I realize that I may not have come through on my promises of more content, and that it's been roughly eight months since last I posted anything, but I am indeed still here, and I'm taking the time to post that I will definitely be more active in the coming month. Why? Well if you've read many of the posts on this blog, you'd already know! But for those of you who may not know what's going on, in less than thirteen days, National Novel Writing Month begins anew, with all the challenge and wonder.
Last year was a great success for me, as well as many others, and as such, I'm going to be again utilizing this blog to lay down some creative techniques and time savers so that your month runs as smoothly as it possibly can while still blazing down the path of noveling. Be you a pantser or a plotter, this blog will (hopefully) give you some good tips and tricks for keeping yourself on track and beyond. This year, I'm going to be doing something a little different as well.
You see, last year, around this time, I started up a challenge for myself for writing ten short stories in the span of the ten days before NaNo began. This year, while I'll be doing the same thing (and the post detailing rules and such will be coming soon), I'm also going to try and run challenges, word wars, and various other fun things to keep you guys both entertained and sufficiently focused on the task at hand during November itself. On top of this, I'll maintain my inspirational posts, so that even in the depths of despair, you may realize that it's not all at an end. So, ending off this short little "I'm still here" post, it's good to be back, and I hope you guys enjoy the ride!
Showing posts with label shameless promotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shameless promotion. Show all posts
1/30/2011
New Ventures Ahoy
So it seems that my prediction as of last update was completely wrong. Instead of ignoring that little Twitter thing, I've actually managed to keep up with that and instead forget nearly completely about this. In an effort to bring my attention back around, I'm going to try and keep myself to a bi-weekly schedule for the blog. So every two weeks, I'll be sure to come back around and update with goings on and various other topics. Which also brings me to touch upon the issue of content. Seeing as how NaNoWriMo has been over for a few months now, I'll be shifting focus on to a more general view on things. I'll still give writing advice if and when I see fit, and of course, I'll be updating with the status of my '10 novel, Shades of Change and the various stages of editing that it happens to be going through.
Other topics I may or may not post about are, in no particular order, personal news, video games, worldly happenings that I happen to have an opinion about (don't worry, there aren't really many of these), and things of the sort.
But, going back to the whole writing side of things for a moment, if you've somehow managed to keep an eye on this blog (with it's lack of updates and all) and its sidebar to the left there, you'll have known that I intended to finally begin revising Shades. Now, shamefully, I still haven't started on it; although I have taken a look back at the first few chapters and realize quite a few issues exist within the writing. The pacing for a lot of the beginning chapters is completely awful. There is basically no spacing between major events, and what little there is, is weak and fairly poorly written. Of course, being a NaNovel, I didn't expect too much more than this, and honestly, it's easily rectifiable. I've also found out that third-person limited may not actually be the best delivery method for the story itself, and indeed, it may benefit greatly from having a complete overhaul into first person perspective (see a few posts back to see some possible reasons why this is).
And, while I've found all of this out, another future project of mine that I've been planning for well over a year now has finally begun to open itself up and make itself available. I haven't really mentioned it very much on the blog here, but I've had this idea floating in my head for the longest time based upon a prompt that I came up with during a completely unrelated event. That being said, this idea refused to allow me to explore it much, and as such most of the planning I've done for it is terrible and probably won't see the light of day. However, recently I've come across a few things about this new plot that would work wonderfully if implemented correctly, and I hope to begin outlining it quite soon. Writing probably won't commence for quite a while, but the thought isn't going anywhere for a long, long time.
Which brings me to more current news. Again, if you've somehow managed to keep up with this blog, even while I haven't, you'll notice that I've also begun quite a new adventure; one more closely tied to my other great pass time, video games. I've begun a Let's Play series on one of my absolute favorite games of all time (which, incidentally, has some of the best writing in a video game that I've seen).
If you don't happen to know what a "Let's Play" is, allow me to explain. A Let's Play is a fairly new thing that has popped up out of the internet culture-pot, the SomethingAwful forums. The basic premise is one or two people take it upon themselves to record themselves playing a game, be it through screenshots or video, and provide a helpful walkthrough and/or humorous commentary. Some of the better Let's Players are able to do both with incredible skill, and they're often great time sinks.
That being said, I've started my own series on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. If you're interested in watching it, you can find it on YouTube on my channel page.
Anyway, that's all I have for all of you guys today. So, with all of that in mind, I bid you all adieu until two weeks from now.
Other topics I may or may not post about are, in no particular order, personal news, video games, worldly happenings that I happen to have an opinion about (don't worry, there aren't really many of these), and things of the sort.
