After three days and four passes, I have finally finished chapter 14. Coincidentally, chapter 14 picks up fourteen years after the events of the first thirteen chapters. Commander James T. Kirk serves as acting captain of the U.S.S. Farragut during a very difficult time in his life. Hardcore fans might be able to guess what has made this time so difficult for him. Read more

It is with great sadness that I inform you all that Jeff Collinsworth passed away last night. I met and worked with Jeff on the set of Blood and Fire, and I am glad to have called him friend. He was a kind man, had a great sense of humor, and was willing to do anything for the show that he loved so much. My condolences to his wife Melissa and his son Joey. Rest in peace, Jeff. You are missed.

I just watched Inception for the second time. It is good to see something original coming out of Hollywood these days. This film is one of the most imaginative films I have ever seen. The story is complex, so the viewer needs to pay close attention. If you have not seen this film yet, I highly, highly recommend it.

My son and I went to see TRON Legacy last night. I don’t remember a lot about the original film, but I do remember that I was not a big fan. In my opinion at the time it was okay, but nothing special. Because of that, I went in last night not expecting very much, but I ended up enjoying it. I do not think it was a great film, but it was fun. It was very imaginative, visually appealing while maintaining the look of the original very well, and had some very good performances—particularly Michael Sheen. The soundtrack was a perfect match to the look. If you liked the original, I believe you will enjoy the sequel as well.

Chapters 12 and 13 are finished. As I wrote in my previous post, they draw they are a sort of double-epilogue to the story within the story. The next chapter will pick up fourteen years later, but for now I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or other Happy Holiday as appropriate to your customs, traditions, and beliefs. May you all find joy in this special time of year.

Late last night I finished chapter 11. As I wrote in my previous post, chapter 10′s action bled into chapter 11 and picked up pace, bouncing back and forth between the two major starships and then ending up on the planet surface. Read more

After starting chapter 11 yesterday, I continued working on it today. Like chapter 10, this chapter goes from the bridge of the Enterprise to this bridge of the Farragut and will likely end on the surface of the planet. However, unlike that previous chapter, this one bounces back and forth between the two starships several times. The reason for this is simple. Read more

Today I finished chapter 10. Until today that chapter consisted of the scenes on the bridges of the Enterprise and the Farragut, and then chapter 11 picked up back down on the surface of the planet they are orbiting. However, all that great new material Geoff added—he hit home runs in both chapters—brought to light in my mind the question of story pacing. Read more

Continued working in chapter 10 today, spending the entire time with Captain April on the bridge of the Enterprise. This chapter is slow going, but for good reason. Like I said yesterday, Geoff added some great new material. In addition, we’ve tweaked that material since he added it in several conversations, so I am going a little slower to integrate the new stuff as seamlessly and as effectively as I can. Tomorrow, back to the Farragut.

Today I started chapter 10. This chapter begins back on the bridge of the Enterprise with Captain April deep in thought. In my previous draft, the part I worked on today consisted of two medium-length paragraphs, however… Read more