As you can probably guess, Warbler is a thing that exists. This is actually incredibly relieving for me-it's been over six months since I technically began this project which, in storytelling terms, isn't that long, but it seems much longer, and it also isn't really that simple.
Warbler under that name has existed for only about six months, as I said-however, this universe has existed since, well... Honestly, as long as I can remember, this world has been one of my favorite playground for my storytelling adventures. It was the setting of my first novel, Phantom, which, while simplistic, proved to me that I could do this writing thing. (Phantom is still largely canon in this universe-it essentially chronicles the end of the Xon war, and the rise to power of Julian Shishani and his compatriots. It's written from the perspective of Killian Hazzard and Sara Kastori, but all five members of the Coven feature prominently. (If you're lost in a sea of unfamiliar names and terms at this point, I seriously would like to ask why you're reading this before not the rest of the site. Like the, um... Serial. The thing this site exists primarily as a home for.)
Regardless, Phantom wasn't half bad, and I'll never show it to anyone ever because I am a writer, and therefore a perfectionist. It was imperfect, therefore it must burn in purifying flame before being relegated to several layers of folders in my Google Drive. I finished that right before summer vacation in '14, which was more or less when I began to really be a writer.
After that, I had a couple of non-starter ideas for further stories in that universe, most of them centered either on the concept of the Republic-Imperiata War, or Killian's son, Reed. None of them ever developed any substance, so they never really began. That's about the time I wrote No More Lies, a novella that I'm incredibly proud of. It's not on this site as it's not really Warbler-related, and I believe that I can probably get someone to pay me to publish it. You may have to pay them to read it when/if that happens. I apologize, but I rather like being paid.
I finished nothing else of consequence for the next year or so-my writerly achievements boiled down to several dozen 3-page beginnings and a half dozen short stories, none of which were that good. Then, over the course of Lent (I'm Catholic) I wrote a short story called Shotgun Wedding, which was about, well... More or less a shotgun wedding. It was also rather good, although I had some stupid idea of tying it into an Urban Fantasy story I had seriously attempted to (and failed to) write during NaNoWriMo the previous year. (The idea wasn't actually that dumb-the particular Urban Fantasy in question tackled some rather heavy religious and philosophical themes.) However, I learned something incredibly valuable from Shotgun Wedding-how to actually sort of fake my way through writing convincing emotion. (No one ever actually understands any part of their writing, I'm convinced-we're all just faking it.) Regardless, this is part of what gave me the audacity to think that something like Warbler could actually succeed.
Armed with a highly fleshed out world, and finally a working understanding of how to actually mess with people and make them feel empathy for my fabrications, I was primed for genius to strike. (Read as: 'Armed with a half-baked world that essentially boiled down to 'Future! Spaceships! Laser guns!', and finally something I had deluded myself into thinking was actual skill, I was primed for supreme hubris'.)
I forget when the exact moment of inspiration for Warbler came, but I do remember that I already wanted to do a serial. I believe it had been Agents of SHIELD that made me want to do it, but I forget that too. Regardless, Warbler seemed to be an instant fit and I was currently in the grips of applying for my first job-a counselor at my local BSA Summer Camp-and reconnecting with my friends from my CIT Corp, I was reflecting upon how the sixteen of us were radically different, but still like brothers for that month. (Even the ones that hated each other. And threatened each other. With knives. But that's a different, slightly exaggerated story.) Regardless, that immediately meshed with the Warbler, which became a PT Boat-like craft, carrying a small crew in a barely-safe ship on the most dangerous, undesirable missions.
That eventually somehow morphed into them being the only people alive in the universe. I honestly have no idea. I have a sick and twisted mind, okay?
The need to differentiate characters led me to contact friends for help building them, and they fulfilled what was requested admirably. They gave me half the characters for Warbler-and they're the good ones, in my opinion. I wrote each of them a backstory so that I could understand their voice, and about halfway through that process, I began writing chapters. I finished Chapter Three before I actually finished all the backstories, but, well, such is the way of the world.