But, going back to the whole writing side of things for a moment, if you've somehow managed to keep an eye on this blog (with it's lack of updates and all) and its sidebar to the left there, you'll have known that I intended to finally begin revising Shades. Now, shamefully, I still haven't started on it; although I have taken a look back at the first few chapters and realize quite a few issues exist within the writing. The pacing for a lot of the beginning chapters is completely awful. There is basically no spacing between major events, and what little there is, is weak and fairly poorly written. Of course, being a NaNovel, I didn't expect too much more than this, and honestly, it's easily rectifiable. I've also found out that third-person limited may not actually be the best delivery method for the story itself, and indeed, it may benefit greatly from having a complete overhaul into first person perspective (see a few posts back to see some possible reasons why this is).
And, while I've found all of this out, another future project of mine that I've been planning for well over a year now has finally begun to open itself up and make itself available. I haven't really mentioned it very much on the blog here, but I've had this idea floating in my head for the longest time based upon a prompt that I came up with during a completely unrelated event. That being said, this idea refused to allow me to explore it much, and as such most of the planning I've done for it is terrible and probably won't see the light of day. However, recently I've come across a few things about this new plot that would work wonderfully if implemented correctly, and I hope to begin outlining it quite soon. Writing probably won't commence for quite a while, but the thought isn't going anywhere for a long, long time.
Which brings me to more current news. Again, if you've somehow managed to keep up with this blog, even while I haven't, you'll notice that I've also begun quite a new adventure; one more closely tied to my other great pass time, video games. I've begun a Let's Play series on one of my absolute favorite games of all time (which, incidentally, has some of the best writing in a video game that I've seen).
If you don't happen to know what a "Let's Play" is, allow me to explain. A Let's Play is a fairly new thing that has popped up out of the internet culture-pot, the SomethingAwful forums. The basic premise is one or two people take it upon themselves to record themselves playing a game, be it through screenshots or video, and provide a helpful walkthrough and/or humorous commentary. Some of the better Let's Players are able to do both with incredible skill, and they're often great time sinks.
That being said, I've started my own series on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. If you're interested in watching it, you can find it on YouTube on my channel page.
Anyway, that's all I have for all of you guys today. So, with all of that in mind, I bid you all adieu until two weeks from now.
11/07/2010
Daylight Savings Time
Many of you probably already know this, but it's time for the fun little half-year of DST to say bye-bye. I, for one, could not be happier. Not only does this give me, and in fact all of us, an extra little hour push for the day's writing, but it provides something fairly valuable besides just that. It gives us a bit longer in the sunlight.
Sunlight is good. It feeds the grass and trees (unless it's fall, in which it allows us to watch all these wonderful things wither and die), it signifies the day time, and of course, it's most important job, in that it provides us with a great source of light, as the name might ever-so-subtly imply. But, of course this all depends on whether or not it's being covered by a generous helping of clouds or not.
Anyway, beyond what magic happens in the realm of the sky, or what sorcery turns time back and forth an hour every other season, it's still time to write. And, as we are all probably aware, writing is good too. Which brings me to my first reason for bothering to write a blog post at 2:30 in the morning.
As I said in my post a couple of days ago, I had to somewhat stop myself in my conquest of my novel's progress in order to attend the weekly Dungeons and Dragons game. I had a plan, and I didn't adhere to it quite as well as I had... well... planned. My original thought was that I'd use small breaks in the action and write a little bit in the notebook at all possible times. Of course, this didn't happen. Well, I at least managed to bring the notebook and a writing tool, but everything else just kind of fell flat. So, yesterday, I found myself needing to play just a small game of catch-up to jump from my 21-or-so-thousand word count up to 30 thousand, in keeping with my 5k a day attitude.
I'm proud to say that I made it most of the way in another vastly helpful 6,500 word day, which leaves me short just less than a thousand words from 30k, which means another 6k day is in order for me to be back on track with myself. But, on the plus side, I've got a hook for a possible sequel. Maybe next year?
And that, boys and girls, is what will segue into my advice for today. Not the part about the sequel, but the whole word count thing.
Sunlight is good. It feeds the grass and trees (unless it's fall, in which it allows us to watch all these wonderful things wither and die), it signifies the day time, and of course, it's most important job, in that it provides us with a great source of light, as the name might ever-so-subtly imply. But, of course this all depends on whether or not it's being covered by a generous helping of clouds or not.
Anyway, beyond what magic happens in the realm of the sky, or what sorcery turns time back and forth an hour every other season, it's still time to write. And, as we are all probably aware, writing is good too. Which brings me to my first reason for bothering to write a blog post at 2:30 in the morning.
As I said in my post a couple of days ago, I had to somewhat stop myself in my conquest of my novel's progress in order to attend the weekly Dungeons and Dragons game. I had a plan, and I didn't adhere to it quite as well as I had... well... planned. My original thought was that I'd use small breaks in the action and write a little bit in the notebook at all possible times. Of course, this didn't happen. Well, I at least managed to bring the notebook and a writing tool, but everything else just kind of fell flat. So, yesterday, I found myself needing to play just a small game of catch-up to jump from my 21-or-so-thousand word count up to 30 thousand, in keeping with my 5k a day attitude.
