Well, yes and no.
Hello everybody, Dave Campbell here, the guy who has been chronicling The Velvet Marauder's adventures for the past year or so. Forgive me for breaking the "fourth wall" and all that, but this seems the appropriate time to break character and speak directly to the big handful of people who regularly read my little narrative blog.
Sadly, I'm putting The Velvet Marauder on hiatus. I know: bummer.
Lately I haven't been able to devote the time and energy into The Velvet Marauder that he/it deserves. There are a number of different forces competing for my attention these days, and it seems that VM always comes up short. I've got a job, a family, baby #2 on the way (Jan 1st!), another blog, and a number of writing projects in various stages of development. It sucks, but I just can't put the time into writing VM like I used to, and I'd rather not do it half-assed. So for now, I have to put the adventures of Connor Mackenzie aside.
Will The Velvet Marauder return? I think so, although perhaps not in blog form, if that makes sense. There are still a number of plot threads that I want to explore. Interbionics, The Malefactors, Margo... there's still a lot of story left and I hope to get to the point where I can continue where I left off.
I want to thank everybody for reading and for commenting - I really appreciate everyone's support and interest. I started The Velvet Marauder back in the summer of 2004 as a writing exercise, a way to get the creative juices flowing and to motivate me to write on a daily basis. I never wrote notes or plotted the story out ahead of time, which was a departure and challenge for me. I just wrote the damn thing and let VM and his world sort of unfold as I went along. The trick (and I'm not sure I was successful all the time) was to make it seem like VM was a natural part of a bigger universe that slowly revealed itself as time went on, and to make seemingly disconnected episodes tie in to a grander plot. At the risk of sounding corny, I learned a lot about the craft of writing and grew as a writer while writing the blog, so I suppose I accomplished what I set out to do.
But now I must set aside The Velvet Marauder and Wombat and Yiff and Dr Quark and Margo and all these characters that I've grown sort of attached to and focus on other stuff. I invite those of you who may not have visited my blog Dave's Long Box to stop by - I'll announce any future projects on DLB, including any VM-related stuff.
Again, I want to thank everybody who has read VM over the past year -- it means a lot to me that people actually dug something that I wrote, and I hope to "see" you all in cyberspace soon.
Do not fear - there is a decent chance that The Velvet Marauder will return, in one form or another...
Thanks and good luck!
-David Campbell
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26 comments:
Eeeeeaaaaggghhh!!!! (scream of agony) Say it ain't so, Dave!
I have become a faithful reader in the past few months, and found myself compelled to check every morning when I got to work to see if VM had written about any more adventures. And I've spent up to an hour or more on some nights "off the clock" staying after work to catch up on the previous entries. This is awesome stuff!
I've come across other blogs that attempt the same things as you are doing, and they don't hold a candle to the adventures of the Velvet Marauder. Your writing and story-telling skills are impressive indeed.
I hate to see you go, but I totally understand about other commitments. And I enjoy your long box blog, and can take solace that you'll still be doing that.
As someone once commented in one of your previous posts (many moons ago, I think it was) I too would like to see the adventures of VM gathered together and organized in a different format. I've really enjoyed reading your stuff, and encourage you to continue writing in one form or another. There'll always be this weird guy in Ohio who will be glad to read it!
Rock on, VM!
Thanks Dave. It has been a lot of fun.
Ah, nuts. Well, the VM had a great run. I've had a blast reading his adventures; over the past few months, it's become part of my after-work routine to check this blog and the Long Box every day. Every damn day. You're an excellent writer, Dave, and I hope you can one day parlay your talents into something more self-sustaining. Best of luck with your other commitments, and thanks for the stories so far!
Maybe Paleowolf can make an appearance on the Long Box; a showdown with Space Ranger is in order.
Rock on Dave, thanks for the ride.
Another one bites this dust.
Still, thanks for all the fish and so forth. It was good while it lasted.
Thanks for letting us tag along. Its been a fun time. Congrats on baby #2 and i look forward to checking out your new projects down the road.
well, dammit. I'm sad and at the same time really happy for ya, because it's awesome to be busy with cool stuff like babies, work, etc. I will keep checking back often at DLB just in case....
Also, I would ABSOLUTELY buy a VM-related book or comic. So do that, and I may find a way to get through the hiatus. Thanks.
Like everyone else I was a total VM addict and it's kept me entertained at my desk in work, often getting sideways glances from my colleagues as I laughed out loud, for a long time. I'm sad to see you go but I wish you the best in all your endeavours I hope you achieve your goals and we see a VM Comic/Book/Movie/All of the above someday along, of course, with all your other multi-billion dollar best selling works.
