Is This The End?

6/7  I told Marshal Latham yesterday that I was 97% finished with "Sins of a Sidekick," and an hour or so later, I was on my way to the library to see what more I could do.  For once, I didn't dick around on the internet (except to ask it the Spanish words for a couple of terms, so I could make up New Mexico town names), and when the damned over-loud "The library will close in fifteen minutes..." announcement blared, I was about a page away from those two words, so I turned on the speed.

I was there, at the climax, where Ben's adventure is over, and who knows what the next one will hold?*

But, it didn't feel the way it usually does--which is a bright and hopeful sense of accomplishment, a feeling that while I have failed in virtually all arenas of life**, there's this one little corner where I have created something that didn't exist before, and just maybe the world is the better for it.

Instead, I felt nothing.  I had written "the end," but it felt like I had typed it by accident, or way too soon, like I was a liar or a fraud.  Huh.

6/8  So, on Saturday, I went back to the library, opened the file again, and expanded those hastily-written last three paragraphs into a page and a half, pacing out the ending a bit, filling in more detail, tossing in three more lines of dialogue.

And it still didn't feel good, or complete, or satisfying.

Huh, again.

I've mentioned it before: getting to write "the end" is usually the most satisfying part of my writing process.  It's the equivalent of hiking to a high peak and then being able to look down and see just how far you've climbed, or teaching a child to read over a period of months or years then watching him/her read the subtitles aloud on Takashi Miike movies, or working a long stretch of overtime and then seeing the sizable bump in your next paycheck, or summoning a being of unfathomable rage and hate from the netherworld and then watch it attack the neighborhood village, raping and terrorizing and eating children right and left.  

But not this time.

And what does that mean?  

Does it mean that the story is not good?***

  It might.

Does it mean that I've lost that lovin' feeling, oh oh that lovin' feeling, 'cause it's gone, gone, gone?

  It might.

Does it mean that the story is, in fact, not at an end?

  Sure, but I always do a second draft (or a third, or a fourth), but that doesn't keep me from feeling satisfaction when I write those two words.

I just found this strange.  If it don't bring you either joy or a paycheck . . . is it even real?

Something to think about.

6/9  Oh, and it's probably the second-longest gestation I've ever had on a project I've written, from starting it to actually finishing it.  When I completed "Balms & Sears" back in 2022, I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment and relief, because I started that one in 2016 or 2017 . . . and I'd pushed through to the end.

Which reminds me, I vowed to release that this year, and it's already June 7th or 9th or something.  Better get to work.

Guess it isn't the end.

 

*Well, I know, obviously, since I wrote it in 2018, but I was being poetic in asking the question.

**Including blogging, most likely.

***Debatable, right?  But probably, yeah, it isn't good.

Think On Your Sins

One of the goals I set for May 2024 was to finally write--and finish--my Ben Parks story "Sins of a Sidekick."  YEAAAAAARS ago (I think it was 2018), I wrote another installment of the series, called "A Sidekick To Miracles," and while I was writing it, I thought, "Gee, there's room for two stories between Sidekick's Journey and this one."*  So, I made reference in "Miracles" to an experience Ben had with a Reverend Elias, and logged it for possible future use.  It's something I've learned to love about writing series, leaving breadcrumbs that I could come back and pick up one day, if I ever decided to.

Unfortunately, I made the choice, years back, to wait to publish "Miracles" until after I'd published "Sins," which I did start on, back in 2019 or 2020 . . . but then abandoned it, which meant that the story I'd actually finished never went anywhere either.  Sigh.

Cut to 2024.  Big Anklevich is writing like he's in port for only one more night, and is apt to lose the use of his wiener once he's back aboard his ship, and I can't help but feel like I ought to do something other than sleep, run around the block, and criticize people who want to see BEETLEJUICE 2.  I wrote "A Sidekick's Journey" (the best installment in the series so far) in 2015, and I decided enough was enough, and that I ought to get back on the horse (so to speak) and finish "Sins of a Sidekick."

But saying I'll do something and actually doing it are two different things.

I have had a heck of a time finding the strength to write this story, partly because it's a Western and I'm out of practice (it's easier to write about small town 21st Century America than 19th Century small town America) and because so boring.  I struggled the first time with writing this story because I didn't want to spend ten thousand words sitting on a homestead with Ben Parks, wishing he were someplace else.