I'm proud to say that I made it most of the way in another vastly helpful 6,500 word day, which leaves me short just less than a thousand words from 30k, which means another 6k day is in order for me to be back on track with myself. But, on the plus side, I've got a hook for a possible sequel. Maybe next year?
And that, boys and girls, is what will segue into my advice for today. Not the part about the sequel, but the whole word count thing.
11/05/2010
On Various Things Vaguely Related to NaNo.
At the outset of this post, I left the title line rather blank. Not because I didn't know what I wanted it to be, but because I was unsure of how to phrase it. This, admittedly, happens more than I like it to. Titles are supposed to be an indication of what something contains, and as such they should be clear and concise, and all of that fun little nonsense. But no one ever tells you in schooling, what makes a good title? Is it how short it is, or how detailed it is, or is it just how cool it happens to sound while remaining in the ballpark area of what's within? Whatever it is, titles are not today's topic.
As I've stated before, I've been enjoying great success in my National Novel Writing to date, putting in an average of at least 5,000 words per day (although I am quite proud of my 6k day yesterday, that was refreshing!) and not showing the least bit of interest in slowing down. However, tonight, all that has to change due to prior obligations.
That's right, it's Dungeons and Dragons night. And I'm fully expected to be there.
So, what am I to do? Well, I've already decided that I'll be taking a pad and a pen to the game and at every chance I'm able to get, jot down a few hundred or so words, or whatever I happen to be able to fit in the time I'm given. During breaks, that's when I'll get up to about a thousand down or so. And when the night's all said and done, I get to come back home and transcribe. This also gives me the chance to edit some of the work to flow better and not sound so... disjointed.
And that brings me to the true topic of the day: editing during NaNo.
I went around to a few different writers' blogs yesterday in an attempt to slow myself down just a little, and I came across a few stating their opinions on the taboo that is editing in November's writing insanity. I'd just like to say one thing in opening: without mid-writing editing, I would be a lost soul. I rely on a few bits of editing here and there to soothe my minor bouts of OCD (no, I don't actually have the disorder, but my brain works in such a way at times.), so that my inner editor is calm enough to allow me some time alone to write whatever fancies me.
I seem to have perfected the art while I was busy writing fan fiction stories. I was never one for drafting, and often times, the very moment I finished a chapter I would publish it on the website, so that meant that I needed to have a relatively readable and at least somewhat edited piece of work ready when I did so. How did I manage this? I used the trusty old pencil-and-paper technique. I find it allows for quick and easy edits during the transcription process, because as you're typing the information in, you yourself are forced to read what you wrote and see if it just so happens to work. If it doesn't, make changes as you type. All the time you spend in writing your story longhand comes back to you in transcription, with the added bonus of more quality to show off to all of your wonderful readers.
And the good thing is, that it works both ways. Say you're pressed for time, and you'd like to keep a paragraph or two that you've typed in on your computer for context. Write it down in your notebook, making small edits to that little snippet, take that notebook with you, continue where you left off, and when you're ready to sit back down at the computer, take those paragraphs and rephrase them using the edits in your notebook. You'll thank yourself for it in December, I promise.
But, what about classic editing? You know, reading line by line in an effort to find even the smallest discrepancy? Don't do that, unless you find yourself very far ahead in your writing or if you find yourself stuck. For instance, if you're stuck, there's a good chance that going back and looking at what you've written already will clue you into some things you can write to continue on and move not only your novel, but your word count into higher territory. Just don't do it too much. That can be a bad thing and perhaps even dissuade you from writing anything at all, which is definitely not good.
So, with all of that having been said, I'm off to begin writing today's 4k so that I can keep my pace up and hopefully hit the halfway mark of NaNo's 50k today. Happy NaNoing, everyone.
P.S.: I almost just hit the 'publish' button without titling the damn post. Curse you, title fairy! Also, quick question for you guys. Do you like to title your chapters, or do you prefer to leave the chapters as mere numbers?
As I've stated before, I've been enjoying great success in my National Novel Writing to date, putting in an average of at least 5,000 words per day (although I am quite proud of my 6k day yesterday, that was refreshing!) and not showing the least bit of interest in slowing down. However, tonight, all that has to change due to prior obligations.
That's right, it's Dungeons and Dragons night. And I'm fully expected to be there.
So, what am I to do? Well, I've already decided that I'll be taking a pad and a pen to the game and at every chance I'm able to get, jot down a few hundred or so words, or whatever I happen to be able to fit in the time I'm given. During breaks, that's when I'll get up to about a thousand down or so. And when the night's all said and done, I get to come back home and transcribe. This also gives me the chance to edit some of the work to flow better and not sound so... disjointed.
And that brings me to the true topic of the day: editing during NaNo.
I went around to a few different writers' blogs yesterday in an attempt to slow myself down just a little, and I came across a few stating their opinions on the taboo that is editing in November's writing insanity. I'd just like to say one thing in opening: without mid-writing editing, I would be a lost soul. I rely on a few bits of editing here and there to soothe my minor bouts of OCD (no, I don't actually have the disorder, but my brain works in such a way at times.), so that my inner editor is calm enough to allow me some time alone to write whatever fancies me.
