Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been posting some “Micro Horror” Lately.  It’s a big departure from the short stories from before (as they’re a fraction of the size), but I hope that they’re as entertaining and wildly random to read, as it is my putting them together.

If you don’t know, Micro Horror is a really, really short Horror Story. There’s some difference in what word count constitutes Micro Horror, but in the case of the Dark Opera, the max word cound cap is 100. I’ve seen sites with 50, but then you’re getting into what tends to be poetry.

What I like most about the format is that it’s a great outlet for those imaginative, spontaneous little ideas that aren’t necessarily fit for the short story or novel treatment. BUT, that doesn’t mean it’s a breeze to make one…

Editing one of those little passages has taught me a great deal about word choice and cutting the fat. You try and shave 50 words from a bite-sized story you think looks great at 150.

In fact, I think you should try it for real. As daunting as it may seem, give it a go and post the results in the comments. I’d love to see your work. It’s a great exercise in creativity and a perfect jump start to write more afterwards!

- Josh





Here's an example of Micro Horror from this site:

The Screaming Books
By Joshua Paquin

That the manor was abandoned and hidden, made it inviting. In the foyer was when I first heard the wind howling. In the basement was where I realized that the howls were screams from several shelved books.  

Distressed, I removed the seven and flipped through their pages until the screaming stopped. A passage read, “My eyes, they’re achy and raw. My eyes, your eyes”. I was possessed, I needed to read more. I was forced from my body into the books and placed back on the shelf. I could feel myself in pieces. It was then that I started screaming. 



For more, click HERE

Re-reading this, I think of how geeky this will seem to some of you. And it was geeky. But it was more of an afterthought. Being there, at the FIRST “Harbour con-fusion” felt like so much fun, and with so much incentive to participate, like participation ribbons, trophies and supportive cheers, it was hard to not get in on the excitement. But I had never been to a convention before…

I didn’t want to go. I had long planned to, but by the time July 28th/2012 rolled around, there was more against my going than for: A recent run in with a comic book shop staff member left a sour taste in my mouth about the comic book community, there was a surprise family supper planned over the week end I would not be able to attend, I’d miss helping two friends move, and none of my other friends could come with me to the con… I would have to go solo. I thought, “If at the very least I could do some networking for thedarkopera.com then maybe it would be worth it.” Luckily, it turned out to be much more than that.

I was so uncertain about the whole event that I didn’t even reserve a room at the hotel in case the con was a bust. That way I could salvage my week end by jetting back to Fredericton depending on the time or maybe head down to Moncton and visit with friends.

To make matters worst, I got a flat tire on my way in to Saint John. The culprit? A screw from Saint John construction no doubt – Yes, I was SCREWED. That could have turned me into quite the 'Debbie Downer', but all was washed away by the incredible energy at opening ceremonies. 

Right from registration, I met fellow con goers (both who do excellent cosplay as Wolverine and Sabretooth) and was later invited to lunch with them and others. Thanks again for the French Vanilla Kevin. After they had gone to get their pictures taken by the Harbour con-fusion photographer, I accidentally dumped the rest of that hot drink all over the front of my white T-shirt in my haste to run a few errands in between panels. Could anything else bad happen to me?

After all was settled and I was changed, I returned to get the most out of the vendor rooms and panels that I could. There, I met up with Chris, one of the many awesome con staff and chatted him up a little. I got to meet up with an old friend a little later on. I also stopped and talked to some very creative guys promoting their first web comic issue of “Liquid” which I hope to be posting more about later on this week. And there was so much other cool stuff going on too, like a massive assortment of origami of every kind, people doing drawings for commission, selling artwork and even retro video games. 

The Vendors, those doing cosplay, and the panel members… If you are looking for creative and passionate individuals, plan to come to Harbour con-fusion next year because it had so many people like that.

