Early Post is Early

I realize that this post is a bit early, according to my last update, but I wanted to talk about Dungeons and Dragons again. It's been a long time since I've mentioned it, and in that time, our group has gone their separate ways for now, having other obligations that needed tending to. But let me start by saying that I really miss playing D and D.

The main reason I loved to play was first and foremost, the friendships that I was able to forge amongst the other players. We all had common interests, similar senses of humor, and a deep love for rich, in-depth storytelling in our gaming experiences. The fact that I was able to meet these people at all, much less around the table of an awesome D and D campaign is something that I'm not likely to play off as coincidence.

I'll openly admit that I am what many would call a nerd. In fact, I'm so comfortable with it, that I don't even take offense to it anymore. It is who I am, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I find high fantasy and science fiction to be among the coolest genres out there. I find dragons immensely fascinating. Hell, I even played World of Warcraft for the longest time. But I'm going off on a tangent. What I'm really trying to say here is that I miss meeting with these people on a weekly basis. That interaction was most often the highlight of my week, and not having it there anymore is honestly a very depressing... hole, for lack of better terms.

Secondly, I loved both the game itself, and its mechanics. Prior to last year, I hadn't actually ever played Dungeons and Dragons, or any other table top role-playing game for that matter. I'd played games using similar mechanics, but under the shiny interface of some kind of video game system. It was the first time that I'd gotten really down into the dirt that is the math beneath the flash. In fact, the game that I've been playing for the past few days, Knights of the Old Republic, happens to use almost the exact D and D system that I had learned during the past year. So, going back and playing it again gave me a new appreciation and understanding about the mechanics behind all of the fancy lightsaber swinging and blaster shots, thereby enriching my time playing the game.

And if all of that wasn't enough, the game was FUN. Ask just about anyone what the most important part of gaming is, and many of them will tell you it's all about having some fun. Between the amazing people and the interesting gameplay, and adding in some very adaptable storyline, Dungeons and Dragons happens to be one of the most fun games I've played, and trust me, I've played more than enough to know what I like. Besides, in what other game would you be able to slay the dragon using nothing but a tin can and some string?

Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough. I'll still be updating next Sunday with something or other, so if you're interested in whatever I'll have to say, please, feel free to stick around.

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.

Social Networking

If you haven't noticed by now, I have created a Twitter account that I'll promptly ignore for a long time, and you can see anything that I may find important enough to 'tweet' down and to the left, or at twitter.com/python862. What does this mean? Well, should I actually find myself using it, I'll be giving more up-to-date information on what I happen to be doing at the time. This means along the lines of "Hey guys, new blog post," or "Hey guys, new YouTube video," or, "Hey guys, I'm writing/playing something," and not "Hey guys, I made lunch."

While I'm at it, let me wax poetic about Twitter, or rather, social networking on the internet. If you would have asked me two years ago about what I thought of it, I would have probably either laughed in your face, or told you something along the lines of "it's the devil and deserves to reside in the lowest circle of Hell itself." Now? Well, my opinions so far haven't much changed, but I suppose that Twitter's a good enough way to send and receive information in a short and concise manner, and I recognize and appreciate its purpose. It should probably still sit firmly in Hell, though.

You see, social networking websites have never quite sat well with me. When Myspace was new and fresh in everyone's minds, I was perhaps the only person on Earth to shun and turn my back on it. I never felt any remorse for that decision. Then Facebook came along and took the throne of 'flavor of the month' networking site. At first, I turned my back on that, too. But then I came to realize that perhaps I was being a little closed-minded about it all. I never really had an issue with the form or function of these websites, I just unreasonably and unequivocally despised the idea. My thinking at the time was that if you weren't able to keep track of all of your friends out in the real world, then why would you bother trying at all? But then again, I always was the one with the smaller groups of friends. One of the black sheep, if you will.

So recently, I tried Facebook out and found that it's incredibly easy to keep tabs on what people are doing. Even that long-lost uncle that seems to be missing more than a few screws. The one thing I really don't like about the service? All those damn apps and the message spam you're liable to receive if one of your friends uses them. I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't care about the wood on your farmstead, or who you just served in your little café. At least there's the option to ignore all of those updates.

Anyway, what're your thoughts about Facebook and its ilk?

Oh Wait, I Still Have a Blog.

Wow... so it's been an entire month without even so much as a peep out of this tiny little corner of that prismatic thing we call an internet. Anyway, there's been quite a few things happening around the world in my "absence", not the least of which being the holiday season and the start of a new year. It's been quite an adventurous month, as I've been ferried around through three or four states on roughly twenty different occasions, and that leaves fairly little time to do other things, as I'm sure you all know.

