When Rodney Met Dickie is complete

I finished and posted on Wednesday the final installment of When Rodney Met Dickie.

Part 1: http://www.bohemian-zen.com/?p=672.

Part 2: http://www.bohemian-zen.com/?p=879.

Part 3: http://www.bohemian-zen.com/?p=899.

When Rodney Met Dickie is part of the Special Edition project at www.bohemian-zen.com. The main story of Special Edition is told in the online comics. The serialized fiction tells peripheral stories involving characters featured in the comics, mainly members of the various gangs that inhabit the Tax Free Zone. When Rodney Met Dickie introduces the Bingo Ladies, one of said gangs, and the 50s-style street gang greasers that serve as the Bingo Ladies’ underlings. Both gangs will be seen again in The Bathroom Attendant, one of the comics being worked on for Season 2 of Special Edition.

The first part of When Rodney Met Dickie was written in July 2009. After a lengthy hiatus, I returned to the material and wrote and published parts 2 and 3 in November. Part 2 and 3 were difficult to write. I lost the narrative voice I had used in part 1. It was a struggle to find it again. As a result, part 2 went through several re-writes. In fact, I made small changes to it yesterday when I posted part 3.

The final installment was difficult too. I knew how the story was going to end– the ending was one of the first elements I wrote in my notebook when I started plotting the story in mid-July. I also knew I wanted part 3 to build upon the tension that had started to grow in part 2. I spent considerable time editing part 3, trimming and rewriting wherever I let the tension subside.

I read the whole story again this morning and am pleased with how it turned it. It took me a while to get it to where I wanted it to be but I believe I succeeded. I hope you agree. Enjoy.

New Serialized Fiction: When Rodney Met Dickie

This evening, I posted the first part of a new work of serialized fiction on www.bohemian-zen.com. When Rodney Met Dickie introduces another gang that populates the Bohemian Zen universe as created by 3!LL. Like the Pirates, the Bingo Ladies exist in the periphery of the main story but also criss-cross through the various plot lines. The less I say about the prose and the Bingo Ladies the better, but I will reveal that this particular work of serialized fiction is told from the perspective of two very different teenage boys– Rodney Wimpy from the suburbs and Dickie from The Tax Free Zone. The two boys are working the bingo at Bingo Palace when some serious shit goes down. Grab your lucky charms, your favorite dabber and get ready for bingo Bohemian Zen style!

More Untitled: Pie with Brian part 1

[read this first, if you've not already done so]

The waitress was plucky and young, in her early twenties, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She possessed an easy manner that wasn’t the byproduct of working a job that was only worth working because of tips. She waited patiently and happily as Brian tried to order pie.

The old man’s eyes weren’t fixed on any one location. Red and wet rimmed, his eyes darted from the waitress to the menu and then briefly to Terry before returning to either the young girl or the list of desserts. He licked his thin lips in between each eye movement. His jaw moved up and down in little jiggles as he worked hard to make sense of the questions asked and the options presented.

“What kind of pie would you like, Brian?” asked Terry. His voice was calm. He kept his own eyes fixed on the old man seated across from him, hoping to catch Brian’s gaze and hold it tight. He was quietly willing Brian to focus.

“Hmmmm…,” hummed Brian, eyes dancing along the words and searching the pictures, none of which depicted pie. His head came up and he looked past Terry’s shoulder to the far side of the little restaurant. There were few patrons and none seated near the two men. There was a low din created by casual conversation at the other tables and the general rattle clatter that escaped from the kitchen.

“Yes, Brian,” said Terry. “We usually sit over there, near the glass showcase and you look at the pie.” The waitress made to offer an apology, but Terry quickly let her know it wasn’t necessary with a gesture of his hand and an easy smile even as he continued to guide Brian toward a decision. “Would you like apple pie?”

“We have blueberry and lemon meringue, too,” stated the waitress pleasantly. The badge attached to her shirt claimed her name was “Joelle”. Her smile never faltered, but Terry was beginning to sense increasing discomfort in her tone and posture.

“No,” said Brian, shaking his head a little.

“Do you like lemon meringue, Brian?” asked Terry. He was certain the old man didn’t.

Brian shook his head and consulted the menu. One hand started to shake.

“Shall I surprise you?” offered Joelle. The words came out in a half-laugh that was meant to ease the increasing awkwardness of the situation.

“Apple pie. You like apple pie, Brian.” Terry was terser than he had wanted. It had an effect though. Brian looked up. The shaking hand stilled. The wet eyes focused.

“Yes,” he said. “Apple pie.”

Terry ordered the same, and a coffee, black. He took Brian’s menu, added it to his own and passed both to Joelle with a thank you.

[more to come]