MCM's Blog, page 46

Site Question: The Stream

This'll be a very technical post, so don't be alarmed if it makes your head hurt.

As of last night, the site is using a new version of the Stream that is meant to reduce server load and hopefully make conversations easier.  It's still somewhat buggy, but it works better than it used to (at least for me).  Still, if it could be improved, I want to try.

Here's how it works:

You load the page for the first time, and the Console requests the latest stream data.  The Stream returns a fairly simple...

Bad Bad Day

Today, I tried to write a script via livewriting, using a cool new system I'd made that let a select group of people actually watch my type as I went. I did a huge amount of work to make sure it'd be as easy as possible on the server, but apparently, it was just too much. The whole thing went down for about 15 minutes. Oops.

I'm working on a variation of the theme using Google Docs, but I'm not sure it's really worth it. Might be that live-livewriting is too much for anyone but Google....

The Power Circle

This is a Topic Tag that Jan Oda bought with her points. If you want to buy a story, just log in and check under the "Spend" tab in the console.

Ross took a cigar from the box, but did not light it.  He held it loose between his fingers, rolling it side to side, like a man with an idea, while the others waited.

"No," he said finally.  "I don't like it.  The coup's gone on too long.  We have to cut funding."

Eddie scratched his beard.  "We can't cut funding," he said.  "We have assets at stake...

What I Do

When I was in second grade, my school had a talent show we were all obligated to take part in.  Kids were going to play instruments, do dances, sing songs, the whole bit.  I knew from the start what I wanted to do: I was going to write a story.  That was what I did best.  It was my talent.  So it was a bit of a shock when my teacher told me writing wasn't allowed.  Writing wasn't something you could perform, it was something you did alone, at your desk, and it wasn't very interesting to...

New Site: Loading Pages

A very common question these last 3 days has been "why would you make your site so much heavier to load?  Won't it kill your server?"  And yes, it's true, in per-page terms, this site is much heavier than my old one.  The background alone eats 100KB.  It's quite massive.

Cost of page loads

Page loads are a big part of why I moved to this new structure.  You see, every post on the site (and every book, too) has a big, shiny image attached to it.  I know from experience (Google Analytics) that...

Welcome to 2010

A year ago today, I wrote a post called "2009 is the Year of the Doing."  2009 turned out a little different than expected. I wrote 12 books in 12 months, had lots of fun, but I think I only really found my footing in the last few months.  This year, I want to do it right.

If 2009 was about experimentation, 2010 is going to be about taking things to the next level.  I'll still be trying new things, but I think I've found my niche(s), and I'm going to apply some polish to them.  And dynamite.

Yo...

#refrigerator: 0 to go!

What's that you say?  I've done 12 books in 12 months?  Are you nuts?  Are you daft?  Are you just a little bit insane?  Well welcome to the club!  Wooo!

This, right here, is Book #12: #refrigerator.  Do not ask why it is called that, or what the cover means.  That is none of your concern.

#refrigerator is a compilation of the year's short stories… 22,000 words in all.  It's got all your favourites, and a few you've probably never seen.  And for the next week, as an early Christmas present...

Post #2D1D Post

Well, the adventure has come to an end.  #2D1D was a fantastic success, and my eyes are still a bit blurry from the adventure.  But there's more left to say, so let's do it…

Thanks again!

I just realized I neglected to add "so long, and thanks for all the fish" to the story as I promised.  But either way, I want to say another big thanks to io9 (Annalee and Graeme in particular), Eli, Jan, Anna, Rok, Mike and Najela… you guys made my day.  If the rest of you weren't following the Dispatch, you ...

#2D1D The New Real

Greetings, humanoids!

Right now (as we speak) an adventure called #2D1D is going on over at io9.com.  If you want to join in the fun, stop by the #2D1D console, and get ready for some action!

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Promotion Plans

I should make a FAQ for publishers who want to help me "go legit."  It would be funny, I bet.

Recently, I had some contact with a medium-sized press that wanted to take one of my older titles and re-print it "for a much bigger audience."  They were very courteous and seemed well-intentioned, but there were more than a few stumbling blocks to overcome.  One was a request for a promotion plan.  This appears to be standard fare in the publishing biz, and the lack of a solid plan appears to...