Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 83

Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Research and Background – Part 1 of 5

When I was plotting Redwing's Gambit, the Fate version of Bulldogs! was just a glimmer in Brennan Taylor's eye. I knew that the game was going to employ the same system as Spirit of the Century from Evil Hat Productions, but that's as far as my knowledge went.

The first question I asked myself was not about what story I wanted to write, but how I wanted to present the tale in such a way that felt more like Fate than d20. I had played Spirit of the Century and I also participated in a game run by Ryan Macklin, too. In my mind, Fate really emphasizes and focuses on relationships or the ties that connect and bind the characters to one another.

To help me make my decision, I dove into cinematic reference material to feel out the structure or the architecture of the story. (In other words, I wanted to design an elevator pitch that captured the mood.) Farscape. Star Wars. Firefly. Star Trek. I, Robot. Earth 2. Dune, etc. Of the many science fiction titles I had at my disposal, I leaned more strongly toward a Farscape crossed with Firefly feel. Farscape has a cast of several alien races — including the ship Moya — but still manages to focus on story in spite of the sheer volume of aliens the writers have to describe. Bulldogs! has several alien races and a theological war, too. Firefly has close-knit relationships, all of which are human, but mixes up action and mystery to survive another day.

Now, in both shows, the crews are on-the-run. They're rogues. Renegades. Pirates. Escapees. I didn't want to mirror that in my story because I felt it was too easy and distanced itself from the heart of what Bulldogs! is. Sure, there's pirates in Bulldogs! but the galaxy is only so big and it is at odds with itself. What makes the Bulldogs! setting unique to me are the alien races and how they interact with one another. Those connections create a lot of conflict — which is great for both a game and a story.

Before I could craft a plot, though, I felt I needed to draw up the characters and use the Fate system to ground them. Enter the treatment and the characterization of the full cast and crew.

To be continued in Constructing Redwing's Gambit: Characters – Part 2 on April 2, 2012.

About Redwing's Gambit: Redwing's Gambit, the first novella for the Bulldogs! RPG, debuts today in digital. This story was written by Monica Valentinelli and will be published by Galileo Games, creator of the Bulldogs! RPG. This RPG was originally published with a d20 system in 2005. It has since been updated and released in a new edition which employs the Fate mechanic in 2011.

Fun With Paint and Other Non-8 Bits

Been a busy last couple of weeks; I was in Las Vegas for the GAMA Trade Show representing Steve Jackson Games. I'm on deadline as well; one project is for a game and the other is editing-related. I've been a bit… disgruntled? Kerfluffled? Irate? Why? Well, this word begins with "P" and doesn't rhyme with Poole. In a word — politics. Problem is, I went back and read some of my other "Can I even try to make sense out of these rants?" posts and I felt I was being too negative and pretty weak. The news and subsequent rants got the better of me and my mood to the point where it was counterproductive. So, to remedy this, I took some time off from my deadlines this weekend for sanity purposes and dove back into art. The fastest way to boost my mood is to simply create. Simply… be.

I have a few toys I want to paint with more intricate designs; a blank My Little Cthulhu and a larger Munny. To ramp up my skills, though, I wanted to paint some less expensive figures.

Have Towel, Will Travel

If Douglas Adams were alive today, he would have been sixty years old. When he passed, he was only 49. I never met him, but The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has delighted me over and over and over again for many years. It's impossible to encapsulate why I'll gladly cart a towel around on May 25th or how I'll be thrilled to (when the time comes, mind you) celebrate my 42nd birthday, but I'll give it my best shot.

Humor is one of the most challenging forms to write; satire doubly so. Hitchhiker's takes everything I love about what science fiction can be and pokes fun at it in a non-insulting way. I wish I had an ounce of that ability! Instead, I enjoy the work for time immeasurable and occasionally write my own bits of bad poetry.

Happy Birthday, Douglas! And thank you!

Mood: Rested.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Working on it.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I came. I saw. I walked for jerk burgers.

Yesterday's Projects: Game

In My Ears: BBC Radio

Game Last Played: Grepolis BASTARDS!

