• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

The Newest Oldest Blog In New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Captain America Guide
    • Iron Man Guide
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • Spider-Man Guide (2018-Present)
    • Thor Guide
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Belgique
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race Sverige (Sweden)
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Archive
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / Personal / topics / thoughts / Devils in the Details

Devils in the Details

November 13, 2011 by krisis

This weekend I have spent a not insignificant amount of my time researching the following engrossing topics:

I think I am still feeling some of the psychological ramifications of reading this book today.

  • relief maps and rivers of the Ozark mountains
  • construction of single story log cabins with a chimney and attic
  • zip line harnesses and the weight limits of various carebiners
  • the physiological effects of breathing nitrous oxide, and if it appears spontaneously in nature
  • diagrams for simply tree houses

I also spent fifteen minutes standing at sink, lighting matches and throwing them in at a set of house keys, counting how long they would burn and checking to see if the keys got hot.

Am I going on an adventure vacation in the mountains of middle America?

No, I am writing a book. Again.

.

When I was in ninth or tenth grade one of our reading assignments was Lord of the Flies. I hated a lot of the other things we were forced to read, but this was a book I could get behind. I consumed it in a single weekend.

Our final project was to create some sort of derivative work, with the book as our source material – like an interview with one of the survivors.

I loathed this sort of teacher-approvef fanfic assignment. At age thirteen I was already writing fanfic for things I actually cared about and novellas of my own. I was fine with a research paper, but the assignment (and its brethren) felt like the equivalent of assigning us to a chain gang in an attempt to spark creative brilliance. I considered the whole bunch of them to be a waste of my time.

In my orneriness, I decided to protest the assignment via dutiful completion of the best assignment in the class. I would write the correct ending to the book, because (SPOILERS!) most of the little hooligans living through the end was far too precious of an ending. I felt that it spoiled the morally gray original to allow these murderers to be returned to children in the eyes of their rescuers.

I'm getting verklempt! Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic...


(Next on Coffee Talk: The Hunger Games has supplanted Lord of the Flies despite lacking the measured allegory of the latter not only due to its similarly unsentimental look at moral/ethical behavior in young adults, but because it follows the realistic outcome of their actions much wider in society and much farther in conclusion. Discuss.)

I set about creating my groundbreaking and teacher-baiting work of subversive genius. I was a scrawny pre-teen, so I had that angle well-researched. I spent a lot of time tracking the various spears through the book to see where they were and who held them, considered how quickly a forest woud catch fire, and gave some thought to how you could behead a boy with the rudimentary tools the tribe had fashioned.

(In other news, I’m happy I went to high school in a pre-Columbine, pre-9/11 world, because afterward I would clearly be labeled as a dangerous potential murderer and/or terrorist.)

It was a glorious day when I turned in my assignment. It branched perfectly from the existing novel, written in the same style. It ended with the idnelible image of the marines disembarking onto the beach to discover nothing but an idyllic island beach, barren but for a wooden pike bearing Ralph’s head – set against the backdrop of the raging inferno of the forest, from which the screams of Jack’s tribe could be heard all too clearly.

To emphasize this bleak ending, I carefully collaged said image out of a series of clip art as an illustration for my final page.

A relief map of the Ozarks, in case you were wondering...

I got an A, but they might have decided to keep an eye on me for a little while.

.

I know I’ve mentioned this before in more memorable fashion, but for me the hardest thing about writing a novel continues to be writing what I don’t understand.

I understand talking, so there is plenty of dialog. Once I got my learning permit last winter the driving scenes became much more plentiful.

I managed to keep the characters out of the car for three thousand words this weekend, but when your characters are crashing around the Ozarks in a pitched battle for life and death, every page is a new research project.

As a plus, I am now ready to book a  zip-line adventure through America’s deciduous forests!

Related posts:

  1. X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #13: Nation X

Filed Under: thoughts, Year 12

Previous Post: « Crushing On: SingleCut Guitar Editor
Next Post: What I Tweeted, 2011-11-13 Edition »

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW ContinuityNew for Patrons: Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW Continuity
    Dig into over 200 issues of turtle power in perfect story order with my Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics at IDW! […]
  • Drag Race Sverige Season 1, Episode 3 – “Drag-a’-mera!” design challenge Review & Power Ranking
    The queens of Drag Race Sverige stress over a Drag-a'-mera unconventional materials design challenge and a pair of intimidating judges in Christer Lindarw & Fredrik Robertsson. […]
  • New for Patrons: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Guide to Mirage Studios Continuity
    Curious about the b&w indie comic origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? my Guide to Mirage Studios Continuity covers every issue! […]
  • Drag Race Belgique Season 1, Episode 5 – Snatch Game & Night of 1001 Audrey Hepburns Runway
    The queens of Belgique compete in a oddly low-key Snatch Game and a Night of 1001 Audrey Hepburns runway that emphasized realness over glam. […]
  • RuPauls Drag Race Season 15 Episode 12 - Wigloose The Rusical Title CardRuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 12 – “Wigloose The Rusical” Review & Power Ranking
    Wigloose is one of the best Rusicals ever, and it arrives at the perfect moment to address anti-drag, anti-LGBTQA* legislation across America. […]
  • Updated: Guide to X-Men Legacy
    I updated my Guide to X-Men Legacy, but it's more like an anti-update - since Marvel has yet to get around to recollecting Mike Carey's incredibly run. […]
  • Guide to GamoraNew for Patrons: Guide to Gamora
    Learn more about Thanos's adopted daughter and the most dangerous woman in the galaxy in this Guide to Gamora, of the Guardians of the Galaxy […]
  • New for Patrons: Guide to Shadowhawk by Jim Valentino
    If you've spent some portion of the past 30 years curious about Jim Valentino's Image Comics hero, my new Guide to ShadowHawk explains his history and how to find every issue in reading order. […]
  • Drag Race Sverige Season 1, Episode 2 – “MARATHON Talent Hunt” Review & Power Ranking
    It's the "MARATHON Talent Hunt" as Drag Race Sverige puts on a talent show with some shocking acts, followed by a Pippi Longstocking runway. […]
  • Shazam Guide, The Captain Marvel of DC Comics – now available to the public!
    Excited for Shazam! Fury of the Gods but unsure where to start reading his comics? My Shazam Guide covers EVERY appearance from 1940 to today! […]
  • Drag Race Belgique Season 1, Episode 4 – “L’émission qui vous déshabille” acting challenge & “Ceci n’est pas un look!” runway Review & Power Ranking
    Drag Race Belgique delivered a brainy episode filled with culture with a spoof of the documentary "Ni Juge, Ni Soumise" and a Magritte-inspired "Ceci N’est Pas un Look" surrealist runway. […]
  • RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 Episode 11 - Two Queens One Joke - Comedy Luxx Noir London Loosey LaDucaRuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 11 – “Two Queens, One Joke” Review & Power Ranking
    The Top 7 queens of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 take the stage for a Two Queens One Joke comedy challenge and a Rip Her To Shreds runway. […]
  • Updated: Guide to New X-Men by Grant Morrison
    My Guide to New X-Men is freshly updated with the newest reprinting of the New X-Men by Grant Morrison omnibus, the final Peter Milligan recollection, and more. […]
  • New for Patrons: Guide to Brigade
    I think you've forgotten one of Image's earliest comics. It's about a disgraced super soldier leading a vigilante team dedicated to justice. Ring any bells? […]

Layout copyright © 2017 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

Links from Crushing Krisis to retailer websites may be in the form of affiliate links. If you purchase through an affiliate link I will receive a minor credit as your referrer. My credit does not affect your purchase price. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program.