Author: BlueInkAlchemist

Need Some Help Here!

This time next week, I will be in Mystic, Connecticut for a family reunion. That means I might not have a lot of time for blogging, if I have any at all. So, I’m running up the white flag and asking for a bit of aid in keeping the daily delivery of blog-flavored goodness. Got… Continue reading Need Some Help Here!

The Advantages of Steam

Summer is here. To celebrate, Steam is having a mind-blowingly brilliant sale. They’re offering discounts on many of their packages – titles from publishers like Valve, Square Enix, Atari, Rockstar, etc. But it doesn’t stop there. Every 24 hours or so, they slash the prices on a few titles. So while normally a game that… Continue reading The Advantages of Steam

Don't Fear the Critic

This week’s Escapist is talking about constructive criticism. Yahtzee himself chimed in on criticism on one point: Criticism is a powerful force for good. Nothing ever improves without coming to terms with its flaws. Without critics telling us what’s stupid and what isn’t, we’d all be wearing boulders for hats and drinking down hot ebola… Continue reading Don't Fear the Critic

Book Review: Lamb

The Gospels in most standard Bibles – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – talk a great deal about the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But there are about thirty years of his life missing from those narratives. A question asked by many (including myself) is: what happened during those thirty years? How… Continue reading Book Review: Lamb

Recommend Some Fantasy

So with Citizen in the Wilds now in the revision process, I thought it might behoove me to take a look at some other fantasy literature, maybe examine what works and what doesn’t. Since most of what I’m doing involves the defiance of most fantasy conventions, I’m curious if anything I’m aiming at hasn’t already… Continue reading Recommend Some Fantasy

And So It Begins

I spent a little extra time at the office last night printing out Citizen in the Wilds. Technically it’s now in its second draft, as I rewrote the first three paragraphs before printing. I think the opening is a bit stronger, now. The plan is to do a little revising and editing on the first… Continue reading And So It Begins

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Departed

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/departed.mp3] Among other things, The Departed hammers home the lesson of not judging a book by its cover. For a long time, I considered Leonardo DiCaprio an actor that got by on looks rather than talent. Mostly this was due to how unimpressed I was by the acting in general in Titanic. That happened in… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Departed

Making Time To Write

I am in the unfortunate position of not getting paid to do what I love. I know, that doesn’t make me special. A lot of people are passionate about things that are very different from what they do. I doubt that most people that work for, say, Bridgestone or Michelin are passionate about making tires.… Continue reading Making Time To Write