Movie Last Viewed: Jurassic Park

Book Last Read: [Redacted]

Latest Artistic Project: [Blank]

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Too Much Plot

I was in a pretty foul mood yesterday in part because I figured out what's wrong with Argentum, the novel I'm working on. It's too complicated. Seriously. The layers of mystery, symbolism, characterization, and setting caused this first book to read like a Dickens novel on steroids. It is five books crammed into one and I know why I did it. Because I was afraid that I'd only write the first book and then WHAM! that'd be it. End of discussion. Move on to something else. Abandon this child. Stabby Stabby.

Sigh. You get the point.

Ah, well. Time to get crackin' and unravel these plots. Goals aren't going to achieve themselves! Also, caffeine withdrawal suuuuuuuuccckkkkssss…

Mood: Motivation, station

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Withdrawal. Sucks. Seriously.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Quick walk

Yesterday's Projects: Mostly day job

In My Ears: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Game Last Played: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Movie Last Viewed: Not sure…

Book Last Read: [Redacted.]

Latest Artistic Project: STILL been too long. Suckage.

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Woman, thy Name is Divided

I wish I could bring myself to write pages and pages about how I feel about the current assault on women's reproductive rights and sexuality, and the bullying tactics used the world over to shock-and-awe us, but I just can't. So instead, I will try to simplify how I feel by saying:

Picture a woman. Focus on her face, her body, her clothing. What does she look like? What color is her skin? Her eyes? What are the first words out of her month?

Now, clear your mind.

Picture a strong woman. Who is she? Hold old is she? Can you describe her appearance? What does she say?

Repeat the exercise for a sexy woman. An intelligent one.

Are these women the same? They should be, because they are.

Mood: It's early yet. Wait until I wake up.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: A cup. Sadly. ONLY a cup.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Quick walk

Yesterday's Projects: Mostly day job

In My Ears: Rumour Has it by Adele

Game Last Played: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Movie Last Viewed: Dr. Who ZOMG

Book Last Read: [Redacted]

Latest Artistic Project: Been too long. Suckage.

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Time for Another Edition of Bad Poetry

This is one of my favorite bad, terrible awful poems that I wrote a while back. Whenever I need a good, quick, down and dirty visual to get me writing I sometimes refer back to this piece and read it before I get started.

This poem has so many layers of symbolism and images packed into it, the phrases remind me why I like writing in the first place. I may know what I mean by every word and every line, but that doesn't necessarily mean you — the reader — will see the same thing.

Untitled

All at once I can't remember

april, june, nor december

stained emotion floating thru

buildings, windows, vents and flues

escaping softly e'ermore

n'ere to see those days of lore

when godspeak cried the silent wail

and deaf ears turned, trying to hail

like forgotten children did they heed

the written word, the spoken deed

and I did nothing in thick confusion

wading mire deep in much illusion

until one day the muck dried up

and illusion crackled in some cup

I poured it out, threw it away

but illusion still crawled

after me

that day

and so it stained me

(I couldn't see)

True sight or some reality

so I hailed my own cry

(self-fulfilling by the by)

and traveled desert lies

to sea of truth

I journeyed far and voyaged near

to hear one voice, small yet tinny

"What say ye things, honest and good

forgotten by you in grand elusive?"

beside the sea, behind the bay

dropping softly, my ear to ground

traveled in circles

following round and round

sea's water sprayed

salt at my eyes

dared me to see

stark Reality

an apartment with one well-worn chair

flight of stairs and bed

book half-open

a rotten banana

I watched these things with much

trepidation

until one beam's sunlight

lit upon mine enemy

grand majesty illusion fried

crackling in a corner

I smirked while day turned time

corner's Things aching from the light

so my stain of self-delusion

lay waste by a simple flash

All at once I couldn't remember

how I got to where I was

so tired was I

so I sat down

into my brown chair

cheered the rotten union's end

and still watch

as stain after stain

lifts from me.

Mood: Skippity, hoppity, skippity.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: *twitches*

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Yoga bend-i-ness

Yesterday's Projects: Oh crap, I lost track.

In My Ears: Adele, 'cause she's awesome

Game Last Played: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Movie Last Viewed: [Blank]

Book Last Read: [Blank]

Latest Artistic Project: [Blank]

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Metallica and Lord of the Rings

There are certain bands that are comfort food to my ears. Metallica happens to be one of them. Now, I like a lot of different kinds of music, but I have a *ton* of respect for any band who can do what they do acoustically without all the bells and whistles, the smoke and the stage. To me, Metallica is an icon of metal who still evokes emotion and, in my case, a series of visuals whenever I hear their music. They have a breadth and depth to their songwriting; I, for one, hate the comments that they're betraying their roots. Music, like art, shifts over time. It's the sign of versatility when any musician can weather the storm of performance after performance by experimenting with something new.

