Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 17
May 22, 2020
Reading Log: Shadowmarch
So, today I’m going to talk about a series of books, both as one series and individually. The series is Shadowmarch by Tad Williams, one of my favorite authors. A quick bit of background: I’ve been a fan of Tad Williams work every since I discovered his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy in high school. I’ve told this story before on the blog, but I first found about Tad Williams after purchasing The Dragonbone Chair from a bookstore in Atlanta, GA in the (now disused and mostly abandoned, but then thriving) Underground Mall area. The back wall in this bookstore was pure rock, hewn from the ground, and so, even though I don’t always read every Tad Williams novel, I’m still interested when I hear he has a new novel.
Shadowmarch
I really like Tad Williams’ novels when he writes Epic (or what used to be known as High) Fantasy. Tad’s world building is impressive. I’ve tried to read his Sci-Fi series and his none epic works (The Otherland books and The War of the Flowers), but none of his non-epic works ever capture me in the same way as his fantasy novels. Basically, Shadowmarch is the story of a war between the humans and the fae, but for reasons that are very hard to decipher–at least initially. While I won’t give a plot synopsis here, I will say that even though I bought everyone of the Shadowmarch novels, I’ve only read them once before, right after their initial publication. That’s unusual for me, as I only buy books (or keep books) that I truly love. I think it is because, after establishing all the major characters and relationships in the first book, they go there separate ways in the subsequent volumes, only to return together in the 4th volume (as a group).
Book 1: Shadowmarch
As mentioned above, this book sets up the world, character, plot, and relationships of the various humans on one side and the fae on the other. It gives us our two main protagonists of the book, Princess Briony and her brother Prince Barrick, and then sets into motion a war that is initiated by the faeries. These are not your traditional fae and are formidable opponents. This is probably my favorite book in the series in that it establishes the most things in the novel. While not small, we get a LOT of world building, characterization, and plot development in this novel.
Book 2: Shadowplay
I remember not particularly caring for this one when I originally read it, and upon rereading it, I think I know why. While it focuses on all the major characters, at the time, I thought the Princess Briony was, by far, the most interesting character, and the places where she wasn’t “on the screen” really dragged. Also, while I don’t hate Prince Barrick, he isn’t a particularly likable character in this chapter of the story (unlike Chapter 1, where he had Briony to balance him out and neutralize some of his rough edges), and since we spend so much time in his POV, or in the Guard Captain Vansen’s POV (who is with him), that we get to see/interact with Barick a LOT, which makes the whole book seem to slow down. I appreciate it more now than I did at the time, but originally, it was really hard to get through Barrick’s sections.
Book 3: Shadowrise
This is where I remember the series really coming into its own when I first read it, and even upon rereading, I still think this. I think the answer is two-fold: 1) we finally start getting some answers in the form of clues, revelations, and hints about the story. While a lot is in mythology, the answers given are like pieces of a puzzle and the more we’re given in this volume, the clearer the overall narrative becomes, and 2) Prince Barrick finally becomes likable. While far from perfect, you can see why he has been such a “jerk” in the past and his demeanor gets heavily tempered in this book. While Briony’s “journey” stops (she no longer advances the plot as she had before), she gets some fairly heavy characterization in the form of serious court “intrigue” that is deadly serious.
Book 4: Shadowheart
This probably my 2nd favorite book in the series. Firstly, because Tad Williams “sticks the landing” with this series. So many authors that I’ve read (and even admire) have books whose endings just fall apart from me. However, this book manages to bring everything to a satisfying conclusion (for me). I do wish the final battle had been a little more involved (I think the “obstruction” sub-plot to keep one of the side characters from enacting his final plan to help take out the ultimate enemy went on too long and could have been shortened), but the battle that was depicted was epic enough and, at 727 pages, the book was already long (having originally been planned as a trilogy, but having to be changed to a 4 book series due to the original size of the third volume), so I can understand that the climatic battle might have been shorter than I might have liked. Also, both Barrick and Briony get to shine in their respective roles. While there is an annoying romantic “triangle,” I can say without spoilers that it doesn’t get in the way too much, and adds a bit of depth to Briony’s character–in other words, the author has Briony dwell on it for a paragraph or two, sometimes interweaving through a section, but she’s never on the subject for too long (in my opinion). We finally get answers to our questions and the full tapestry is revealed and I think it is a successful end to the series. I’m glad I bought it, but wish I’d reread it sooner. It is a great series and would make a great story to adapt into live action (series or movie) one of these days.
