Nanotechs and other stuff

So, a nanotech is a microscopic, one millionith of a millimeter long, tech piece that works on the molecular and atomic level. When dealing with it, according to a modicum of research I have done, it has been proposed for use in many medical situations when dealing with cancer of all types.

The article, found on Wikipedia (search for 'Nanotechnology'), also has notes it is a heavily regulated industry due to issues with toxicity and environmental issues, as well as various doomsday scenarios. That would lead me to think of some kind of weapon fashioned from this tech.
This seems to make the idea of a programmable nanotech all the more intriguing. I'm suddenly very excited at this possibility.

This is getting to be a major breakthrough, the only real issue now is how long it would take the bad guys to reverse engineer and make the tech into something harmful. That can be debated, but I think with the right wording and the fact the dude working on it helped develop it, plus whatever materials was recovered (can add to the opening chapter), or he already had in his possession furthers the cause.

All of a sudden, I'm very interested in writing again.
Till next time.

For great justice, take off every zig.

So far, I have managed to address a couple glaring issues that had bogged me down in the original writing, and that was some of the plot holes that would inevitably help the reader lose their place in the story. After a good tidbit of brainstorming over the last week, and some very helpful input from friends - I feel as though I may have made a small breakthrough.

I am moderately satisfied with the way that these gaping wounds have been sewn shut, and may lift some the veil of my eyes to allow me a bit more relaxation, instead of stress, when writing.
The first plot hole that arrives is how quick the Soviets (even considering a new bad guy for them at present) manage to turn the Alpha project into a virus: A record setting twelve days. Even in the world of fiction, that is way too quick. So, keeping with Tony's idea of building a weapon on a mass scale, you probably needs multiple weeks, or even months.

• Now, I scarce have enough material to work with to help cover months of a storyline without delving more into the intelligence and inner workings side of the agency. Doable, but it would seriously drag the pace of the story down. Skipping weeks in the plot can be used to get around this, but then a quick summary is usually needed to keep the reader up to date on what happened during that downtime in the story.This could potentially fix that issue, but the idea of filler material never really appealed to me. 

(Author note: Thank God for auto save, stupid BSOD). Where was I? Oh yeah, filler material. While some I think is socially acceptable anymore due to the rate of which pages expand a book's covers these days, it's easy to lose your audience in a sea of black ink when you spend ten pages describing what a wall looks like. Detail is fine, but overdoing - in my opinion, is not.
-So, I have a couple options with this: Either put breaks in the book and allow it weeks between events, which could work except for I'd have to figure out what the characters are doing during that time, and that includes all of them.
-Or, I'm sure I can manage if it only takes a month or so for them (Soviets) to figure out how the project works. In this argument, it can be made that the structure is already there, and that factors to be considered is that the doctor that ends up turning the project to evil purposes was once a top researcher on the project.
-I'm not sure which option I like just yet, as both have merit and while we have to maintain some measure of realism - I have to remember this is fiction and that some leniency is granted as such. But perhaps it is with the project itself: Seeing as how it is programmable, it is almost an inert object in itself. Lending to a bit of sci-fi, mayhap it could be just a programmable nanotech? Something that can be programmed to be anything, a cure or virus by giving it the properties of what is needed to be cured, or afflicted.

Alright, so now I'm to a nanotech - a programmable nanotech that can be made into a virus or cure. At first a cure, then a virus. Given the programmable nature, once the material is figured out, and a researcher has this material, it wouldn't take long - perhaps a month or so.

More progress made, and more to come later.

Auf Wiedersehen. 

