uncreative pseudonym

I'm not sure if I come off as arrogant and spiteful. I am, I'm just not sure if I seem that way. I was going to wax philosophic about how I'm hypocritical for being misanthropic and claiming to be Christian, and how I'm starting to feel that some of my humor is irredeemably un-Christ-like. But I'll save the rambling for a later entry. There's only a month of the year left.

So let me get to the point. Specks in the eyes of others are wearing away at my discipline, so I need to focus on the tree in my own eye.

If I've ever hurt or offended anyone reading, I would like to apologize. Send me a message and let me know how I can do better, or if there's anything that I can do to make amends.

If I haven't offended you, fine. I guess it's a sign I'm getting better at suppressing myself. What I'm not looking for is sympathy or reassurance that I'm a nice guy. I'm not, and a boost is the last thing my ego needs. Of course, this may be a wasted entry, because I know that if anyone else made a post like mine, I wouldn't say anything. For me that is also a weakness, but I wouldn't assume it of anyone else.

So for those of you following, my OctNoWriMo is over. As it turns out, writing full time I can get a fair bit done. This is good in one sense, and I can move directly on to things I thought would be delayed. On the other hand, I was looking forward to a month doing something I enjoy.

But for those of you who aren't writing types, have this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ5qlIP0aRo
Part 1 also has some amusing segments, but it's nowhere near the concentrated absurdity.

( OctNoWriMo Minijournal )

For people playing my game: there's a fairly major error that happens right after the section where you go through the pyramid (when the plot tells you to do so). I need to put out a new version, because this is apparently game-breaking, but I haven't started looking through the scene scripts. For now, save on the world map and your save file should be fine. I will update the CAA thread when I have dealt with the problem.

I wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year, but November is too far away and it wouldn't be as practical then. So I am arbitrarily going to devote October to writing a novel, because I'm curious how much I can get written when I seriously devote myself to the process. Actually, this will bleed over into November depending on how much I still have to write.

Day 5: Progress limited due to end of novel. More information tomorrow.
Words today: 15k
Total wordcount:: 95k
Estimated progress: 100%

This count will be updated if people care, and probably updated if they don't, just for my own purposes.

For those curious, this will be the second novel of my series beginning with A Monster Shall Rise. I've read conflicting advice over whether or not it is necessary to have much of a fantasy series written before approaching a publisher, but it likely can't hurt to have written more of it. At the very least the activity will stave off everything else.

Which means that today I intend to clear out my schedule as much as possible. I have a novel and a game to finish so my leisure time will be free. We'll see how many errands and other things I can avoid doing in October, though I already have a dental appointment scheduled. When the month is over I'll return to other things. Perhaps someone will have finished my game by then and I can set about making version 1.0 for general release.

This is the official post that probably should have been up a while ago. The game is now in beta; those of you on my friends list can get the links from the previous entry (and if not PM me on CAA). All testers, it would be nice if you read the following:

1) Any and all feedback is appreciated. Random thoughts, overall criticism, balancing issues, plot questions, etc. I guess there is probably feedback I wouldn't appreciate, but it would have to be along the lines of "needs more naked, morbidly obese people."
2) Definitely mention any potential bugs or spelling/grammar errors. This includes tiles that seem out of place.
3) I put a fair amount of effort into planning the music, but this didn't always get implemented. If any area of the game seems inappropriately scored, mention it. I might have just forgotten to reset the music, or maybe I should make a change.
4) Please tell me which optional challenges you did. You will probably know them if you play them, because they'll be a step up from normal enemies and have unique attacks.
5) Naturally, I appreciate plot comments most of all. Especially what you're thinking/thought about characters.

I'm in no hurry for these. Give a few comments throughout, collect them all at the end, whatever works for you. With one exception: once the first person finishes the game entirely, mention it immediately. At this point I can then upload the game more places with complete confidence that it works.