I seem to have perfected the art while I was busy writing fan fiction stories. I was never one for drafting, and often times, the very moment I finished a chapter I would publish it on the website, so that meant that I needed to have a relatively readable and at least somewhat edited piece of work ready when I did so. How did I manage this? I used the trusty old pencil-and-paper technique. I find it allows for quick and easy edits during the transcription process, because as you're typing the information in, you yourself are forced to read what you wrote and see if it just so happens to work. If it doesn't, make changes as you type. All the time you spend in writing your story longhand comes back to you in transcription, with the added bonus of more quality to show off to all of your wonderful readers.
And the good thing is, that it works both ways. Say you're pressed for time, and you'd like to keep a paragraph or two that you've typed in on your computer for context. Write it down in your notebook, making small edits to that little snippet, take that notebook with you, continue where you left off, and when you're ready to sit back down at the computer, take those paragraphs and rephrase them using the edits in your notebook. You'll thank yourself for it in December, I promise.
But, what about classic editing? You know, reading line by line in an effort to find even the smallest discrepancy? Don't do that, unless you find yourself very far ahead in your writing or if you find yourself stuck. For instance, if you're stuck, there's a good chance that going back and looking at what you've written already will clue you into some things you can write to continue on and move not only your novel, but your word count into higher territory. Just don't do it too much. That can be a bad thing and perhaps even dissuade you from writing anything at all, which is definitely not good.
So, with all of that having been said, I'm off to begin writing today's 4k so that I can keep my pace up and hopefully hit the halfway mark of NaNo's 50k today. Happy NaNoing, everyone.
P.S.: I almost just hit the 'publish' button without titling the damn post. Curse you, title fairy! Also, quick question for you guys. Do you like to title your chapters, or do you prefer to leave the chapters as mere numbers?
11/01/2010
Success on Day One
So my first official day of noveling insanity is finally done and over with, at a total of 5,017 words. Which means that I also completed my forum challenge of 5k on the first day. To celebrate, I'm providing everyone with a blog post, as well as an excerpt! Huzzah!
As it turns out, I actually found challenge where I expected none. I figured my excitement of finally starting work on Shades of Change would simply carry me away to success, but apparently my brain didn't want any of that. Every so often, it would wander away in search of something else, be it a word I couldn't find, another thing I wanted to do, or whatever. In short, my brain forced me to take many, many, many small breaks while I was trying to sit and write seriously. Thankfully, I already had close to the daily goal of 1,667 during the midnight write-off and that helped immensely in my quest for wordly domination (see what I did there?).
Incidentally, inspiration struck yet again while I was trying to drain my brain of inspired thought, as it so often does. Unsatisfied with the way my novel's beginning ended up coming out on paper, I actually figured out a way to fix it while still ignoring it in favor of fresh progress, so at the end of the competition, I will be writing the true beginning of my novel, as long as I don't forget about it.
Now for excerpts!
As it turns out, I actually found challenge where I expected none. I figured my excitement of finally starting work on Shades of Change would simply carry me away to success, but apparently my brain didn't want any of that. Every so often, it would wander away in search of something else, be it a word I couldn't find, another thing I wanted to do, or whatever. In short, my brain forced me to take many, many, many small breaks while I was trying to sit and write seriously. Thankfully, I already had close to the daily goal of 1,667 during the midnight write-off and that helped immensely in my quest for wordly domination (see what I did there?).
Incidentally, inspiration struck yet again while I was trying to drain my brain of inspired thought, as it so often does. Unsatisfied with the way my novel's beginning ended up coming out on paper, I actually figured out a way to fix it while still ignoring it in favor of fresh progress, so at the end of the competition, I will be writing the true beginning of my novel, as long as I don't forget about it.
Now for excerpts!
10/31/2010
T-Minus Eight Hours, and Counting
I've mentioned before that time seems to slow considerably when you're anticipating something, and it couldn't be more true now. With just about eight hours until the grand event, and Halloween festivities providing a buffer between now and then, I don't see things moving much more quickly, either. But, that's all well and good, though. You see, these last few hours are providing me some valuable insight time to make sure that my story will play out as I've planned (maybe not, depending on what little plot bunnies discover themselves during my frenzied writing over the next month). Characters are solidifying themselves and others are discovering their wants and needs. Motives swim in and out as they see fit. In other words, my mind is abuzz with the symphony of the not-too-distant plot, looking forward to it's release into the world.
Around the world, NaNo is starting, and the only thing to do now is wait for it to reach the east coast. Midnight tonight will be filled with the sounds of keys being struck with a pace yet unseen this year. Happy NaNo, everyone, and good luck.
Around the world, NaNo is starting, and the only thing to do now is wait for it to reach the east coast. Midnight tonight will be filled with the sounds of keys being struck with a pace yet unseen this year. Happy NaNo, everyone, and good luck.