Ye old drawing board

On the drive into work today, I had a couple new revelations on how I'm wanting to progress. As much as the outside the box thinking can help, I want apply that to my original storyline, if only because I am so attached to the plot, characters and the twists.
These few ideas came in the form of clearing some gaping holes in the plot. I still like the idea of mass scale weapons being developed, just as much as I enjoy how that story plays out.
After mission two in the book, the team returns to an attack by the bad guys. Okay, too many issues with it. So, I'm thinking Benson is involved more and moles are already in place. An explosion that only partly works, perhaps in haste it was not wired totally and therefore only delivered some of its payload. Then the Soviets that attack make like the terrorists from Air Force One. Fake passports, cleared names etc. That would make more sense, and given the surroundings of SOCA HQ, it could be plausible that they make an escape via some sort of escape route.
It can be assumed that these men would know what they are doing, and this would be very plausible and with Benson playing the role of mole anyhow, he would be instrumental in orchestrating the entire ordeal.
Moving onto another topic, the mass scale weapons. How long would the bad guys have to keep SOCA busy? We can go with at least few weeks if they were busting ass, so what are they doing in the meantime? Conventional attacks would be an answer, bombings, guerilla warfare and various attempts at disrupting the allied nations while they worked.
On that note, does Aramov continue with his deadline? And as time draws on, he grows agitated as things begin to unravel. Two attempts at killing the doctors and one at destroying SOCA as a whole. The attacks do not have to be widescale, nor do they have to be much outside of mentioned through news, or introductions to chapters - which can add to the urgency of the situation.
One thing that had me tied up was the amount of missions the team had, too few for one. After the suicide mission, they needed a couple more missions to take care of the intern while they kept the story crawling. I hate to write a book that is too short, but I also do not want to bore people to add a few pages to it.
So, I found an old copy of the original draft WAY back when. I remember one mission being at a converted monastery to rescue someone. In this instance, it could be to capture someone, or it could be a depository that they luckily stumble upon.
The other mission or two could stem from that information, in eliminating the chain of command (which I could establish) and allow that to lead up to the final attack.
Finally, some progress...
I'm liking these ideas, and it seems to be getting somewhere now. About damn time.
Au Revoir.

New ideas on the dead horse, part triage

Alright, after being up till damn near 5 this morning discussing ideas with a good friend - we're still far in left field, but may have something to work with. Of course, last I said that - I wound up going nowhere and had made no advancement in the progress. Second time's charm maybe? We shall see.

Evidently, part of my issue was not my lack of creativity, but rather my fear to expand into 'realms I've not been in'. Basically, not thinking outside the box like I said, and that was limiting my options. Mind numbing and exhausting looks outside this cube have led to a solid foundation that is unfortunately somewhere in left field or beyond. In fact, I'm pretty sure its not even in the ballpark - but its something I guess. 

According to my good friend, the realm of survival horror fiction in the line of Resident Evil is quite popular these days, and anything dealing with the walking dead is usually a surefire bet just because people are obsessed with the occult when it comes to Z-day. We all know we'd have to pretend we're not excited when the apocalypse does hit...just as long as we don't have to get with any Tanks, or Smokers...

So, moving onto the actual brain unload this morning before I fall back asleep (which I can't do because of work, damn rain...perfect sleeping weather), the idea has shifted now and we're looking at a COMPLETE overhaul of the original storyline. I'm not entirely sure how kosher I am with that idea, but this is what is being  thought on:

• A shift from global terrorism to local terrorism. We've wandered into the world of religious zealots, you know the ones who think that killing in the name of God is alright, and the ones who believe that by killing themselves and others (almost to the tune of Islam with Allah), they are making the world a better place. These religious zealots, led by a charismatic false prophet in the mold of Jim Jones ends up gathering a large following that are willing to do whatever he commands, for his words would supposedly be those of God. 
• Within the ranks of these zealots, they would be three separate divisions - although not as organized as an actual military, but dangerous as we've all seen idealists across seas. Fighting for your cause is enough to cause most people to turn VERY hostile and pose a significant threat. 
• The idea for three divisions comes with the fact that there will be three separate, but intertwining storylines by the main characters, each one in charge of dealing with a certain faction within the zealot ranks. SOCA Intelligence and Security Division would deal with one faction, SOCA Combat Division would deal with another, and SOCA Search and Rescue would deal with another. 
• These three divisions of the zealot army would dictate how their followers want to fight. Intelligence and Security would deal with-

You know, this idea really isn't catching my interest. Back to the old drawing board. This thinking outside the box thing is not working for me.

