Mark Joseph Young's Blog: The Ides of Mark, page 4

A New Car

Well, I'm not good at titles, and writing several web logs I keep having to come up with them, so as I was beginning this sixty-fourth entry in The Ides of Mark it occurred to me that much of my time over the past two days has gone into trading in a car that wasn't going to meet New Jersey's criteria for roadworthy for a better one.  Technically it's a used car, but it's new to me, a seven-year-old Caravan if I've got the year right. It should make doctor visits and dump runs easier, and since those and grocery shopping are my primary driving activities these days, that's good.

But it's not why you're here.

My collaborator Eric Ashley and I resumed work on Verse a Tile, finished off a world and started another with the other characters dealing with some substantial weirdness. That's enough teasers for a book that's not coming out for a couple years.  I've also continued publishing In Version with chapters 98 through 104, Robert Slade, James Beam, Derek Brown, and Joseph Kondor, and doing setup on Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story and An Analytical Commentary on the Book of First Corinthians.

On the subject of Bible study, the Chaplain's study continued with Mark 9:9 through 20, and since the Prayers miniseries had ended I've been filling in with select quotes, numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9.  The daily quotes themselves are continuing, quotes 16 through 31 drawing from RPG Theory 101 , RPG-ology , An Analytical Commentary on the Book of Romans , What Does God Expect? , About the Fruit , and Verse Three, Chapter One .

I did write more RPG-ology and Faith in Play articles, and did a bit more on Corpoises.  RPG-ology #74:  Senseless posted, a recovered Game Ideas Unlimited article telling a story at least one reader was moved to applaud, about running rapids in a flood.

I think that's almost everything, other than that later tonight I've been asked to guest on a podcast/vidcast about one of my books.  I'll be sure to let you know more as I learn it.  Meanwhile, keep up-to-date through social media and particularly Patreon.

Doing Enough

My collaborator on the Multiverser novels, Eric Ashley, and I agreed to take a break and focus on other projects.  That break is coming to an end--a couple days ago I did a bit of editing and made a few notes on the draft, and since last night I've been bombarded with notifications to the effect that he's been working on it.  I am not certain whether I will get to that tonight or tomorrow, but it's time to return to it.

During the hiatus I began a new project.  I've been re-reading all my books very slowly, harvesting quotes from them, and posting one per day to my Instagram and Facebook accounts; however, as there are now fifteen of them I won't copy them here--although it strikes me that Goodreads could offer authors a space for quotes which I have not yet investigated.  Perhaps I'll look into that.

I've also continued writing the horror story Corpoises, feeling my way through, and doing setup on Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story and An Analytical Commentary on the Book of First Corinthians

There was no song this month, but there was a new Faith in Play #74:  Preparation at the Christian Gamers Guild, about having holidays stretch longer than just one day.  The Chaplain's Bible Study continued with Mark 8:36 through 9:8, and the Prayers miniseries concluded with Surgery about my apparently very slow recovery, and a new addition, Prophesying , added in recognition of Paul's directive to seek that gift.

Also continuing this month, In Version chapters 92 through 97 gave us more of the stories of Derek Brown, Joseph Kondor, Robert Slade, and James Beam, with a behind-the-writings post on the mark Joseph "young" web log, #491:  Verser Ventures , covering chapters 85 through 96.

I realized somewhat belatedly that I had not posted the annual indices for either the Christian Gamers Guild or my own writings--a bit redundant for those of you who have been following this through the year, but they are now up, the one 2023 at the Christian Gamers Guild Reviewed and the other post #490:  Looking Back .

I think that's everything, and expect to see you at the end of the month. Meanwhile, you can keep up through social media, and especially Patreon.

Better Than Never

The holidays were grueling, with everyone sick and my wife the worst and still not fully recovered.  I completely missed the fact that New Year's Eve, on which I struggled to stay up for midnight and to play a board game I'd never played before (Settlers of Cataan), was the last day not only of the year but of the month.  So I am trying to put together what I should have written on Sunday, covering the latter half of December.

