tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22814389354161675542024-02-07T14:38:44.042-06:00The Filthy Writer: Self-Indulgence Manifested<p>I'm a writer and a tech guy, and this is my repository for musings about all things related to writing, music, and all forms of creativity that I'm guilty of enjoying. I love having discussions, so please comment and lemme know what YOU think!</p>
<p>Oh, and thanks to Laurance Honkoski for the below image!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-30012918305337417082016-06-22T13:03:00.003-05:002016-06-22T13:03:54.799-05:00I moved (mostly)Most of my posting will be on my new-ish blog. I just wanted kind of a clean break from shit. I noticed that this thing is still getting hits, which seems crazy, but, anyway, please follow me over at <a href="https://theblaineblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Blaine Blog</a> and/or my <a href="https://gaming.youtube.com/c/BlaineAtkinson/" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>. Word.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-77741859385569261232014-09-12T12:52:00.000-05:002014-09-12T12:52:12.060-05:00Why I Love Sports<div abp="1278">
A quick bit of background. I'm originally from the LA area, spawned from a pair of Army brats that met and fell in love and Texas, and spent my formative years in Tulsa, OK, before moving to St. Louis as an 8yr old whose first baseball card back in Tulsa was a 1986 Topps Ozzie Smith. So, when my parents asked me if we should move to St. Louis or Chicago, I said St. Louis, because that's where Ozzie played.</div>
<div abp="1279">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1280">
Needless to say, I was nearly born a Cardinals fan. But, I also grew up in a household that cheered for the Cowboys and Lakers. Yup.</div>
<div abp="1281">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1282">
I've lived in St. Louis since 1987, with the exception of a brief jaunt to Chicago to get my undergrad and a wife, and baseball here is a religion. Okay, Catholicism is the dominant religion here, but you know what I mean.</div>
<div abp="1283">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1284">
The end of winter here is signaled not by the melting of the snow, but that hallowed day when pitchers and catchers report.</div>
<div abp="1285">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1286">
The start of summer is signified not by the end of school, but by the sights and sounds of the local children on their own ball fields, emulating their titanic heroes in red.</div>
<div abp="1287">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1288">
Fall is marked not by brown leaves, but by the hunt for Red October, and the dulcet tones of Shannon and Rooney on workplace radios as the Cardinals battle and plunge deeper into the playoffs.</div>
<div abp="1289">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1290">
Winter ... winter is a time of death and rebirth as the roster churns and we gaze south, to the gentle shores of Jupiter to give us a sign, anything, that lets us know that it's almost time to begin anew that trek to the next Red October.</div>
<div abp="1291">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1292">
Yeah, some folks are also pretty great fans for the Blues and Rams, too, for sure, but they're not woven into the local fabric in the same way as the Cardinals. In a lot of ways, the Cardinals ARE St. Louis.</div>
<div abp="1293">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1294">
I think that may be part of the intense animosity the rest of the country holds for the Cardinals and their fans. We really, truly love this team, and I think a lot of fans of other baseball teams view that as a commentary on their own fandom, when it's not. We don't really worry about the way other teams interact with their fans, but we're always surprised when teams are booed in their own stadiums. That just seems ... well, like something a bad fan would do. I dunno. That's just now how we roll.</div>
<div abp="1295">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1296">
This is the town that partially grades players by how much hustle they show getting to first base on a walk, and I'm not kidding.</div>
<div abp="1297">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1298">
So, anyway, that's the foundation of my love for sports.</div>
<div abp="1299">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1300">
Today, yeah, I totally get up for the Rams, even though current ownership hasn't earned it at all. And, fuck, this season is looking very, very grim. I have a feeling, though, the problem will no longer be ours very, very soon when the league and broadcast networks get their wish and the Rams are moved back to LA.</div>
<div abp="1301">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1302">
Really, though, I think I'm a bigger fan of the NFL than I am the Rams. I just like football. I think we should solve all international conflicts with games of football.</div>
<div abp="1303">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1304">
At least I still have Mizzou football. They're a blast to watch, and the college game is so much more watchable than the pro game, which has become addicted to penalties and theatrics. The college game is filled with risk-taking in the play-calling, and fantastic atmosphere.</div>
<div abp="1305">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1306">
<strong abp="1307"><u abp="1308">But What Does it All Mean?!</u></strong></div>
<div abp="1309">
See, I take weekends off. I'm working the first 40hour/week job I've ever had. Everything before this has been 50+ with more working weekends than not. Nowadays, I like taking an outdoor jaunt with the wife and boys and dog, then spending the rest of the time gaming on my laptop while watching the Cardinals, Rams, Mizzou, or whatever sporting event, and just losing myself in the relaxation.</div>
<div abp="1310">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1311">
I particularly enjoy playing MMOs while watching sports, since I can shift my attention back and forth. The single-player RPGs are much more a night-time activity, after everyone's in bed, and I can focus intently.</div>
<div abp="1312">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1313">
<strong abp="1314"><u abp="1315">Red October</u></strong></div>
<div abp="1316">
Now, once we're in the playoffs, the laptop is put away, the games shutdown, and the Surface tablet is set on the coffee table to act as a stat companion. It's also when the Khaleesi and I back WAAAY up on shows on the DVR.</div>
<div abp="1317">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1318">
In any case, go finish your work day, and enjoy your weekend. I plan to do the same.</div>
<div abp="1318">
</div>
<div abp="1318">
GO CARDS!!!</div>
<div abp="1318">
</div>
<div abp="1318">
-Blaine</div>
<div abp="1318">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-53837670631355804432014-09-11T11:12:00.001-05:002014-09-11T11:12:45.560-05:00It's Evolution, Baby<div abp="56">
I spend a lot of time thinking about storytelling in games. Probably too much. Even when considering other aspects of a game's design, I'm always thinking about how they serve not just the storytelling, but the underpinnings of a user's sense of immersion, which is critical for telling a solid story.</div>
<div abp="57">
</div>
<div abp="58">
While trying to explain this to the Trophy Khaleesi the other day, I accidentally defined it well when I explained that one of the best things about games that present choices is that the user shares in the story's authorship.</div>
<div abp="59">
</div>
<div abp="60">
By this, I mean that when I choose to just let <a abp="167" href="http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Morrigan" target="_blank">Morrigan</a> walk away or not through the <a abp="62" href="http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Eluvian" target="_blank">Eluvian</a>, I feel like I've helped write the story.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
*By the way, if you choose NOT to let her just walk through the Eluvian ... just WOW*</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
And, yes, this ties directly into the concept of <a abp="171" href="http://www.paperspencils.com/2013/02/11/player-agency/" target="_blank">player agency</a>.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
The idea of the player taking on at least part of the authorship of the story is something that lured me away, rather quickly from being a JRPG nut. I guess it also helped that, starting with Final Fantasy X, my favorite JRPG series stopped being fun. Or maybe I grew up. But that's another post.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
Either way, it's great seeing developers like BioWare, CD Projekt Red, Inxile, Bethesda, and Obsidian continue to iterate and expand on this concept.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
For me, though, the holy grail is getting this right in the MMO space. BioWare took a decent stab at it with Star Wars: The Old Republic. I've played that game more than any other ever. I had a really great time for a long time in that game, up until about a year after they shifted their focus from more content to making new hats that can be bought through microtransactions. And, as happens when a game goes F2P, the community became toxic. I'm probably letting my sub finally lapse, by the way.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
Elder Scrolls Online has done some very interesting stuff in this area. While the choices here aren't so obvious or seemingly grand as in SWTOR, they are there and provide some interesting results. Additionally, the developer, Zenimax Online Studios, are working toward making the game world even more immersive, as seen below.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/_oWuw-mo_MQ/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_oWuw-mo_MQ&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_oWuw-mo_MQ&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
Where it seems like all modern MMOs go wrong is trying to be everything to everybody. They have to squeeze as much return on investment as possible from their product, and in the modern gaming scene, that's just not possible. The locusts swarm to one title, feed on it, abuse the developers, and then in a succession of groups, swarm to the next one.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
I'd love to see an MMO that provided annual full expansions that were packed with story-based content. In between, they could drop little bits of end-game content. Yeah, they would have to be an ENORMOUS studio, but surely someone like Blizzard or EA could fund that, right?</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
I loved what SWTOR started out as, which is a HUGE single-player RPG that you could play with friends, if you wanted. Now, all the new content is forced-grouping, so there's inevitably some asshole screaming into group chat when people don't skip the story scenes.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
All of this reminds me that I need to go back and look more at Secret World and Guild Wars 2, as well. I'm told repeatedly that they both do really interesting things with story.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
I just really want one game that I log into play most of the time, without hearing that nagging voice in the back of my head that's insisting that this game actually kinda sucks.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
I want a Dragon Age MMO that focuses on story, gets annual expansions, gets new endgame content every two months, and is subscription-based. Okay, fine, it can have some element of PvP, but I don't want that to be much of a focus.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
Ya know, I really wanna try true roleplaying in an MMO some time. It's always struck me as something interesting, and I've never tried it.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
What about you? How much of an emphasis do you put on storytelling in games? In MMOs? What's your perfect MMO? How much do you value choice in games?</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="60">
-Blaine</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-47381298806614356532014-09-10T15:24:00.000-05:002014-09-10T15:30:02.364-05:00About That<div abp="1263">
This blog has taken on many different themes and purposes, and now, I think I finally know what to do with it.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Just write.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
I'm not someone that forces things. Probably to my detriment, a bit, but I've never been someone that does something he doesn't want to do. It's caused me problems, at times, but it's also cleared the deck for me to focus on things that actually matter to me.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
In any case, I guess I was gonna write a lot about writing here, before realizing that I get bored with that subject very quickly. Besides, my process is far less interesting than most others' processes. In life, and in writing, simpler is better, and the fewer constraints you place on yourself, the freer you are to soar to new heights, or glide gracefully to the crouch with a laptop and just write.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
So, while I may still write about writers writing, I'm opening this blog up to be about everything that I care about. This includes gaming, baseball, football, technology, software/web development, and just whatever takes my fancy.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Some posts will be quite length, while others may only be a few sentences. Some may even be video posts (WHOAH.)</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