10/22/2010
NaNoWriMo Countdown: 10 Days
Okay, so first off, apologies. I know I said that I'd make up for the lack of short story two days ago with a double story yesterday. That obviously didn't happen, but I have excuses reasons on the 'why'.
It's been... a rather rough week to be honest. Finally getting over a double dose of the common cold, catching some strain of Strep, going to Maryland for the weekend, and having an unexpectedly busy schedule are some of the things giving me trouble. Not even mentioning the small writer's block I'm getting when I try to think about continuing on with the short that I posted on Tuesday.
So, in lieu of doing my 12 for 12 challenge this year, I will at the very least post up some posts for the days leading up to the big event. If the post just so happens to contain a short story, then it's a win-win, right? Next year, I will rehash the challenge (with some revised rules), and perhaps even complete it!
In NaNo-news, I'm finally just about done with plotting my novel for this year and I just can't wait to finally get started. It seems, now that I really think about it, that the rest of this year just happened so quickly and yet now that November's rolling around, the world decides to slow down and make it take forever to finally arrive. Funny how that works. Anyway, I've accepted some of those fun word-count-on-the-first-day challenges. Most notably the 5k in a day challenge. Which, honestly, I don't think I'll have an issue with, and might just roll into the 10k/first day challenge. But, that also means that while I'm busy writing my novel, I may or may not have a blog post for everyone. Perhaps once I'm satisfied with my progress for the day, I'll come here and sum up the day's fun little plot bunnies, and of course, update with my word count. Just thinking about the fun I'll have wrecking my novel's setting makes me want to get writing. November just can't come fast enough.
It's been... a rather rough week to be honest. Finally getting over a double dose of the common cold, catching some strain of Strep, going to Maryland for the weekend, and having an unexpectedly busy schedule are some of the things giving me trouble. Not even mentioning the small writer's block I'm getting when I try to think about continuing on with the short that I posted on Tuesday.
So, in lieu of doing my 12 for 12 challenge this year, I will at the very least post up some posts for the days leading up to the big event. If the post just so happens to contain a short story, then it's a win-win, right? Next year, I will rehash the challenge (with some revised rules), and perhaps even complete it!
In NaNo-news, I'm finally just about done with plotting my novel for this year and I just can't wait to finally get started. It seems, now that I really think about it, that the rest of this year just happened so quickly and yet now that November's rolling around, the world decides to slow down and make it take forever to finally arrive. Funny how that works. Anyway, I've accepted some of those fun word-count-on-the-first-day challenges. Most notably the 5k in a day challenge. Which, honestly, I don't think I'll have an issue with, and might just roll into the 10k/first day challenge. But, that also means that while I'm busy writing my novel, I may or may not have a blog post for everyone. Perhaps once I'm satisfied with my progress for the day, I'll come here and sum up the day's fun little plot bunnies, and of course, update with my word count. Just thinking about the fun I'll have wrecking my novel's setting makes me want to get writing. November just can't come fast enough.
10/15/2010
Rediscovering Old Favorites
I took a small peek through my game library to find something to play the other day, to find something rather interesting: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Now, this game was created by Bethesda Softworks in 2008* for Xbox, PS3, and PC, and I have had the pleasure of playing all three versions and comparing/contrasting all the visual differences. Now, no one should be offended by what I'm about to type - it should be rather blatant, actually, and unnecessary to say - but I believe that the best looking of the three is most definitely the PC version. Of course, this all depends on hardware, and that's a thing for perhaps another time.
However, it's continued beauty graphically aside, Oblivion has also aged well in another area I particularly love to see games flourish in: story. Add to this that Bethesda managed to actually merge gameplay and storytelling seamlessly, much like BioWare and it's fantastic lineup of RPGs, and Oblivion makes for one of, if not THE best game of it's year.
As I said, Oblivion has actually aged gracefully in terms of graphical quality; it was well ahead of its time, in my opinion. Almost the entire world is rendered at once, with minimal loading times between certain few areas (and of course, going inside/outside houses and dungeons), achieved by caching some of the data into the hard drive of whatever systems drives that particular copy. So, it's beautiful AND fast to render, which always quite impressed me.
All things aside, Oblivion is a great game, and if you haven't played it, I highly recommend that you do. It's simply an awesome experience.
*Edit: I totally meant '07.
However, it's continued beauty graphically aside, Oblivion has also aged well in another area I particularly love to see games flourish in: story. Add to this that Bethesda managed to actually merge gameplay and storytelling seamlessly, much like BioWare and it's fantastic lineup of RPGs, and Oblivion makes for one of, if not THE best game of it's year.
As I said, Oblivion has actually aged gracefully in terms of graphical quality; it was well ahead of its time, in my opinion. Almost the entire world is rendered at once, with minimal loading times between certain few areas (and of course, going inside/outside houses and dungeons), achieved by caching some of the data into the hard drive of whatever systems drives that particular copy. So, it's beautiful AND fast to render, which always quite impressed me.