I have continued setting up An Analytical Commentary on The Book of Second Corinthians and Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story.  I've also been encouraged to continue writing Corpoises, although I've only done a bit of that.  Meanwhile, Eric Ashley and I have agreed to a temporary hiatus on Verse a Tile, although I caught up on reading and editing some materials he wrote while I was trying to wrap my head around some differences in our expectations.  I'm sure this book will surprise readers--it has already surprised me.  I also drafted a couple future entries in Faith and Play and RPG-ology.

The Bible study continued with Mark 8:25 through 35, and also included more on the miniseries with Prayers:  Cars and Prayers:  Interpretation .  The Christian Gamers Guild also published RPG-ology #73:  Sense , recovering a Game Ideas Unlimited article about differences in our perceptions.

The publication of In Version continued with chapters 85 through 91, more with Joe Kondor, Bob Slade, Derek Brown, and James Beam.

Getting an idea from author friend E. B. Slayer, I have begun posting quotes from my books as a promotional idea--but I began on January 1st, so those are for next time.  Still, you can follow them on my Facebook and Instagram accounts, and indeed keep up with my work on other social media including particularly Patreon.

And hopefully I'll be on time for the mid-month post here.

With Christmas Looming

December is always complicated, but it has been made more so by the brief hospitalization of my three-year-old grandson and the consequent necessity that his grandparents watch his two-year-old twin siblings while his mother stayed with him in the hospital.  We've gotten past that, but life is still complicated as we prepare for our Christmas.  I wrapped a few presents last night, but discovered that the cats had other plans for the box in which I expected to hide them and so I am looking for another hiding place.

I started the month not with an original song but with ten original arrangements of Christmas carols in mark Joseph "young" web log post #488:  The Songs of Christmas Quick" .

I've continued publishing chapters from the tenth Multiverser novel In Version , with chapters 79 through 84 following the stories of Derek Brown, Bob Slade, James Beam, and Joe Kondor, and culminating in a behind-the-writings web log post #489:  Battle Worlds covering 73 through 84.

I finally got around to writing that review of my friend E. B. Slayer's book Revelation , second in her #BeautyAndTheBell trilogy.

There was a new article released by the Christian Gamers Guild, Faith in Play #73:  Pilgrimage , suggesting an adventure hook, and the Chaplain's Bible Study continued with Mark 8:15 through 24.  There were also three more entries in the Prayers miniseries, Books , that those already published will continue to impact people, Sabbath Day , giving thanks for a day of rest, and Teeth , about my own personal dental problems.

That's about it.  Behind the scenes I've drafted a couple more articles for Faith in Play and RPG-ology, continued working on An Analytical Commentary on the Book of First Corinthians (who knew editing and setup could take so long?) and on Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story.  Eric Ashley and I continue to inch our way forward with Verse a Tile, and I'm thinking of trying to pick up Corpoises where I left off some months back.

As always, you can keep current by following me on social media, and particularly Patreon.  Or you can wait until New Year's Eve for the next report.

Ending Chapters

Annoyingly, someone has decided that Goodreads authors can no longer use Facebook sign-ins.  Since I have never signed into Goodreads any other way, I had no record of a password or e-mail address and was locked out for a while until I determined a solution.  So much for using shortcuts.

This is the sixtieth entry in The Ides of Mark web log, covering the latter half of November, 2023.  In that time the novel In Version crossed a major milestone, as chapters 72 through 78 are remarkably eventful as Derek Brown, Robert Slade, and Joseph Kondor defeat an alien invasion while James Beam faces alien problems of his own, and for three of those characters they face a new world, while for the fourth the old world is changing abruptly.  There was also a behind-the-writings post on the mark Joseph "young" web log, post #487:  A World in Space covering chapters 61 through 72.

Eric Ashley and I continue writing the fourteenth Multiverser novel, Verse a Tile, and I'm continuing setup on Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story.

Last night I finished setup on another chapter of An Analytical Commentary on the Book of First Corinthians, continuing efforts to put in print the materials from the Christian Gamers Guild's chaplain's Bible study.  The study itself has continued with Mark 8:4 through 14, and continued the Prayers miniseries with my prayers for Individuals and in fact also for these Commentaries .  The guild also republished another Game Ideas Unlimited article as RPG-ology #72:  Multiple Staging , a vital insight for writers and referees into creating epic stories.

