***MINE SHAFTS***
When I was a little kid growing up in Elk Grove, California,
it never once occurred to me that mine shafts were dangerous to not only the
workers, but also the environment. Salt mines always seemed like cool settings
for a story to me due to their darkness and the unknown feeling of what could
be lurking in one of these places. Plus, it was always cool to me for some
reason to see a mine cart traveling on train tracks.
The movies “Snow White” and “City Slickers 2: The Legend of
Curley’s Gold” were probably to blame for giving me an interest in mine shafts
to begin with. Then again, I also saw them in videogames like “Final Fantasy
II” (American SNES game) and “Mega Man X”. The possibility of actually finding
riches in one of these places was always exciting to me, so much so that I
wanted to dig up my backyard to find gems. Or in the case of Final Fantasy II,
a Shadow Sword. Or in the case of City Slickers 2, a bar of gold that wasn’t
just painted up for fun and games.
As an author, I’m always looking in the strangest places for
creative fuel, even if it’s so far back into my past that I barely remember it.
So how exactly can I use a salt mine as a place of interest in one of my
stories without directly copying what I’ve seen on television and in
videogames? I’d also like to be able to use it without giving uncomfortable
glimpses into tragedies like Massey Energy and what happened in Chile in 2010.
My first thought on how to handle such creative fuel would
be to use a dark mine shaft as a lair for an overly powerful monster of some
sort. Maybe there’s a sleeping dragon underneath the cart tracks. Maybe there’s
a vampire coven that’s using the mine to stay out of the sunlight. What about
an ogre who just wants to be left alone in peace? These are just ideas for who
exactly could be living in this mine.
What if the mine shaft was completely renovated into an
actual living space instead of just a dark and dusty corner of the earth? What
if it was a castle with a gigantic demon mouth for an entrance? What if there
were wizard runes carved into the rock? Or one could go for a saner route and
turn it into a tourist attraction or a museum. No matter how wild or wacky your
idea is, it should somehow spell trouble for your main characters or else there’s
no point in having a story.
Pretty much any place an author can think of can be
re-imagined as a bastion of creativity. Final Fight turned a rundown slum into
a base of operations for the Mad Gear gang. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest turned a
dragon corpse into a legitimate desert dungeon. What could a mine shaft be? The
answer is as unlimited as your creativity. This blog is merely a prompt
suggestion along with some small ideas for that prompt.
Using examples from my own life, I once wrote a western
fantasy movie script in 2007 called “Texas Technique”, where a mine shaft was
used as a gateway to the underworld for zombies who didn’t want to be
controlled by necromancy anymore. It had hooded priests, an altar, magical
energy, the works. Almost a decade earlier than that, I spent my childhood
coming up with ideas for videogames, one of them being a western-themed Double
Dragon game. You’re damn right Shadow Master was hiding out in a mine shaft.
Where else is a darkness-based villain going to hide?
The creative fuel is on the table. You can write a novel,
write a short story, paint a painting, run a D&D campaign, or whatever your
heart desires. If you don’t want to use mine shafts as a prompt suggestion, you
certainly don’t have to. It was a special piece of creativity to me as a child,
so I hope to one day use it again in my own writing. A base of operations, a
monster’s lair, a mighty fortress, a resting place for the undead, a gateway to
hell, so many possibilities, so many ways to create something beautiful. We’ve
got ears, say cheers!
***WEEKLY SHORT STORY CONTESTS AND COMPANY***
It’s a new week and a new prompt suggestion at the WSS has
been released. This time we’ve got “Non-Formulaic”, a prompt highly suggestive
of nonconformity. You all know by now how much I love individuality. Without
it, there is no creativity. With no creativity, there’s no art. The earth
without art is just eh. My story this week is called “Dark Side of the Wall”
and it goes like this:
CHARACTERS:
Ryan Warrior, Heavy Metal Solo Artist
Nameless Audience Members
Nameless Bouncers
PROMPT CONFORMITY: Ryan’s music doesn’t follow the formula
of typical heavy metal due to him combining it with Native American music.
SYNOPSIS: Ryan puts on a heavy metal show for an outdoor arena
audience in which he combines fast-paced beats with music from his Native
American heritage. He’s used to playing for rowdy audiences, but this crowd
pisses him off due to their perverted, drunken, and overly-aggressive behavior.
Ryan stops midway through a song in order to unleash a hell storm of vitriol
upon the people who came to see him. His aggressive attitude is reminiscent of
Roger Waters’ when Pink Floyd did a supporting tour for their Animals album in
1977 and Mr. Waters spit on a fan climbing the stage net. Ryan even gets a hash
tag trend going called “Dark Side of the Wall” due to him referencing Pink
Floyd during his tirade. At this point, Mr. Warrior has a decision to make:
finish the show and earn his payday or kill the show and spite the fans.
***DARK FANTASY WARRIORS***
In all this time of peeking at my drawings, you’re probably
wondering what the point of it all is, given the obvious simplistic style.
There are two points. One, it’s a promotional tactic to lure people to my
writing. Sometimes when you go fishing, you have to use the right bait. The
second reason is because sometimes when I draw these pictures, I always feel
ready to do more creative work afterwards. I spent the last two nights not
using my CPAP mask because the humidifier kept blowing water in my face. While
it’s nice not to drown in my own machine, I did wake up late in the day both
times and my energy had been sapped. So thank you, Dark Fantasy Warriors, for
giving me a chance to stimulate my muse when I’m too tired to carry on. Who’s
the next character to be drawn? Makoto Lionheart, the necromancer slash evil
clown slash samurai from the short story “Tiger Bullet Kick”. Three occupations
in one. Holy shit!
***DEMON AXE***
When an elven terrorist slays a shit ton of people at a
heavy metal concert and traumatizes the lead singer of Demon Axe, how does Paulson City respond? By having another live
event and showing said elven terrorist that America will not negotiate with his
kind. In this case, we’ve got a wrestling slash MMA show in which seven-foot
champion Johnny Vega tries to lead the crowd in a moment of positivity only to
have it interrupted by Sonia Marquez, an MMA aficionado who thinks wrestling is
“fake”. Surely, the elf terrorist can’t strike again, right? Am I right? I hope
so.
***COLLEGE HUMOR DIALOGUE OF THE DAY***
USER: The Boston
Bomber.
GOOGLE GUY: It was a real tragedy.
USER: The cute one.
GOOGLE GUY: Oh, fucking shit!
-If Google Was a Guy-