List of Noted Issues for Beta 1.0
  - Press A to open the menu.
  - When you need to go to the Forbidden Zone, it is found in the lower left corner of Sunich.
  - Do not go to the pyramid before the plot demands it. This was supposed to be closed off.

Graduation has passed. As much as I want to acknowledge how many people want this kind of education, I can’t bring myself to care. I’ve always worked hard to do well in school even though I knew it would have next to no effect on my life, but I still feel very hollow as I think that the difference between trying my best and slacking my way through college is just the word “summa” on my diploma.

But I’m going to limit that to one paragraph. This entry isn’t about graduating at all, really, I just want to outline my “Xs to Y” list. I am going to try to be very productive over the next several months and I will update this entry with my progress for those who care.

Novels to Write
            A Monster Shall Rise [40k new words written]
            Unnamed Novel (needs 25k yet, responses appreciated)
            Theoretical Novel #3 (twisted fairy tales?)
            Theoretical Novel #4 (contemporary fantasy in Africa?)

Short Stories to Send
            “Source” [7k, sent to Analog]
            “Reality’s Error” [4k, sent to Asimov]
            "DONTREADME.txt" [2k, sent to Strange Horizons]
            "Gretel and Hansel" [5k, sent to Fantasy Magazine]
            "Pathos" [5k]
            Journal type thing [1000/1000]

Books/Games to Read/Play
            Read The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity is Near to gain cynical inspiration [650/650]
            Read A Song of Fire and Ice to refresh myself on grim fantasy [4/4 novels]
            Read a bunch of Asimov's and Analog to get a better sense of the field
            Final Fantasy Tactics [done]
            Riviera: The Promised Land [done]

Miscellaneous  to Miscellaneous
            Resell textbooks (awaiting check)
            Bioware Module 2.0
            Antagonist Version 1.12 (no)
            Wish Fulfillment (no art)
            Give up...

Unless something goes very well (as in publishing) or something particularly important happens, this will probably be my only entry for a while. Update on January 1^st if not before.

Despite my better judgment, I'm writing another novel. This one was written in a fairly cynical effort to pander to modern trends, so it's an urban fantasy and has a female protagonist. Those are fine, but I'm less pleased about the semi-highschool setting. I'm not sure about this. Best case scenario it will be more easily marketable and draw in several audiences; worst case scenario the setting will be seen for the thin excuse to tell the real story that it is.

The more immediate problem is that the plot I had in mind didn't turn out the right length. Everything has happened and it's only 52k words (I need at least 80k). It's fairly tightly plotted, though there's room for expansion in multiple places. Pretty good for a book that didn't exist before I realized I needed something to introduce the more exciting novels.

Does anyone want to beta-read and actually have the time? It needs editing yet, which I'll do this weekend, but otherwise the unfortunately short first draft is done.

All I want is basic reactions as a reader. It would be nice to get feedback from some women as well. I don't find writing a female character difficult in general, but since we're talking about mass market audiences here I might not have the lowest common denominator in mind. The fact that there is significant backlash against Twilight gives me a bit of hope, but to be successul a novel needs rabid fans.

Anyway, here's the sample query/synopsis, written just now with significant selling of my soul:

"Shannon would just like to graduate from high school without fighting any vampires, but when her father is pulled into an international conspiracy to permanently alter humanity, the supernatural is coming whether she wants it or not.

Trained by her father, Shannon is more than capable of defending herself, but she soon realizes that she's in over her head. Trying to catch the eye of  her crush and finish her homework was bad enough without her teachers being a part of a growing conspiracy. The shadowy organization is attempting to eliminate a set of rebel test subjects. Not only are they targeting her father, they would target her as well if they knew she was protecting one of them in her own home. As Shannon bonds with a profoundly human weapon and learns more about her father's past as an assassin, she will be tested to her utmost."

Feedback on the summary is fine, especially how it catches you or distracts from it's purpose. Naturally, anyone interested in actually reading is even more appreciated, but even cursory thoughts are useful. Especially if there's anything else I can put in there that sounds gripping; I feel like it needs another sentence at the end.

