Fear and Fowls

Dead Space 2

What follows is a post I wrote about a month ago, but never published, ironically, out of fear of looking like a dork. Thought I’d finish it and put it out there.

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A few weeks back, I watched my brother play the game Dead Space 2 and squealed in dread for the majority of the experience. I’ve always maintained that scary anything isn’t my cup of tea, and it really shows when I’m met with jaw-busting and bladder-loosening terror.

The whole ordeal got me thinking about fear in general. I was shocked to realize just how much it rules my life in other, less funny ways. Continue reading →

Shredding and Editing

I’ve been anticipating 2011 as the year of the revision, much like 2010 was the year of the first draft. As such, this means that I’m now tackling the lengthy process of printing, reading and revising, and so far it’s been a mixed bag.

Oddly enough, I actually decided to revise the most recent book first, the fully fleshed out version of In the Blood (although that will not be the final title). I came to this conclusion for a number of reasons. Continue reading →

Things I Did in 2010

Seeing as how we’re already 12 days into the year 2011, I figured my time was running short on doing a self-congratulating post about last year. I could write a whole bunch of nonsense about how 2010 was a year of ups and downs, but it really wasn’t. In all honesty, it was one of the best years I can remember, and I have no reason to believe that 2011 will be any different.

Here’s some stuff I did in 2010, mostly in chronological order: Continue reading →

The Casting of the Pods

As an Internet savant, it’s only natural that I discovered podcasts five years after everyone else. For some reason, I’ve missed out on these little Mp3 nuggets of goodness. Not that I was unaware of their existence, but let’s get real- who has time for them when they have important things to do like play video games and re-watch seasons of Dexter? Not this guy.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve downloaded just a handful of podcasts including Rooster Teeth’s Drunk Tank as well as Brandon Sanderson’s Writing Excuses to listen to them at work. It’s a great little way to get in the zone, and with Writing Excuses in particular, gives me some cool inspiration for that novel writing fad I’ve hopped into. Another one on my list would be the Penny Arcade D&D podcasts, which I’ve heard are just sidesplitting in their hilarity (or hilariousness, if you prefer that word).

Anyway, this is where I ask you what podcasts you recommend for me, this fledgling Web user who has apparently missed a boat that sailed a long, long time ago. Do not judge me too harshly.

Blogging Cliches

This is where I write a cliche blog post about how I haven’t blogged in a long time. It’s where I also say that I’m going to be doing more on here in the next few weeks. Both of those things are true, but I figured it was good to go ahead and get it out of the way, just so there’s a mutual understanding between us. In keeping with blogging cliches, here are what some of my next few posts are going to be about:

1. Why Everything Is Awful, Everywhere

2. How that One Thing Is Not as Good as it Used to Be, Back Then

3. 10 Tips for Talking a Big Game in Tip Posts

4. A Post About My New Hobby, Amateur Photography

5. Everyone Is Wrong About x Subject Continue reading →

What A Game Can Do: Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 7

Growing up, I was always a big reader. You could also insert nerd, dork and dweeb following that sentence, and it would sit just as well. While I enjoyed watching shows on TV or even Empire Strikes Back on VHS – which was my favorite movie until Jurassic Park came out – I never got quite the same satisfaction as I did reading a fun adventure on paper. There was something about holding the story in my grubby hands, interacting with it by turning pages, seeing the words as they formed whatever pictures I dictated and really having time to connect with characters. Sure, movies had people that I loved, but spending several weeks with a character in my brain was infinitely more satisfying than just a few hours on a screen.

But I never knew a video game could do the same thing until Final Fantasy 7. Continue reading →

Sudden Fiction: In the Blood

Inspired by my good friend Jeff James, who’s been writing great little bits of sudden fiction lately over at Full of Words, I decided I wanted to try my hand at a few creative writing exercises. As I’ve been working on all kinds of other stuff for about eight months on end now, my creativity has needed a bit of a shot in the arm.

So, I decided to run with a small idea I had and let it go for about 1000 words or so: a boy returns to bury his father and finds a secret. There are vampires involved, and Assassin’s Creed 2. It should be noted I’m not a huge fan of the vampire trend, but I thought the idea was a fun one and jumped on it. I’m pretty pleased with the results. Feel free to let me know what you think. Continue reading →

Writing for Yourself as the Audience

Aesops FablesYou can’t please everyone, so you might as well please yourself. It’s one of Aesop’s Fables and a song by Rick Nelson, but it’s a true thing that I think writers need to keep in mind as well. In a recent post on her blog, Jane Espenson, writer on such shows as MASH and Buffy, discusses the question of if in today’s age of high speed communication, does the audience have a much greater impact on the storylines of shows than ever before.

In a move that made me incredibly happy, Jane discounts that idea completely. The short of it is this: write for yourself as the audience. And from my (extremely) limited experience, I’d say she is 100 percent correct.

The answer I give to this is that I consider myself to be the audience I’m writing for. I write what I would want to see. Continue reading →

The Raggedy Edge

standing on the edgeIn the realm of things that are totally are-you-freaking-kidding-me ridiculous: last night, I officially hit my goal of writing 100,000 words for Seven Sons. There was no fanfare associated with this, nobody standing there and cheering or popping champagne bottles, but it was an event for me nonetheless.

The threshold was crossed on the following sentence: A few lies would set them back on their way just as easily as a blade, but the death would only mean questions later.

Continue reading →

Sewer Pirates and Writer’s Block

Every now and then, I’ll read or see something that stirs up creativity like one of those old water vortex jugs you used to make as a kid, with ideas swirling in violent circles. For me, this usually boils down to a handful of movies or stories that always make me yearn to create my own. But occasionally, it’s something different.

Take this story from the L.A. Times today, which spins the tale of a buried ship at the World Trade Center, just discovered this week. Damon Lindelof linked to it on his Twitter account with a joke about the Black Rock and Lost, but my mind went different places. Continue reading →

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