But that's the story I set out to write, and I've written probably eight or nine thousand of those words . . . and then I can get to the fun part.  And then the super fun part, where I write those two glorious words.

This is preliminary artwork--what do you think?

Right now, the story is sitting at 17,851 words, so, maybe 3/4ths of the way there.  Sins notwithstanding, wish me luck.

*"Sins" begins with Ben coming back from a final adventure with Lorelei Skruggs, the female gunslinger he met in "Journey," though the details of that adventure are not revealed.

Rish Outcast 159: Choice of a Sidekick

Happy Christmas, Ron.

This was last year's holiday episode, which I was unable to get out there in time.

In it, I'm presenting the Benny Parks prequel story "Choice of a Sidekick," but be warned, the sound quality is decidedly un-Christmasy.



Download the episode directly by Right-Clicking HERE.

To support me on Patreon, go HERE.

Logo by Gino "He Chose . . . Poorly" Moretto.

Music was "Americana" (of course) by Kevin McLeod of Incompetech.com.

"Choice of a Sidekick" Available On . . . Somewhere

I wrote a somewhat-holiday-themed Ben Parks story in 2017 to use as my Christmas episode that year.  Then I didn't get it typed up in time.  I did get it typed in time to run as my Christmas 2018 episode, but I didn't get it recorded in time (I chickened out when I noticed how weak it was).  But I figured I HAD to put it out there for Christmas 2019.

So here it is.

"Choice of a Sidekick" was initially titled "A Sidekick's Holiday," until I realized that didn't work (not that "Choice of a Sidekick" will make a shortlist of good titles), and tells the tale of Benny Parks when he was nine, back at the San Domingo orphanage we met him at in 2005.*  It is a slight story (only about five thousand words) that may become important(ish) depending on how many more of these I get written.

So, here's the thing: I suggest you skip this one.  It's not necessary that you read it, and it's certainly not necessary that you buy it.  In fact, I'm going to not only suggest you not go to Amazon and pick this up, but I'm going to forbid you to.  You don't need this story in your life.  No one does.

I told Marshal Latham I would ask people not to buy it, and I fear he thought I was joking.  I ain't joking, kids.  I'm only posting this here because I knew I'd find an excuse not to publish it again this year if given half the chance.

If I'm not able to dissuade you--and hey, last time: this is not a story you need (or should want) to read--it is available on Amazon AT THIS LINK.

I know the cover's not particularly good, but my nephew is currently the same age Benny is in the story, so I took a picture of him in a thrift store with a cowboy hat on.

I took a picture of the trees behind the family cabin, and awkwardly inserted him into it.  Then, I found a website that turns photographs into something resembling old paintings.  I tried a bunch of different iterations, like these three abominations:



Finally, I decided on an earthtone one, even though the story takes place at Christmastime.  Big stuck the title on for me, and there you go.  So that part of the process, at least, is kind of interesting.

Rish "Hell of a Salesman" Outfield

*Well, you didn't meet him then, unless your last name is Anklevich, but I met him then.

Rish Outcast 122: A Sidekick's Journey V

So, we've come to the end of this Ben Parks adventure (a sidekick's journey, if you will).  But a journey into . . . what?

Then I talk about Western movies, and how they're similar to my favorite genres of Horror and Sci-Fi.  ARE they similar?



To download the episode directly, Right-Click HERE.

To support me on Patreon, go on over to THIS LINK.

Logo by Gino "The Enraged Silverback" Moretto.

Ben Parks image by Dave "The Sedated Mandrill" Krumenacher.

Rish Outcast 121: A Sidekick's Journey IV

Okay, here's the thir--er, the fourth segment of "A Sidekick's Journey." 'Nuff said?

Rish brings you the thir--er, fourth segment of "A Sidekick's Journey" . . . and lots of rain.


To download the episode directly, Right-Click HERE.

To support me on Patreon, Left-Click HERE.

If I ain't said it enough, thanks to Kevin McLeod for Incompetech.com for his always-great music.

As always, logo by Gino "The Toothless Wolfman" Moretto.

Ben Parks image by Dave Krumenacher.

And thanks to Marshal Latham for recently revealing how much I love Satan.

Rish Outcast 120: A Sidekick's Journey III

Among the crickets, I continue to present my Western story "A Sidekick's Journey."

Ben Parks rides into danger with Lorelei Skruggs!

In my opinion, this segment is the most significant portion of the story, and if I were a real writer, I'd address it considerably in the next book.