The panels! (They are 1 hour or so sessions where people come in to talk about various topics) They were all great, some examples of these were:

StarkTech. There’s this gentleman named, Phillip Vautour who had an excellent panel on his work in creating a professional Iron Man suit. Dressed as Tony Stark, equipped with lit arc reactor and dawning a “Stark” jacket, he talked about resources and ideas for how to execute tech for your cosplay.  For example, he talked a little about hitting a switch that would send a signal for a functional (but not in a deadly way) arm cannon to rise out of an arm piece and light up when fully extended. Great stuff. It was so wonderfully in-depth and inspiring, I wished that I had taped it. 

Also, "The Geek Dating Game".  There, 3 guys sat side by side, backs against a screen behind which the lucky lady - who was also a Harbour-con organizer - was stationed. In classic dating game style, the hostess – in this case: Catwoman – facilitated the game as difficult questions where thrown out to the guys. Let me tell you, answering them didn’t sound easy. As the title implied, there was a strong geek flavor and the three contestants did an excellent job at being witty and injecting hilarious and intentionally awful (Corny) innuendo (and why not? This panel had an older audience). A gentleman by the name of Sean Brown, who earlier that day introduced himself by standing up from his seat with one hand raised high and in a rising tone exclaimed, “ I’m Sssseeeeaaan Brown” had the audience in a stitch at the dating game and grabbed himself celebrity like status that had others echoing his call throughout the con. This was the guy who answered, “What emoticon would you be?” with a pause to build anticipation; then a resolute, “the Sssseeeeaaan Brown emoticon”. Really, there could have been no other. 

The dance also was a great time. Where Con Volunteer and friend, Josh (same name, different guy) did his best to ‘cut a rug’ to keep people on the dance floor. Con staff Dj’d as lights danced across the walls and music pumped from the nearby speakers. The play list had some geek flavor there too, where the last song of the dance was a Dr. Who remix track. I hadn’t danced like that in a while, and got to meet some other con goers with help from Heidi who had such great energy and was such a blast to be around. Who really did her best to make people feel welcomed. 

A game called “Circus Imperium” was also a great time. What really got me here was the inclusion of some of the kids in the game. A man named Joe Hatfield, Who also put on an excellent lightsaber duel (and can take a hard hit or ten like a pro), helped run some of the players through the game as he encouraged audience participation and really made it fun. Everyone was cheering and getting involved. It was then  that I looked around the room at the crowd huddled around the table and felt like this was a really tight community of people making good memories together.

The whole thing sounds kind of like a love affair doesn’t it? To be fair, the con wasn’t without those who are snarky, those who push boundaries in terms of rules, and sometimes what was ‘family appropriate’ got lost in rapid-fire reactions including in being witty, but someone was never too far off to remind people about what the con was really about. I myself might have acted differently if I wasn’t open to having fun. To letting loose a little. I might have left. But the atmosphere there was so relaxing and welcoming that it was hard not to get engaged. 

By the time closing ceremonies came around at 1900 Sunday evening, I was hooked.

Margaret, a con organizer, closed things off with quite the rousing speech about Saint John being ready for a regular convention like Harbour-Con that really rallied the audience. Of the excitement of wrapping up the event and naming who won what at the silent auction they had, the staff announced having met financial goals and was able to make a sizeable donation to their local S.P.C.A (what a good cause!). For all the staff’s work, the crowd gave a much-deserved standing ovation. Everyone lingered a while afterwards saying good-byes and planning on meeting perhaps at the upcoming Hal-con. While some organized some post convention celebration, I, like some others, made my way back home in rainy evening weather feeling pretty damn satisfied with the entire event.

I had still to figure out what to do with that flat tire I had got on my way into Saint John. My plan to deal with the tire didn’t go as well as I had hoped, and couldn’t drive with it anymore after a particularly rough stretch of highway road construction about mid way between Saint John and Fredericton. I decided I would hitch hike back home, so I took to the road as night began to set in and the highway became dark. Luckily, a man and his wife saw me on their way back from Fredericton to Saint John. They turned around to get me and were kind enough to help me change my tire (I didn’t have a jack). Big Thanks to Corey Wright and his family for that.

