fictionsmith

UPDATE:  The Kickstarter is now live! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dunlap/the-wind-merchant-and-greyscale

I think I was about nine when I first met Ras Veir, and today I’d like to introduce you to him.

But first, backstory.

Back in the pre-AOL era of Prodigy’s pay-by-the-hour intranet, I would sit at the computer, typing stories and tying up our house’s phone line for hours on end.  At thetime Ras was an A-wing pilot, fighting the Empire, emulating the fighter pilot moves in the films I would watch over and over again.

Yes, my humble beginnings as a storyteller was as a Star Wars fan-fiction writer before I even knew what that was.

Fighting my personal battle with the bane of children everywhere (boredom), I developed my creativity by crafting stories.  Mixing that with being an only child, I had full run of those tales, which naturally progressed into writing fiction through the years, which progressed into making silly little films when I received my first video camera, which eventually progressed into things like Greyscale and Leave Me.

Almost every story I wrote had someone named Ras involved as long as there was something to be piloted, and each iteration of him was a familiar friend to me.  He would come to my aid, helping me tell stories that would ultimately cause me to learn something about myself with each one.

Today, Ras Veir is helping me finish Greyscale.

Anyone following the progress of Greyscale has probably noticed there hasn’t been a lot of activity in the last year and a half regarding the film, and part of this was due to me getting back on my feet after a ten month stint of unemployment and relocation to Nashville.

There’s an axiom in independent filmmaking: Good, fast, cheap.  Pick two.

I have quality work being done on the film, but after the job hiccup, it was being done at the pace of people investing their time on the film while winning their bread elsewhere (something totally understandable).  However, there are certain things that can’t be finished with time alone.

The last remaining piece of Greyscale before it can be shown to distributors is a 5.1 surround sound mix… which requires use of a studio… which costs money…

Ras Veir doesn’t have a studio or money, but he does have a story.

When I realized I needed to clear this last financial hurdle for the film, I recalled my earliest storytelling days… there was no budget involved in those tales.  I didn’t have to tell stories based on what locations I had access to or have to change characters based on the actors that came to the auditions.  I could have flying cities if I wanted to and get away with it without any real-world repercussions.

So I called on Ras.  This time he showed up wearing goggles and piloting an airship, ready for a steampunk adventure that I was more than happy to provide for him. All that to say: I’m writing my first full-blown novel called The Wind Merchant.  

Synopsis: To save his hometown from falling out of the sky, a fledgling airship pilot pursues an undiscovered element on the wind.

It’s definitely a mix between Fantasy and Sci-Fi, but overall it’s going to be a fun adventure tale with a healthy dose of steampunk influence abounding throughout.

Its purpose (aside from telling a fun steampunk adventure tale) is to raise the money to finish Greyscale through a Kickstarter campaign I’ll be launching in the near future (assuming Kickstarter approves it) and then be for sale on Amazon.com through self-publishing avenues.

So far it’s been a joy to reunite with a childhood friend and tell a story in an exciting new world where energy is harvested from the wind and most everyone lives on giant flying cities.  I’ve had the story in the back of my mind for quite a long time so I’m excited to let it escape to the page.

I’m handwriting the first draft in the tradition of some of my favorite authors

My lovely sister-in-law got me this Turkish leather-bound blank book and I can’t think of a better home for The Wind Merchant’s first draft.

Also, to keep me inspired and motivated, the top image is sliver of a retouched painting called The Getaway (First Flight) that Grant Cooley (www.GrantCooley.com) licensed to me for the book cover.  The guy’s hair was blonde in the print that hangs at my desk and he kindly made it dark brown to fit with Ras’ description.

I’ll post more details as they come, but I’m so incredibly excited to have my old hobby become my new hobby and hopefully pull Greyscale through it’s final hurdles in the process.

vcD,
-R