I've added my Twitch feed above, as well as a 'current' section in the top left. Feel free to engage me on anything you see there.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
<strong><u>Production</u></strong></div>
<div abp="1263">
My day job is now as a C# developer. It's a great job, and I really like the challenge of developing a new skillset, plus I'm part of a great team, and the work is more than satisfying.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Outside of that, I'm developing what I think might become a web 'TV' series. I've worked in technology for quite a while now, and want to start telling some stories that have sprung from that life.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Right now, I'm envisioning an initial six-episode 'first season,' and I'm considering just producing it myself. I might Kickstarter it, I might not, but I need to get them written first.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Aside from that, I'm always dabbling with modding games, but I've been frustrated, because I keep changing what game, what engine, and I probably need to seek out some advice on how to get started. I'm thinking, more and more, I need to bang out a rough story, and then make my decision that way.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Further down the road, there's another novel and another rock record. Actually, a few novels. There's another Endless Wars book that has some real meat to it, but that I keep walking away from, as well as a very weird start to a space merchant novella series.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
The space merchant novella series is an experiment, in which I do a 'season' of novellas that each tell a story within a larger arc, and I'll release each one for something like a dollar, or even less. We'll see. I'm still trying to work out how that would work. Maybe I'll just release each 'episode' for free, then sell the complete collection at the end of the 'season.' I dunno.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Regardless, I wanna get the six scripts for the IT web series done first, then start talking to some folks about the next move there.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
And, yeah, I really wanna make a story-based mod for Dragon Age, or maybe Divinity: Original Sin, or maybe Skyrim, or maybe the upcoming Wasteland 2 and/or Pillars of Eternity.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
<strong><u>Consumption</u></strong></div>
<div abp="1263">
It's been a reeeally slow year in music. REALLY slow. Granted, all my bands dropped new records either last year or the year before. I've been jamming to the new Robert Plant, as well as the new Slash record, and Asteroids Galaxy Tour is releasing a new record next week, and I'm expecting that to be my favorite record this year.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
It's been too good a year for science fiction on TV. There's so much that I've actually started dropping shows or telling some that I'll be back with them later.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
However, my two favorite so far this year are not science fiction. True Detective and The Bridge have both knocked me out with how well-written, beautifully acted, and really well-shot they are. Both of those shows are the complete package.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
The Strain, though, comes close to that level of enjoyment. I enjoyed the first two books (third is in the queue), and absolutely love the show.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Reading-wise, I'm still reconciling Disney's declaration that all books, games, and comics before 'A New Dawn' are null and void. It's hard to imagine a Star Wars without events from the 'Old Republic' era being part of the canon. Same goes for the X-Wing series, and a lot of the books from the Clone Wars era, which featured some of my favorite Jedi.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
In any case, the new novel, 'A New Dawn,' is a solid read thus far. It sets up a couple of the characters that will be featured in the new animated series, 'Rebels.'</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Gaming-wise, after a HUGE push through the Elder Scrolls Online, I'm taking a break from that series, and finishing my third playthrough of the Dragon Age series, in preparation for Dragon Age: Inqiusition on 11/18.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Last on the gaming front, Destiny. A little game from a little developer known as Bungie.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
It's an MMO FPS, and that's exactly what it is. It's a blend of Halo, WoW, and Diablo. I really like it so far, but it's weird playing a console shooter. I hope this comes to PC eventually.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
<strong><u>Going Forward</u></strong></div>
<div abp="1263">
I'm not locking myself into any format here, but I would at least like to post everyday. I'm going to play with the content, and please let me know when something is good or bad.</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
Has there been anything I've done on here before that you really liked? (as if anyone is listening yet)</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
<div abp="1263">
-Blaine</div>
<div abp="1263">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-54521001074617048642014-07-23T12:55:00.001-05:002014-07-23T12:55:25.029-05:00Test<p>This is a test to see if I really can do this from my Windows Phone. 4% market share rawks.<br /><br /></p><p><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtfxxF96sVAhPjMzdKpOtPXtt9Lt-NaAuGmV2cpRAAmuFAAx3b4xFmN2aJsP-6jVChWngSZcVYAcQkleyVkCVeeGZvTiLziqSJYcRffrBvepD7f8VJCl4I4TIgd2yG177bLWFD5MBTn4/s0/CameraCapture-56407812-4c61-40d3-8bb2-328f5140e547.jpg'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtfxxF96sVAhPjMzdKpOtPXtt9Lt-NaAuGmV2cpRAAmuFAAx3b4xFmN2aJsP-6jVChWngSZcVYAcQkleyVkCVeeGZvTiLziqSJYcRffrBvepD7f8VJCl4I4TIgd2yG177bLWFD5MBTn4/s400/CameraCapture-56407812-4c61-40d3-8bb2-328f5140e547.jpg' /></a></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-16040046698404672332013-01-30T16:14:00.000-06:002013-01-30T16:14:29.785-06:00Winter's BlockI fascinate me. Should you know me well, this should come as no great surprise.<br />
<br />
What I mean by that is for as well as I know myself, I still surprise myself, in ways both good and bad. Take my reaction to the winter season, for example. I know that I've struggled through every winter, specifically, in the ways that relate to 'not being a fragile emotional deadweight.' I go into every winter saying, 'eh, fuck it, I'm fine,' and then, by about January, I'm staring out the window, wanting to break out into a very sad Wilson-Phillips-esque song that is heavily imbued with longing. Well, except, that would require motivation.<br />
<br />
And, see, this is the point at which I should be saying, 'AHA! I'll go write a book about it! YES!' Instead ... eh. I don't feel like it.<br />
<br />
What sucks is that I'm deep into some good pages on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573" target="_blank">Endless Wars</a> sequel, and I've been getting some good feedback from my editor on them, and now he's quietly knocking on my phone door saying, 'Uh, dude? About that book? I want to see what happens next.' THAT is exactly what every good novelist wants to hear, and yet ... eh, I don't feel like it.<br />
<br />
I've also been trying different things in terms of my process, too, to try to jump-start the thing. Everything from changing up the time of day to refining my environment, and none of it is sticking.<br />
<br />
Of course, I always like a jackass at these moments. I'm an adult. I should be able to just make myself sit for an hour and bang out a page or two. That's what <em>should</em> happen, and yet ... eh, I don't feel like it.<br />
<br />
And, it's temporary, of course. I'm not really sweating it, but I kind of wish I was.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I'm reading like a madman. I've been devouring the <a href="http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time" target="_blank">Wheel of Time</a> series, something I'd long avoided. I was finally convinced by a friend in the meatspace to just try it, and I'm loving it. It's like the anti-<a href="http://www.westeros.org/" target="_blank">A Song of Ice & Fire</a> series. Don't get me wrong, I love ASoI&F, but WoT is a refreshing low fantasy opposite. They have similar settings, but where everyone in ASoI&F is fucking and dying right and left, the WoT characters are ... well ... not. Additionally, where there's little else out there akin to ASoI&F, WoT iterates on every great sci-fi/fantasy trope, but does so rather skillfully.<br />
<br />
I'm also hyped for the release of Dead Space 3 next week. The fiction of that universe is fantastic, and a great commentary on the ways that science, religion, corporate interests, and government all interact. If you've not played the Dead Space games, grab the first one and let me know what you think. There's also animated films, comics, novels, spin-off games, and all kinds of stuff that feeds into the fiction. It's a great universe that offers some pretty sharp critiques of how we, as a people, have evolved, and might continue to evolve.<br />
<br />
For now, though, I'm hoping to narrow my focus a bit, reign my passions in, and make myself more productive in the writing space. I love doing it, but hate doing it part-time.<br />
<br />
I also want to record another album ... and make my own text adventure ... and get back to more model building ... and spend more time sharpening my C# skills ... and sharpen my Windows Server skills ... and finally finish Buffy ... and have more time for playing sports with my son ... and back into watching basketball more ... and baseball, too, for that matter ... oh, and I need to play through all the Neverwinter Nights games and mods ... I also never finished Final Fantasy XIII-2 ... and I don't spend enough time with Guild Wars 2 ... I wouldn't mind revisiting Star Trek Online ... and I would really like to play through more of the stories in Star Wars: The Old Republic.<br />
<br />
Like I said ... narrowing my focus.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com1Manchester, MO, USA38.5969977 -90.50928820000001538.547349700000005 -90.589969200000013 38.6466457 -90.428607200000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-71612361558750799852012-12-13T18:17:00.002-06:002012-12-13T18:17:29.542-06:00The Clean RoomWhenever I get ready for another big push on a book, I go back and re-read/edit the preceding chapter or two. It helps put me in the right mindset, and gives me some great momentum for that day's push.<br />
<br />
In today's case, I actually went back to the 'zero' chapter of this piece, and started pushing all the way through. I'd put this book down for a bit while I tended to some time-sensitive professional commitments, but I also needed to think through a complete overhaul of a character's thread through the first few chapters. I wasn't really sure what to do with him at the outset of writing this novel, so I just kinda had him doing nothing, which I thought maybe would be an interesting change for him from the last Endless Wars novel.<br />
<br />
Yeah, not so much.<br />
<br />
However, I did finally realize what his role in this novel was.<br />
<br />
So, in going back through the beginning, I had a chance to slip back into his head, and in that moment, realized that we were very much on the same page, to an eerie extent. So, I plunged in, cut his sections open, did some major surgery, and just rode that wave.<br />
<br />
What was great about today's lunch time session was that I really got to remember why I love writing. In pushing through this character's arc, I was just letting the story guide me, I was just letting the words fall out of me, and before long, looking over some of what I'd just written, I realized that I was really expressing some frustrations and disappointments I had, and in doing so, realized that much of this book is a reexamination of where I am in life.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my life, I don't regret anything. I'm where I need to be right now, but it's great when working on art really gets you thinking about what you were put on this planet to do, and reveals some potential futures.<br />
<br />
<strong>The Clean Room</strong><br />
I am constantly distracted. My attention is constantly in demand. I make myself available nearly all the time.<br />
<br />
It's funny, because, at heart, I am an intensely isolated person, and my lifestyle very much matched that. If you wanted to hang out, you needed to come to me. If you wanted to talk, you needed to call me.<br />
<br />
Now, though, little of that has changed, except I'm a father, husband, sysadmin, friend, counselor, mentor, and many other things, all of which constantly lay siege to my time, and I can really see it in my writing.<br />
<br />
Writing fiction while distracted is a fucking terrible thing to do. In editing some of my stuff today, I could see that I'd started and stopped and started and stopped many times in a small section, because I'd have thoughts repeating themselves. I'm glad I'm one of only three people to ever see that edit, because it's embarrassing, but it also highlights a change I need to make in my life.<br />
<br />