If you care to download the episode, just Right-Click HERE.

If you care to support me on Patreon, just go HERE.

Outcast logo by Gino "The Honeybadger" Moretto

Rish Outcast 117: A Sidekick's Journey II

Sorry about the delay on this, but I finally got around to seeing the final episode of "Downton Abbey" this week.  As you can imagine, it made me question all of my life choices.

This is the second installment of my 2015 book "A Sidekick's Journey," the sequel to 2005's "Birth of a Sidekick," Outcast episodes 14-17.  Continuing the story, Ben Parks meets Lorelei Skruggs, an associate of the late Lean Rider, and quite an adventurer in her own right.  Perhaps together they can pick up the hero's mantle where he left it.



If you wanna download the episode directly, Right-Click HERE.

Cover logo by Gino "The Pantsless Assassin" Moretto.

If you wanna support Rish on Patreon, you can go HERE.

If you wanna buy "A Sidekick's Journey," you can go HERE

If you wanna buy "Birth of a Sidekick," you can go HERE.

If you wanna really upset Rish, you can go HERE.

Rish Outcast 116: A Sidekick's Journey I

Rish presents the first installment of his 2015 book "A Sidekick's Journey," which is a sequel to 2005's "Birth of a Sidekick," ran as Episodes 14-17 on this podcast.  In this one, Ben Parks does his best to survive in 1890's Arizona without the Lean Rider by his side.

This will go for multiple episodes (either four or five), and I hope people enjoy them.



If you wanna donwload the episode directly, Right-Click HERE.

If you wanna correct my spelling on "download," Left-Click HERE.

Cover logo by Gino "The Clone Gunman" Moretto.

If you wanna buy "A Sidekick's Journey," you can go HERE

If you wanna buy "Birth of a Sidekick," you can go HERE.

If you are upset that Rish is running one of his audiobooks on the podcast, you can go HERE.

If you wanna support Rish on Patreon, you can go HERE.

If you wanna reprimand Rish for not getting Marshal to reprise his role as the sheriff, you can go HERE.

Like a Real Writer

I felt like a real writer today.  I was working, so I went out to lunch late, and took my notebook with me, jotting down notes about where the Ben Parks story I'm slowly constructing was going to go.  Then I went over to the mall to see if I could find a blouse for my mom (I found two I liked but, shamefully, did not know her size, so I texted her and waited.  No response), then I suddenly got an idea of how I wanted to end the story, so I left the mall and hit the library.

I sat down at my usual cubicle there, and fired up ye olde MS Word programme.  I started typing, only pausing to waste time on the internet to look on Wikipedia to see what caliber shell a Colt Peacemaker fired.  Then, I went back to writing my story.

Basically, this is a "Sidekick Chronicles" tale that takes place when Ben Parks is twelve years old (he is eleven in "Birth" and "Journey," and seven in the still-unpublished Christmas prequel).  The piece I wrote last year was a short story, and I figured this one would be too, but after today, I'm afraid this is going to be a novella like the other two.

It's supposed to be a simple tale--and it is, technically--but it's just gotten too out of hand, and the work I did on it today (around 2000 words*) showed me that, once it's said and done, it should be around thirteen to fifteen thousand words.  Maybe longer.

I have bemoaned the fact that I just haven't felt like writing in 2018, and have had to force myself to do it nearly every night for a month.  But today, well, I really hit my stride.  I was feeling it, typing away like a madwoman, and totally enjoying it, to the point where the library announcement went off that they were about to close (I've complained before that they close obnoxiously early on Saturdays, but wow, today really snuck up on me), I would've been happy to go another half hour or more.

I didn't quite reach the end, but I came close enough that, if I had come home and continued to write, all I needed was the final scene and the coda, and I'd have been able to type those two sweetest words in the English language.**

Now, that doesn't mean that it's finished, or even close to the point of sharing (I need to go back and fill in a space I skipped, wherein Ben goes to a little town and tries to speak Spanish to the Mexican villagers), but it was enough Real Writing (or at least as close as I'm capable) today that I feel pretty good about myself.  We'll see how long that lasts.

Also, last weekend, I took a photo of my nephew with one of my dad's old cowboy hats and a gigantic muzzle-loader rifle that I figured would make a good cover for one or more of these stories.  I'll post it here:

He was wearing a garishly-modern blue shirt (and neon sandals), so I did my best to drain the color out of them in this version of the picture.  Another reason to be proud of myself.

