“All drama is conflict” according to an old saying. That’s why combat features so prominently in gaming situations – it’s easy to have something feel dramatic when the player’s getting shot at. However, the drama and combat should grow organically from the setting and story, rather than just happening when things get dull. To that… Continue reading Everything's Cooler in Space: Sources of Conflict
Programmatic Mission Statement
My career path has been, to say the least, an odd one. I knew that published fiction was a tough field to enter, and that attempting to make a living from it directly out of university would be difficult, if not impossible. That knowledge, coupled with a challenge issued by a flatmate, pushed me in… Continue reading Programmatic Mission Statement
Jotting in the Margins: On Toilet Paper & Pigeons
Storytellers are creative folk. They create something out of nothing. The entire world of Middle-Earth, for example, sprang from the notes jotted down by J.R.R. Tolkien in the trenches of the first World War. The magical world parallel to our own that seems to have a school called Hogwart’s at its center would not exist… Continue reading Jotting in the Margins: On Toilet Paper & Pigeons
Building Character: Quiet Strength
I know I said I’d be doing a post on adversarial allies next, but a few episodes of House & NCIS completely derailed that line of thinking. To me, at least, what makes for a good character is just as much what somebody doesn’t say as it is what they do say. As an example,… Continue reading Building Character: Quiet Strength
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Seige Tale
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/dungeon_siege.mp3] The more new movies come out, the more it seems that Hollywood is almost completely out of original ideas. Even James Cameron’s Avatar is only slightly original, as we’ve had the “humans are assholes invading peaceful aliens” plot as recently as earlier this year with Battle for Terra. And then there’s the news that… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Seige Tale
Escapist Video Contest
Well, the entries are up, and “Powerless” is among them. It’s currently on the 3rd of 4 pages of what appear to be very solid entries. You can leave comments here and vote (if you think it deserves it) here. In retrospect, there’s more I could have done with it. 8:15 AM One comment so… Continue reading Escapist Video Contest
Works in Progress IV: Now With Pictures!
I don’t want to be the kind of writer who blames an abstract personification for their shortcomings. I know for a fact that I need to work on my time management and maintaining motivation & energy when I get home from the day job, so that my writing can continue and I’ll have more pebbles… Continue reading Works in Progress IV: Now With Pictures!
PT: Put In The Effort
Let me introduce you to a friend of mine, if you don’t already know him. Meet Chuck. He doesn’t work at an electronics store, nor does he voice his opinions on bad Trek episodes. No, this Chuck does something truly special. You may believe that what we do, as writers, is an effortless mental orgy… Continue reading PT: Put In The Effort
Trek Through Trek: The Original Series
Between the Fan Collective DVD sets to which I have access, either through direct ownership or asking my parents very nicely, and the intelligent and hilarious opinionated reviews by sfdebris (even funnier in video format), I’ve been watching plenty of Star Trek lately. It’s not just good entertainment, it’s rich background material for anybody doing… Continue reading Trek Through Trek: The Original Series
Canned Goods: History of Lighthouse
Since even after the lion’s share of my first day back at work I still have a veritable mountain of e-mails to which I must respond lest a client become incensed or the universe explodes or something else monumentally dire occurs, here’s something related to the novel upon which I’d be working if I had… Continue reading Canned Goods: History of Lighthouse
