First a couple of updates on Letter #3. Letter #3 is going to get an update. Here are the changes that are going to be made. I'm adding a prologue to the Key and an epilogue to Letter #3. The epilogue will be more like a bridge between Letter #3 and The Key.
We're going to update the cover, take out all of the years for the journal entries, and give it another update in regards to editing. I'm going to post the prologue and the epilogue here in blog form. First though, a sneak peak on the prologue for The Key: August 4th, 1901, The Black Hands Society is formed. The sole purpose of this society is the extermination of those in power that are suspected to hold mental powers. This secret society was formed by Bosnian born officers of The Army of the Kingdom of Serbia and their first order of business was the assassination of King Alexander Obrenovic and Queen Draga on June 11th, 1903. This was carried out by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijevic Apis. The coup led to the overthrow of the Kingdom of Serbia. While the overthrow led to a change in power it was the founders hatred towards any of the mentalist powers and understanding that such power existed that led to the extermination of telephaths in Eastern Europe. By 1911, the group still considered the Black Hands, re-branded themselves as Unification or Death. The history books will tell you that this happened to unify Serbia, but based on the Telepathic Historical Review by Derek Lerner, the Black Hands sought to eliminate all with any kind of mentalist capabilities. This included those with the ability to speak telepathically, move inanimate objects through telekinesis, and those with the clairvoyance ability. It was believed that not only did Archduke Franz Ferdinand have telepathic abilities, but that he was the most powerful telepath of his time. It didn't help that the Archduke was also sympathetic to the Serbian efforts. In 1914, Black Hands assassinated the Archduke and this sparked the first world war a consequence that wasn't expected. Ultimately the group went on the run. In 1938 the Serbian Cultural Club (SKK) was founded by two former members of Black Hands. Starlab Industries out of Barcelona proved that there is a way to communicate telepathically. In a 2014 published paper and partnering with the Harvard Medical School teamed up in their research and p
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Currently, I'm working on several things at the same time. You can visit www.brokenartsproduction.weebly.com for more information on the plays that I'm writing, which are designed to inspire, make you think, or just entertain you. The latest short play that I wrote is called "Steps." It's about two people who are about to share their first kiss. The roles aren't gender specific and the 7 minute play is designed for both a boundary exercise for all actors and an exercise in tension acting. Something that I embrace as a writer and director.
In addition to the plays I'm constantly writing, I'm also working on three different writing projects at the same time. A new leadership development book called "The Mirror" is in the outline phase. "Project Veneration" is at the 20,000 word mark. The sequel to "Letter #3" currently called "The Key" is at the 40,000 word mark. Sequels are hard, there is so much you have to recall, research from your first effort that it more than duplicates the effort. In addition, I've complicated things by hiding bible verses in the text of Letter #3 that give clues to the direction of the story and replicating those nuggets has proven to be difficult at best (Every number (time, room #s, etc.) is a foreshadowing bible verse). "Project Veneration" has been a story I've really wanted to write for a long time, it's a combination of these elements. science fiction (time-travel), historical manipulation, love story, and a good old fashion apocalypse. Historical manipulation is one of my favorite things to write. There is inference to this effort throughout Letter #3, for example; Who was Joan of Arc? In "The Key," there are many references to the Berbers and the Black Hands historically and what their impact to the world was. In each instance there is enough historical doubt to then pursue an alternative reasoning, purpose, and in some cases outcome based on twisting the perception of the historical event. The entire effort of "Project Veneration" is a challenge of faith, not just religious, but also historical accuracy. It's an exciting read from beginning to end as you follow Hadwin Ostrega on an incredible journey that will challenge the way you think about documented history, implied history, and religious history. I am very excited about my continued pursuit of leadership/personal development writing. "The Mirror" represents several pursuits. The audience for this is anyone looking to find the best version of themselves. This will be equal parts motivation, personal development, practical application, and story telling. The last part sometimes exists in "self help" style books, but I want it to be a big part. There will also be testimonials from experiences gathered throughout my tenure as a leader. A final note, I plan on starting VLOG to journal our weight-loss journey over the last nearly 6 months. This will be designed to have motivational, educational, and educational qualities for anyone looking to make the leap into a true journey of weight-loss. That's an update on my creative ventures, please feel free to share with me yours in the comments below. Choosing a title for a book is really a tough thing. You want it to be as different as you can make it, although it's impossible to jeopardize anything legally as the title of a book can't be copyrighted. There have been questions about what Letter #3 pertains to, and it is one of the biggest mysteries of the novel. It represents the pivotal moment of the story where your rooting for Stephanie is no longer because she's a sweet girl who has unique gifts, but instead because she is a unique girl and she might be more like you than you thought. I've had some people come up with, "Letter #3 is C" which is true. "Where are Letter's one and two?" I've even have people say how can this be the 10 Letter's Trilogy, if you only deal with one of the letters in Letter #3. My answer, is this: If just the title of the book encourages you to read the book because of the mysterious nature of the title, then please read the book. The goal of the title should be to encourage someone to pick up the book and read it and with the questions that I've been asked about this book, clearly I've chosen the write title. If you have questions please feel free to comment below! I really enjoy telling stories whether they be fictional or true. Telling stories has been such a part of my life that translating these stories into novels seemed like the next natural step in the evolution of my writing.