Au Revoir.  

New ideas on the dead horse part deux

Looking back at my current ideas that were posted in the last entry, a few of them tie into each other rather well and that may be the start of something new. Not sure if this is the start a new mold to work with, but time will tell I guess.

My intent now is to put together a believable storyline from this. Mass scale weapons, a project that would take some time (weeks, months etc.) to put together would allow the 'good guys' time to figure out the mystery of the story. In the original writing, the Alpha project is deciphered in record time, an impossible feat given it was twenty five years in the making. Conventional wisdom would say, it would take twenty five years for them to reset it and recode it. But given that no one is interested in twenty five years of garbage, something has to give.

At this impasse, I'm looking at something that may take a few months to work. Even a few weeks if we want to push the envelop: In the example of the original storyline - they took the alpha project and had it reverse engineered to begin the book. If I could expand that out and make it over the course of the book, culminating into the final showdown and make it so they have to race the clock to stop a genocide.

On the stopping the genocide, this is where the General Aramov having second thoughts idea comes in. Despite being a madman for the most part, I believe at that point - humanity/soldier in him would come forth and he could not bring himself to slaughter so many innocent people. He is then killed by subordinates, most likely Mark.

Speaking of Mark, since we're on the topic of him: His role in this entire ordeal. We know he's a genocidal, psychopathic, maniac that has no qualms about death. His presence in the story does cause a lot of stress and works on the psych of his kid brother, Travi. He is the epitome of a force truly evil, while Trav acts as the yang to his yin, the just and righteous side of the spectrum. He would have no second thoughts about killing Aramov, and would gladly launch the genocide against humanity without any regrets. A perfect bad guy, and the perfect way to climax a mass scaled weapon.

Now, the team in which that is opposed to all this is of course Travi's team within SOCA, but now that has me thinking about a lot of the organizational structure of the agency. When most people think agency, they think like CIA, FBI, NSA, ATF etc. In that mold of thinking, special forces are thrown out the window and we say hello to the Turks for instance. Keeping with that line of thought, we can look into partnerships between characters, such as Travi and Allison working together as field agents in a similar mold to the likes of Chris and Jill, Leon and Helena etc.

On the matter of SOCA, does it even still exist? Or do I think up a new one, or just return to real life counterparts? This is working my head a bit because I'm not sure what purpose SOCA would serve except as a private intelligence and investigation agency. Keeping with that, we know that the likes of Leon are Secret Service agents that are also dispatched on covert and top secret missions. How does this bleed together with my thought process and what I want to do? This is what is bugging me. And in that mold of thinking, they are less suited for out and out combat (though that can still be arranged), and the story would become a detective story. Besides, it's rarely ever field agents that go on to stop genocides, its the special forces. The agencies just put together the intelligence for the operation. This presents a problem.

So, if I go with the partnered teams - it would behoove me to look at smaller scale stuff like local troubles, or maybe at different storylines. Does it have to follow Travi exclusively? Hmm...

Okay, now we're at new territory of thinking in multiple storylines that may intersect intermediately. This would allow me use of the chapter nameplates more freely and also open the story up from the inside. The idea of multiple stories interacting with one another over the course of a main storyline has merits in that I can always use extra characters. In a cliched attempt, we're looking at three separate stories being told perhaps: One from a behind the scenes, intelligence protection agency, one from the frontlines, and one from the inside, like a resistance. But, that main question on all that, is of course: What are they intelling, fighting and resisting?

By the end of this entry, I have moved no further than I was before I started it. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
Au Revoir.

New ideas on the dead horse

Since I've been in a somewhat creative mood lately, I have ventured back into my novel writing persona and so far, had no luck in advancing my current writings. Therefore, I thought it was time to move on and see about getting some new, fresh ideas to work with. Devoted some serious time to brainstorming and are now all stored on a notepad file that I will be referencing and gathering from. New ideas happen all the time, and I'm hoping I can get some measure of success from it all.

From the threat of nuclear attack, to a college epic about two friends who strike out in life and love. Toss in the kitchen sink, and we have a book right? About a college epic of two friends who strikes out in life and love, who inadvertently stop the nuclear holocaust while fixing their kitchen sink in the mold of some comedy? That would be increasingly strange to write, let alone read - but given the amount of crap that becomes movies today, that may actually make the silver color screen of the theaters.

I digress, anyhow - the following is very rough and very skeptical at best. Input is always welcome, just keep it constructive. This is a direct copy and paste from a notepad file that I authored and is in its original, unedited form - which means: typos, grammar, stuff that makes no sense, and other mind boggling thoughts. I am not responsible for personal injury, including brain explosion, should these thoughts make your head combust. Without further ado:


-General Aramov has second thoughts?
This has some merit in that, at first - he is power crazed and maybe somewhat insane. As it stands right now, Mark just takes over after Aramov's plans fail. In this instance, Aramov's plans do not work and Mark kills him for incompetence and takes over the command. Mark is of course genocidal. At this point, Aramov begins thinking twice about total annihilation, leading to his demise. I like this idea because it would show that he is still human, and also show just how much of a monster Mark really is.
Verdict: Yes. I like the idea, and will keep it for now.

-Resident Evil type?
Trite, maybe overused? The idea of the zombie attack is feisable, yet not entirely sure how to make it work in the current plot. I doubt it could work, due to the fact that it would be a lot of work to transform the storyline over. Maybe read some of the Resident Evil books? I've yet to read anything on Resident Evil storylines and it seems like the 'black screens' in between levels on the games doesn't bleed much storyline. I really need to put some kind of book order in for those.
Verdict: As of right now, no. In the future, with a bit more research, sure.

-Narrowing team down to main characters?
This involves just maintaining characters, but the majority operate in the background. Only Travi and <insert name here> work together, as partners such as agents or field operatives similar to Leon and Helena, Jake and Sherry, Chris and Sheva, Chris and Jill etc. This would open a new dimension, and also cut down on side plot elements. I like this idea in that it would cut down on a lot of the BS story writing that is almost necessary. Narrowing it down to two characters working together, would allow me to expand into another area as far as chapters and nameplates.
Verdict: Yes. Good idea, and worth looking at.

-Chapters or nameplates?
Amazing what happens when I think. This would open up a new door in storytelling in that I could follow several characters instead of one with side splits. That would allow me to write for Travi, Mark and maybe even Allison and show how important all the characters are.
Verdict: Yes. It's worth a look in the future I think.

-Centralized bad guy?
I'm assuming I was thinking of a Wesker type here? I'm not entirely sure. I thought on this one and still have no clue what I was thinking here. Mark would be the centralized bad guy in most ways, so...yeah, not a clue.
Verdict: Probably not. I still have no idea what I was talking about here.

-Mark's role?
Obviously, a central character in that he serves as a primary antagonist and a source of distress for Travi. I like the way I made him out, and he's the perfect bad guy that has no sense of justice or conscious at all. He's the yang to Travi's yin, and that should continue to hold true. Mark is a force truly evil, while Travi is the epitome of justice and righteousness. The only main thing I thought about, was increasing the amount of encounters they are, but even the best bad guys work mainly behind the scenes.
Verdict: Yes, already is. He should remain as the main bad guy in whatever iteration I choose to write.

-Endwar type plot?
Has merit, but it would again involve a complete overhaul of the storyline and introduction of new plot elements. I like it in that it had the idea of a wild goose chase along with several new plot twists. It would allow me to expand more into Mark's storyline, but I doubt I could give him the same kind of personality as the Snow Maiden, even though she was an interesting character. May be time to re-read that book.
Verdict: Perhaps, but nothing definite.

