Holy crap. It’s almost October?
When this story rewrite was being brainstormed, both the editor and I were pretty stoked about the new direction and concept. I still am, but since I’m the fool who has to write it, I should’ve stopped to think about exactly what I was signing up for.
I won’t spoil it for you, but… you know what’s rather difficult? Coming up with a story concept you can carry for 80k+ words. You know what’s worse? Coming up with a story concept that requires a secondary story concept to work.
Like one of those diabetes bombs: the Oreo baked inside a chocolate chip cookie, I not only have to weave together the main story, but a story within the story that’s sorta imperative to making the main story work. So much story. Story everywhere. Story just fallin’ out my pockets…*
I spent several days staring at a blinking cursor wondering exactly what the second one was going to be. The good news: I’ve started writing Story Inception. The bad news: I still have no idea what’s happening, but I figure it’ll come to me at some point.
Probably.
All Writing, All the Time—Mostly
I have two modes right now: Writing and Baulder’s Gate 3. Theoretically, I’m also sleeping, eating, showering… but really, it’s mostly just those two things.
Research has been my excuse for the obscene number of hours I’ve spent with BG3 (503.9… shhhhh!). I’m swapping out FPS gaming for D&D in the storyline, but I haven’t played in a few years and needed a serious refresher. BG3 has brought it all back into 4k clarity.
I think I previously mentioned the game is magnificent, which it is, but it’s also incredibly well written and plotted, and doing marvelous things for my creative juices during this drafting mess.
I’m rolling through several different games in order to get a feel for each character class being used in my story (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it), and it still amazes me how going through the same content with a different class provides a totally different experience. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, I trigger a new dialogue sequence or cutscene.**
Semi-related: Please enjoy this snippet of Brennan Lee Mulligan saying, “Get on your knees” (and then some) on this week’s episode of Make Some Noise, which I poached from Sara Adler’s latest post and watched several times… for science. It’s worth it for Erika Ishii’s reaction alone.
While you’re at it, go buy Sara’s debut and then pre-order her upcoming book. She’s a rockstar, and if you grab it from Curious Iguana you get the cutest art print and sticker ever. /marketing /butt kissing
Leaking Out My Ears
Had to shift gears away from the uber emo in order to get back into Husky’s and Kelsea’s heads, so it’s been a Clutch extravaganza up in here.
I’ve been a fan since their first album, way back in the stone age of the early 90s, and their sound has only gotten better with age. They’re a soul rocking blend of blues, rock, and hardcore—preaching about conspiracy theories, astrology, mythology, and not messing around with the wrong woman in Texas. I’ve seen them live several times, and it’s as close to attending church as I’ll get. Singer Neil Fallon has such a presence on stage. He also has a most righteous beard.
Please enjoy their streamed set from Hammerjacks in Baltimore last year. The soundman deserves an award for the clarity.
Trivia: They’re out of Maryland and Duff Goldman’s (of Ace of Cakes fame) favorite band. Neil’s sister, Mary Alice, is the Baltimore bakery’s office manager.
Reading Adjacent
Earlier this month, I met up with fellow romance fanatics at the Popular Romance Fiction Conference being put on by Yale and it was an excellent use of PTO.
The lineup of speakers was phenomenal. Adriana Herrera, Sarah MacLean, Eloisa James, Alyssa Cole… Roxanne Gay and Beverly Jenkins were the closer keynote and if you’ve never seen an interview with Ms. Bev, run, don’t walk. She is a force of nature and a godsdamn national treasure. I want to do bong hits with her and throw rocks at fascists while planting tulips.
The weekend was also an opportunity to put faces to names for several of the writers I rub virtual shoulders with daily on several Discord servers. Two were brave enough to share a VRBO with me, the others we gorged on fantastic Indian food with after the keynote. I also got to bear witness to Amber Roberts signing copies of her book at the Yale bookstore (which you should also buy, FYI, because she’s a delight and I said so.)
It’s amazing to hear the personal journeys of authors in different stages of their careers and how they’ve gotten to where they are. Like everything else in our capitalist hellscape, publishing is a rotten industry for the people who actually produce the work, but if you’re a creative then you know there’s no choice. You get the voices out of your head, or they drive you batty—and since you’re writing the books anyway, may as well foist them on others and make a few bucks in the process.
That’s it though. Just a few. Don’t quit your day job.
Is this the longest post ever or is it me?
Ok. Back to work. Have a dramatic kitten thwarting my [very] brief attempt to exercise.
