out to celebrate and enjoy the combo of a long weekend + summer, there’s no way we’d go somewhere that wouldn’t be full of people and lines. So, we decided to stay put. And I think that was the best decision.
Mate, I really hate lines!
8. This week (July 3 to 9, 2023)
It worked so far, and because I want to keep working, I’ll keep doing it—yes, I know that’s not how things work, and it’s hilarious that I’m doing this because I’m skeptical, but given the alternative...
We may receive the necessary information from the client this week to initiate work on the account. However, I’m also open to the possibility of not receiving it. Inactivity can be appealing to many—it surely is for me—but understandably not to everyone. My father, for instance, prefers to stay busy and productive. As for me, I most definitely have inherited a different approach.
But if things don’t go as planned, this is, at least, a four-day week. And it’s unbelievable that despite being in 2023, we still have five-day weeks. Working as we worked 100, 200 years ago makes no sense. The world changed! The world changed brutally! So why have our shifts not changed, too? It’s unbelievable.
Capitalism pisses me off!
9. Death is Eternal review #217
History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky
History of the Russian Revolution is a highly dense book!
And it’s funny because despite being a valuable register full of details, and internal information, the book isn’t as good as a history book because of the author. In the prologue, Trotsky mentions that he was one of the actors in the story and would do his best to merely relate what happened instead of inserting his vision, thoughts, and side. But obviously, he fails.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it. The opposite, actually. The book is an excellent way of learning more about Trotsky. What he thought, who were his enemies and friends, and, more importantly, how he saw and understood what was happening in Russia and the world. It may not be the greatest source to learn about the History of the Russian Revolution, but it unquestionably is a great way of learning what Trotsky thought about the movement that changed the world.
History of the Russian Revolution is a highly dense book and complex book that teaches you more about Trotsky than about history.
10. Death is Eternal review #218
Show Me a Hero
Show Me a Hero is an excellent miniseries.
The show is great because of two things, 1. acting, and 2. size. The story is interesting and intriguing but would become dull if it had more episodes. The six-episode format is more than enough to tell the story and make us care for the character, and that’s because the acting is top-notch.
Additionally, the story has many parallels to today’s world. And it’s depressing to see that today we have to battle the same battles as yesterday. But worse, because if yesterday the fear came from the unknown, today it comes from willingly closing the eyes to see that things are working and getting better.
Show Me a Hero is an excellent miniseries that shows why HBO was king of TV.
11. The end
Here we are, in a place where few of you usually are. Was this Death is Eternal good enough to make you at least consider upgrading your subscription? I mean, it’s Canada Day Sunday, and here I am, taking two hours of my long weekend to write the newsletter. Isn’t that worth something? If not the upgrade, at least share it with others, eh? I mean, I even added a topic for you... Well, be as it may, I hope you enjoyed the read and hope to see you again in seven days, with or without the paywall. See you next week, bye!