Thanks for the excellent read and for makin me look like a headcase in front of my fellow drones.
All the best
Neal
Thanks for all the good work Dave. I was often amazed by how much plotting was evident with the way storylines weaved in and out. The episode where you detailed VM's secret headquarters is one of my favorite all time superhero moments.
As much as I will miss VM's adventures, I will be more saddened if you do not keep writing fiction in general. You have a real gift.
Thank you for the excellent writing! I looked forward to each one of your updates. Best wishes with everything in your life! I'll miss the VM and would love to see him come back sometime. :)
Sorry to see Connor take a back seat, but curious to see/read what you'll get up to next. Thanks for the VM ride, too.
Is there any chance of getting a file of all the adventures? Its sad that VM is going away, but if that makes the Long Box even more Airwolf...Then so be it!!!
(it will be more airwolf, right?)
Best. Blog. Ever.
I'm not even a comic book person but I LOVE VM. You should shop around for a book deal
Damn! Sad to see the blog go on break, but it's completely understood. Thank you so much for the hysterical adventures! I've been a huge VM fan and have put up fan art at my blog to celebrate the guy. (No idea if it's how he should actually look, though.) Many thanks again, and hope the blog starts up again at some point!
You SUCK!!!
Ahhhh, not really. But I'm going to miss reading about VM's adventures. And Margo! What of Margo??
It's a shame, but I've kind of been expecting this. Hell, I couldn't keep my zombie blog going on a regular basis, and it doesn't even have a plot. It's just a series of jokes about eating brains. How hard can that be?
Thanks everybody, for being so nice and stuff. I hope to do a post shortly that has all the VM posts organized by month, for easy reading and whatnot. I will also work on getting all the posts in one document. And of course, I will post any news about VM here and at Dave's Long Box. I have a feeling that The Velvet Marauder may rock the night once again...
Thanks!
I have to say that I heart the Velvet Marauder. I've devoured the archives repeatedly, and will continue to do so. You've created one of the Internets' most fun and creative corners, Dave, and it was great fun to see it as it developed.
It is a sad day in Evergreen City.
Thanks for the adventure. It was totally Airwolf. I will be looking forward to hearing the exploits of VM in the future.
Merry Christmas, the Velvet Marauder.
Searching the Web for House Appliances, I found your site; what a pleasant surprise! Informative and fun! Hey, if you want to learn more about appliances and ...
merry christmas, VM
-Gus
You are a mean, mean man.
So long and thanks for all the fish. (Big up Douglas Adams!)
Thank you for contributing to a possible fail in my ICT GCSE, and getting me caught when I was reading, not working, because I was laughing hysterically.
Bon nuit, et bon chance. (That started as Latin and became French. More of the weird universe-crazy shit on this dimension-spanning site, I expect. Some actual Latin, because I just got an A for it in the mocks: ego sum triste ut tu discessis, quod tu est homo. -- I'm sad you're leaving, you're the man.
Come back soon -- Paleowolf!?!?
yeah Im late, so? just wanted to tell you it was terrific stuff. the best 'comic' Ive read in years.
Great story, Dave. I spent the last couple weeks reading the whole thing and it was well worth my time.
Honestly Dave, this was probably some of the funnest stuff to read in a long while. I had to go to work right after reading how VM kicked Doctor Quark in the nuts, and the whole 9 hours, I just kept eventually thinking back to that and what would happen next.
I kind of feel sad knowing that there's no more backlog of posts for me to read, but I'm checking out Templar even as I type this. If you ever write or help out on anything else, I would definitely read/buy it just out of principle of it coming from you. You've got the touch man, and you use it well.
One of many fans,
John Montgomery
Every six months or so, I come back to this blog in the hopes that posting’s resumed.
And every six months or so, I get sad all over again.
Thanks for the great reading, while it lasted.
Hi Dave!
The year is 2010. I stumbled across this about a month ago and cherish every word -- although I felt kind of guilty not having to pay for it!
I guess that means the writing holds up.
Of course, you've got to make a living and of course, family comes first - but I hope the Marauder returns.
Great stuff!
Hey, if you're feeling the urge to bring back Velvet Marauder, I'd love to give you a little push.
Between when you stopped and now, so much more has become viable in terms of online writing. At present there's a community of both writers and readers who visit http://webfictionguide.com.
Personally, I'm writing the Legion of Nothing, and online superhero serial which isn't much like Velvet Marauder, but it does have a following. In fact, I'm planning to make it available as an ebook series via Amazon and other online stores. It appears to be remarkably easy to do at this point.
It'd be great to see the Velvet Marauder available that way too.
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