Every time I listen or sing "The Unforgiven" I think of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. Seriously. You're blessed with long life, but you grow up completely ostracized, understanding that one guy made a mistake ages ago, and you're entirely family line has been cursed ever since by something you didn't even do. Before you can talk or walk or defend yourself, you have the weight of an ancestor's sin bearing down upon you.

Author Gary Weller then said: "and "Sad But True" is for any Ringbearer (past or present)." Absolutely. I mean, if you listen to the lyrics you can hear the One Ring speaking to Frodo.

So on that note and a series of electric guitar twaaaaaaangs, here is my Metallica playlist for some characters from Lord of the Rings:

Song
Character

Wherever I May Roam
Bilbo Baggins


Nothing Else Matters
Gollum


Sad but True
The Ringbearer


The Unforgiven
Aragorn as "Strider"


Master of Puppets
Sauron


Seek & Destroy
The Ringwraiths


For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Elves at the The Battle of Helm's Deep


The Day That Never Comes
Eowyn, gearing up for battle


Until It Sleeps
Frodo


Hero of the Day
Samwise Gamgee


Am I evil?
Grima Wormtongue


I Disappear
Galadriel

Mood: Um… Check back later.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: NOT ENOUGH.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walkin' and Easin' On Down the Road.

Yesterday's Projects: Non-fiction. PHOOEY.

In My Ears: King Nothing by Metallica

Game Last Played: Grepolis

Movie Last Viewed: Hrmmm…

Book Last Read: Double hrmmm… The words… They melt together…

Latest Artistic Project: Crystal cluster bracelet in silver

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

The Zombie Feed Nominated for a Dead Letter Award!

Woke up to a nice surprise this morning! The Zombie Feed Volume 1 was nominated for Mail Order Zombie's Dead Letter Award!

This collection of zombie stories features several forays into the zombie genre and includes my story "Tomorrow's Precious Lambs," which I read last year at OddCon in Madison, Wisconsin.

If you like the collection, I'd appreciate a vote. If not? Well, thank you for considering it anyway and reading my post. Regardless, there's a ton of other stories to check out so visit the 2011 Dead Letter Award Nominees and feed your brrrrraaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnssssssssssss!!!

Best Explanation on Being an Introvert

I'm a huge fan of the TED Talks and hope to attend this conference some day. I've talked about how writing is an introverted activity and often the complaint I hear is about how not all writers are introverts. This? This isn't a reaction to what I or others have said. This is a response to the social stigma that being an introvert means that somehow that person is wrong or bad or physically broken.

Watch Susan Cain talk about the power of introverts. Her new book is called "Quiet."

Susan also shares an anecdote where she's made decisions that she wasn't comfortable with just to be socially-accepted without even realizing it. Boy, that sounded familiar. I hope you'll find inspiration from her work if you are struggling with these stigmas. Sometimes, all it takes is to be in the wrong job or relationship to feel like an idiot. Other times? One kind word, one reassuring statement, will make you feel a whole lot better. I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

Mood: It's Monday. 'Nuff said.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Ignoring the caff-o-meter.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Pillow. Head. Pillow. Head.

Yesterday's Projects: Juggling

In My Ears: Nothing.

Game Last Played: Grepolis

Movie Last Viewed: Hrmmm…

Book Last Read: Double hrmmm…

Latest Artistic Project: Crystal cluster bracelet in silver

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem

Yes, Rhetoric's the Thing

The other night when I was editing I watched In Search of Shakespeare, a four-part documentary about "the" bard. I was reminded of his political work when the narrator talked about what Shakespeare had to deal with. In his era, plays were put on for the people to sway public opinion of the King or Queen. That important detail is relevant when we see his plays and one that is often missed because his politics don't resonate with our modern times. When William wrote King Lear or penned descriptions of King Henry, he was tapping into British history to write commentary about his ruler at a time when it was very dangerous to do so. Back then, people were beheaded. He didn't have the luxury of free speech as we do now.