I'm also seriously considering running "A Sidekick's Journey"in three parts this summer, so I can talk about this, and the other two story ideas I haven't written during those episodes.  Let me know if you think that's a good idea.

Rish Outfield, Real Writer

*According to my copy of Word, it was actually 2972 words.

**Yes, yes, behind "horny cheerleader."  Thanks for reminding me.

Rish Outcast 50: Sequel of a Sidekick

Say kids, you remember "Birth of a Sidekick," the Western adventure I once shared with y'all?  Well, I wrote a sequel to it!  And what's more impressive . . . I actually published it.  What's more, Dave Krummenacher provided this (once again) excellent cover art:

"A Sidekick's Journey" is the second tale in what somebody somewhere is calling The Sidekick Chronicles, and is considerably longer than the first story, which I wrote in 2005.  This one takes place a few weeks after the first story, and continues to chronicle young Benny Parks in Trueno, Arizona, where he was left after the death of his mentor.  Though there are challenges in his life, it looks as though Ben may get a second chance.

It was a pleasure to get a chance to visit Ben again, and flesh out his world a bit.  If it's a pleasure to read as well, we may check in on him again before ten more years go by.  I'll try to come up with something.

This episode of the Outcast talks about the book, and is relatively spoiler-free.  You can, of course, go o'er to Amazon and purchase "A Sidekick's Journey, right HERE.

Or, if you really wanna be my friend, treat your ears to the audiobook performance, over on Audible.com at THIS LINK.



Don't forget, to download this episode directly, simply Right-Click HERE.

Oh, I Have So Many Names

Yup, Al Pacino/The Devil quote there.

So, I believe I have mentioned that my goal is to publish the sequel to "Birth of a Sidekick" at the beginning of next month.  I'm about halfway through the final pass (I found one paragraph with three typos in it . . . who am I, Drac Von Stoller?), and then I will go ahead and put it up on Amazon, before finishing up the audio version.

Dave Krummenacher kindly offered to do the cover for me again, which I'm posting below.  More great work from that man right there. 

The problem is: it still doesn't have a title.

I have never struggled with a title like this one before.  The notebook version and the MS Word file are both called "Birth of a Sidekick 2," but I'll be gosh-darned if I'm going to name it something that lazy.  Sorry about the language, kids.

I wanted something that sounded like (or meant the same thing as) "Second Chance for a Sidekick," but couldn't come up with one that jumped out at me ("A Sidekick's Second Chance" didn't sound quite right either, and I was/am unable to think of a single word that means "second chance").

I drove to meet Big, turning off my radio and focusing solely on the title.  "A Sidekick's New Life?"  "Toil of a Sidekick?"  "A Sidekick's Struggles?"  "Hard Luck for a Sidekick?"  "A Sidekick Goes Forth?"  I came up with about thirty possible titles in that time (I also couldn't think of a single word that means "growing pains**"), but still failed to find one that felt right.  I talked Big's ear off about it for another hour, and he gave me some feedback on a few that I liked but didn't love. 

I wonder if I have to love one of these titles.  It may sound like California Rish, but I really liked the title "Birth of a Sidekick," back in 2005, and still like it now.  "Challenge for a Sidekick" and "A Sidekick Struggles" are both good, but still not what I want.  I want a title that tells you it's a new adventure in the life of Ben Parks, but also fits this particular story, if I'm gonna go on telling them.

So, I'm giving up.  I'm going to list my five "finalists," if you will, and see what my fans/friends tell me. 

1.  Wanderings of a Sidekick
2.  A Sidekick's Endeavor
3.  Sojourn of a Sidekick
4.  A Sidekick's Passage
5.  A Sidekick's Journey/Journey of a Sidekick

All of those seem fine, but nothing really speaks to me.  Let me know, in the comments below, if you feel spoken to.

A couple titles, such as "The Travails of a Sidekick" and "The Labors of a Sidekick" will have to wait for a future story, alongside "Clash of the Sidekicks," and Big's favorite, "Death of a Sidekick."  Hopefully that last one will be a long ways off.

Rish

*That's probably a rhetorical question, but I can easily recall falling in love with my titles for stories (such as "Silent Night of the Living Dead," and "The Toy Room") I hadn't even written yet.  And a couple of those I never even finished, despite being so proud of the name I'd come up with.

