Author: David V Stewart

Do have to use Flamenco strings on my flamenco guitar? (YouTube video)

0

New youtube media is up!

Continue reading

Muramasa Updates

, 0

So this week I did a rather large update of Muramasa: Blood Drinker, going through all of the back postings on this site and updating formatting, html code, and graphics integration. All of the pages should now conform to the standard CSS and html tags used on DVS Press. I did this mostly because I want people to be able to read the book here, with all the advantages of the new site, with its better navigation and scripting capabilities (which has resulted in footnotes that actually work!) , rather than have to go back to The Tears of Prometheus to go through it.

When doing this it should be noted that the now current version of Muramasa on DVS Press has had its text derived from the original working file. This means that the version found here is effectively beta 2, having lots of little fixes that are different from the original run, yet containing no large revisions. Enjoy!

Muramasa: Blood Drinker table of contents

American Doublethink

, , 0

Democracy is the best political system. I’m glad the courts threw out that voter initiative.   Discrimination is wrong. We need hiring and admissions quotas to correct past injustices.   I care about the poor. Let’s raise cigarette, sales, and gas taxes.   I believe in charity. We need to collect more tax money for assistance programs.   The war is evil, but I support our troops.   A volunteer army victimizes the poor. We should conscript the troops.   I would never assault someone just because they are doing something I don’t care for. I’ll call the police instead.…

Continue reading

Sex and Society part 2: Monogamy!

, 0

Previous A man’s commitment to reproduction is short and pleasurable; a woman’s is long and arduous.   From this simple truth arises most of our social conventions, societal norms, and expectations when it comes to the sexes interacting with one another. In the absence of the state (whose interference will be discussed in a future installment), it becomes imperative that women not only choose fit partners, but require those partners to contribute resources and support offspring. The problem is that the fun, fulfilling part of male reproduction happens first while all the work that arises from it happens afterwards. There…

Continue reading

Creating when you aren’t passionate

0

My whole life I have been an artist, with my focus moving between music, visual art, and the written word. Countless times I have dealt with the cycle of creativity, which is the slow or sometimes drastic switch between uncontrollable excitement and enthusiasm about projects to apathy. The well runs dry from time to time, and creation becomes nearly impossible. Some people call this “writers block,” but I think more that it is a disconnect of emotion, and I consider it part of any creative process. From time to time you have to let the well refill, and be content with what you have done until the next exciting project sweeps you away.

Historically, I have always found things to do when I found creation of new art difficult. In music, there was the ever-present demand of practice, which requires repetition far more than passion. With art, it was technical exercises. Writing, however, is a bit more difficult. I have considered spending a week writing non-fiction, and I have more than a few ideas in the pipe for that sort of thing. Editing seems ideal, but at the moment is difficult. Right now I am editing an old manuscript, but because of the primitiveness of my writing (it was my first book), it has become a re-write, which has demanded I tap new sources in my process.

It’s hard for me to find technical things to do with writing to pass through to the renewed well, but I can also look at this situation as an opportunity to grow. Finding ways to keep working through dispassion can be applicable to many other things, like day jobs, or parenting. Either way, I’m determined to slog through my current projects!

Just a few thoughts for the day.

Been Sick!

0

I’ve missed a couple of content updates this week, mostly because I’ve had a terrible cold, and haven’t felt like I’ve had my usual focus and clarity of thought. Hopefully updates will resume normally next week, and I’ll try to get a few in over the weekend to keep Moonsong running along smoothly. I’m excited about this rewrite, which I think will be the best telling of this story yet (If you haven’t seen it before, that’s because you weren’t a beta reader – rest assured, the new draft is quite good compared to the old).

What’s next for DVS Press

0

Another story is in the bag, so it is time to look forward. I’ll be making some site updates in the next few days, including improving landing page experiences and sprucing up the look and feel of the menus, as well as providing some readers guides to help people explore and dive into all the content I’ve worked so hard to create thus far.

I have a few projects in the pipe for the site, and as always, the difficulty is in deciding which one will go first. Since my last project was scifi, I think it’s time for a short trip back into fantasy:

Moonsong

This is the tentative title for the next project, which takes place in a fictional, magic-less fantasy universe dominated by war, religion, and the trade in drugs and forbidden technology. I’ve written two novels in the Moonsong universe so far, with neither being released just yet. They represent the first attempt I had made at writing novels, and so even now the books are full of mistakes, bad writing, bad decisions, and stylistic inconsistency. My goal with the serial publication of these works is to correct these problems, rewrite things when necessary, tighten up the pacing, and, of course, to share my work.

Sea of Stars is the first volume in the series, and contains four acts in three different locales. Right now, I’m planning on publishing one act at a time, with other works interspersed as each act finishes. I’d also like to do more illustration in the future, something I really enjoyed with Prophet of the God Seed when I had the time to get out my inks.

Deep Time: Prophet of the God Seed, Author’s Reflection

, , , 0

Another work of size is finished, and so it is time once again to reflect on the work – a service I do for myself as well as for any readers that might be writers themselves. It helps to think critically about a work immediately following a release when it comes to making future plans and improving the craft. Since I have the ability to edit and revise work post-hoc, such a reflection can also serve as the first baseline for revisions when and if the work changes formats (for example, if I publish a work using traditional means in…

Continue reading

The Master Butcher (Halloween special aphorism)

, , , 0

An aphorism is different from a short story or a piece of flash fiction in that it does not seek to set up or resolve any plot. It is like a snapshot of a particular setting, character, or an expression of a feeling. The following horror aphorism is somewhat inspired by (but not derived from) a track called, “The Master Butcher’s Apron” off of Death Metal band Carcass’s last LP, Surgical Steel. Check it out if you have the time. There was a flash from the east. A burning streak split the evergrey sky, lit coldly by a blood-red sun in…

Continue reading

He Should Have Taken his Gun (Halloween flash fiction special)

, , 0

The point of flash fiction is to condense a story down into its barest and most essential parts. I have attempted to do this with horror, providing characters and plot points in just over 200 words. Enjoy! Julie’s hand hesitated over the buzzing phone. It was a DC area code… probably that FBI investigator again. That meant it was important, but she didn’t want to answer it. It meant hope was gone. Memories returned. It was like the beginning of a horror movie. They were in bed. Something went bump. Probably the cat again, but she had to be sure.…

Continue reading