Are you listening, Hollywood?
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft (Idea phase)
Next: First Draft (Plot phase)
May 20, 2020
The War Against The Playstation 5
Here is a quick summary of some of the headlines that pop up when you search for “PS 5 News” (as of this writing 5/20/2020):
“Forget PS5: PCs With RTX 2070 Super Can Handle Unreal 5 Demo” (Tom’s Hardware). “Xbox exclusive inXile RPG will use Unreal Engine 5 says Microsoft” (Metro)“Has the PS5 already been bested by a mid-range gaming PC?” (Techradar)“PS5 Won’t Beat Xbox Series X on Power, Says Epic” (Tom’s Guide)
And this is ONLY in the last 24 hours! If I really wanted to make the point, I would only need to begin to track the “headlines” since say the first of the year (January 2020). I mean, to see one egregious example of the point I’m trying to make, one only needs to look at a headline from a week ago, before the discussion of the Unreal 5 demo premiering on a PS5.
“Xbox Series X vs Playstation 5: Microsoft has 4 Big Advantages Over Sony” (Forbes).
Now remember, these headlines are ALL appearing under a search for Playstation 5 news. Not only is there bias in these headlines and articles, but there seems to be a concerted effort to sway readers away from a Playstation (Sony) based product and to a XBox (Microsoft) based product.
Journalists: Please choose–Reporter or Fan?
Notice I said, seems. This isn’t the case, but this is how “mainstream” media gets “tagged” with the perception that they have an agenda. Slant, that lovely new word in journalism in the late 80s/mid 90s, has come back to haunt the “mainstream” media in terms of trust in the 2010s and 2020s. Journalism may not be old, stodgy, “just the facts” reporting anymore, and may be punchy and vibrant, and sometimes edgy, but that comes at a cost and the cost is the trust of your readers. Readers who agree with you are going to love what you say, but those who disagree are going to ignore you or actively work to “push back” against your reporting.
This can’t be seen any clearer than in the video game journalism industry. Too many “journalists” are not really reporters of the news, but rather “fans” of the industry whose opinions cloud their reporting. When I search for information on a particular console, I shouldn’t get editors, writers, and “games media” trying to sway my opinion (in either direction, but especially not in the direction of the competitor of the product I’m researching.)
THAT’S NOT THEIR JOB!
I can’t say this strongly enough! If there are no facts out about a particular console, please don’t discuss rumors, leaks, or things that aren’t confirmed. If there’s a “conference call,” sure, report that–but in this 24 hour news cycle, the need for clicks, and click-baity stories, journalism and journalists have to understand there is a PRICE that they are paying to get money for the company–and that is to their reputation as people who are impartial.
The PS5 Era in Games Journalism Looks a Lot Like the PS3 Era (and not in a good way)
You see, I’ve seen all this before–but the last time it happened, I let it pass without comment. The Playstation 3 may have had its issues (price, custom chipset, etc.), but those problems were exacerbated by a journalism community that 1) found Sony far too arrogant and needing to be punished–something that the gaming community (and not the gaming press) had to turn around and do to Microsoft the following generation and 2) Sony gaming division needed to be punished for other perceived transgressions of other divisions within Sony (Sony’s Rootkit & Sony’s Spiderman movie font, anyone?).
