One thing that Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrates along with good character development and a fully-realized world is momentum. After Book 2‘s climax, Aang and his friends find themselves in enemy territory. The Fire Nation is stronger than ever, and poised to bring the war to a victorious end when the comet arrives. Most interesting… Continue reading Wordbending: On Zuko and the Fire Nation
Words of the Dovahkiin, II: Aela the Huntress
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and apologize in advance for what may turn out to be only passable fan fiction as I write down stuff that goes through my head as I play this game. Also, the following does contain spoilers for the game. Fairly be ye… Continue reading Words of the Dovahkiin, II: Aela the Huntress
Flash Fiction: The Exchange
Chose four words from the eight random ones offered by Terribleminds. The day had been chosen as much for the weather as anything else. Bright and sunny, on a weekend, it was the perfect time for parents to bring their kids to the zoo. It wasn’t too crowded, as many families were on vacations, but… Continue reading Flash Fiction: The Exchange
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
Flash Fiction: One Random Sentence
Chuck’s challenge gave me the following: “The actor biases an applicable troop.” He stared at himself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. This had been his plan, arranging all those extra ticket sales down at the precinct house. It wouldn’t be that hard to play up certain angles of his performance, and if he… Continue reading Flash Fiction: One Random Sentence
In Memoriam 2012
I know it may seem a bit lazy to rehash an old post, but this one is special and my sentiments towards our veterans has not changed. It’s likely I’ll do the same this Independence Day, but we’ll set off those fireworks when we get to them. In the meantime, please read, enjoy, and remember.… Continue reading In Memoriam 2012
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