I ended up home a little later than expected. With the energy of the week end still buzzing inside me, it was hard to be without smile. I had a story I needed to share…

I say, If you want to go to a con but have some reservations, set em’ aside and walk into one with an open mind and just go with it. It can be such a great time if you let it.

-Josh 

If you want all the news on the next Harbour Con-Fusion, click HERE for their Facebook page!!

*** Big Thanks to Ralph Jackson for letting me use his photos (The first three) for this post.***

I have been waiting for so long to see the Silent Hill: Revelation Movie Trailer. Finally it's here. Via Yahoo movies. Take a look.

It doesn't look too bad at all. Liking the mannequin spider. Hating Vincent casting. Looks like Pyramid Head is taking on some of the role of Valtiel in this one. Not too sure what I think about that.

I'll definitely watch this. Did anyone catch if Robbie was in the trailer somewhere? Also, What's your impression of the movie?

- Josh

To be certain, there is classic martial arts film influence on Hip Hop producer, Wu-Tang Clan member and Director,  the RZA. It is no surprise that his venture into the directors chair yielded what looks to be an awesome martial arts epic. Take a look.

Russell Crowe, and Lucy Liu... from writers RZA and Eli Roth... Presented by Quentin Tarantino... I'm in. 

I'm loving the music at the beginning of this trailer. What kind of sucks about the movie is that the RZA doesn't seem to be listed as having to do with the music. I'm a huge fan of his work in Afro Samurai. In any case, I'm hoping that the score will be just as good. I have definitely added this movie to my "must see" list for when it hits the theatre. 

- Josh

Books have long been things that last pretty much forever, surviving many hundreds of years. In a way, words committed to a page are immortalized. 

Enter publishing house Eterna Cadencia with an intriguing twist about the things we took for granted in books above. What they came up with is a unique concept of a book with fading ink with the title, El Libro que no puede esperar (the book that can't wait).

Some will call it a gimmick or a silly idea. Personally I like the book. Unfortunately, If you fall into the same camp as I, you may be disappointed to find that contrary to what the video shows below, there is a lot of question as to if those books really even existed.

That aside, the idea is great, take a look.

You could use that idea in so many interesting ways to compliment the story within. Say if the story was about a character afraid that her written life's work would one day be forgotten and vanished. Wouldn't that be interesting how a reader would experience the anxiety in seeing the protagonist's worst fear come true.

What other ways could a story and the disappearing ink work together for a completely new experience?

- Josh

I've recently taken up cutting lino to make block prints and let me tell you, it's a lot harder than it looks. It's pretty rewarding mind you. 

I posted about Woodblock prints and ghost story telling traditions a little while back and thought that I would share some of these awesome Nintendo character Wood block prints. See if you can't name them all.

Pretty nice work. To get a sense of the time and effort involved, check out the youtube video below. If that kind of thing interests you, you can probably pick up the things you need to make your own at your local art supply store. I found everything I needed to get started here at "Endeavours" in Fredericton. 

 - Josh

I took a trip down memory lane for this one. I remember listening to some Satriani when I was younger and thinking up stories with a friend of mine. It was great then and rediscovering it again proved to be just as great now. 

Much of his catalogue has a classic feel to it. There's some nice diversity, especially with the album "Engines of Creation". While song names like “Borg Sex” or “Wormhole Wizards” mightn’t exactly reel you in for a listen, a lot of the music is great to get your creative juices pumping. The discography is largely instrumental and easy to listen to. Peruse the mixed bag below for a taste.

The next one begins at 0:40, picks up at 1:10

and just for good measure...

Music has an important power over mood and motivation. What kind of music do you put on when you’re creating?

- Josh

I’ve been watching bits of the movie Kwaidan (It’s awesome. Especially the opening story... More in a review on that later). In it they talk about a deciding Japanese war at sea between Gengi and Heike clans that ends in the young (7 years old) Heike Emperor cast out to drown in the ocean upon his clan’s defeat. Pretty brutal. That’s war.