**Big did suggest "The Wonder Years of a Sidekick."  Which is so bad, it's almost not bad.

Rish Outcast 17: Birth of a Sidekick (Part 4)

So, here's the end of the story.  Special thanks to Marshal Latham, who was kind enough to lend his voice to this episode. 

Hopefully, you enjoyed the lengthier story (and the shorter space between shows).  If so, let us (ie, me) know.



Hey, kids, to download the episode, right click right HERE

As usual, the full text can be purchased here (on Amazon), and the audiobook right here (on Audible).

P.S. If you REALLY enjoyed this story, a sequel was published a year or so later, called "A Sidekick's Journey," which takes place not long after this one ends.  Check it out!

Rish Outcast 16: Birth of a Sidekick (Part 3)

Originally, this was going to be the final episode of my presentation of "Birth of a Sidekick."  But now . . . it's not.

Music by Kevin McLeod, the old Incompetech.  Special thanks to Gino Moretto for the above logo, which is only 612 times better than what I came up with myself.



To download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.  Or click HERE.

Here are the links to the purchasable story, in text form, and in text form and in audiobook form.
Thanks!

Rish Outcast 15: Birth of a Sidekick (Part 2)

Continuing the story from last time, here is my long(er) form experiment in action.*

To download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.  Or click
here.

*If you'd like to purchase the story, the text can be found here, and the audiobook here.

Rish Outcast 14: Birth of a Sidekick (Part 1)

So, I'm going to try something a little different here.  I'm going to run my somewhat-lengthy story "Birth of a Sidekick" on the Rish Outcast, breaking it up into sections.*  If people enjoy that, I'll do it again, if I ever find the ambition.

I'll try to put out these episodes in a more rigid schedule, and see if I can't get the tale told in a timely manner.



Right click HERE to download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.

*If you would care to purchase the story, it can be found here, and the audiobook is here.

"Birth of a Sidekick" also available on Audible.com

Just a little note to let you know my reading of "Birth of a Sidekick" is up on Audible.com. 

I have been too busy with my other audiobook obligations to get much stuff done for myself this year (I did just finish one book, and am just over halfway through Abbie Hilton's giant tome), but I did have a mad plan of doing my own audiobooks in between doing them for others.  "Birth of a Sidekick" was my first attempt, and Big has suggested that I put three or four recordings together to make something significantly longer, which will justify people using their allotment of credits to buy one.

When I'm at work, I get all these lofty ideas in my head of the collections I'll put out, the stories I'll record, the artwork I'll create, the stuff I will share (both for a fee and for free).  Of course, when I get home, I fall asleep editing a single chapter of an audiobook-in-progress.  Don't ever get old, children.

But if anyone buys "Birth of a Sidekick," and encourages me, that might help me to achieve one or two of the many, many unrealized goals I have in my cramped little head. 

Here be yon link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Birth-of-a-Sidekick-Audiobook/B00NAC94MU

"Birth of a Sidekick" available on Amazon

A few years ago, I started reading books in the Western genre, and I thought it would be fun to create a cowboy hero who would go from town to town to right wrongs, bed bad guys, and shoot maidens fair.  I came up with the barest idea for the character, and suddenly thought, "What if he had a kid sidekick, like Batman, Captain America, Green Arrow, Aquaman, the Human Torch, and (once) Indiana Jones?  They could have a series of adventures together, wherein the little boy becomes a man!"  I absolutely LOVE the idea of the child sidekick, and will make no apologies for it.

The story I wrote, "Birth of a Sidekick," was the result.  It's not really the first story in a series (though Big suggested I could write more), and it's not a true Western.  But it's something I wrote that was a bit different from everything else I had written, and I decided to put it out in both text version and audio.

I sat down and recorded the whole thing . . . and then left it there.  It sat for months, gathering virtual dust, and went nowhere, just like everything else I create.

But no, I mustn't think like that.  I must put out my stuff, give people at least the CHANCE to read it (or listen to it, if they prefer).  And so, here it is.

I was lucky enough to get some pretty impressive cover art by David Krummenacher (above), and if I could somehow employ him to do art for every one of my stories, I'd put out . . . well, probably one or two.

Link is here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQMX05C at Amazon and http://www.smashwords.com/upload/details/468527 at Smashwords.

It took a couple more weeks, but here's the link to the audio version on Audible: www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Birth-of-a-Sidekick-Audiobook/B00NAC94MU  I performed it myself, and I'd appreciate it if somebody out there buys it.

Rish