Anyone curious about the project mentioned in the previous entry, it is stalled. Mave is having serious computer and schedule issues. While I'm glad for the general enthusiasm, this one may have difficulty reaching completion. The walkabout images are coded, though.

Salutations, all, and I wish you a good [insert time of day you are reading this]. This entry is brought to you by A Very Dark Place. In an effort to stave that off, I am being as productive as possible and trying to do various things that will theoretically add to some kind of writing portfolio that might have a chance at increasing my marketability in this miserable economy. The entertainment industry as a reputation for being recession-proof, but that doesn't mean they're rushing out to hire new writers.

This one might be a little ill-advised, because I didn't check to see if there is actually sufficient interest to be worth all the time I've invested. I know at least two communities of people are gung-ho about this, but neither of those is the CAA or LJ crowd. Hence this entry, so that I'll  have at least mentioned what's been occupying my time recently.

I am making a visual novel. If you're not sure what that is, Wikipedia is your friend.

Now before you think all kinds of unkind things about me, let me tell you that the name of the game is Wish Fulfillment, and it is a visual novel about visual novels with a heavily satirical edge. Not that it's a satire, because I do attempt to tell a serious story. But there are plenty of anime in-jokes and the structure is still the same. You just can't be romantically involved with the female characters, because everyone has more important things to do with their time. Also, instead of being a faceless stand-in for the player, the main character is a jerk.

I've also tried to avoid a lot of the usual pitfalls of this genre. You won't be reading hours and hours of pointless, poorly-written text in between making one trivial choice. There is a plot. Character will be developed. People will die. Your choices will have an impact on what you experience. I honestly believe I've written a story worth reading/playing even if this isn't really your genre.

Also, there are three substantially different paths the game can take. Because really, replay value is about all visual novels have going for them in terms of gameplay. At the same time, you won't need to repeat the game over and over to unlock different paths (which can become boring even with text skipping): you can see 95% of the game's content in just three games.

Anyway, it might be a bit premature to mention this. Making a game, after all, is a major effort, even using the engines of others. There are three major hurdles to be overcome:
1) Writing
2) Art
3) Programming

I'm making this entry because I just overcame the first of those. As of last night, I have a fundamentally sound draft of the script, weighing in at 87 000 words - I really hope I find that I've overlooked 3000 words of text or so for the sake of promoting it. I tend to forget about minor contingencies until I'm actually putting the game together, so that's probable.

Hurdle #2, unfortunately, hasn't entirely begun. Mave cheerfully agreed to add this to all her other artistic obligations. Given how busy she is, it may take a little while. I'm hesitant to contact other artists to help her out, though, because the more people involved in a project the lower the likelihood of it actually finishing.

Hurdle #3 should be manageable. The game uses Python for scripting, which is an annoying language because it actually parses white space, but I think I essentially have it down. Most visual novel engines are made to be staggeringly simple to use, after all. I'm trying to do significantly more elaborate things than most games in this genre, but they should all be within my programming ability.

So yes. Since I've put a novel of words into this, I'm going to be trying fairly hard to bring this project to fruition. Now I merely have to hope that people would be willing to give the finished game a chance, whenever I do actually complete it. So what about all of you? Would you be interested in trying this out? I can guarantee that this one will be completely cross-platform. It also shouldn't require any particular gaming skills beyond reading.

That is what I intended to say in this entry, anyway. Depending upon the level of interest in all of you, I could obviously say more.

I respect you, Patsy Sims.

You’re a human being, after all. You have a PhD and you’ve written books, neither of which can happen if you have no talent. I hear you’ve done some good work exposing the legacy of the KKK, which is admirable.

But seriously, every word of literary criticism you write makes me want to commit improbably brutal acts on generic cute animals.

( And here is why... )

I almost did two things instead of this entry:
A) Wrote about what I really believe.
B) Posted nothing.

