Writer Report: Decisions, Decisions

Since I’m now done with rewriting, and will hopefully just be editing, it didn’t seem right to continue to call this “Rewrite Report.” I’ve started getting feedback on Cold Iron and it’s nominally positive. I know I need to always be writing, and as much as I look forward to starting a new project, some… Continue reading Writer Report: Decisions, Decisions

Unlikely Allies

It was with a heavy heart that I decided to retire my House of Markov deck. It simply wasn’t performing up to my standards. There wasn’t much good news following the Avacyn Restored release events, either. My notion for a white-green Humans deck had little to distinguish it or make it truly competitive, and other… Continue reading Unlikely Allies

Wordbender: On Toph and the Earth Kingdom

Book 2 of Avatar: the Last Airbender is even more tightly constructed than Book 1. As Team Avatar depart the North Pole to make contact with the vast but troubled Earth Kingdom, each member has individual goals and conflicts as well as the overall “saving the world” thing. Sokka continues to feel overshadowed by the… Continue reading Wordbender: On Toph and the Earth Kingdom

Rewrite Report: Next Steps

Courtesy Floating Robes Weighing in at 39,574 words, the rewrite of Cold Iron is complete. I’m going to be inviting test readers to take another crack at the work. Invites will go out over the next day or two. The goal is to only have some minor tweaks to make here and there throughout the… Continue reading Rewrite Report: Next Steps

What Characters Feel

As much as I like to judge the ultimate merits of a character by their relationships, we also learn a great deal about a character from the way they deal with, or ignore, their emotions. We may put up a brave front in the face of friends, competitors, or even close relatives and spouses, but… Continue reading What Characters Feel

The Call of Diablo

It’s been a week now, and so far I’ve resisted the call of Diablo. Diablo III continues to make headlines, and not always in a positive way. I’ve been trying to curb my extraneous spending a bit since PAX, both to recover from that phenomenal trip and to save for the upcoming move. But I… Continue reading The Call of Diablo

Bond Basics

You know what I like about this Skyfall poster? It juxtaposes the classic image of the camera lens/gun barrel of Bond’s films with the stoic, no-nonsense stride of Daniel Craig. It indicates to me that the filmmakers are taking extra steps to connect this 21st-century iteration of the British superspy with his roots. Since my… Continue reading Bond Basics