Now, I understand from a fundamental level why game journalists do this:
It is more interesting when there’s a “competition” between two or more brands. Having one “dominant” player in the industry hurts the opportunity to write interesting articles. How many times can you say how great console x (product x, person x) is versus how bad/mediocre console x (product x, person x) is. I get it–the closer the race the more “interesting” it becomes.Clicks–the articles are free, supported by ad revenue. The more clicks, the more people see the ads, the more money goes into the bank account. However, “news” needs to understand that this can be done without sensationalism. It’s just a lot harder. Ask Jason Schreier and see his Kotaku article detailing the breakdown of Anthem. Interesting, compelling, and I’ve clicked on the article multiple times because it is just so compelling. But I’m sure on Jason’s end, that was a LOT of hard work. And despite Bioware’s/EA’s response, he didn’t come across as either a fan of or a detractor of the company, but a reporter of what his sources told him about the working conditions and development process of the game. In a game of trust between Bioware and Jason, I’m inclined to believe Jason over Bioware given the evidence that is the game Anthem.Sony is NOT the “cool kid” on the block. Microsoft’s Marketing Department is second to none. Microsoft can market the “heck” out of a product, even when that product is not necessarily the “market-leading” (Zune). No one discusses (or seems to care) when Microsoft gets the lead in an industry and then stagnates (Internet Explorer 6, anyone?). No, everyone is more interested in discussing how much power their next console has, but not how that power will be utilized to create compelling gaming experiences.
When You’re “On the Clock” be Professional and Objective
No one says that you, as a games journalist, has to like Playstation 5, but when your job is covering it, then you have to at least appear to be unbiased and informative–at least, if you want to earn the trust of the public. When I search for information about one product, I don’t want to be told your opinion of why I should want a different product.
I want factual, sourced, unbiased information presented in a cool, clever way that allows me to make my choices with the confidence that I’ve made the best choice available based on the information at hand and taking into account my own personal likes and dislikes. It’s not about what you (as a fan) like, but rather, what’s available in terms of information. If there isn’t any, don’t make it up, don’t report rumors or leaks (unless there’s some credible truth/sources available to help confirm that information.)
Listen, I get it–there’s not a lot of PS5 information out there. Sony’s not giving any information out and is playing holding what they have close their vests (which may come back to bite them as I may choose to wait and get their console not at launch because they haven’t shown me anything yet to part with my dwindling resources–I’m a poor graduate student, after all).
But journalists, that is my choice, not yours. I don’t need you telling me that I need an Xbox when what I want is a Playstation 5. Thanks for understanding!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft (Idea phase)
Next: First Draft (Plot phase)
May 19, 2020
Storytelling the Expanse Way
I have to admit this upfront: I originally didn’t like The Expanse. There, I said it. This isn’t news to long-time blog readers as I made no secret about how much I disliked the first season of the show. I “peaced out” after the first episode of the 2nd season. However, last January, when my car died and I was stuck in the apartment for the whole weekend (heh, a pandemic and quarantine gives a whole new meaning to being “stuck”), I watched the entire series of the show in a weekend and I was amazed that I dismissed it so thoroughly as it was really good.
I’ve watched it quite often since, trying to figure out how I could have gotten it so wrong. I think I understand what The Expanse does that makes it so compelling, but why it initially turned me off.
History First
So, I believe that Tolkien would have loved this particular series as well. What the creators of the show (and I assume the book) do very well is focus on the history and then set the characters loose with events. History is paramount to the series and most of the first season sets up the interplay between Mars, Earth, and the Belt. Then (no spoilers), they throw a wrinkle in the midst and then go from there. Tolkien was a huge advocate for setting up the history of a place–that’s why Middle Earth feels like a lived in world. As I’m reading The Lord of the Rings again, I notice how Tolkien is discussing people, events, and places that aren’t really relevant to the story at hand, but give much more context for what is happening and why it is happening.
Mystery Second
The second thing that the creators do is that they present story arcs in the form of mini-mysteries. Yes, that’s right, much of the “binge-watchability” (like the new formation of the word I created there?) of the show comes from the fact that they show you (Colombo-style) what happens at the end of the arc in the very beginning of the arc and then slowly the narrative unfolds until you have all the pieces. Once you reach the end, you see how that piece that they gave you at the very beginning then fits into the larger story. Colombo did this very well, but it gave away the entire ending as you knew who the murderer was and then it was just watching Colombo put together the lies, half-truths, and mistakes of the criminal and watching their ever increasing desperation as the detective got ever closer to the truth. In The Expanse, it is more like a puzzle, in which they give you a “glimpse” of a puzzle filled in and then before you can make complete sense of what you’re seeing, they scatter ALL the pieces and begin reforming the puzzle again. You still have your “clue,” but it isn’t relevant for 4-5 episodes until you have enough of the overall puzzle filled in again to start making connections to what you saw at the beginning.