One, I need to put a process back into place, and two, part of that process needs to involve some 'me' time, something for which I used to fight ferociously, and with the advent of being a family man and professional, I let slowly starve, wither, and die. That needs to change.<br />
<br />
I need a mental clean room. I need to be able to go to a place, at least in my head, that tunes everything else out. I used to be good at that, but I'm just so fucking distracted all the time.<br />
<br />
I'd still like to have a mobile solution to this, too. I'm constantly on the move, I travel quite a bit, and nearly every day is a crushing load of stuff. There's some paring down that can be done there, but not a lot, if I want to keep losing weight, maintain a happy marriage, connect with my child, and show some level of proficiency at my job.<br />
<br />
Writing every day <em>needs</em> to be in there.<br />
<br />
I've even given thought to writing first thing in the morning. I've heard Toni Morrison talk about doing this, and she's had success, so maybe there's something there for me. I dunno, though. Even being two years sober now, I'm still not a morning person.<br />
<br />
We'll see. Thoughts from other writers or artists are welcome.<br />
<br />
<strong>Other Projects</strong><br />
I put everything else on hold. I need to write this book, and I need to write it now. I've got some musical and game-related stuff in the pipeline that I'm really excited to work on, but this Endless Wars novel is very much front and center. I've got some downtime planned this winter, and I'd love to crank on this thing hard.<br />
<br />
Yup. Just checking in.<br />
<br />
Blaine<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-55919987961447819782012-11-21T12:19:00.000-06:002012-11-21T12:19:39.711-06:00Winter = Seasonal Bed-ShittingTo state that 'winter is a harsh mistress' is, for me, profoundly off the mark, as it implies that I have even a little appreciation for the bitch. I do not enjoy seeing the world slowly die and freeze over every year, like some. I regard those people, even the ones I love, as somewhat sickened and horribly misguided individuals. To relish in the death of life is a massive perversion, and what is winter, if not the most clearly painted symbol for death that we have?<br />
<br />
It may sound funny, but I really am a sunshine + birds chirping kinda dude. I wanna be a fuckin' Disney princess, singing next to an open window while birds flutter around. This Hoth bullshit can just fuck off.<br />
<br />
Of course, bitching about the weather is petty, futile, and I really wish it was beneath me.<br />
<br />
I really need to rebuild my writing process. I've tried for a while not to be one of those oversensitive 'oh, things have to be just right for me to write' pansy-ass writers, but it's stupid to pretend like there's not something to the concept of having a process. I can write in nearly any circumstance, but I think that the process isn't so much about being able to write as fostering a circumstance in which you <em>want</em> to write. I've got a lot of things that take my attention, as well as a lot of real-world responsibilities. I'd like to rebuild my process so that it's built into my day.<br />
<br />
I think something that would help, too, is having deadlines. I'm good at deadlines, and have done some great writing when under the gun. I may have an idea here. We'll see.<br />
<br />
I've thought through some creative solutions to this, and I'm curious to see how this works out.<br />
<br />
BlaineAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-3782559120787973922012-10-18T12:34:00.000-05:002012-10-18T12:34:30.670-05:00Lore and World-BuildingI play a lot of RPGs and I read a lot of huge, sprawling science fiction and fantasy series. Among my favorites are Bioware's Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, as well as George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice & Fire' ('Games of Thrones' on TV), and a handful of others. In each of these properties, there's a huge amount of lore and fully fleshed-out worlds, both of which make the experience so much more immersive, and really give it more of an 'escapist' feel, something for which I strive, given how much I enjoy it myself.<br />
<br />
When I started crafting the <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/taranwalker" target="_blank">Endless Wars</a> universe, I approached it with a blissful naivete that very much empowered me to write the first novel with very few concerns, and even less caution. It's a great story that's supported by a youthful lack of foresight inherent to the 'fuck it all' kind of young man I was at that time.<br />
<br />
Now, being a more seasoned writer whose tastes have expanded beyond Star Wars and Lethal Weapon (though I still love both dearly), the second novel has demanded that I actually start organizing and more fully fleshing out the world(s) of Endless Wars. This novel is so much bigger and more ambitious than the first, it's frankly somewhat intimidating.<br />
<br />
The first challenge I had was finding when to start the current story in the series' chronology. If you've read the first book, you know that the series extends over a vast expanse of time, as well as universes other than this one.<br />
<br />
See, the hard part was that I'd written the first novel when I was in my very early twenties. I then moved on to some film and music projects, dabbled with some short stories, wrote big chunks of other series, and false-started on the sequel several times. The next thing I knew, I was in my mid-thirties and wasn't the same man I was over a decade before.<br />
<br />
After a lot of thinking and tinkering, I finally found my way back in, and the writing has been progressing.<br />
<br />
What became apparent, though, was that I'd never actually written out a lot of the lore or the rules of the world(s). I had it all in my head, or in the first book, but I didn't have strong documentation. Having an IT background, such is anathema.<br />
<br />
I knew what the relationship was between Lord Dell and Ravindranathan, but hadn't really fully articulated it. I knew what Raphael's true mission was, but hadn't actually written it out. I had a rough history of the various guilds and covens, but hadn't fully organized their hierarchies. I knew what had happened to Layne, but couldn't remember what his girlfriend's name was.<br />
<br />
That first novel is, by my standards, a fairly lean, but well-toned, book, and it contained a wealth of knowledge that I'd never compiled into a single, easily-searchable database.<br />
<br />
To that end, I started two side projects. One was a <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/" target="_blank">OneNote</a> notebook that I could easily edit on the fly, and the other was a <a href="http://endlesswars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Endless_Wars_Wiki" target="_blank">wiki</a> (that I've yet to touch at all.) The OneNote is ... coming along. Sort of. It's getting there. Well, it has to.<br />
<br />
***side note - if you want to pitch in and help with the wiki, I'll be very, very thankful and throw you a shout-out in the next novel! Just let me know!***<br />
<br />
What I've been finding is that it's one thing to have a very strong vision for a world, but it's another to take that macrosopic view and drill down to the microscopic details.<br />
<br />
I've just never been an organized writer. I don't really work with outlines. I tend to just be guided by feel and instinct. I have a rough idea of where things are going, but I love the thrill of getting there organically, and surprising myself. That's a fine way to work, but when world-building, you have to have rules, you have to have knowledge ready to go. Otherwise, you can commit the most grievous of sins: a lack of continuity. Nothing shatters the fiction like contradicting your own world.<br />
<br />
Another thing is that this book isn't as tidy as the first. There are concurrent storylines in it, and that makes the organization all the more necessary. I need to make sure that all these threads don't tangle. Well, that, and I'm playing a dangerous game with two of the storylines that is bound to cause confusion for some, but will hopefully be a beautiful 'aha' moment for many.<br />
<br />
Well, maybe. I floated a rough draft of the first few chapters by a very smart fellow writer and that person didn't at all grasp the trick I was playing, which of course led to a tantrum on my part. This person is a brilliant individual, and yet missed a few key, but very subtle details that kept them from fully enjoying the story.<br />
<br />
That raises another question. Do I write for the audience or do I write for me? I know that seems like a 'duh' question to many, but it's a question with which I've wrestled for years, and is probably the main reason I'm so sporadic in my publishing. I always set out to craft the book/film/album/game that I've always wanted, but haven't been able to find, which implies that I'm writing for me. However, doesn't that defeat the purpose of then sharing and monetizing the project when I've finished it?<br />
<br />
I usually find that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I suspect that's true here, as well.<br />
<br />
<b>The E-Book</b><br />
So, I've been asked when the first EW book is making its way back to Kindle, Nook, and iBooks. It's coming, but not tomorrow. First, I need to buy another ISBN for it (which is my choice, so that I own all the rights to it instead of my publisher), then I need to redo some of the formatting so that it makes a nice .epub file. The .epub conversion is a pain in the ass, and because of other commitments (the second novel, plus some musical work this winter), we're looking at spring 2013 at the earliest.<br />
<br />
One thing I've always wanted to do is borrow from what visual media does with things like 'extras.' I'd like to pack in a 'commentary track,' so to speak. Right now, I'm thinking about, in the .epub file, at the end of each chapter, having a button for 'next chapter' and a button for 'commentary.' The commentary will be a brief write-up of some interesting insight and ramblings on the content of the previous chapter, while the 'next chapter' button jumps over it. At the end will be an essay about writing the book, editing it, publishing it, and all the 'life' things that went along with it.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure, though. I'll have to play with it a bit. I guess the idea would be that you'd read the book without the commentary, and then go back, skim the chapter to refresh yourself, and then read the commentary. I dunno. I'm just spitballing at this point.<br />
<br />
I've also considered adding 'deleted scenes,' but they're so fucking awful (to everyone but John) that I'm not really feeling that at this point. I mean, they got cut for a reason. Because they suck! Who wants to read that shit?<br />
<br />
We'll see.<br />
<br />
<b>In Closing</b><br />
I like writing about writing here. Sometimes it feels a bit masturbatory, and I think I got a little self-conscious about that. I'm friends with other writers, and some of them work really hard at having a 'writer' image, which I've always found a bit obnoxious. It's like they put on a uniform in order to be part of something larger, and I've never really been comfortable in that space. I shouldn't judge, though. If it helps someone write amazing shit, then the world is a better place for it.<br />
<br />
That being said, I'd like to come back here and just write more often. I'm far more self-conscious than I'd like to admit, and I need to get over that. This is probably good therapy.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's all.<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
<b>Buy Endless Wars: The Descent!</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-endless-wars-blaine-atkinson/1027728881?ean=9780615380575" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/taranwalker" target="_blank">Lulu</a></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0Chesterfield, MO, USA38.6631083 -90.577067538.5639203 -90.734996 38.762296299999996 -90.419139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-27966905078620547602012-09-03T02:18:00.002-05:002012-09-03T02:18:39.816-05:00Hey. remember that Taran guy?Yeah, so I finally put the pieces back together and wrote fiction today. I wrote well, I wrote comfortably, and I wrote sober. It was the first time I've ever been able to reach into myself and put the words on the page like that while in a sober state. To say I was fucking ecstatic would be putting it lightly.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I sat down to work on a video game I've been tinkering with and ended up completely righting the ship on the Endless Wars sequel. I was pretty pleased.<br />
<br />
I realized today, too, that I have a really fucking hard time keeping the universe straight in my head, so I broke down and started a <a href="http://endlesswars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Endless_Wars_Wiki" target="_blank">wiki for the series</a>. Please feel free to contribute. I really do need the help.<br />
<br />
I also started an <a href="http://dickthevampirehunter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ongoing web-based meta-fiction weird-shit series that takes place alongside the current novel</a>. It's fun.<br />
<br />
And yeah, I think there will eventually be a web-based adventure game of some kind at some point. I've prototyped the basics, but I'm still laboring over the scope of the project. I may farm some of it out. We'll see.<br />
<br />
