Patrick Matthews's Blog, page 3

It’s time to stand up

As a children’s book author, I believe that my place is not in the political arena. I speak and write in terms that are larger than political parties. This post is no different.

I am not writing this as a Democrat or a Republican.

Last night, the president’s men attacked peaceful protesters, clearing the street so he could have a photo taken in front of a church. As more details roll in, the scene becomes something out of a nightmare. Church personnel working outside St. John’s were ...

Author Visit Online

During the coronavirus (and probably for a couple months afterwards), Im offering online author visits for free.

Prior to the shutdown, I did a fair number of school visits (more info is on my school visits page). The online visits are, of course, somewhat different, and if you have a specific topic that youd like me to talk about (preferably writing-related), Im happy to help out.

Im also available for a regular author Q&A, answering questions, or just chatting about writing or game...

7 Days of Awesome

Like everyone, Ive been doing a lot of thinking about COVID-19. As of today, the situation is both clear and muddled. Its clear in that we all understand that we need to engage in social distancing to delay the spread of the virus and minimize its effects. Its muddled in that we dont know how successful that social distancing will be.

We also dont know the side effects of our solution. How harmful will social distancing be to local businesses? What about folks living on hourly wages, or...

Characters in the world

As writers, we spend a lot of time thinking about our characters. It’s one of those happy requirements, something we both enjoy doing and have to do. Unless we understand our characters completely, we run the risk of sounding unauthentic or contrived.

Many writers take a questionnaire approach, writing down answers to questions about motivations and desires. How does the character feel about chocolate? What about yogurt? What motivates the character? Does the character love chocolate mixed i...

Writing Life: Reviews

I have a weird relationship with reviews.

On the one hand, I’m a firm believer in the idea that creators create. It doesn’t matter what you’re creating. As the creator, it’s up to you to determine what it is you’re making.

It’s absolutely vital that you maintain ownership, that you don’t cede control of your art to your audience. In order to do that, you have to view all feedback as input.

You can’t be emotional about it. You have to treat reviews in the same way that you treat responses in a critique group: th...

Interviewed at ChiTag.com

Hey everyone, ChiTag.com just ran an interview with me. I talk about how and why I became a game developer, and give some tips for other game developers.

I hope you enjoy it!

6 Questions with Lynn Whipple

This week, I’m talking with Lynn Whipple, award-winning artist and writer. She also teaches workshops and online classes, including Big Bold Bloom Wild Painting. She’s a part of McRae Art Studios. 

I first met Lynn at a writing workshop years ago. At the time, I didn’t realize she was an artist. I just thought she was a seriously talented writer.  Later, as I was wandering aimlessly through an art show, I stumbled across her booth, and was completely blown away. She paints with a fearless cre...

The story behind the story

My writing process is a mix of structure and enthusiasm. Once I’ve formulated the idea for a book, I sit down and write what I call the First Fifty.

The First Fifty are the first fifty pages of the novel. They come fast and furious, and if I’m still excited after they’re finished, I know the book has legs.

When I started Dragon Run, I wrote the First Fifty from a dragon’s point of view, Lord Archovar’s to be specific. Those words didn’t come easy. I fought and struggled and wrote and rewrote...

6 Questions with Tom Jolly

This week, I’m speaking to Tom Jolly, award-winning game designer and writer. His most recent games are Battle for Rokugan and Manhattan Project: Energy Empire. He has plenty of others, as well. Check out his site to see the full list. His short stories are in too many anthologies and magazines for me to list, but you can see them all on Amazon.

I met Tom many years ago, at a trade show in Las Vegas. The show held open gaming in the evenings, and that’s where I was when Tom approached to pla...

6 Questions with Jack Degnan

This week I’m chatting with Jack Degnan, award-winning game designer of such hits as Word on the Street and Rat-a-tat Roll (as well as many others).

I met Jack several years ago at the TAGIE awards in Chicago. If you get a chance to hang out with him, I highly recommended it. He’s relaxed and easygoing, quick with a quiet joke or an appreciative chuckle.

On to the questions!

Question 1

I’d like to start with a question that I know is near and dear to a lot of hearts. Could you talk a little...