It’s December. Soon, this blog will enter its third year of existence. Wow. No idea how much content I’ll produce next year, I have a feeling it could be even less than 2015…
But let’s not think about this right now. This year has still four weeks or so left to go, so there’s still time for me to write.
So, without further ado, here’s another installment of the story of Eliot, the not so magical cat, and his life and relationship issues.
I know, I know – it’s been waaaay too long. Oh, well. There was work. And then there was other work. Then there was life. And then there was history. And all those things that keep you from writing, like discovering that Supernatural is actually a really, really good series.
But I’m digressing. NaNoWriMo is almost over and of course I didn’t participate (although I have managed to make a few edits in a manuscript that has been lying around for some time), so I’m already feeling bad for not writing enough these days. Shame on me.
To make up for it: more about Eliot, demon hunters and cats that can cook.
Hello again! October is drawing to a close, Halloween is approaching quickly and I still haven’t carved this year’s pumpkin. I dare say there won’t be one on our door step this year. Again.
Something else is fast approaching: National Novel Writing Month! I still haven’t made up my mind over whether I will participate this year, but I might do so unofficially, just to get some writing done. Unless I get buried in work (which might be preferable).
This week, we return to Eliot and the demon hunters–coincidentally, someone asked me last week whether I wouldn’t want to write about cats now that I’m watching so many cat videos on YouTube. Well, I’m trying…
Still October, but it already feels like November around here. When have I last seen the sun?
Today’s the day Marty McFly arrives in the future, so the Internet can finally calm down tomorrow and nobody will ever share the wrong date on facebook anymore. At least that’s my wish for 2015. I’m naive.
Today, I take a break from the story of Eliot, Oliver and the demon hunters (sorry), to try something slightly creepier (hopefully). British webseries “Twisted Showcase” launched their kickstarter for series four yesterday, so of course I had to binge watch the entire series during lunch break.
Here’s the challenge: make a psychological horror story with at most two (maybe three) characters, almost no special effects and very few locations. And you only got like 8 minutes to make your audience shiver. It’s hard. They’re good. You should kickstart them.
So I guess today’s story is a bit of an hommage, but it’s nowhere near as good (unless you disagree).
Monday, Monday… That tune already playing in your head? It’s now playing in mine, replacing that awful “Supergirl” remix. I’m not a regular radio listener, but this past weekend, I heard that song five times – and it’s only on no. 20 in the singles charts! However, in my dream last night, I heard “Désenchantée” (the Kate Ryan version). Whatever my brain is trying to tell me with that.
Anyway, I’ve come to like Eliot, the black cat, so I contiuned to story that I started two weeks ago. Enjoy!
What’s the good thing about OS updates? You discover unfinished work! (though not as in “paid work”, luckily) Also, you get the opportunity to throw out all the old files you kept for nostalgia reasons, and to erase all those old Firefox bookmarks that you can’t even remember why you made them in the first place. In the world of computers, it’s autumn, rather than spring cleaning (or summer, if you need to be the first with everything).
Anyway, today’s story is part II of Eliot’s adventure (?) from last week. Because cats are adorable. And surprisingly hard to write about. (and I have an idea where this story migh be going)
Hey there! I’m still alive. I survived the madness of August only to meet the madness of September – and now I have some madness-free hours to catch up with everything, including this blog. I hope I’ll have many more madness-free hours in the weeks to come, but I won’t make any promises.
And since you waited so long, here’s a bit of short fiction instead of a boring haiku. (not a “short story”, because there isn’t much of a story in it, I’m afraid. Hopefully I can revisit the character in the future)
Hello everyone! Hope you had a great week (I did).
Today’s short story isn’t actually about trees and – shock! – it’s not even about the solar eclipse currently happening above me. Instead I went to the Dragon Writing Prompts blog and discovered this post about the “12 sentences of Christmas”. So the story isn’t about trees, but it looks like one. Enjoy!
Hello everyone, welcome to spring! (at least in this part of the world) Today’s piece is a Doctor Who fanfic, but at least the first part can be read as a standalone.
A few words on the piece’s genesis: I guess everything started with this blog post by manga scholar/expert Matt Thorn in which he explains why he thinks comic creators who don’t work in Japan can’t call themselves mangaka or manga artist, or even their product manga. I see his point and would tend to agree, although at the end of the day, I don’t care much about labels on a book – if the story and the drawings are good you can call it poop and I’ll still buy it (not that you should call it poop).
Well, it seems like the post (and the ensuing Twitter conversation) left an impression on me, and coupled with the preparations for my visit to Leipzig Book Fair this weekend, it produced a dream last night. Yes, this story is based on a dream: a girls’ manga superstar is at the fair, giving a Q&A and signing books. I ask her whether she isn’t proud of all the things she has achieved and she’s like “Nah, I hate it.” Later the day, she refuses to have her latest artbook translated because she wants to be free. Curiously, she still gets a ton of money (dream logic…)
The moment I woke up, I realized: that woman needs help. She needs a doctor–the Doctor!
(And by the way, what I write in this piece about manga production is what’s actually happening in Japan, I’m not making this up.)
Hello everyone! February keeps dragging on and winter just won’t say goodbye. Things are progressing much more slowly that I would like. But this is not the place to complain about my life.
So instead, I wrote a new short story, and once again it’s dialogue-only (I love that format). Oh and it’s heavy on profanity, so if that’s not your kind of thing, you better not read on.
arakawa fiction 