In any case, the sequel novel is back on track after a two-year lapse.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty pumped, enough to curse myself and say that I hope the next book will be out by spring 2013.<br />
<br />
In that time, I do plan to finally do a proper ebook release for the first one. I may throw some extra shit in there, too. We'll see. Would anyone be interested in a 'commentary' in the ebook? Not sure what that would like yet, but it's something I always wanted to do.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it's late, but I wanted to drop a note in here.<br />
<br />
Shit, I almost forgot. I also started a G+ page for the series <a href="https://plus.google.com/101229515047814389940/posts" target="_blank">here</a>. Check it out!<br />
<br />
Not much there yet, but there will be.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573" target="_blank">Buy my book!</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-24114238601908743232012-06-15T11:11:00.003-05:002012-06-15T11:11:51.711-05:00TripletsSo, in rapping with my dear friends <a href="http://www.lunaticmistress.com/" target="_blank">Iris</a> and <a href="http://triphoprisy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bucho</a> in the comments of my last post, something about which I'd been quietly meditating for a few days came up.<br />
<br />
Iris indicated a reticence to work on more than one project at once, while Bucho made a great point about how multiple projects can, in a cool way, inform each other.<br />
<br />
See, I've got three unfinished novels lying there, and a deep passion for each. One is a sequel to my last novel, another is the first steps into my own space opera, while the third is, I think, another horror/suspense piece. I think.<br />
<br />
In any case, I'd been contemplating attacking two at once, and either alternating days on them, or just letting my passion go where it takes me, so long as I bang out that all-important page-a-day.<br />
<br />
What's influenced this, as well, is my contemplation of how 'me time' works nowadays, as this would be the window in which I would tackle such an enterprise. The context of 'me' changes drastically not only when you partner with a mate for life, but when the two of you collaborate on an offspring or several. Being that I've extended what I 'need' in order to continue a reasonably palpable existence by bringing these two under my 'great umbrella of life,' this fundamentally alters what 'me' is, and thus 'me time' becomes something that is paroled with a severely diminished fervency. View this not as a complaint, but as a topic on which I'm meditating.<br />
<br />
In any case, I just want to fucking write.<br />
<br />
If I want it badly enough, I'll do it. Kinda like my recent surge in body maintenance.<br />
<br />
I commented, previously, that I'm interested in trying to write first thing in the morning. I may have some quiet time in which I've not quite piqued the interest of the rest of the world, and the timing is in such proximity to the dream world, that I can't help but wonder if that aspect might be conducive to some pleasant surprises in my writing.<br />
<br />
Alas, I despise getting up before 7AM, so we'll see. Otherwise, mayhap I'll just make some time in the hour or so before bed.<br />
<br />
Yeah, so I'm eager to get cranking on something. I've got solid footholds on two of them, and some reworking to do on the space opera. I just made some odd decisions in its first few chapters, and need to clean that up. I'm thinking that one's shelved for a bit, while I'll push on the other two immediately. I may even fold the 'horror/suspense' novel into the Endless Wars universe. We'll see.<br />
<br />
When do you write?<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com1Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA38.6631083 -90.577067538.6135138 -90.6560315 38.712702799999995 -90.4981035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-71317427067998965372012-06-13T12:40:00.001-05:002012-06-13T12:40:42.873-05:00Too MuchYeah, I'm definitely struggling with having taken on too much.<br />
<br />
I don't think anyone can properly frame or provide a comprehensible context for which to explain to youth, 'You will literally run out of time every day when you're an adult.'<br />
<br />
At the same time, it seems like tempting fate if I were to complain about it.<br />
<br />
Really, it's something that's being sorted out by attrition, and if there's one thing I learned about myself in those first couple years of being a father, it's that your real priorities will always bubble up to the top, and you'll discover if you're a good or a terrible fucking human being real quick. I'm glad I came out a good man. I've seen some other guys do the opposite.<br />
<br />
It's one of those 'good problems to have,' or as trendy classist dickwads are fond of saying, it's a 'first world problem.' I've got a goob job, a great family, and a fair number of people that wish to engage me in various activities. I just wish I had more time for the writing and gaming.<br />
<br />
I guess the opposite would be that I'd be unemployed and everyone would hate spending time with me. I'm glad to be on the positive side of that scale.<br />
<br />
I've gone about a week straight with being serious about dropping weight. I've been exercising, I've been improving my diet, and I'm seeing results. I plan to continue this behavior and do what I can to finally make women jealous of my wife.<br />
<br />
I got a great story idea last week after an odd encounter with a gruff neighbor who's rather fond of a bizarre lawn ornament. It's something about a neighborhood that welcomes some rather bizarre hillbilly neighbors that bring with them the scarecrow from hell. I imagine it being made form some badly twisted black wrought iron and maybe it comes to life at night and shit. I dunno. I banged out a page or two, and am eager to get back to it. Just not enough hours in the day.<br />
<br />
Not much else to say.<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com4Manchester, MO38.5969977 -90.509288238.572177700000005 -90.5487702 38.6218177 -90.4698062tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-15628397131139391492012-05-25T12:18:00.000-05:002012-05-25T12:18:02.249-05:00Get Over ItI take great pride in the fact that I don't whine or cry about silly things on the internet. Or really anywhere, actually. I am terrified of being one of <i>those</i> types of guys.<br />
<br />
That makes it very hard to write about myself or my writing on this blog. I've false-started a few times on here the last couple weeks because I started sounding too whiny and 'pay attention to me' and that's just not my style. I roll my eyes when other people do it, and I won't contribute to the slow erosion of masculinity that we see all over the US now.<br />
<br />
So, to circumvent this issue, I will present, instead, bullet points. This will allow me to cut right to the point without the emotional lubrication that my provocative vocabulary can offer to my emotional weaknesses.<br />
<br />
Here goes:<br />
<br />
- I've been posting almost every day on my multitude of blogs, and have enjoyed the process, probably much to your personal detriment<br />
- I've already been trolled once for my self-promotion, and as usual, it was a nearly-incomprehensible manner; honestly, being trolled is a good sign<br />
- I'm amazed how busy I am now, and I'm concerned about the status of a couple projects I have in early stages; nothing to report about them unless they actually get off the ground<br />
- I'm sometimes tempted to talk about my in-progress fiction on here, but I never think that's a good idea; it works for some writers, but not for me; there are certain things in my brain that I never talk to anyone about, for fear that they might have feedback on it, and stories are among those, now; I had more than a few stories that were workshopped to death back in college, and I'm never doing it again<br />
- I've, over the last few weeks, unshackled myself from being one of those oversensitive twats that claim that they have to have exactly a particular environment, or they just can't write; I've purposely made myself write some of these posts in less-than-ideal environments, and there was only one that, physically, I couldn't do; I always disliked this quirk about myself and other writers, and I'm glad to have murdered it<br />
- this has also, and I just realized this, to find that I can write without boozing; I've been a little concerned about that for over a year, but it's coming together, and the rusty old fiction gears are finally turning again, and I've birthed my first good science fiction idea in years in the last couple weeks<br />
- going to check out the Chernobyl diaries today; there's a whole lot of great fiction that has sprung from what happened in Chernobyl, so I'm eager to see Oren Peli's take on it<br />
- been traveling a lot, and I enjoy the expansion in perspective that forces; I don't like being pushed out of my routine or comfort zone, and this is a way to make that exercise fun and enlightening<br />
- really pissed off a buddy with a post I put up the other day; has me questioning where to draw the line between life and art; I love writing, but it's not worth fucking up friendships<br />
<br />
<u>Questions for other writers</u><br />
- where do you draw the line in including your life and your friends' lives in your non-fiction?<br />
- how much do you discuss your in-progress fiction?<br />
<br />
<u>Questions for the rest of you knuckleheads</u><br />
- any feedback on the blog posts?<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Blaine<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573">Buy my book!</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com3Schenectady, NY, USA42.8142432 -73.939568742.7679032 -74.0185327 42.8605832 -73.8606047tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-2212130847091346032012-05-23T09:56:00.002-05:002012-05-23T09:56:33.197-05:00Blogging About BloggingIt's been interesting writing every day again, and I must say that I've enjoyed it, and I've been pleased by the feedback. Traffic has ticked up nicely, and new opportunities have been borne of the efforts.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of those opportunities can be found <a href="http://galaxynextdoor.com/post/23602027855/one-sided-interaction-boring-ass-tutorial-level">over at the Galaxy Next Door gaming site</a>. Give it a read, and I hope you enjoy it. I'll be writing a column for them every Wednesday, and it seems like a pretty good fit thus far.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That will replace my Wednesday updates here. I'm not going to be actively promoting this blog anymore, but I will still be updating it. I'm guessing it may be lots of brief updates throughout the week. I'm not sure. I'm intentionally not having a plan for this space anymore, so that I have at least one blog that has no pressure or expectations attached to it. I know that sounds silly, but I like the idea of having a space in which I'm not looking at numbers or refining my craft. Though I'll still be looking at numbers because I'm obsessive about numbers and I think in numbers, and numbers rule my world in ways that would make you ask me to stop having sex at you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That is all. Check out the new column and comment away over there!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-Blaine</div>
<div>
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-73582365087446419972012-05-11T10:53:00.000-05:002012-05-11T10:53:48.094-05:00What The Avengers Did Right (part 2)Where was I? Oh yes.<br />
<br />
So, this one time, I was trying to write this entry on my netbook (remember those?) while in bed. It was so funny.<br />
<br />
I'm back on the mega 19-inch laptop, and driving in comfort. This is the greatest not-really-for-a-lap-laptop ever. It's great for everything but portability, even if I do lug it up to my in-laws every time we visit (portable <a href="http://www.swtor.com/">SWTOR</a>, yo.)<br />
<br />
But I digress ...<br />
<br />
So, previously on Self-Indulgence Manifested, I rapped a bit about the films that led up to The Avengers, except for Thor, which was so middle-of-the-road that it somehow escaped my acerbic droppings. Now, since I'm a full week late, let's talk about the actual film.<br />
<br />
First, let me start by explaining something about the writer and director (yes, Zak Penn also somehow got his name attached to the screenplay, but there is no way that the dumbfuck who excreted the script for X-Men: The Last Stand and the equally stanky 2008 The Incredible Hulk had more than a passing involvement here. Well, I guess he has a lot to do with the excellent show, Alphas, so maybe he suddenly learned that characters and story is integral to a decent script. Whatever.) Joss Whedon is the greatest creative mind of the last 20 years. No shit. I can prove it, too.<br />
<br />
Take a moment and go watch the TV series, <a href="http://www.hulu.com/firefly">Firefly</a>, and then the film conclusion, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Blu-ray-Combo-Digital-Copy/dp/B004ZJZPXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336713282&sr=8-2">Serenity</a>.<br />
<br />
See? I told you!<br />
<br />
Joss Whedon has mastered several key things over the years: playing characters off each other, showing not telling, and timing. He was already pretty good at this when he started the Buffy series years ago, he got really good in the later Buffy/Angel years, perfected it on Firefly, backslid somewhat on Dollhouse, and then made the greatest superhero film I've ever seen with 'The Avengers.'<br />
