The Steam sale has pretty much reached its conclusion, and has saved many lives. After all, bees can kill with their stings, eating outside is a good way to attract ravenous bears, and have you ever taken a soccer ball to the face? Damn. That’ll mess you up. Never happens when playing Steam games. My… Continue reading Full Steam Ahead
Does That Banner Yet Wave?
One of the reasons I love living near Philadelphia is the history. So much happened in that little port town in a short period of time before New York grew to gargantuan proportions and Washington, DC became the capital city. The reason Americans have a holiday to celebrate on this date, in fact the reason… Continue reading Does That Banner Yet Wave?
Scope Creep
Let’s say we have an idea. You might have the nugget of a story, the core of a sweeping epic. How best do you bring the narrative to life? You could just start tossing words on the wall and see what sticks. However, the problem with shoulder-rushing your way into a new project without a… Continue reading Scope Creep
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Adventures of Robin Hood
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/robinhood.mp3] Long before things like 3-D, CGI, THX and all those other wonderful acronyms came along, films were seen as extensions of the stage. Actors brought their best Shakespearean bombast, sets were designed as you would the sort of staging you’d have to quickly break down in the dark between acts, and directors framed and… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Adventures of Robin Hood
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
