The Visions of Carlos Rivera by Brian C. Petroziel

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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: The Visions of Carlos Rivera by Brian C. Petro

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

... Never saw that one (I would have been about 6 years old when it first ran). One major difference here was that Rivera was seeing and hearing (I think?) through EVERY picture of himself -- posters, probably images on currency, newspaper photos -- at once. In that sense, the Mayan shaman's 'gift' was a curse even if it didn't make Rivera vulnerable to attacks on his portraits.<br><br>Brian P.'s story probably reminded you of the T.Z. episode not so much because of the plot but because of the setting -- and let's face it, if someone with as ridiculous a mental storehouse of plots and images from genre stuff as I have didn't see it as reminiscent of anything, I suspect that your deja vu problem with the story would not be a common one. (The premise actually evokes the principles of similarity underlying voodoo/santeria -- which obviously predate T.Z. by a century or three.)<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: The Visions of Carlos Rivera by Brian C. Petro

Post by bpetroz »

Bill, I actually caught a few minutes of that episode on cable a few weeks ago. I have seen most of the Twilight Zone's episodes a couple of times, but "Visions" really didn't have anything to do with the Twilight Zone, or Fidel Castro, for that matter. The story was written during my first incarnation as a writer in 1982 BC (before computers). Back then I wrote the first two drafts longhand, and only typed the final ms on my tiny blue royal electric, using tons of Correct-type strips. The manuscripts were truly ugly compared to modern printers.<br><br>The story was inspired by two things. The first was the Sandinistas coming to power in Nicaragua, hence the name "Larristas" for the revolutionary movement. The second was a feature story in the July '82 issue of National Geographic, which detailed the Mayan civilization in this area. While the Mayans abandoned several large cities and ceremonial sites, they are still the indigenous population in this area. Geographically Costa Azucar would be nestled in between Belize and Honduras. Robert's take on the extent of the visions was correct.<br><br>There were some revisions to the original story due to a re-write request by Leading Edge. In the original, Chula Peten was sumarily executed, while in the current version, the jail scene was added. The revised story made the first cut, but not the final issue.<br><br>When I began writing again in "02, I decided to resurrect the 3 best stories of that era. In addition to "Visions", a story entitled "Across the Pages of Time" appeared in the October 2004 issue of Black Petals, and a humorous piece, "The Tunnel at the End of the Light", appeared in Issue 6 of Fools Motley in 2004.<br><br>I do try to avoid things that have been done. When I started writing again, I went through my writing journal. I discovered a 12/29/83 entry where a man is punished by being forced to relive his crime...through images saved from the victim's brain. Any fan of Star Trek Voyager will recognize that a the fate that befell Tom Paris in one episode. Oh Well, you snooze-- you lose.<br><br>I hope that sheds some light on the evolution of the story.<br><br>Brian C. Petroziello<br><br>web site: http://hometown.aol.com/bpetroz/index100.html<br>
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