Bicentennial Man

 

Well, I had this great idea for my 200th post, but between the technical difficulty in my present surroundings and the vain, self-image (I’m too fat right now to video tape consciously) concerns, I had to put that on hold.

But it has been a few months since there has been much substance on here, which I hope to change and wanted to get started on that.

1. My Screen Burn column over at InveterateMediaJunkies.com is doing well. I have been working on a massive one recently that will be split up into weekly installments. I also started a Twitter account for it so that my instant reactions and opinions on TV and related news is separate from my regular Twitter feed. Please follow if you are enjoying the column.
2. I’m getting geared up to go back to Seton Hill in June. I’ve been working on notes for the three projects I talked about before. I stayed up Thursday night trying to get a draft of “Witches’ Brooms” ready to send out for the critique session during the Residency. I went backed an looked at all the notes people have given me during its life time. It was hard since there have been three versions of it. I’m not expecting this to be the last one. This is the first story I’ve written that has a female protagonist. I’ve always been hesitant to write women, but that is also why I want this story scrutinized as much as I can.
3. In that last post, I talked about doing a Mass Effect storyline post. I had planned on it, but was asked to write something for IMJ. But since that hasn’t gone up, I’m going to post it here later in the month. Granted, it’s been out a while and most people have talked about it. but with the “ending explanation” DLC coming out this summer, I’m sure the discussion will pick back up. In fact, I might wait till that comes out before I post.
4. Recently, I have returned to art. I really haven’t had a lot of time for it since high school, but I finally have time to play around with Procreate for traditional art and Bryce 7 for 3D abstract art. I’ll start posting my creations here and on my new Pinterest account. Now, these are not masterpieces, just some fun I that is different from writing or music. Here are two examples:

   

   

   
   
   

And there will be more returning features coming back over the months including: Monthly Music, Book Journey, and Vulgar Argot. Also, I have changed the background and header here, these are just temporary. I want freshen up the site, but haven’t had the time to sit down and make new designs. That is on my plate as well. It may even feature some the art work I’ll be posting here.

It’s kinda crazy that I’m at 200 posts in just under 4 years. Thank you all for coming by! And feel free to send suggestions of what you want to see. Who knows, a good one may result in a prize!

A Massive Effect On Things

While I will be talking about the video game, that isn’t what the whole post is about. But if that is all you want to read about, skip to the last paragraph.

Since the transplant, it seems like every few months I do one of these posts where I’m all “Hey, here is what I’m doing now–my big plan for myself–and disregard that other one I wrote, or the ones before that.” It’s a crappy feeling, because I’m not one to stop on a goal. But things have been harder since the operation. And a lot of it is from a feeling of just drifting. Most of that is cause I’ve never been able to really start a new living pattern.

Doctors aren’t helping with the mysterious problems with my legs, because of that I don’t feel comfortable driving the car and know that I couldn’t even handle even a desk job. Simple things that everyone takes for granted, but are the crux of living, socializing, and figuring out how you will go about your day. I’ve been filling my time with Eldritch Thoughts and The Non-Horror Reader Survey. But I’m not getting much out of it. It is just a form of productive time wasting. I’ve tried to get back to my writing, but I think I can understand how any writer has something traumatic happen and then they can’t write afterwards.

The best way to think of it is that before the event, you are driving along a flat road, then the engine fails. After that you have to shift into neutral and push till you get to the nearest mechanic or leave it on the side of the road and walk to get a tow. I tried pushing for a while, but the past two years there have been so many things, mostly medically related, that have made that road harder to navigate. So I’ve decided to pull over to the shoulder and walk my way to the mechanic.

By mechanic, I’m talking about going back to Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction program and, as they most of us M.A. alums are calling it, get the “F.” What I’m hoping is that an imposed structure will kickstart my writing again. When I was in the program before, it did that for me. I never thought I would write a novel and I did. Granted, it is not a great one, but half the battle is getting to that end point in a rough draft, most people never make it that far. This time, since I already have the M.A., it will be only a short time in the program, so I’ll be working on either a collection of stories or a novella. I really want to use the time to work on Lucin City and build it up more before I finish Scavenger. If I go with the story collection, it will also be an experiment related to my “Project 10″ idea. If I do the novella, it will most likely be the story I started back at Simon’s Rock that is set before Scavenger. But I have a back up, if that doesn’t fly, of returning to Nostrildamus. I had wanted something ready to capitalize on 2012, but when you think about it, either the doomsayers are right and it would be pointless to publish it now or they are wrong and they will find some other obscure prophesy I can make fun of them for.

But I will have time on my walk to the mechanic–I’m going to beat this metaphor to death, just so you know–but Eldritch Thoughts and Non-Horror Reader Survey aren’t major parts of what I have planned. I’m not going to put them on hold, but at the end of the month they will be more things I do if the inspiration hits. I’m doing this now because I know by the time  I start back at Seton Hill, they just can’t get the same attention I would need to give them. Also, because I have another project that I was asked to participate in that will be less time consuming, but equally fun, coming up. If you have been watching my Twitter feed lately, there has been a lot more talk of TV there. I’m not going to give out too much now except that it will involve television. So keep an eye out here. Most of the details are set, a few things are still being discussed, but hopefully it will start in early March.

March is also the month that Mass Effect 3 is released. For those that either know me of have followed my site for a while know, I’m a huge Star Wars fan. Mass Effect is possible one of the best examples of multi-media storytelling that Star Wars really pioneered over they years. Mass Effect in not just the video games, but books and comics and who knows what the future will hold. But more importantly, it is an amazing story. And since it is a great story, I’ve decided that as soon as my Women In Horror Month posts over at NHRS are finished, I’m going to go through the whole story–books, comics, and games–before I start on Mass Effect 3 when it releases. I haven’t decided if there will be posts related to it on here. But I wanted to forewarn of a potential massive geek-plosion soon here.