All things aside, Oblivion is a great game, and if you haven't played it, I highly recommend that you do. It's simply an awesome experience.
*Edit: I totally meant '07.
10/10/2010
A Lesson for Aspiring Writers: The Importance of Plotting
Okay. Say you're a writer, working on a novel, short story, what have you. You're probably all ready to get set to writing your masterpiece story that you've been sitting on for years, so that you can expose it to the world at large, and you know exactly what you want of your story's beginning.
Now, stop.
Just take a moment before you set pen to paper or finger to keyboard. I'll tell you why: unless you've written something semi-professionally before, you probably also forgot one key part of a story - your plot.
Now, stop.
Just take a moment before you set pen to paper or finger to keyboard. I'll tell you why: unless you've written something semi-professionally before, you probably also forgot one key part of a story - your plot.
10/06/2010
On Being Sick, Among Other Things
So I sat here last night, thinking about what I should post to the blog in order to keep it up to date and all that. Needless to say, I drew a blank. And honestly, I'm still not sure what I should be talking about. I've mentioned NaNo this week, I've said pretty much everything that's even relatively important, and I'm left with nothing to really talk about. But that won't stop me from finding something, damn it.
I've recently come down with something that's causing me to cough mercilessly, and I can't stand it. Being sick sucks. Like, really. Not only do I have to contend with being an asthmatic, but now this. Argh. Oh well. Not much I can really do about it with me out of state for the rest of the week. Just gotta keep munching on those cough drops and hoping Robitussin will do the rest of the job.
Anyway, in creative news, I've worked a little on a new chapter of that long-neglected Warcraft fanfiction of mine, and sent what I wrote off to my co-author for him to finagle something respectable out of it, so now I wait for the return of my chapter so that I can put some finishing touches on it and post it up on the site.
For NaNo, October is definitely in full swing now, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about my novel's plot and how I can still make it better, even with only weeks before everything becomes a blur of caffeine and furious typing. For instance, my villains need a LOT of background work to get done before I'm truly happy with them. I've already gotten one's ambitions and such out of the way, but the other is still just that shadowy being in the corner, per se. When I get back home, I'll have to see what I can add to my notes about it.
And, for my project after NaNo, I still haven't been able to put thoughts on to paper (or screen, if you will), so that's still a far-off notion. Which is interesting, because I'm really into how it's fleshing itself out. I suppose I should let it do just that; let it work on itself. When it's ready, it'll let me know. I can't wait to start working on it, though.
With that, I've run the well dry, so if there is indeed anyone reading out there, thanks for stopping by!
I've recently come down with something that's causing me to cough mercilessly, and I can't stand it. Being sick sucks. Like, really. Not only do I have to contend with being an asthmatic, but now this. Argh. Oh well. Not much I can really do about it with me out of state for the rest of the week. Just gotta keep munching on those cough drops and hoping Robitussin will do the rest of the job.
Anyway, in creative news, I've worked a little on a new chapter of that long-neglected Warcraft fanfiction of mine, and sent what I wrote off to my co-author for him to finagle something respectable out of it, so now I wait for the return of my chapter so that I can put some finishing touches on it and post it up on the site.
For NaNo, October is definitely in full swing now, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about my novel's plot and how I can still make it better, even with only weeks before everything becomes a blur of caffeine and furious typing. For instance, my villains need a LOT of background work to get done before I'm truly happy with them. I've already gotten one's ambitions and such out of the way, but the other is still just that shadowy being in the corner, per se. When I get back home, I'll have to see what I can add to my notes about it.
And, for my project after NaNo, I still haven't been able to put thoughts on to paper (or screen, if you will), so that's still a far-off notion. Which is interesting, because I'm really into how it's fleshing itself out. I suppose I should let it do just that; let it work on itself. When it's ready, it'll let me know. I can't wait to start working on it, though.
With that, I've run the well dry, so if there is indeed anyone reading out there, thanks for stopping by!
10/03/2010
Thoughtful Redirection and Anticipation
I deleted the blog, and I un-deleted the blog. Not much to say about that, besides the fact that I can't reliably keep myself on a schedule if it isn't absolutely imperative to my way of life. So, I just hope I remember this thing well enough to update it when I will. Disregard all of that silly schedule nonsense a few posts back, and welcome to the new(ish) blog of mine. I've also wanted to take it upon myself to start up doing Let's Plays (if you don't know what these are, go check out ProtonJon or Chuggaaconroy on Youtube. They're both fantastic LPers.) I don't know when or how, but I'll eventually (probably) do it. My Youtube channel's the same as everything else of mine on the internet, surprise, surprise.
National Novel Writing Month is coming up yet again. In fact, we are now under 30 days until the events begin. "What events?" you ask? The events of locking oneself in a room for 30 days and writing a first draft novel. Of course, the locking in a room is an optional part of things, but I think that's the only way I'll actually win this year. Too many things I want to do, and not quite the time to do it.