The passion for writing started early on. I didn't live an ideal childhood, existing in an environment where drugs and alcohol were a daily theme, physical and verbal abuse were also a staple of daily life, as was being sequestered to my room. I would often utilize creative writing as a made-up homework assignment so that I could sit at the kitchen table to watch the nightly news in the living room while the adults conducted their less-than-desirable activities. The first creative writing exercise that I wrote was a play for Paddington Bear. I was in second grade at Jennie Barker Elementary in Garden City, Kansas and Mrs. Hammer gave us a writing assignment. This really sparked the idea of writing. This was my earliest influence in writing. In fourth grade, Mrs. Stallings at Alta Brown Elementary also in Garden City, Kansas would work with us on creative writing by giving us story starters. I remember writing a story about a haunted house and a common theme of my early writings were centered around creating a mystery and surprising the potential reader. South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington was really the next time that I got into creative writing as I took an elective class by Mr. Olson. I've always had the itch to write, and I have to give credit to several influences. My favorite author is Michael Crichton, the way he twists science fiction into something that seems real and tangible inspires me as a writer to find my niche. I also credit John Grisham and his ability to create wonderful characters while maintaining the integrity of the mystery. On a more local level, I have to give credit to two different writing groups that I've been part of. About ten years ago, I wrote a play By Invitation Only and while this has not been produced, it is a project I intend to get back to, perhaps in a workshop atmosphere. Justin Morse, Joshua LeMay, John Smith, Tim Knowlton and I would write sketch comedy and even produced an entire show Employee of the Month for a variety show in Belfast, Maine in 2006. In 2008, I became part of another creative team called Yikes!Monsters with Jaimie Schwartz, Mike Best, Steve Dodge, Deirdre Fulton, and Chris Newcomb as the primary core of writers and performers. We added writer, Hillary Price, as well as other performers to complete our efforts. For the radio drama revival series by Fred Greenlaugh we performed a couple of Chris' writings and for a show in Freeport, Maine we performed Hillary's Red State/Blue State. The talents of these writers and collaboration of our group covered nearly three years and certainly influenced my writings. In 2013, I watched a TED video of Slam Poet Shane Koykzan called To This Day. It was about being bullied and it motivated me to write slam poetry. I ended up writing some personally driven poetry Children Are Resilient and We Are The Broken People. In addition, I wrote a poem for my soon to be born son, Bentley called As Your Father. For the 2015 Port Fringe Festival, I adapted We Are The Broken People into a one act play that has 14 slam style poems put together to tell a complete story. My influences are broad as I'm sure many writers are and they are both external and internal to the process. Creating characters that people will find interesting, or a reflection of parts of themselves is one of the keys to my writing. I'm my own worst critic is the cliche, but I take the critiques and always remember them and adjust if appropriate. The accolades feel good for a moment, but the critiques linger for years, even decades as you write. The key though, is to never stop writing. |
Joe SwensonWrites in several genres. Follow his blog to see his processes. Archives
March 2020
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