<br />
Yes, yes, Batman fans, I know your boy, Nolan, made the best superhero film ever when he made Dark Knight, and yes, there's gonna be a better one this summer when Darker Knight: Knight Harder comes out, but let's be real here for a moment. The Dark Knight is a great film, no doubt, but I really can't watch it all that often. For one, Christian Bale, when he's doing 'the Batman voice,' sounds like he's having an orgasm while a kidney stone is stuck in his urethra, and really, I don't think the film is all that enjoyable<i>.</i> It's a great film, but I just don't love watching it. It's dark as hell, and I need relaxation now more than ever. The Dark Knight isn't relaxing, but I'm so glad that I've seen it, and that I own it on Blu-Ray. So I can watch it about once a year or two.<br />
<br />
The Avengers, on the other hand, is fun without being idiotic. That's a rarity these days, in an age in which every 'summer film' has to cater to the lowest possible denominator (thanks for that, Michael Bay), and the closest we ever get to edgy anymore is yet another fucking Tim fucking Burton film (series of dark, silly image sans narrative coherence) that's all black and goofy and dark and whatever and ... zzz ...<br />
<br />
The Avengers is the Kobe Bryant of summer action films. It doesn't give a fuck. It's going to take this whole goddam mess of Marvel characters, and whatever else Disney wants to dump on it, and it's going to win the fucking championship. This film, in 2+ hours, held a clinic for all the preceding films on how to do it right.<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Even Captain America was interesting, and he's the most boring comic book hero ever.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
While yes, I still mourn the disregarding of the excellent portrayal of the Hulk from Ang Lee's film, the Hulk here is as great as established cannon will let him be. Tony Stark is even better than in his own film. Thor was fun. I was actually startled by how compelling Black Widow and Hawkeye were.<br />
<br />
However, the strength of these characters and their arcs was how well Joss played them off each other. Yes, the action was amazing, but the best scenes were when these characters were just interacting (except for one god-awful massive argument scene that is mercifully brief). It takes guts and mad skillz to make dialogue interesting in a film like this, and Joss makes it look perfectly natural.<br />
<br />
A lot of credit goes to the actors, too. They play these scenes with grace, and look like they're really having fun.<br />
<br />
I thought Mark Ruffalo was perfectly cast, by the way.<br />
<br />
The best things about this film, though, was the pacing and the timing. The pacing of the film was spot-on. Lately, I've come away from one film after another feeling like I just got a clip show of the highlights of the beginning of an interesting story. When I finished this film, I felt satisfied. I felt like I'd seen a full story, and none of it felt rushed or abbreviated.<br />
<br />
The timing within each scene itself aided that tremendously. Many people give Joss a lot of credit for being great with dialogue, and while that's true, I think his ability to time not only lines, but actions and moments, is his best in-scene ability. Think back to the most enjoyable Hulk moments in this film, and you'll know what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
Joss Whedon handles structure better than anyone, which is what ties all this together. He's able to see the, literally, the 'big picture,' but he's also able to zoom way in, break a scene down, beat for beat, and have every moment count for something. I think the audience picks up on that, and is then more than willing to buy in for the whole ride.<br />
<br />
I railed about 'character arcs' a lot in the previous entry, and as I alluded to before with my Kobe Bryant analogy, there is more done in this film with six character arcs than in any one previous 'Avengers character' filn, except for, maybe, the first Hulk and the first Iron Man.<br />
<br />
OH! BY THE WAY! NO STUPID-ASS SHAKY CAM WITH EXTREME CLOSEUPS! NOT EVEN DURING ACTION SCENES! I COULD ACTUALLY TELL WHAT WAS HAPPENING ONSCREEN! I imagine this aided in my enjoyment of this film, as opposed to, I dunno, The Hunger Games, which was ruined by the camera work.<br />
<br />
In closing, this is purely great storytelling, and I can't think of higher praise for a film.<br />
<br />
If you haven't seen it, do so, and let me know what you think. AND STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS!<br />
<br />
If you have, what'd you think? On top of that, what'd you think of it relative to the preceding character films? How has your favorite Avenger fared so far? What do you want to see in the future from this franchise?<br />
<br />
This has made me all the more excited for Shane Black writing and directing the next Iron Man film.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what I'm writing about next here. Any ideas? Whatever it is will be here next Wednesday (but check out my other blogs on the other weekdays!)<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment!<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573">Buy my book!</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0Manchester, MO38.5969977 -90.509288238.572177700000005 -90.5487702 38.6218177 -90.4698062tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-88850549828048421972012-05-09T11:59:00.001-05:002012-05-09T11:59:45.151-05:00What the Avengers Did Right (part 1)Real quick - I'm hoping to crank out something writing-related here every Wednesday and maybe something a little extra on Fridays.<br />
<br />
The Avengers, leading up to the theatrical release, became a very big deal in my house among the male populace. My son and I sat down and watched every film that leads to this film, so that we could be ready for opening night.<br />
<br />
It is odd, when looked upon from afar, that so many explicitly heterosexual men get extremely amped up about dudes in tights, especially given the bigoted & religious attitudes in the United States.<br />
<br />
However, not all superhero films are created equal, and I seem to disagree sharply with the general populace about what makes a great superhero film.<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed Ang Lee's 'Hulk,' but thought the second one, 'The Incredible Hulk,' was a rather generic exercise in 'going through the motions.' In Ang Lee's film, Bruce Banner has an incredibly complicated set of relationships with his father, his girlfriend, and himself. We see him work through these and confront issues, and we really take the time to let Bruce sort out what it all means. It's a thoughful and moody film that harnessed the visual medium wonderfully.<br />
<br />
The second film was a series of tentpole action scenes with some dialogue in between. The Bruce Banner in this film has none of the complexities of the man in the first film. In this continuity, he inflicted everything on himself, which makes him a very different man. The biggest problem with the film, though, is that Bruce doesn't really have an arc. He's the same guy at the end of the film that he was at the beginning. We don't see any kind of struggle, we don't feel anything visceral about this character.<br />
<br />
My feeling is that in a superhero film, the most interesting hero is one that needs to be heroic to overcome his circumstances. This is what separates him/her from 'us.'. They need to be able to do something that is impossible for any of us, and that ability is something that needs to be earned. They can earn it through the struggle to achieve it, or they can earn it by struggling to control it.<br />
<br />
Look at Tony Stark in the first 'Iron Man.' His arc is fantastic. He starts out as a wealthy, entitled jerk-off that symbolizes everything that's wrong with the 1% in this country, but when faced with an extraordinary problem, finds that he feels compelled to fight for what's right. His transformation is a riveting and inspiring tale, and that carries all the way through to the completely shitty-ending final battle.<br />
<br />
As a note, if you have your hero 'win' by accident, it just sucks. Nothing annoys me more that not having the hero earn the win. That 'right place, right time' shit is okay in real life, because it's what we're stuck with, but let us see our hero kick some ass, please.<br />
<br />
And, Captain America sucked. Just flat-out. Yeah, there's an arc there, but it's not a compelling one. Maybe Steve Rogers isn't a sympathetic character? I don't know. I just never bought into or cared about his character, and his arc wasn't one that I found believable or compelling. His relationship with the super-hot gal from 'Pillars of the Earth' was kinda interesting, I guess.<br />
<br />
What happens in that case is that I come away from the film feeling like not much happened in the two hours I spent watching it. Yeah, I know several plot points happened, but the character still feels flat and unrelatable, and my time and money just got wasted.<br />
<br />
Congrats, Joe Johnston, you just made the first bad film with Hugo Weaving in it. Hugo Weaving is money, man. How do you fuck that up?<br />
<br />
Pistol-whipping the Captain America film is a blog entry unto itself. While the film did, unequivocally, shit the bed, this is not the time or the place. That will come some other time.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I felt that film fell into the same trap as the second Hulk flick, in that it was a series of tentpole action scenes that were briefly interrupted by dialogue. It was boring.<br />
<br />
At the same time, these films just make a shitload of bank, and you can't argue with return on investment.<br />
<br />
Nothing, however, prepared me for what would happen when the studio allowed the greatest creative mind in Hollywood to write and direct 'The Avengers'.<br />
<br />
What was your favorite of the films leading up to 'The Avengers?' How would you rank them? How'd you feel about each of them?<br />
<br />
<i>I'll continue this with part 2 on Friday</i>.<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573">Buy my book!</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com4Manchester, MO, USA38.5969977 -90.509288238.572177700000005 -90.5487702 38.6218177 -90.4698062tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-41321426698548784612012-05-04T14:03:00.002-05:002012-05-04T14:03:49.205-05:00Post-Colonoscopy Word Dump<i>soundtrack - new-ish <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Out-of-Frequency/dp/B0070HU8US/ref=tmm_msc_title_0">Asteroids Galaxy Tour - 'Out of Frequency'</a> record</i><br />
<br />
I had a colonoscopy yesterday. Just making sure there was no cancer in my butt. There wasn't. At one time, we had reason to think that there may be a chance there was some cancer up in there, but after several steps, we assured that there is not.<br />
<br />
I will say that the whole thing was a very interesting and memorable experience. I'm not sure how much to say, since I often sound holier-than-thou when it comes to dealing with potential crises. I guess I'm just kinda 'zen' about things that are non-work-related. I dunno. I was a little nervous about the colonoscopy aspect of it, since I don't have a great love for the current state of the medical industrial complex, plus I'd never been 'put under' before, and wasn't wild about surrendering so much control to someone. Blah blah blah.<br />
<br />
Enough about that.<br />
<br />
So, I've decided I'd like to do some blogging again, but I want to refine my process before I really jump back in. What I've found is that my old approach, which is the blunt, imprecise imposition of my views upon the unwilling horde was neither practical nor terribly rewarding. While I'm quite certain as to the veracity and solidity of my opinions, there is the perception that even though they're mine, they're still just 'opinions,' and little more. While I find that I have little appreciation for this attitude, it has given me cause to reexamine why I would want to even continue blogging.<br />
<br />
I've often found that blogging is akin to a masturbatory session that ends very badly, but nets little more than a shrug from its unfortunate witnesses. All three or less of them. And two of them are automated searches from eastern Europe.<br />
<br />
So why even post here anymore? Well, I haven't in months. I wanted to shift my attention to my more literary pursuits (the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Endless-Wars-Descent/dp/0615380573">Endless Wars</a> sequel), plus work got real busy, and oh yeah, <a href="http://www.swtor.com/">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a> came out.<br />
<br />
The main thing, though, is the time commitment. I'm not someone who just throws any old shit up here (despite how it may read). I really put effort into it, and I labor over what I present to you. Both of you.<br />
<br />
So, yeah, what I need is a refined process and demonstrable return on investment. Frankly, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost">opportunity cost</a> is not to be underestimated. I work a very demanding, stressful job, and my off-hours are precious to me.<br />
<br />
Yeah, the easy answer is, 'shut up and move on with your life,' but there's a lot of aspects to blogging that I enjoy. Some great discussions have come out of my posts. Blogging is a worthwhile writing exercise. There's also the potential monetization aspect to consider.<br />
<br />