As for that pesky job I've been chasing for about a month now, it's finally officially a wash. They made an excuse not to hire me and followed through with it. Not really surprising. Regardless, this means that eventually, I'll have to reenter the job search and fall flat again. Or, perhaps this time I'll succeed. Only time will tell.
In other news, I'm finally continuing my fanfiction - again - and hopefully I'll successfully finish it before I lose interest - again. At any rate, November's slated to be a big month for me, and my hopes are that I can do all that I've been wanting to. Now, off to plotting for NaNoWriMo!
National Novel Writing Month is coming up yet again. In fact, we are now under 30 days until the events begin. "What events?" you ask? The events of locking oneself in a room for 30 days and writing a first draft novel. Of course, the locking in a room is an optional part of things, but I think that's the only way I'll actually win this year. Too many things I want to do, and not quite the time to do it.
As for that pesky job I've been chasing for about a month now, it's finally officially a wash. They made an excuse not to hire me and followed through with it. Not really surprising. Regardless, this means that eventually, I'll have to reenter the job search and fall flat again. Or, perhaps this time I'll succeed. Only time will tell.
In other news, I'm finally continuing my fanfiction - again - and hopefully I'll successfully finish it before I lose interest - again. At any rate, November's slated to be a big month for me, and my hopes are that I can do all that I've been wanting to. Now, off to plotting for NaNoWriMo!
9/15/2010
In Working Order
So I've given a lot of thought towards my next big writing adventure (besides NaNoWriMo), and I'm getting excited to start working on it. It's been rather impatiently waiting in my head for quite some time now, and only now am I actually doing anything to put it down on to paper. I've got some character background done and I'll start working on outlining my plot in a few days. After that, it's just applying the characters and some exposition into the outline and I'll have the first draft of this thing going. Speaking of writing, I'll try and have an excerpt for everyone in a short while.
As for my NaNo project, it's a rethought version of a plot I had been planning for NaNo a few years back (when I was unable to participate). It's already outlined, I've gotten my characters all settled, and the only thing left to do is get the first draft done up during November. Shouldn't be too hard. I've been excited about this thing for years now. I've even gotten my excerpt almost finalized, and when I have it typed up and serviceable, I'll be putting it up here. If you're looking for timelines for all of this, expect my NaNo excerpt first. After that, it might be a week or two before I post the other - there's still a lot of work that needs doing on that one.
Then, on top of all that work, I need to finish off my last Warcraft fanfiction before I call my time with that line of work done. Which means that I need to get off my lazy ass and get in touch with my friend who I'm co-authoring it with, and get things moving. So, I have my work cut out for me within the next few months, between my writing, this blog, and that fail thing I call a podcast. That doesn't even include taking breaks for playing some games and getting that damnable job, too. Fun, fun, fun.
I'm thinking about making a section for game reviews here as well. If anyone besides me reads this, lemme know what you think.
As for my NaNo project, it's a rethought version of a plot I had been planning for NaNo a few years back (when I was unable to participate). It's already outlined, I've gotten my characters all settled, and the only thing left to do is get the first draft done up during November. Shouldn't be too hard. I've been excited about this thing for years now. I've even gotten my excerpt almost finalized, and when I have it typed up and serviceable, I'll be putting it up here. If you're looking for timelines for all of this, expect my NaNo excerpt first. After that, it might be a week or two before I post the other - there's still a lot of work that needs doing on that one.
Then, on top of all that work, I need to finish off my last Warcraft fanfiction before I call my time with that line of work done. Which means that I need to get off my lazy ass and get in touch with my friend who I'm co-authoring it with, and get things moving. So, I have my work cut out for me within the next few months, between my writing, this blog, and that fail thing I call a podcast. That doesn't even include taking breaks for playing some games and getting that damnable job, too. Fun, fun, fun.
I'm thinking about making a section for game reviews here as well. If anyone besides me reads this, lemme know what you think.
9/14/2010
I'm Richard, and I'm a Bungie Fanboy
So, I've finally got in touch (again) with the hiring manager at the place I'm trying to get a job at, and now I have to wait longer for this potential job to either come to fruition or be cast into oblivion. I hate the real world, sometimes. If only things would just work out, how easy would that be? Too easy, likely, but all the same, all of this run-around just makes me want to hurt something.
Anyway, with that out of the way, I'm obviously still sitting out on the release of Halo: Reach, while looking in. I've been trying not to even look at videos beyond the trailers for the game so I don't spoil it for myself. I'm basically willing to sell my soul for a copy of this game, although not so dramatically.
But, while we're on the topic of Reach, I don't think many people who play it will realize what a momentous occasion this truly is for the franchise. And I'm not just talking about it being the precursor to everything that's happened in the series so far; no, this is based solely on the developer, Bungie. Halo: Reach marks the final game that Bungie is making for the series before moving on to their next IP - which is undoubtedly going to be a smash hit, best-selling game. This means, that whatever comes next for the series is more than likely going to feel... well, different somehow. Not the same, at the very least.