Meanwhile, my wife and I celebrated our forty-seventh Thanksgiving together, followed quickly by our wedding anniversary of that same number.

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I'm not finding anything in my notes.  You can keep current on my work through my Patreon web log and other social media, or just wait until The Ides of Mark reaches the middle of December for the next update.

Complete and Incomplete

In the first half of this month of November Eric R. Ashley and I completed a full semi-final draft of Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story and I downloaded it for setup; a mere few days before that I finished setting up the character sheets for A Dozen Verses, which means it's in the can and ready to go.  Eric and I have pushed ahead into writing the fifteenth novel, Verse a Tile.  Meanwhile, I finished my read-through edit of my friend's novel, although I'm still available to answer any questions about it.  So that's several goals completed, and some new ones brought into view.

Still progressing, though, I'm working on An Analytical Commentary on The Book of First Corinthians, and of course there are ongoing publications.  Those include the continued publication of In Version , the tenth novel, with chapters 66 through 71 continuing stories of Bob Slade, Derek Brown, and Joe Kondor facing aliens.  There was also a new Faith in Play #72:  Backup from the Christian Gamers Guild, about insurance policies and backup plans.

The Chaplain's Bible Study continued with Mark 7:30 through 8:3, and the Prayers miniseries continued with Sabbath Eve and Pastors .

Of course, the month once again opened with a song, but with an odd difference:  mark Joseph "young" web log post #485:  The Song "Where Did I Go Wrong?" is unfinished--all the music is there, but I haven't come up with lyrics for the bridge.  The blog also added a reminiscence on a woman who was a professional artist and friend of my mother, Bernice Wurst:  Impressions of an Impressionist .

That about covers it, but to remind you that you can keep current by following me on Patreon and other social media.

Frightening Times

It is the end of October in the Year of Our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and indeed it is All Hallow's Eve.  I have two small (less than three and a half pound) boneless legs of lamb in the crock pot with a can of mushroom soup, two and a half pounds of chunked potatoes, half a pound of mushrooms, a pound of baby carrots, two chunked large onions, and spices, but I have not yet turned on the heat.  Trick or Treat runs from 4 to 7, and I seem to be the one who passes out the sodas and waters (kids eagerly anticipate our house), but I'm also the only one who can make gravy in a crock pot, so I have to wait until early afternoon before starting the cooking or it will be overdone by the time I can get to it.

This is the fifty-eighth entry in The Ides of Mark, covering the latter half of this month.  Quite a few things are ending--my collaborator Eric Ashley has outlined very roughly the rest of Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story.  I have finished most of the character sheets for A Dozen Verses, but have to do the web page versions of the last two or possibly three.  I finished my readthrough edit of my friend's novel, but still might have to address questions and issues she finds. I am still moving forward with An Analytical Commentary on The Book of First Corinthians.  I have been busy.

The Christian Gamers Guild restored another Game Ideas Unlimited as RPG-ology #71:  Time , discussing how to design time systems for alien worlds.  Time was also addressed in one of my Patreon web log posts, Finding Time , in which I make some comments about the first season of the Netflix time travel show Russian Doll.

Also from the Christian Gamers Guild, the Chaplain's Bible Study continued with Mark 7:18 through 29, and the Friday miniseries continued with Prayers:  Ministry and Prayers:  Mom .

I also managed to maintain the ongoing novel In Version with chapters 59 through 65 continuing the stories of Joe Kondor, Derek Brown, James Beam, and Bob Slade, and we also had a behind-the-writing post, mark Joseph "young" web log post #484:  Characters Maneuver , covering the alien and zombie adventures in chapters 49 through 60.

I think that covers the month, other than to mention once again that you can keep up to date by following me on social media and particularly Patreon, which I understand now allows people to follow creators without also supporting them.  I've more to come, so try to keep up.  I do.

And the lamb is cooking.

Bending the Routine

Let me start this fifty-seventh entry in The Ides of Mark with the routine behind-the-scenes work.  Eric Ashley and I continue writing and editing Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story, and I'm making progress on the character sheets for the Support Site for A Dozen Verses.  I also am still working my way through editing and setup of An Analytical Commentary on The Book of First Corinthians, which is almost two-thirds complete but that I'm still worried about page count.