In our society, we don't have Shakespeare's plays to affect our opinions. We have Beck and Limbaugh. Colbert and Stewart. Maher and Moore. Palin and Coulter. We have news sources that provide editorials and little-to-no facts, that get us riled up, that spew falsehoods to upset the common man and woman. Why?

Well, the answer to that question should be self-explanatory but from what I've been seeing the past couple of weeks, it's really not. Rhetoricians play to the crowd in order to get an emotional reaction. They don't care about reporting the truth because all-too-often the reality of what they're talking about isn't that upsetting. They put a spin on something as mundane as prescription birth control to talk about foul temptresses (e.g. women). They put it in terms designed to get our dander up and piss us off. And, in an era of twenty-four hour communication, these efforts work.

In short, people like Limbaugh and Beck are trying to get our attention by manipulating our emotions on a certain topic. (Colbert and Stewart, on the other hand, have filled the role of the Court's Fool.) This technique is designed to influence public opinion to put pressure on political leaders.

Have you heard an impassioned speech that describes how we must be vigilant before we lose our rights? (Ironic, given what rights we lost with the Patriot Act.) Often, the speeches sound heartfelt and beautiful and appealing to us — because they are. What those rhetoricians are expressing taps into our faith in America as an ideal. If someone from any party believes their rights are being taken away, or their religious freedoms are being trampled upon, there is nothing (and I mean nothing) anyone can say or do to convince them otherwise.

As every rhetorician, politician, and religious leader knows: faith is the one argument that the speaker cannot lose. It doesn't matter where that faith is placed – country, God, family, love, sparkly vampires, whatever – once you or I believe in something, it's very hard to talk us down from that ledge because our hearts have taken over. Logic is out the proverbial window because it we believe we are being persecuted on a personal level by a government that has laws in place for millions of people? Then it must be so.

We've (myself included) all been "taken in" by the rhetoric because these narratives tell a story that appeals to our emotions. In some cases, it's hard to think rationally or slow down because at that point we have already punched our fists into the air, called people horrible names, shared the rhetoric because we're so, so, angry and we want a solution. This is entirely natural. This is because the rhetorician has done their job and he (or she) has done it so well we need to talk about it, share it, and digest it. By doing so, we wind up becoming the rhetorician who is also swaying public opinion and contributing to the drama.

Like plays from centuries past, the teleplay is also intentional. Unlike Shakespeare's time, however, our rhetoricians don't hide behind stage sets and elaborate costumes. We think what they're doing is real because they present themselves as the truth or non-fiction. Spin, regardless of what you may think, is fiction. It is, because it takes a mundane fact (or series of them) and blows a topic way, way out of proportion to tell a story. This, to be blunt, is a form of reality television. Is your life that dramatic and compelling to watch? Now add a camera and a script. See what happens when viewers and advertising dollars are at stake.

Again, rhetoricians have a job to do and often they don't believe what they're saying. Their job is to sway how we feel on a topic in the hopes that the policy makers will be affected by what we think and we will show our support by how we vote. The more outrageous they get, the more they tap into bullying tactics, the greater the reaction they're shooting for. Sometimes, they do this to distract us from an issue we should be upset about; other times, to make sure their names are recognized and shared and they continue to have listeners and viewers.

Truthfully, the only way to get to the bottom of what's happening is to become involved on a level where you can affect the policies made. This, quite frankly, is why a lot of the conservative rhetoric is happening now because that base is the one who not only votes, but donates to campaigns, too. Pissed off what Stewart or Maher or Limbaugh or Beck said? Stop watching. Stop talking about it. Stop giving them the reaction they want and vote what you believe or get involved more heavily on the policy-making side. It's that simple.

However you look at it: the crowd has power and every writer – reporter, novelist, playwright, scriptwriter, editor, speechwriter – knows that. The King has very little power. The crowd, made up of readers and listeners and viewers, has it all because what leaders fear is not the crowd, but the angry mob. Though ignoring the crowd has its advantages, too, there's no mistaking the power of like-minded people.

Mood: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I shall consume mass quantities of rocket fuel. NOM NOM NOM.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Housework, rolling dice, and editing.

Yesterday's Projects: Several

In My Ears: Beyond the Wasteland, Final Fantasy VII

Game Last Played: Grepolis

Movie Last Viewed: Hrmmm…

Book Last Read: Double hrmmm…

Latest Artistic Project: Crystal cluster bracelet in silver

Latest Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem