October 3, 2010

Blues in the Rain

It’s been a dreary week; autumn truly has arrived, bringing torrents of rain streaming through the gray haze of the overcast clouds.  And as I drove to work and back, I had a playlist going on my relatively new iPod; a moody collection of blues, jazz, nu-jazz, and downbeat rock and pop songs.  Miles Davis, Nina Simone, David Brubeck, the Seatbelts, Moby, and David Bowie, to name a few artists.  Combined with the rain and the cool air, it was very appropriately atmospheric; I felt like I was in a film noir picture.

Someday I’d love to write a mystery novel with this same atmosphere, in the style and settings of the old-fashioned noir stories and mysteries.  I’ve only scratched the surface of developing such a story; I really should read the books (such as the works of Dashiel Hammett), study the slang, and develop the mystery.  But for now, this is only a backburner project, slowly boiling in the back of my head.  At the very least though, the music I picked to inspire this story is cool.

I can’t say I’ve done as much writing as I’d like to, but I managed to get a little bit done.  Started a short story at the spur of the moment (of which I’ve made this sketch), and I’m continuing work on a manuscript (one of many really, but this one specifically has become my top-priority favorite project; an intense sci-fi tale of genetic engineering gone too far, and the bloody revenge that ensues).  But for the most part, I’ve had work to do, video games to catch up with, and whatnot.

Hopefully, the rain will clear and I can get back into the mood to get some real stuff done.