Halo was Bungie's baby, from day one. The original RTS version of the game that got transformed into one of the best first-person shooters of this generation (last generation, if you're speaking consoles), that was the catalyst for arguably the best gaming series of the day and age; all of it came on the back of Bungie's excellent core of programmers and writers. The fact that they were able to take their project from real-time strategy and turn it into a workable (read: great) FPS is a testament to their flexibility, which has served them well. But, now it's all over. The trilogy's done, and now, even the prequel has been realized. I, for one, look forward to the next great Bungie game.
Anyway, with that out of the way, I'm obviously still sitting out on the release of Halo: Reach, while looking in. I've been trying not to even look at videos beyond the trailers for the game so I don't spoil it for myself. I'm basically willing to sell my soul for a copy of this game, although not so dramatically.
But, while we're on the topic of Reach, I don't think many people who play it will realize what a momentous occasion this truly is for the franchise. And I'm not just talking about it being the precursor to everything that's happened in the series so far; no, this is based solely on the developer, Bungie. Halo: Reach marks the final game that Bungie is making for the series before moving on to their next IP - which is undoubtedly going to be a smash hit, best-selling game. This means, that whatever comes next for the series is more than likely going to feel... well, different somehow. Not the same, at the very least.
Halo was Bungie's baby, from day one. The original RTS version of the game that got transformed into one of the best first-person shooters of this generation (last generation, if you're speaking consoles), that was the catalyst for arguably the best gaming series of the day and age; all of it came on the back of Bungie's excellent core of programmers and writers. The fact that they were able to take their project from real-time strategy and turn it into a workable (read: great) FPS is a testament to their flexibility, which has served them well. But, now it's all over. The trilogy's done, and now, even the prequel has been realized. I, for one, look forward to the next great Bungie game.
9/10/2010
I Believe an Introduction is in Order Here.
Hey, everyone, I'm Richard. Or, probably better known to everyone else on the internet, Python862. I like a lot of things. I like to read, I like to write (more on this later), I like to play video games (again, more on this later), and, I like to shamelessly promote myself on blogs that likely won't see much traffic beyond myself comment-whoring.
Now, when I say I like to write, I mean that I really like to write. It's one of my all time favorite hobbies, and at some point or other, I hope to be published, just like any other aspiring author. What do I write? Fiction, usually high fantasy or something along the lines of fantasy. I even have quite a selection of stories based upon well known properties (you know it as fanfiction), which, conveniently enough, are all posted upon fanfiction-dot-net. You can probably guess the username. However, I've since drifted away from that and am now focusing entirely on original material. Some of which I hope to excerpt every now and again here on this very blog.
I also happened to mention that I enjoy gaming. I'd rate this right behind writing in terms of hobbies, and it would likely explain why I wrote fanfiction for the longest time. I've recently gotten over an addiction (yes, an addiction, for that's what it was) to World of Warcraft, and I feel better for it. So much wasted time, it sickens me. Regardless, I continue to play games on various systems, most notably Modern Warfare 2 (for both Xbox 360 and PS3 - I'm just lucky like that) and the Mass Effect series (much <3, BioWare). So, with that said, I'm quite likely to start off on some sort of tirade on one issue with gaming or another. Just don't get me started with games being an issue for children's mental health - that's always been a topic I've been hot about.
So that's me in a nutshell. I hope that whoever reads this will stick with me for what I hope will be a long, fun ride in the adventures of variety.
Be Happy, everyone.
Now, when I say I like to write, I mean that I really like to write. It's one of my all time favorite hobbies, and at some point or other, I hope to be published, just like any other aspiring author. What do I write? Fiction, usually high fantasy or something along the lines of fantasy. I even have quite a selection of stories based upon well known properties (you know it as fanfiction), which, conveniently enough, are all posted upon fanfiction-dot-net. You can probably guess the username. However, I've since drifted away from that and am now focusing entirely on original material. Some of which I hope to excerpt every now and again here on this very blog.
I also happened to mention that I enjoy gaming. I'd rate this right behind writing in terms of hobbies, and it would likely explain why I wrote fanfiction for the longest time. I've recently gotten over an addiction (yes, an addiction, for that's what it was) to World of Warcraft, and I feel better for it. So much wasted time, it sickens me. Regardless, I continue to play games on various systems, most notably Modern Warfare 2 (for both Xbox 360 and PS3 - I'm just lucky like that) and the Mass Effect series (much <3, BioWare). So, with that said, I'm quite likely to start off on some sort of tirade on one issue with gaming or another. Just don't get me started with games being an issue for children's mental health - that's always been a topic I've been hot about.
So that's me in a nutshell. I hope that whoever reads this will stick with me for what I hope will be a long, fun ride in the adventures of variety.
Be Happy, everyone.
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