In any case, as the story goes, fallen Heike warrior souls resurfaced reincarnated, appearing on the backs of crabs and can be still found this present date and in real life. No Kidding. Embossed on the carapace of these ‘Heike” crabs is the scowl of a samurai. Take a look.

Pretty interesting. But as usually happens, science comes to ruin the mysticism and outright creepiness by trying to explain away everything…

"The answer SEEMS to be" indeed. 

“The Deep, vital connections among family members are often unspoken, expressed at a wordless level by our presence with each other over many year”

 “Family is who they say they are” That is that, family for some don’t just share the same blood, or are joined together by proceedings, but have friendships that run just as deep and considered to be family.

Death and dying is often times a part of my creative writing. But you know what’s hard? Dealing with loss and grieving in person. What’s most tragic is that we’re all going to be affected by it at some time in our lives including at one point with our own travel’s end. In my capacity as Nurse I’m much more comfortable being with, acting on and communicating regarding a client who is dealing with loss and grieving than I am when the person who is dealing with loss or grieving is friend, family, or me. I think that’s pretty normal.

So I thought I’d suggests, while written words don’t fail me here as spoken words might in the future, that if you’re faced with dealing with a family member who is dying, that you consider the “Four Gifts”.

This is a long post. But believe me, it’s worth it. Save it or share it if you like.

Interpreted from the writings of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross from a textbook, “Family members can be encouraged to write down their thoughts and feelings and to read them to the dying person, if appropriate, or simply to sit down one-to-one and talk from the heart. Likewise, clients can be invited to share these gifts with the important people in their lives. The gifts work both ways. When done with sincerity and simplicity, they invariably precipitate a healing shift in relationships.”

I’ll ask that if you read the four gifts that you read them in sequence, that they’ve been found to help many people feel better about what they are going through. If you’re in the situation where you feel you might use these, know it is normal to feel anxious. Role-playing can be helpful with say nursing staff if they are available. What you should do is to try these gifts straight from the heart and take the risk that some feelings will arise. That is ok and understandable in those circumstances.

1. Forgiveness (“I’m sorry”; “I forgive you”): The first step is to admit to the wrongs and hurts experienced at the hands of the other person. This can be frightening to do because it makes a person vulnerable to fresh injury. The other person may have no idea the speaker has been harboring a resentment or hurt, and may response with disbelief, defensiveness, or silence. The intention here is to forgive and release the hurt, and that must be the context in which this conversation takes place. Bear in mind two important caveats. One is that sometimes a face-to-face encounter is not possible (as when the client is sedated, comatose, or demented) and sometimes it is not advisable  (as when there is conviction that this would cause more distress than it would relieve). In such cases, the effect can still be achieved by writing down the message and reading it to another person or simply by telling another, who acts as a stand-in for the client. The other caveat is that forgiveness does not mean that a truly injurious or abusive action has been condoned or accepted. It does not make a wrong right. What it does is signal a desire to let go of blame and anger, to release one’s heart from the chains of resentment. As such, it is a gift to the one who offers the forgiveness as much or more than it is a gift to the one receiving it.

The willingness to say, “I forgive you,” is accompanied by the question, “Is there anything I have done, or not done, for which I need to say I am sorry?” Being open to hearing about another person’s injuries and asking him or her for forgiveness is the other side of the coin of this gift. The art of giving and receiving forgiveness is rarely overt in many families, so most people have had no experience with this remarkably healing practice. They may feel awkward and phony using the words. Doubtless this practice entails taking emotional risks. However, it is the gateway to the other three gifts. Time is running out, and families know it. With some practice and encouragement, many take the chance.

2. Love (“I love you”): The second gift is to express love to each other. It is astonishing how many children have never heard their parents say, “I love you.” In many long-term marriages, these words have faded away, to be replaced by daily togetherness and the practical caring of a shared life. The end of life is a wonderful time for people to fully express what they mean to each other. Especially meaningful are the many memories of things learned from another, such as values, attitudes, and beliefs. Ultimately, the message is that all people are loved for being, rather than for what they have done or achieved.

