Martyrdom of The Bab

On July 9, 1850, a man known by the title "The Bab" was martyred in Tabriz. The Bab is considered by Baha'is to be one of the Twin Manifesations of God for this age.

Whatever your feelings on religion, the stories of The Bab, and of Tahirih, are compelling. A good spot to read about them both is here: http://info.bahai.org/the-bab-forerunner.html

Dead weight loses to radio waves

I staked Dead Reckoning through the heart and then cut the cord that was wrapped round my neck.

And it feels good.

This insane idea I somehow had to finish an old flawed project before I could move on to the newer ms that was screaming for attention – fluttering in the winds, rags small and raindrops. Gone.

Do I need to tell you the new ms has exploded, like leaves on trees in June? Like a crocus?

The new ms uses radio waves and a bit of superstring theory to hold its shape. It’s framed within the moments of Marconi’s three dots in 1901 and the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Set in NL, mostly.

Signal to noise.

Dead Reckoning: Might burnt it yet, or, Get out the violins and the hankies so we can all have a weep

Burn it? As I had the guts.

Dead Reckoning, this gallstone of a novel I’ve been struggling with since 2001, wants to come out. I’m not sure it’ll ever be fit to be seen. Drafts five and six exist as first-person and third-person limited-variable versions respectveily of the same story, told in a linear fashion – that beginning-middle-end thing I get on my high horse about. I’ve shattered the narrative, for thematic and image reasons, but underneath that I need strong through-lines and character development – of devolvement, depending on the character.

So it’s hard to work on for the narrative strategy. The subject matter – violence, power, festering rage, alienation from conceptions of God – isn’t easy, either. And it’s set in the early eighteenth-century: yes, by, I’m a dialogue expert there.

A painful chronic condition has acted up, too – dandy, should have quite the edge on today. Which could help.

Gotta go deep.