Both would probably been a mistake. #1 because of the reasons for #2, #2 because it doesn't give anything for people to assume about you. That was vague. This entry is an effort to walk some kind of line along 1.5. Even now I'm not sure if it's worth my time to write this... I guess I'm hoping someone will have some kind of advice that will fundamentally alter my life.

I am first and foremost a storyteller. Medium is important, but not to my interest. Novels provide the most direct control of narrative, film lets you form imagery in exact form, video games allow for player interaction and fractured story paths. Any career that is at the heart about story would be something that I could enjoy and do for life. Unfortunately, all of them are extremely difficult fields. Here are the basic paths I could see myself following and imagine I never will:

1) Novels: You all know I wrote one recently. I could write another. I could write one every month if I thought it was worth it. But as I look at what novels are published and what the majority of literary agents want, I begin to wonder if the type of writing I do is fundamentally not desirable to current markets. That's the least misanthropic I can state that.

2) Video Games: I really like how this field operates, but there really aren't any entry-level positions for writers at the major RPG studios. This is something I haven't researched enough.

3) Graphic Novels: Also one of my great interests. This one works as a field because it requires relatively little funding, but that's assuming you have an artist (which is a major assumption). Though I actually have small inroads into this field, I'm inclined to say that it's a bit of a bubble when it comes to an actual market. A bubble that might be bursting, actually (it is for Tokyopop).

4) Television: The success of recent series suggests to me that people actually do like complex, non-episodic narrative. I think that the main reason Heroes has failed is because its overarching plot has fallen apart and it lacks the cohesiveness that makes for a decent story. But I think for me this is more a wild idea as opposed to something that is actually a real pursuit.

5) Hollywood: I like movies, but I don't like fields over-saturated by wannabes. Because I don't actually have the drive and money necessary for this field and I don't want to fall into that crowd, I mention this here only for the sake of completeness.

6) Am I missing a medium that is fundamentally story-driven?

Having finished this entry, what I want to do most is delete it, but I don't want to make this any more of a waste of time. Comment if you have thoughts.

Three hours and another class from now, I will be on my Thanksgiving break. It turns out it will be somewhat busy, given the number of all-day family events planned. I also need to get some serious work done on my research project if I want to complete it reasonably by the end of the semester. Hopefully I will also be able to work full time except for the holiday itself.

Nonetheless, it will still be somewhat empty. To fill space, I plan to begin work on another novel. I have a premise, not really a proper outline, so we'll see how it goes. This is something that has absolutely no chance in the publishing world, but I hope writing it will be cathartic.

It is a Christian zombie story. Which means it will have both Christians and zombies. They will eat one another. The reciprocity is not accidental.

That having been said, enjoy the brilliant wit of the following troll. Normally CAA's filter catches mildly amusing but not notable bots or dull trolls, but this one is exceptional:

"I expect this to be locked just because rational thought is not a pretext for this place, but I'm going to be bouncing around a bit, so please bear with me.

1st off, what vexes me the most is how modern Christians are rather blatant about their picking a choosing of what to follow in the bible. Condemn the wickens and homosexuals because it says so, but ignore polygamy and slave ownership even though is says both are okay. Or the fact that most people here who review anime are more focused on the Old Testament. (After reading it, God comes off as a raging alcoholic) Shouldn't it be more focused on New Testament with Jesus's teachings? (I wish more Christians would follow his teachings because they are very sound.)

Although let's focus on Leviticus 20:13, which in a nutshell says that homosexuals should be stoned to death because it is an abomination against god. So why do Christians and Jews now only follow the latter part of this and not everything? I though the Bible (And in effect Torah) are the word of God and everything should be obeyed. Of course people are demanded to be killed for less in the Bible that people ignore now such as working on the Sabbath, improper eating of ritual offerings, worshiping other gods, etc.

Can someone explain these contradictions to me?"

I was sorely tempted to approve his thread, because I would love to have locked it with a post containing nothing but one of the following:
1) You should probably look up the word pretext.
2) Wiccan.
3)