3. Gratitude (“Thank you”): This is the moment to take the time to thank each other for what each has been in the other’s life. People look back over life together and remember the good times and the tough times. They can take out photo albums, show videos, reminisce, listen again to the client’s or family members’ favorite stories. Perhaps the rarest commodity in this culture is full attention; to receive a person’s undivided attention is precious. It is especially important to acknowledge the things that the patient took for granted. Many fathers and husbands have never been thanked for going to work every day for 30 to 40 years. Many wives and mothers would never expect thanks for all the laundry, mending, and help with school projects. Many exhausted caregivers weep when they are told they really are doing a good job and are appreciated.

4. Farewell (“Good-Bye, I’ll be okay”): Many people say that they hate good-byes. “I don’t do good-byes,” they may say. It is resisted for several reasons. Saying good-bye brings up feelings of grief and finality. Also, one hesitates to say goodbye before someone is actually leaving. It may appear to be rushing the person or even causing the departure. Yet when the final separation of death awaits us, the act of saying good-bye is deeply appropriate and meaningful. Survivors feel its absence when there was no chance to say good-bye and usually have to wrestle with it during bereavement. When one acknowledges the coming separation, one both gives and receives permission for the death to occur. The person who is dying knows that the loved one is facing the death and will survive it. The person giving permission loosens his or her grasp and begins to surrender to the inevitability of the death. The phrases one uses can be softened. “ I know the time will come when we’ll have to part, and these are some of my feelings and thoughts…” “I am thinking about having to go on without you, and I am going to make it.” “Thinking about saying good-bye makes me so terribly sad.” However one finds the words, this final gift is a way of acknowledging and honoring the importance of the relationship in one’s life and it should be encouraged and even rehearsed if necessary.

I have copied word for word out of the book, “Foundations for psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A clinical Approach. Fourth Edition” by Elizabeth M. Varco. P.834-835. As noted above, the section was interpreted from the writings of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross whose work I felt was too important not to share.

- Josh  

I have this fear that I will use the same phrase or description in more than one of my creative works. Wouldn’t that be boring, unimaginative or even lazy? Most times I think so. In an effort to keep things fresh, I keep an eye out for those familiar pieces… But really, they stick out anyways like they were written in bold and size 16 font.  

I know that getting stuck on trying to fix a recurring or banal line isn’t conducive to getting out a first draft - Get back to it later, right? Right. When you do get back to it (whenever that is), you try on different strategies targeting left or right brain type thinking (If you’re a fan of that theory). If you’re lucky, the by-product will be a stroke of genius or acceptable at worst. While a source of torment, working on it usually yields some progress if not at the very least will prove to be an exercise in learning about coping, standards and trying different strategies to get those creative juices pumping. Now. When you think about it, isn’t that a pretty awesome thing? You’re not just writing any more (as “just for fun” as you thought it was), you’re training your brain, making connections about what you do in the face of a writing obstacles, what you do in an effort to communicate on a level that’s important to you. The kicker here is that if the outcome is negative and you THINK your obstacle impossible to overcome, you may be training your brain for future negative outcomes.

The Positive effects of practice. That kind of thing doesn’t end with the period written in black ink at the end of a sentence. Practicing and doing can be THAT KIND of helpful across the board. Here’s a neat thought: Ever try an express how you feel towards someone? Does that ever come off as void of emotions or like you’re reading from a script? It can, and while doing is often times more important than speaking; meaningful, straight from the heart communication can be such a gift. The truth is we’ll all get tripped up in the recurring or banal lines of our past, or sometimes have rehearsed them so much that they are just about cement inside. My thoughts are that to move past it, we accepting what it is, think about expression, try on alternatives, let your right brain take a stab at it and keep practicing. The more you write, the higher the likeliness that you’ll run into it and also the more you will train your mind. The more we practice communicating, the better we get at that too. What a wonderful gift to yourself and to others, adding personal meaning to writing, to communication, to life.

- Josh