Regardless, Warbler is now officially a thing. Please, share it, send it to your friends, have them send it to their friends. Let's take over the world like some sort of zombie virus-or perhaps malevolent nanobot. Or not-this might just all suck. But if it does, I'm going to still play it up for all it's worth, because I aim to not suck forever, if that's the case. All I can ask for is instant and unreasonable success-is that really too much?
Regardless, Phantom wasn't half bad, and I'll never show it to anyone ever because I am a writer, and therefore a perfectionist. It was imperfect, therefore it must burn in purifying flame before being relegated to several layers of folders in my Google Drive. I finished that right before summer vacation in '14, which was more or less when I began to really be a writer.
After that, I had a couple of non-starter ideas for further stories in that universe, most of them centered either on the concept of the Republic-Imperiata War, or Killian's son, Reed. None of them ever developed any substance, so they never really began. That's about the time I wrote No More Lies, a novella that I'm incredibly proud of. It's not on this site as it's not really Warbler-related, and I believe that I can probably get someone to pay me to publish it. You may have to pay them to read it when/if that happens. I apologize, but I rather like being paid.
I finished nothing else of consequence for the next year or so-my writerly achievements boiled down to several dozen 3-page beginnings and a half dozen short stories, none of which were that good. Then, over the course of Lent (I'm Catholic) I wrote a short story called Shotgun Wedding, which was about, well... More or less a shotgun wedding. It was also rather good, although I had some stupid idea of tying it into an Urban Fantasy story I had seriously attempted to (and failed to) write during NaNoWriMo the previous year. (The idea wasn't actually that dumb-the particular Urban Fantasy in question tackled some rather heavy religious and philosophical themes.) However, I learned something incredibly valuable from Shotgun Wedding-how to actually sort of fake my way through writing convincing emotion. (No one ever actually understands any part of their writing, I'm convinced-we're all just faking it.) Regardless, this is part of what gave me the audacity to think that something like Warbler could actually succeed.
Armed with a highly fleshed out world, and finally a working understanding of how to actually mess with people and make them feel empathy for my fabrications, I was primed for genius to strike. (Read as: 'Armed with a half-baked world that essentially boiled down to 'Future! Spaceships! Laser guns!', and finally something I had deluded myself into thinking was actual skill, I was primed for supreme hubris'.)
I forget when the exact moment of inspiration for Warbler came, but I do remember that I already wanted to do a serial. I believe it had been Agents of SHIELD that made me want to do it, but I forget that too. Regardless, Warbler seemed to be an instant fit and I was currently in the grips of applying for my first job-a counselor at my local BSA Summer Camp-and reconnecting with my friends from my CIT Corp, I was reflecting upon how the sixteen of us were radically different, but still like brothers for that month. (Even the ones that hated each other. And threatened each other. With knives. But that's a different, slightly exaggerated story.) Regardless, that immediately meshed with the Warbler, which became a PT Boat-like craft, carrying a small crew in a barely-safe ship on the most dangerous, undesirable missions.
That eventually somehow morphed into them being the only people alive in the universe. I honestly have no idea. I have a sick and twisted mind, okay?
The need to differentiate characters led me to contact friends for help building them, and they fulfilled what was requested admirably. They gave me half the characters for Warbler-and they're the good ones, in my opinion. I wrote each of them a backstory so that I could understand their voice, and about halfway through that process, I began writing chapters. I finished Chapter Three before I actually finished all the backstories, but, well, such is the way of the world.
Regardless, Warbler is now officially a thing. Please, share it, send it to your friends, have them send it to their friends. Let's take over the world like some sort of zombie virus-or perhaps malevolent nanobot. Or not-this might just all suck. But if it does, I'm going to still play it up for all it's worth, because I aim to not suck forever, if that's the case. All I can ask for is instant and unreasonable success-is that really too much?