Anyway, as has already been stated around the world, quite many times, 2010 is over. That's right, another decade descends into the annals of history and a new one rises before us, waiting to be explored. People around the world have made resolutions for what they will be doing with their lives in this fantastic new year, and I for one, am no different. What is/are my resolutions? Well, simply put, to stop being so damned lazy.

I've been putting off quite a few things, and for quite a long time now. I aim to put a stop to all of it. First and foremost, I will be setting off with a full head of steam, editing the novel I wrote in November to a more polished, much more readable state. After that, well, it's one big mystery, but somewhere along the line, I know that I will probably set off on writing another novel and editing that. But that's another, erm... story. Secondly, I will be finding myself a stable job and saving money. This seems relatively straightforward, but with my lack of social skills, one can only hope this venture ends well. Thirdly, I am resolving to re-enroll in college. While this year off has been nice, I need to hunker down and set myself right.

After all of that, I honestly don't know. I have so many things that I want to do, and if I don't sit myself down and outline a plan, then nothing will get done, I'm sure of it. Regardless, that's the future. I'd like to also talk a bit about the past. 2010 was a year of a great many things - not the least of which being the year in which I wrote my first "full-length" novel. Just thinking back to what we're now calling last year calls forth such a dizzying amount of information and memories that I don't think I'd be able to recall it all to the extent that I would like.

One very prominent memory of last year comes to mind, and very clearly. Before I divulge that, however, I have to add in some back story first. You see, about three years ago, my family became split into about three groups, each living in separate states and all of that. My mother and father, dragging me along, moved to Connecticut. Shortly after that, my mother split from my father, me tagging along with her, and moved to New Jersey. And, remaining in Florida were my two brothers. Since then, one of my brothers has found his way up here, and is now living with us here in New Jersey.

Last year was special for me because it was the first time in two years that I'd seen all of my immediate family in one place, and for once, none of them were fighting each other. Let's just say it was a rather moving experience, and one that I dearly wish would repeat itself, even though common sense and logic are already telling me that it probably won't happen.

But that's enough about me. What about you guys? What have you been up to in this past month, and what are your resolutions for the year ahead?

Oh, December

Alright, so we are officially out of the craziness that is National Novel Writing Month and we're now out and about on our grand journey of either revision or deep coma. Personally, I'm still working at my novel bit by bit, but I feel the end is coming soon, at least. And that, my friends, is a good feeling.


Anyway, it's December. The month of ever colder weather, eggnog and/or hot chocolate, and of course the holidays. But, I don't want to delve into any of those vast topics for today's update. Instead, I wanted to say a few things on perspective. As in writing perspective, something I've been mulling over quite awhile.

I've found over the years that I write best under the third person limited perspective, and that any attempts to write anything else often end up flat and unimaginative. I also know some people who swear by first person and so on. But perspective doesn't just provide a vehicle for the reader's adventure to take place. It also has an impact that fluctuates depending on the content of the story, I've found. Let's hypothesize a moment.

Say you have a story that's full of traumatic events for your main character. Sure, you could convey that quite well using third person, and perhaps it works for you; but say you write it in first person instead. Instead of watching as the character experiences these dreadful things, you can make your reader experience them alongside your character, and by far that creates a connection between your readers and your characters, providing points of reference, as well as a bit of realism that you can inject into your story.

Why is realism important? Well, this all goes back to my how-to back in October, when I talked about the importance of plotting; realism brings credence to your story, even if it's fantasy. Suspension of disbelief is a term that's quite often used to describe fiction, be it written medium, or otherwise. Basically you're trying to make your story as believable as possible so that your readers can relate to your characters' plight and pull for them, as opposed to making them hate your characters, which often leads to the readers not liking the story as much.

But, back to perspective. Emotional/physical trauma isn't the only forte of first-person. If your story focuses mainly on one character as they grow into a role or something of the like, the perspective also shines here. I've recently been reading Mogworld by "Yahtzee" Croshaw, and it is written from the perspective from the main character as he goes on a fun little quest (albeit one that heavily parodies standard online role-playing games' procedures), but it's less the quest and more the character's quirks and views on the world that bring the story to life.

Similarly, third person shines when there's something bigger than just the character's exploits going on in the world, or when you wish to tell the story from more than one point of view (unless you're writing 3-P limited).

But whatever you like to write, keep in mind your audience and your preferred perspective's pros and cons. That being said, which perspective do you enjoy writing in?