-Allison still love interest?
Allison has transformed four times now as a central character. Started as Latasha, first with no military training, than she did not. Then she became Allison as a doctor with no training. Latasha was originally a love interest to Leon, then to Travi. Allison is Travi's childhood sweetheart at present, do I keep that? How much does she bring to the table? She serves as Travi's conscious on several instances, then she seems to be part of the glue that keeps him together during the tough times. His better half as they say. I think she adds an entirely new dimension to his character and also demonstrates that love in war is possible. I like Allison's character as she reminds me a lot of a perfect and ideal woman for myself. The added lead-up-to-sex scene that I put into the other draft really adds her into the realm of someone that wants the means of intimacy with someone she loves and cherishes.
Verdict: Yes. She will, by whatever I make her, remain his love interest. Even if she becomes a soldier again, they will still have a relationship in the mold of Chris and Jill. (Come on, you know those two are something when they're not killing zombies)

-Mass scale weapon?
Tony gave me this idea, in that its something takes a while to prep - giving the good guys a chance to be in position to stop it. This serves a good merit on any storyline in that it is feisable to maintain realism with this outlook while Travi and Co. wreck shop and figure out the mystery. I like this idea immensely because it would make a bit more sense than figuring out the secret of the main plotline within a couple weeks, no matter how skilled. This would also allow the team more time to plan and also open the door for the sideline stories.
Verdict: Yes, and will probably be something I look at heavily.

-Allison's role in relation to the story?
This mainly stems from my original question about her. She was a soldier at first, then nothing more than a researcher. So, does she maintain that profile? Or do I send her back through bootcamp? This one is weighing my mind heavily, due to her role being important in the story. Does her story need to be redone, or do I need to keep it and maybe it where she followed Travi into the military? A lot of possibilities. Daisy even offered up an idea that she could be Trav's partner in the storyline, and they could maintain their relationship from childhood. Maybe separated and reunited by events in the book with one of them being relocated to the others precient.
Verdict: Needs to be looked at for sure, and find out what exactly she is.

-Scratch Project Alpha?
This one is probably a last resort and that's just ditching the entire original storyline that involved the cure turned virus. This is due to my inability to fill the plot holes that are currently glaring. This option would just the ultimate fuck all, and start completely from scratch. The only other thing that could be stemmed from this is a virus that causes humanity to suffer in some massive way, like Resident Evil style.
Verdict: Last resort, but will if necessary.

-Plague Virus?
This ties into the Resident Evil thought. Probably not, unless I think of something that involves that genre in a similar manner. Rage zombies maybe? See above.
Usable: Maybe.

-Nuclear threat?
Again, trite and overused. Everyone and his grandfather has threatened the world with nukes before. But on that hand, nothing much more suspenseful or scary than the thought that a thousand nukes could drop on the main characters at any point. Worth a thought I guess. This may also help with the mass scale weapon idea, in that it would take some time to get that many missiles loaded and ready to attack.
Verdict: Yes, and will be useful as a fall back.

-Redo team, Agency or back to their RL counterparts?
SOCA? Or SEALs, Rangers etc. The only issue with this is that the team would be split because of their different branches. Bill and Trav would remain together due to both being SEALs.
Other than that, agents that work in pairs similar to above question of BSAA, RCPD, Jake and Sherry, Leon and Helena etc. This could also have some implications to a tie in with my reduced team theory and allow the other characters to work behind the scenes. I could see this happening in some measure.
Verdict: Yes, and may be useful in the way they would work.

-Different bad guys?
Soviets get a bad rap at times, and sometimes its better to move onto other bad guys. But let's face it, who are the usual suspects? Oh right, Soviets/Russians, Islamic extremists, or tree huggers. Take a pick.
Verdict: Investigation is required.

-Time Crisis storyline?
Has merit to tie in with the lowered character numbers, but doubtful it would have much as a story. Too much action, not enough dialogue - even if I was to take all of the Time Crisis games and link them together with their entire plots.
Verdict: Probably not.

-Going local?
Daisy offered this idea, in moving the story stateside and localizing the story. This would open up more areas of types of work the characters have. This has merit for sure.
Verdict: Yes, and something to look at.

There you have it. Inaugural entry complete, Au revoir.