The routine also includes continuing the Christian Gamers Guild Chaplain's Bible Study of Mark 7:7 through 7:17, along with two more entries in the Prayers miniseries, prayers for my Wife and my Sons .  They also published my Faith in Play #71:  Good Witch , about appropriate Christian attitudes toward witches, real and fictional, in the modern world.

In Version also continued, with chapters 52 through 58 continuing the stories of James Beam, Derek Brown, Robert Slade, and Joseph Kondor, one facing zombies and the others fighting aliens.

There was also a new song early in the month, delayed a few days by technical issues but eventually posting as mark Joseph "young" web log post #483:  The Song "Give Me a Vision" , unusual twice, first because it is a choral work, SATB with piano written for a local church (but never performed), second because the vocals are midi voices, so the words are printed in the page but not heard in the recording, although it is a beautiful song.

Back in June I reported posting a review of a new book by a friend, which I had helped edit.  It is the first book of a trilogy, and I am currently editing the second book in the series.  The author is seeking ARC (advance release copy) readers to read the book and post reviews.

We had a nasty respiratory infection run through the house this month, which is not quite gone (seven people currently living in home, including three under the age of four), but we're pushing forward.  You can keep up to date through my social media sites and particularly Patreon, and I'll be back here at the end of the month with more news.

Falling

Welcome to the latter half of September and the beginning of Autumn.  I've had a complicated day, including that both my web site and Goodreads gave me trouble trying to get access, so it's approaching midnight and I'll have to write fast to get this post up before the end of the month.

The end of the month was also complicated by the fact that we have a lot of family birthdays--one of my sons, his wife, and their twins, all living in the house, another son, another daughter-in-law, and my little brother, who honestly has not received anything from me because he doesn't do social media so I don't have any easy way to contact him.  We've also had a nasty cold come through the household.  But I have been busy.  I continue setting up An Analytical Commentary on The Book of First Corinthians and character sheets for A Dozen Verses.  Eric Ashley and I continue to write Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story, and I continue publishing chapters from In Version , chapters 46 through 51 continuing the stories of Derek Brown, Joseph Kondor, Bob Slade, and James Beam.  There was also a behind-the-writings entry on the mark Joseph "young" web log, #482:  Versers Engage , covering chapters 37 through 48.

The Christian Gamers Guild republished one of my favorite Game Ideas Unlimited entries as RPG-ology #70:  Value, discussing what makes things valuable and how to manipulate that in a game or story.  The Chaplain's Bible Study continued with Mark 6:53 through 7:6, and had two more entries in the Prayers series, praying about those Article Series I mention here, and asking for Power to overcome the obstacles in life.

It looks like that's everything, other than to mention you can follow my progress on social media and particularly on Patreon.  I've also got time to spare, if I can get this polished and posted.

Behind Schedule

It's late in the day--late enough that if I don't focus on this, it will be tomorrow by the time it posts.  There are quite a few causes for that, some of them medical, some social, but none of them immediately important, so let me get focused here.

The month began with a song again, web log post #481:  The Song "To the Philadelphians" , with a recording of a live performance.  I also put some time into setting up the next three monthly song posts, which are each something different.

Also this month I continued posting chapters from the tenth Multiverser novel, In Version , covering chapters 40 through 45, Derek Brown, Joe Kondor, Bob Slade, and James Beam.  I also continued writing Multiverser:  The Thirteenth Story in collaboration with Eric Ashley, and setting up the character papers for A Dozen Verses, currently in progress.

Progress has also been made on setting up An Analytical Commentary on The Book of First Corinthians.  The Christian Gamers Guild Chaplain's Study, on which these commentaries are based, continued this month with Mark 6:43 through 52, and with three posts in the Prayers miniseries, Income with an old form and a new form, Patreon praying for those patrons supporting me, and Chaplain's Study praying for my ministry there and for the students receiving it.  Of course, there was also another post to their site, Faith in Play #70:  Holy War , discussing the relationships between religion and military actions in the past, and how that might influence gaming scenarios.

I think that's everything, other than to remind you that you can get this information faster through social media and particularly Patreon.  Thank you for reading.