I'm thinking about trying out a refined version of something I tried a few years ago. Post every day M-F, but have a variety of topics, each of which is assigned to a particular weekday. So, like sports would be Mondays, technology would be Tuesdays, gaming would be Wednesdays, and so on. I'd probably also have a different blog assigned to each one. The entries would be shorter than I usually squeeze out, since I probably suffer from some of the 'too long, didn't read' thing that plagues us nowadays.<br />
<br />
We'll see. I may build it all out this weekend.<br />
<br />
What do you think?<br />
<br />
Blaine<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/blaine-atkinson/the-endless-wars-the-descent/paperback/product-16124832.html">Buy my book!</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0Home38.5969977 -90.509288238.572177700000005 -90.5487702 38.6218177 -90.4698062tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-60643800673290998102011-12-28T17:29:00.003-06:002011-12-28T17:29:34.990-06:00Writing Activity DetectedFor both of you that care, I'm doing some posting over at <a href="http://untitled-gaming.blogspot.com/">Untitled Gaming</a> regarding the games of 2011. I'd love it if you went over there and checked it out!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Enjoy, and don't forget to comment over there!<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blaine</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-47222883745137483352011-11-11T12:29:00.001-06:002011-11-11T13:02:22.930-06:00Winter is ComingYes, I haven't posted since August. Things got really, really busy on a professional level, and like a professional, I had to triage my personal life. One of the easiest things to discard, albeit temporarily, is this blog.<br />
<br />
That being said, things have settled down a bit, for now, and I'm slowly coming to trust reality again. There were a couple weeks there where I was so worn down that I was literally having to devote energy into not poisoning my own thoughts. I know it sounds like crazy psycho-babble, but most people let a single event shape their perception of something, rather than letting the average experience from a large sample size inform their perspective. In this case, I was fighting against an extremely tough week that came after 6-8 hard weeks, and my mind wanted to blame 'the job.' My mind wanted to paint 'the job' in a very negative light, and hate it, and fear it, and just do whatever it took to get away from it.<br />
<br />
That would've been stupid. My rational mind, though it was broken and bleeding, kept reminding me, 'you have a really great job.'<br />
<br />
I'm a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_administrator">system administrator</a>, in case you didn't know, and it's the best damn job in the world. It's hard, hard work, but it's always interesting, always changing, there's no college degree for it, and it makes you one of the elite that literally run the world.<br />
<br />
Anyway, being a sysadmin is weird in that the job ramps up and down, seemingly at random. If shit is gonna break, it's gonna break one after another for a few weeks or months, and then things will be quiet for a few weeks or months. It's this way in the corporate world, at least. In the academic world, it's a little more predictable.<br />
<br />
Getting back to the point, though, one of the hardest things to do is maintain a rational, detached perspective. It's like my dad always says, 'Quit being so fucking emotional.' Good advice.<br />
<br />
But, if you're anything like me, you're a passionate person and you've made it this far due in part to the fact that you're a passionate person. Your emotions are what help propel you, but you have to know that they can work against you, too.<br />
<br />
What I've found is that the higher you go, the more selective you have to be about when it's appropriate to let yourself really feel, and when it's not. It's okay to be a <a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Klingon">Klingon</a> sometimes, but you have to be straight-up <a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vulcan">Vulcan</a> at other times.<br />
<br />
What's difficult is that we live in a time in which society insists that we cry, laugh, and express our true selves all the time, and even <i>thinking</i> about just shutting your damn mouth and shoving your feelings down is anathema, even nearly heretical, in this day and age.<br />
<br />
See, I think that's stupid. I can't function in this world if I'm giving in to my feelings all the time, or even allowing myself to feel them. I have to be selective, or I can't be a productive, reasoned person.<br />
<br />
A big part of the reason why I have a healthy marriage is I know when my feelings are wrong.<br />
<br />
A big part of the reason that I've been able to salvage my professional life to the point where I'm working a 'real' job (I even have a cubicle) is I'm <i>learning</i> when to shut my mouth and turn my feelings off.<br />
<br />
A big part of the reason that I have a few really great friends is because I'm getting better and better at not being that asshole that hijacks the conversation and makes it all about me when they need to talk something out.<br />
<br />
I refuse to be one of the mewling, whimpering 'sensitive' guys. I'd rather be a man that has some goddam pride in himself.<br />
<br />
Now, before one of you sensitive guys start crying and shrieking in the comments, let me frame all this in the context that I'm a strong believer in 'balance.' All things in this life must be balanced, including what I'm saying here. I've actually cried in front of my wife once or twice, and when I wasn't a drunk attention whore, it was for good reason. Passion and feelings are necessary to life, but I don't think people should be governed solely by them. Logic and reason MUST be able to override them if one is to truly enjoy life.<br />
<br />
All things in balance.<br />
<br />
I'd like to get back to writing more. I'm also thinking about posting over at <a href="http://untitled-gaming.blogspot.com/">Untitled Gaming</a> again. Been doing a lot of gaming lately to help 'clear the mechanism'.<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
BTW - You should buy either a <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124832">book</a> or an <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/the-endless-wars-the-descent/17497879">ebook</a>!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-75415821707729388702011-08-22T00:08:00.000-05:002011-08-22T00:08:21.150-05:00Should I Be Ashamed of My Reading?I read. A lot. I always have 3-4 books going at once, and always make a point of stealing back at least part of my badly-raped* and beaten personal time to gaze upon my NookColor or iPad and consume the written word.<br />
<br />
<i>* - as opposed to 'well-raped?' Methinks this will not be a phrase that catches on with society at large.</i><br />
<i><iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1451627289&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></i><br />
My reading also goes through phases. Before I doused my brain in the <a href="http://www.colum.edu/academics/Fiction_Writing/index.php">Fiction Writing program</a> at <a href="http://www.colum.edu/">Columbia College Chicago</a>, much of my reading was made up of Stephen King and some WWII non-fiction. While at Columbia, I stretched my boundaries a bit to include some of the required reading there. To say that I overdosed on so-called 'blue collar fiction' would be an incredible understatement. While some of it ranks among the greatest literature on which I've ever laid eyes, much of it was little more than a ticket for an undergrad student to name-drop, much in the way that those in the punk community compete to name-drop bands that no one else has heard of. During that time, I fled back to science fiction in a hardcore way, and rediscovered my love for Asimov<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0553382578&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>, my complicated relationship with Heinlein, my deep respect for Clarke, and my torrid love affair with Herbert. All that haughty dislike for genre fiction and nose-in-the-air New Yorker shit drove me back to what fiction means to me, which is a temporary escape in which one can find themselves.<br />
<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0684862220&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
I don't want to read about what I can go outside and do. I want to read about history, I want to read about speculative ideas, I want to be transported to a world other than this.<br />
Don DeGrazia's book, to my right, takes place in real world Chicago, but it's a life few ever get to experience. Best book by a CCC grad ever. Read it now.<br />
<br />
Phew. Anyway.<br />
<br />
After college, I settled down and got back to a lot of the non-fiction that I'd so enjoyed before. I absolutely buried myself in WWII for a while, and really came to learn at the foot of a lot of great military and world leaders. General Patton, in particular, came to be a hero of mine.<br />
<br />
I eventually began to meander and my narrowed tastes began to diffuse again a bit. Spec fiction, straight sci-fi, horror, and that urban fantasy fiction thing began to creep back in, and I even stretched my non-fiction to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.<br />
<br />
Now, though, I've been binging on licensed fiction, and I'm not sure how to feel about it.<br />
<br />
I've been enjoying the books, namely the Star Wars and Warhammer 40k novels, but the Columbia College Fiction graduate in me is ashamed. I think that, maybe, a lot of these creative writing programs teach genre writers the same thing that bible camps teach homosexuals.<br />
<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003ZSJ212&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
'We can help you. You're a sinner, and you should hate yourself, at least until you accept Christ / Tom Robbins as your savior. You don't really want to (write about space ships / have sex with butts), you want to fall in line and not upset the herd.'<br />
<br />
I guess that's a little unfair, actually. It's not the genre I'm ashamed of, it's the fact that it's licensed fiction. Actually, no, it is fair, based on the looks I used to get when reading work aloud.<br />
<br />
Maybe this is a rebellious phase. I spent a bunch of years reading some really serious shit, and it's been fun to just enjoy this stuff. And, the Star Wars label employs some damn good writers, too. These aren't bad books, they're just ... tainted.<br />
<br />
Hey, but I'm having a great time, and that's what counts, right? It's not like I'll be walking down the street, only to be confronted by a bunch of ironic Mac-toting haughty jerkoffs, one of whom points at me and yells, 'That's him! He graduated from a creative writing program and read a prequel book to the Star Wars prequel films! FUCK HIM UP!' I sense that they'll beat me to death with Cormac McCarthy and Malcolm Gladwell. Fuck, that's depressing (actually, McCarthy's a great author, and I would feel honored to have my brains and blood spattered on a copy of 'The Road,' especially if it was autographed.)<br />
<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0307387895&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
Anyway, what say you? Should I be ashamed? Anyone out there read William Gibson? If so, where should I start with him? What else should I read?<br />
<br />
Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you're looking for a good read yourself, check out <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124832">my first novel</a> (paperback & ebook direct from publisher), now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Wars-Descent-Blaine-Atkinson/dp/0615380573">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Endless-Wars/Blaine-Atkinson/e/9780615380575">Barnes & Noble</a>!<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com6Manchester, MO, USA38.5969977 -90.50928820000001538.5745987 -90.538592700000009 38.6193967 -90.47998370000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-59368511047116633242011-08-20T21:34:00.000-05:002011-08-20T21:34:19.948-05:00On the Road AgainI'm taking a break from exploring the endless expanse known to some as 'the Midwest' to bring you some exciting news.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>The first novel in my 'Endless Wars' series is FINALLY available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Wars-Descent-Blaine-Atkinson/dp/0615380573/">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Endless-Wars/Blaine-Atkinson/e/9780615380575">Barnes & Noble</a>!</div><div><br />
</div><div><iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0615380573&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><div>This has been a looong time coming, and I'm glad that we're finally here.<br />
<br />
Also, it'll soon be up on the iBookstore. I'll blast something out when that happens.<br />
<br />
To clarify, this is the same novel I released in 2009 with a different cover and a different font. If you wanna double-dip, my son's college fund thanks you.<br />
<br />
Also, lulu.com still has the <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124832">paperback</a> and <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124833">ebook</a> available, and I actually make more money if you buy it that route.<br />
<br />
Lastly, the ebook that is available through Lulu is fully compatible with Kindle and Nook. It's a DRM-free .epub file, so you'll have no trouble moving it from your computer to the ereader via USB.<br />
<br />
If you haven't read it, it's the first book I wrote, way back in the 90s, and it may have accidentally triggered that whole 'urban gothic fiction' thing, though it actually has more in common with Star Wars than it does True Blood.<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001FB4W0W&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
True Blood is a fine series, but it's not the kind of thing I'd ever write.<br />
<br />
<b>A Matter of Perspective</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
So, I'm fleshing out the story of my 'interactive novel' phone app, and I'm still going back and forth about the perspective in the writing. First, second, and third person are all on the table. I have a natural dislike for second person, because I'm not a pretentious fuckwad, and omniscient third person just doesn't seem right for a tale that's relying heavily on mystery. A lot of the game will be the reader controlling where the main character goes, what the main character says, and ultimately, what situation the main character ends up in. What do you think?<br />
<br />
I've even given thought to breaking the fourth wall a bit, and forging a relationship between the main character and the reader, but we'll see. How do you feel when the author breaks the fourth wall.<br />
<br />
I'm also still hashing out how to have a 'save game' that will a) save the reader's place AND choices, and b) port into the next volume and carry over the reader's choices. Anyone got any pro-tips?<br />
<br />
<b>Wedding Receptions</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
LOOK, if you're going to ask a guy to drive his family and three dogs across the midwest for your wedding, I would like it, NEIGH, I demand that you not serve ONLY diet vegan rabbit food at your reception. I get that you're into the whole 'fitness' thing, but GODDAM! I'm dieting, yes, but I'm doing so by eating normal portions of normal food, not by punishing my taste buds. The next time I walk up to a buffet table and see only carrots, cauliflower, strawberries, and other wild animal food, I may just flip the motherfucker over.<br />
<br />
Sitting through a wedding is tough enough. Weddings are a whole lot of 'hurry up and wait.' To then symbolically knee someone in the groin by trying to ram bunny food down their throats is just uncalled for.<br />
<br />
ON TOP OF THAT, if you're not gonna have soft drinks ... I don't know what to tell you. I'm an alcoholic meat eater. It's as if this reception was designed specifically to repel my presence. I don't drink and I eat good food. Bizarro Me would've been fine. The version of me that pounds the booze, wolfs down veggies, uses a Mac (oblivious to the irony of being a computer geek and using a Mac), pounds other man butts, and drives American cars would've been just fine at this reception.<br />
<br />
Alas, this me has fucking standards, and was saved only by the courage and determination of a kind soul that must've seen the agony rippling through the crowd as the reality of the food selection eventually took hold.<br />
<br />
In a single act of bravery, someone whipped up a white sauce chicken pasta, and delivered all of us from the evils of the Vegan Empire.<br />
<br />
It was as if Bill Pullman burst into the kitchen and began yelling, 'WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT! WE <b>WILL</b> HAVE CHICKEN ON THIS DAY!'<br />
<br />
I wanted to hug someone.<br />
<br />
Understand, as well, that I was dealing with some things. There's a lot of drama at work right now, we are watching my parents' dogs, one of whom can make noise all night, we drove through horrid St. Louis traffic, right into two-hour Indianapolis construction traffic, followed by our dog keeping us up all night, and then I woke up with back spasms, so I took three Tylenol that were in the Tylenol bottle, except they were actually Tylenol PM, and it was a couple hours before the wedding, sooo ... yeah, the whole thing was kinda screwed up. I'm just glad that my relatives are super-cool and put up with my ass-ness.<br />
<br />
That is all. If you haven't bought a book, please take a look at it.<br />
<br />
Thanks, all! Leave a comment! I love to have discussions!<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-28007611653526329132011-08-12T22:59:00.000-05:002011-08-12T22:59:01.761-05:00Sycophants and Ass-ClownsFirst of all, if you're hitting this blog via the front page, please allow me to apologize for that Star Wars music that just auto-played. I hate that shit, too, but I didn't realize, two posts ago, that video was an auto-play when I embedded it. My bad. Just take a moment, scroll down, and pause it.<br />
<br />
I'll wait.<br />
<br />
Okay, so before I begin this tirade, I want to point you to a really good blog.<br />
<br />
If you like this blog, but find yourself longing for something that's written much more coherently, and caters much more specifically to those that are interested in the craft of writing, and has fewer run-on sentences, and is less of a shambolic shithole, please allow me to introduce you to <a href="http://triphoprisy.blogspot.com/">Fists & Angels, Christs & Angels</a>. It's written by one of my good buddies, Bucho. We used to be super-tight, but then he turned into a better writer than I am, so fuck him.<br />
<br />
Also, <a href="http://www.odouls.com/home.html">fake beer</a> can really hit the spot on a Friday night when buried in your creative mental space. Yes, I'm THAT guy, now.<br />
<br />
The title of this post ... it came from a conversation that I was having with some friends at work ... I vent a considerable amount lately, and for good reason. I vent for good reasons that I'm not going to get into here, but if you know me, you know what the deal is. The short version is that I plopped down in the chair next to Captain Butthurt's cubicle and muttered, 'I am so sick of dealing with sycophants and ass-clowns.' Yeah, there's some shit going down that I'm part of, but I'll survive it one way or another.<br />
<br />
ANYWAY, the Captain said I had to use 'Sycophants and Ass-Clowns' as this weekend's post title. Since I do what I'm told, I did.<br />
<br />
<b>Truth</b><br />
I sometimes fantasize about the inevitable future. Right now, the world is controlled by money, but eventually, all of us SysAdmins are going to rise up and grab them by the surprisingly undersized balls and demand a change.<br />
<br />
You see, we control the world.<br />
<br />
You don't necessarily know it right now, but your computer was able to be manufactured because several sysadmins allowed it to happen via networking and server administration. Your internet connection is maintained by an army of sysadmins. Your power stays on because sysadmins allow it by making sure that the right servers can talk to the right systems, in addition to maintaining the networking that goes into that.<br />
<br />
We control the lights. We control the TV. We control the internet. We control the phones. We control the traffic lights. We control the porn. We control Justin Bieber. We control the world.<br />
<br />
One day, reality TV will go away, or I will rally the troops and bring this world to its fucking knees.<br />
<br />
Just think about it.<br />
<br />
<b>Network Programming</b><br />
I want to talk about <a href="http://www.syfy.com/alphas">Alphas</a> and <a href="http://www.tnt.tv/series/fallingskies/">Falling Skies</a> for a moment.<br />
<br />
It's rare that a major network doesn't fall upon its own sword to avoid producing a good science fiction series. Somehow, Falling Skies managed to become quite good after 2-3 episodes.<br />
<br />
What it did well was follow the Walking Dead roadmap. It treated the aliens as a device, rather than as a <iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0049P1ZZQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>focus, and shifted the emphasis to the people, and how they re-learn to live their lives.<br />
<br />
While it's not nearly as good as The Walking Dead, it definitely filled a niche this summer.<br />
<br />
If it wants to reach The Walking Dead status, it needs to make the characters more interesting, and stop just relying on conflict to achieve that. Conflict can be a good way to engage the viewer, but it gets tiresome if that's <i>all </i>that's going on.<br />
<br />
They did seem to catch onto this a bit as the eight-episode season went on, but the show hasn't truly blossomed yet.<br />
<br />
As for Alphas, this is my new SyFy show. This one has been solid from the pilot on. The characters are engaging and sympathetic, and the plots have been fun. It really is Heroes + X-Files.<br />
<br />
If I had to recommend one new show for the summer, it would be Alphas.<br />
<br />
<b>That Phone App</b><br />
The Windows Phone app is proceeding apace. I've been looking at approaches to the game logic, as well as incubating the 'story' in my head. I use quotes because it's not one linear story. If a story is a thread, this is a tapestry.<br />
<br />
The logic part is challenging because this can really be approached a number of different ways. I could have a left-to-right branching series that starts skinny on the left, gets fat in the middle, then gets skinny again on the right, then gets fat again going further right, then gets skinny again, etc. I could also use an <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/sbbt4032%28v=vs.80%29.aspx">Enum</a>, as suggested by Captain Butthurt, to tick a set of events, that once fulfilled, opens the next section, then repeats a few times. Additionally, I could also plant a few key decisions in a branching series that then set the path to one of several middle points, which then each open up to their own sets of branches, wash, rinse, repeat.<br />
<br />
So, I've got some planning to do, then some writing, then some coding, and then a cigarette.<br />
<br />
<b>That Science Fiction Novel</b><br />
This coming along well, if in a somewhat halted fashion. This is the first novel I've ever written in which I get self-conscious. It's very unlike me, but I'm really pushing things in a VERY adult direction, a la Battlestar Galactica or The Walking Dead, but with a dash of Firefly. I think part of my discomfort comes from the fact that I'm working in the holiest of genres for the first time, so I'm having to relearn my approach somewhat.<br />
<br />
Also, this is the first book I've ever written while not totally shitfaced most of the time, so I'm having to rebuild my process somewhat. A writer gives him or herself permission to do a lot more when they're 'altered' while writing, and that can be a very potent thing, and I've handcuffed myself somewhat in terms of the creative process.<br />
<br />
So, I'm loving this book so far, even if it makes me a little nuts sometimes. I think I'm lingering too long on certain characters, but it's because I'm so interested in them, and that's what editing's for, dammit.<br />
<br />
<b>Where the hell is the next Endless Wars novel?</b><br />
It'll come. Not soon, though. There are other projects I want to get out the door first, and that's a series that's complicated for me to approach now.<br />
<br />
<b>Book Recommendations</b><br />
I need some good non-licensed works reading. What ya got?<br />
<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001UR16ZU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
<b>Soundtrack</b><br />
Red Fang - Prehistoric Dog<br />
Pearl Jam - The Fixer<br />
Eddie Vedder - Can't Keep<br />
Rob Zombie - Werewolf Women of the SS<br />
Tres Mts. - She's My New Song<br />
Rob Zombie - The Man Who Laughs<br />
Tres Mts. - God Told Me<br />
Brad - Luxury Car<br />
Rob Zombie - Sick Bubblegum<br />
Eddie Vedder - Dream a Little Dream With Me<iframe align="right" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=untitle-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0054N73EY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: right; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
Limp Bizkit - Loser<br />
Avenged Sevenfold - Welcome to the Family<br />
Brad - Runnin' For Cover<br />
Foo Fighters - Dear Rosemary<br />
Slash - We're All Gonna Die<br />
Chris Cornell - Long Gone<br />
Deftones - Diamond Eyes<br />
Them Crooked Vultures - Spinning in Daffodils<br />
Alice in Chains - Your Decision<br />
Korn - Pop a Pill<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-64666398043129714052011-08-06T15:06:00.000-05:002011-08-06T15:06:43.518-05:00Commence the Interactive Story Phone App ... NOW!I talked before about making an interactive story app for <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/default.aspx">Windows Phone</a>. Well, now it's happening.<br />
<br />
I finally dove headlong into educating myself more on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Sharp_%28programming_language%29">C#</a> yesterday, and emerged with a functional proof-of-concept. I built a very basic app that allowed me, in my <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff402563%28v=vs.92%29.aspx">Windows Phone Emulator</a>, to tap a button that took me to another page, both of which had custom content on them.<br />
<br />
From there, I did a few more hours of self-education and testing, just to see if I had the right feel for the actual building process, as well as to refine it, and then it was time to start thinking about the story itself, and how best to use the interactive process to tell it.<br />
<br />
After that, I had to step outside for a smoke and think for a bit ... I've written novels, screenplays, short stories, poems, essays, love letters, lyrics, and I even dabbled a bit with interactive fiction back in college, in a class that combined .html with interactive fiction. Great class (tip o' the hat to Deb Lewis, who taught the course.)<br />
