Adrian Faulkner's Blog, page 38
September 15, 2020
Shadowlands Plans – The Climb #571
It’ll come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have planned to take 2 weeks off for the launch of Shadowlands.
As I have done with most of the expansions, I use up holiday so I can play solidly on launch and level up my character to max. I usually combine this with a writing project, using the two weeks off to also get a new draft completed.
This time, I’m thinking something a little different.
You see, ordinarily I’d take my main, play through the nights an...
September 14, 2020
Delays – The Climb #570
The best laid plans.
Today was going to be the day I started on the redraft but I’m ill. I’m so unbelievably unfocused, and even ended up going to bed late afternoon.
I don’t trust myself when I’m ill. I’m not sure if there’s some chemical change in the brain when you have a cold, but I always find my imagination is a bit different. It’s like Tim Burton got hold of my ideas and interpreted them. Everything is a bit more distorted or twisted.
And whilst that’s an in...
September 13, 2020
The Comedown – The Climb #569
I’m ill.
I’m pretty sure it’s not Covid – in this day and age, it’s everyone’s immediate thought. Whilst I am coughing, it’s to clear my throat, rather than a dry consistent cough. I also have no fever and my sense of taste and smell is normal. I had a roast dinner at Crispinator’s house today and it tasted amazing so I know that last part for sure. But it seemed to worsen from a sore throat into a head cold so I took myself home just to be safe.
I’d be more worrie...
September 12, 2020
Back Home – The Climb #568
It’s good to be back home.
Even though I only live round the corner from the Crispinator, I’ve missed my own house and bed. Whilst I only had a morning to myself before I headed back round, it was nice to have me time again.
They’re doing well, all things considered, and are self-sufficient enough that they can manage on their own. If they need anything, I’m only 5 minutes away.
So I got to spend the morning getting back episodes of The Climb published, as well as ...
September 11, 2020
Reconnecting – The Climb #567
Whilst I’ve only been round the corner, I get to sleep in my own bed tonight for the first time in a couple of weeks. I’ve enjoyed my time (if enjoy is the right word) caring for my crispy friend but they’re now at the stage where they can manage.
They’re doing well; amazingly well considering. The arm has made amazing progress this week, their face now looks more blotchy than burnt, but their ear is still looking nasty. At least it’s bleeding which shows it’s tryin...
September 10, 2020
The Next Gen – The Climb #566
The release of new consoles is always a big moment in gaming. It represents an evolutionary step in gaming, where the everything is reset to zero and gamers get to decide their eco-system for the next generation.
Last gen was the first time I really embraced console gaming. Whilst I’ve had just about every console since the Atari 2600, it wasn’t until the advent of the Xbox 360 that I went full in with console gaming.
I loved that console. Gamerscore, the interfac...
September 9, 2020
The Next Project – The Climb #565
I’ve pretty much decided the next project I will work on when I return home after caring for my frazzled friend for the past couple of weeks. I’m hoping that after a couple weeks away from the writing routine I should return refreshed and energised.
It’s another rewrite rather than any first draft, and whilst it would be nice to do something fresh, I’ve done enough rewriting the last couple of years that the prospect doesn’t daunt me. At least this one is only a se...
September 8, 2020
Stoopid Brain – The Climb #564
Books are big things. As a result, it takes time to do anything with them. Hence the perception that publishing is slow.
And whilst I know this (heck, it takes a LONG time to write a book which is why most books in a series are spaced at least a year between) you find times when you feel like nothing is happening (when you know this isn’t true – it’s just that what’s happening doesn’t involve you).
Ordinarily, I’d keep myself busy with projects. Indeed, it’s how I’v...
September 7, 2020
How I Manage Tasks – The Climb #563
I’ve spent a bit of time over the last couple of days getting my task management up to date. I lean on it more heavily at certain times more than others. Most of the time it ticks along in the background, but when I really need to ramp it up and be super-productive, the structure is there to support that. I suspect I might be using it more heavily in the not too distant future and want to make sure that any housekeeping is done beforehand.
I use an app called ToDoist...
September 6, 2020
Future Adventures – The Climb #562
One of the things I’ve really missed during lockdown is having adventures. Whilst I’ve been unable to go stormchasing the last couple of years due to finances (it ain’t cheap to drive all over the US for a couple of weeks), the fact that I couldn’t sensibly go, even if I could afford it, makes me long for it even more.
Usually I sate my appetite for those big scale adventures by having smaller ones. My trip to Uffington last month (still burning through all those self...