<br />
One of the ideas I had in my head was my favorite part of any <a href="http://www.bioware.com/">Bioware</a> game, which is the dialogue and choices. Both branch, but only a little.<br />
<br />
The thing about a branching story, though, is that the author has to reconcile each of those branches.<br />
<br />
What I've usually seen done is a very cheesedick approach, in which the branches all reconcile to one or two main stories, or some just result in death (which, actually, if logically implemented, is valid), and ultimately, it's just unsatisfying.<br />
<br />
However, the amount of writing it takes for a branching story is a staggering prospect. Just do the math.<br />
<br />
And, I haven't even talked about the creative problems with it. Any good novelist can tell you that they have a 'feel' for the best possible thread through their story. Deviations from that thread feel wrong. Now, give the reader control, while remembering that Jersey Shore, Fox News, and Dancing With the Stars all pull down great ratings. There are a lot of stupid fucking people out there, and it's hard to even conceive of writing for them. Writing scripts for the previously mentioned programs has gotta be hell for the soul (and yes, they're scripted. Just look at how well things come together and how there's always a camera where there needs to be one.)<br />
<br />
So, I think I'm going to have a 'right' main story that one can follow loosely, with groupings of events, in which that group of events can be completed in any order, with each one slightly varied by the order in which you approach them.<br />
<br />
What I really want to do, though, is create a very twisted environment to which the reader will want to return and in which the reader will want to explore. I want to make a lot of dialogues and exploration optional, so that people can customize the experience for themselves. I want to create characters that readers will want to come back and get to know better, not just in this volume, but in future stories that take place in this small, weird, little Missouri town, known as Epitaph.<br />
<br />
One of the last things that I did last night was use Visio to create a map of the town, so that I could start creating the lore of the town in my head, and it was the perfect idea, because I realize, as I was laying out the town, that there's a small area of the town in which the roads just stop, and in which no one lives. It used to be there, and now it's not. Also, there seems to be a trail of sorts, in which other roads are damaged, and it seems to lead to the woods just beyond the town ...<br />
<br />
I've also got a story that's a combination of familiar folk tales and a friend's bitch of an ex-wife. It's going to be great.<br />
<br />
The big thing I'm going for here, though, is environment and characters. Typically, plot and characters always come first for me, but I really wanted to use this as a chance to really build 'storytelling via the environment,' by which I can let the world and the look it looks, smells, and feels tell a lot of the story for me.<br />
<br />
Also, as a means of keeping all the branches organized, I'll be using a Visio for that, as well, since it's one of the greatest applications ever for damn near everything.<br />
<br />
Lastly, I wanted to gush a bit about how easy building a Windows Phone 7 App via <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions">Visual Studio 2010</a> is. I am, by no means, the world's most proficient programmer, by any stretch of the imagination, but the tools that Microsoft provides for developing WP7 apps are fantastic, as are the tutorials they provide. If you've never programmed before, this is a great entry point. I've got a year of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_%28programming_language%29">C</a>, a year of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_%28programming_language%29">Java</a>, and some <a href="http://www.python.org/">Python</a> and C# here and there, and I walked into this and just built an app after a few hours of tutorials and playing with it. I didn't even start at the baby levels of tutorials, either. Those really are built for folks that have NEVER programmed, so get on it! Get a Windows Phone and start making that app that you've always wished existed.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I'm trying to reshape the way stories are told in the modern world. No one's really doing it right anymore, and I'd like to take a shot at it.<br />
<br />
What do you think? How would you like to see stories told now? Who does it really well? Who sucks at it the most?<br />
<br />
-Blaine<br />
<br />
Soundtrack<br />
<b>Chickenfoot - </b>Future is the Past<br />
<b>Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants</b> - Death March<br />
<b>Gregg Allman</b> - Reconsider Baby<br />
<b>Serj Tankian</b> - Beethoven's Cunt (live)<br />
<b>Eddie Vedder</b> - Once in a While<br />
<b>Them Crooked Vultures</b> - New Fang<br />
<b>Eddie Vedder </b>- Sleeping By Myself<br />
<b>Them Crooked Vultures</b> - BandoliersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-11663784052820791462011-07-25T00:05:00.002-05:002011-07-25T00:09:19.284-05:00Test Drives & Deep Star Wars Thoughts<p>First, I am testing out the <a href="http://explore.live.com/windows-live-writer?os=other" target="_blank">Windows Live Writer</a> blogging tool, to see if it’s something that is more than tolerable. The jury is still out, even after two sentences.</p> <p>I’m becoming more and more of a ‘Windows guy’ as time goes on, and I’m disturbed at how undisturbed I am by this notion. In many contexts, generic humans cast Microsoft in a light that is more than familiar to <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Palpatine" target="_blank">Emperor Palpatine</a>, the <a href="http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Borg_Queen" target="_blank">Borg Queen</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_w_bush" target="_blank">Dubya</a>. I do not dispute this choice, but I will assert that many of the tools that they produce are now very familiar sights in my various creative toolboxes, whether we’re talking sysadmin or author.</p> <p>Yes, I still use Linux at home for a lot of things, and I will always insist that everyone maintain at least a couple Linux boxes at home, because is just flat-out better for a lot of things.</p> <p>That being said, I’ve found that Microsoft has really revamped a lot of their approach and have been very smart about making very smart tools, such as Windows Live Writer, which I’m liking more and more as this post goes on.</p> <p>At work, I’ve fallen in love with using tools like <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hyper-v-server/en/us/default.aspx" target="_blank">Hyper-V</a> and <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/virtual-machine-manager.aspx" target="_blank">Service Center Virtual Machine Manager</a>, and look forward to the new releases of each.</p> <p>On the writing and publishing front, I’ve switched over to <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/" target="_blank">Office 2010</a>, <a href="http://explore.live.com/windows-live-skydrive" target="_blank">Skydrive</a>, and <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/" target="_blank">Office 365</a> for being able to work on my various projects from anywhere, anytime. Hell, I’ve even switched to a <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/default.aspx" target="_blank">Windows Phone</a>, and will probably be developing an interactive story app for it some time this year or next.</p> <p>Yup, in short, I’m a total sellout and Microsoft whore.</p> <p><strong>In other news …</strong></p> <p>My good friend (and mega Linux advocate) <a href="http://rwnin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">John</a> had a very interesting comment recently, regarding the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a> trailers that get trotted at each major gaming show. Before I share his wisdom, let me show you the latest one, for context’s sake …</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:aafbbae1-93f8-4d0d-b4ec-71c0b0d2f19d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div><object width="442" height="251"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/themes/swtor/en/assets/mediaPlayerInterior.swf" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashvars" value="title=undefined&description=undefined&source=http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/Return.flv&fullscreen_source=/&comment_url=/media/trailers/return#comments&download_1=header|Windows Media Video (.wmv),thumb|null,filesize|262M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_wmv.zip&download_2=header|Quicktime (.mov),thumb|null,filesize|345M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_mov.zip⟨=EN&age_gate=0" /><embed src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/themes/swtor/en/assets/mediaPlayerInterior.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="442" height="251" flashvars="title=undefined&description=undefined&source=http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/Return.flv&fullscreen_source=/&comment_url=/media/trailers/return#comments&download_1=header|Windows Media Video (.wmv),thumb|null,filesize|262M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_wmv.zip&download_2=header|Quicktime (.mov),thumb|null,filesize|345M,resolution|1280x720,url|http://cdn-www.swtor.com//sites/all/files/en/vc/return_20110606/TOR_Return_mov.zip&lang=EN&age_gate=0" /></object></div><div style="width:442px;clear:both;font-size:.8em">Purrrty ,,,</div></div> <p>While I’m always blown away by them, I’m always a little bothered by the fact that these aren’t really representative of the game. The game looks fantastic, and I try to view these trailers as short films that simply lay the foundation for the fiction of this particular slice of the Star Wars mythology.</p> <p>John, though, had a very simple take on them. He asserted that LucasFilm should just start making movies like this. He wants new Star Wars films that are crafted using these same tools, and in the same style.</p> <p>At first, I disputed this, and cited cost and time as obvious restraints. He swatted away my concerns like so many annoying gnats, and the more I think about it, the more I think I agree with him. I mean, if anyone could afford such a venture, wouldn’t it be G-Lu? And, if any CGI feature were going to rake in some mega-bucks, wouldn’t it be Star Wars?</p> <p>I sarcastically thank him for planting such an unwatered seed in my brain.</p> <p>What say you?</p> <p><strong>In closing …</strong></p> <p>Real work has been real work, so the writing has hit a wall, but I plan to get back on the horse this week. My space opera needs to be shared …</p> <p>I’ve been absolutely sucking down one Star Wars novel after another lately. I don’t know why I’ve suddenly gone crazy over Star Wars fiction, but I have.</p> <p>My Star Trek Online mission/mod took a turn for the campy about a month ago, and I stopped. I’m going to blow out my last map and redo it in a fashion more suited for the ‘modern’ era Star Trek.</p> <p>My plans for a horror collection are still proceeding, but I’m having a hard time deciding on a book length, as well as who makes it in.</p> <p>I’m going to do an ‘interactive novel’ app for Windows Phone after I’ve cleared my deck a bit. I may make it a prequel to my space opera.</p> <p>I’m still waiting for the second edition of Endless Wars to hit the major retailers. You can <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124832" target="_blank">buy it now, though, through Lulu in either paperback or ebook</a>.</p> <p>I always suck at prioritizing, so please, if you have something you’d like to see first, let me know.</p> <p>-Blaine</p> <p><a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-endless-wars-the-descent/16124832" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="TheEndlessWarsLrg" border="0" alt="TheEndlessWarsLrg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDq1NHAdDoGSIQcuI05i5AqvVTBesm13Avshhyfm3qmzY4eZ6k04BAwh6M8KQ6iI5cDI8hkP6P_oNNTMtfhdBwZCH8u6JyeHfW5kVGaSvm831Ng-4eBrtdZ67QgZpTvZwiVi5vKQ3KOGw/?imgmax=800" width="440" height="109"></a></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281438935416167554.post-56268191111007884202011-07-02T15:41:00.000-05:002011-07-02T15:41:11.207-05:00coming to you live from my ipadI am sitting shotgun while my wife drives. The mobile wifi is deployed and I am thumb-typing on the iPad just to see how I like it. I don't think I do.<br />
<br />
We'll see.<br />
<br />
I've finished an incredibly hard work week. I clocked nearly sixty hours, and most of those were spent firefighting emergencie while still making sure planned server deployments still happened. I love being a sysadmin, but firefighting for a whole week sucks.<br />
<br />
Because I was being shit on for extended hours this week, very little happened with the space opera novel.<br />
<br />
Known ally and hetero lifemate John had a great suggestion last weekend.<br />
<br />
He's always been very kind to me in regards to my horror shorts, and suggested I publish an ebook-only collection of them for a few bucks.<br />
<br />
I think this is a fantastic idea, and am going to sift through some old shit to see what's really there and see if this really is a feasible idea.<br />
<br />
Anyway, just wanted to check in and see if I really could post from the road!<br />
<br />
-BlaineAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09987139175666049825noreply@blogger.com0