Warm Up/Cool Down Third
And finally, well not finally, but it is the last one I want to talk about today, they do this interesting technique that I’ve not seen in other long form narrative shows (shows whose episodes follow a story arc and aren’t “episodic” in nature) in that it follows (for the most part) this scenerio: Warm-up episode, 1-3 action focused episodes, Cool down episode. Now, there are exceptions to this, but having watched the series well over 10 times now (and individual episodes to coincide with various reactors–I’m following 5 Expanse reactors at the moment), there is a pattern that you can see developing in those episodes. The Warm-up episode usually establishes some strange situation or occurrence or sets up a problem that needs to be solved/resolved. The Action episodes are usually ones that are “cooking” episodes where the action is happening and everything comes to a “boiling point” (which is usually some unexpected revelation–either plot or character, rarely both at the same time, but it has happened). The Cool-down episode is usually character focused and spends time relating how the characters have been changed or how they are relating to the new status quo.
The cycle usually repeats (although in Seasons 1 & 4, this is elongated and it makes it seem slow at times.) Season 2 and 3 are so hyper-focused on this pattern that it makes the show so intense.
To Watch The Expanse You Have to Embrace the Mystery
Although The Expanse is a science fiction show that features combat, space ship scenes, and a realistic depiction of a science fiction world, one must embrace the mystery genre in order to truly appreciate it. It isn’t so much a “puzzlebox” that is the hot buzzword term in the film industry right now as it is a throwback to a genre that has fallen out of favor. This show leans heavily on the mystery of what has happened/is happening in order to drive its narrative. By showing you a piece of the “endgame” and then going back and filling in those pieces one plot point and character moment at a time, it is inviting you to help construct the narrative along with it and entices you to come along with it to “enjoy the ride.”
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft (Idea phase)
Next: First Draft (Plot phase)
May 15, 2020
Writing Log: May 15, 2020
So, I’m still in the process of figuring out what I want for these “logs” in terms of content. Ideally, I’d like them to appear about 1 every four weeks (about a month apart) to give you (and myself) a monthly look at what I’ve been able to accomplish in terms of the major areas in my life that I feel are important: Reading, Writing, and Video Games. However, as you can see, I’m missing a fourth category. I could do media such as TV/Movies, but I already discuss them at length with mini-reviews and rewatch posts. I guess the point is that, for the time-being, these will probably be every three weeks until I can find a strong “fourth” category that would make a good “log” topic in order to appear on Fridays. And now without further ado, on to the writing:
Creative: “Project Arizona”
This is the project that I’ve been working on so far this month. I’ve finished the rough draft of the story. I’m working on the first draft now. I’ve decided to try to work in “stages” with this story. Basically, I’m trying to build my story from ideas into execution into a “story” in stages (drafts). We’ll see how well it works. So far, I’ve liked the fact that the story seems to be coming together fairly well. I’m consistently writing it out in long hand in my “notebook.” I’ve been less successful in transferring what I’ve written into my notebook on to the computer where the “magic” happens. I think I’m trying to “dramatize” what I’m writing too soon, and that I’m trying to put in character moments when I should be focused (in this draft) of just establishing and interesting and believable plot that makes sense and doesn’t have any “huh?” moments for the reader.
Creative: The Independent
I’ve been working on editing this story. I’ve managed, with the help of the MTSU Writing Center to edit the story. Max, the husband of my mentor professor, is also a short-story writer and has worked at the Writing Center this semester. We’ve gone through about two-thirds of the story. One of the things that I’ve realized by doing this is that I’m rushing through the editing process. Like writing, good editing takes time, so I’m slowing down and trying to spend a month on editing, just as I would on writing. Another thing that I’ve learned is that I’m getting stronger at characterization, but at the expense of world-building. The plot is there, the characters are (getting) there, but the world is suffering because I’m putting a lot of my focus on what’s happening and the character–and that’s something that I’m going to want to address going forward.
Academic: Prospectus “Outline”
One of the things that I was supposed to produce this semester was the prospectus that I would “defend.” Basically, the prospectus is a tentative outline of what you propose to write your dissertation about. It used to be very informal, and as long as your director signed off on it, you could begin writing your dissertation. However, a couple of semester ago, they put in a new rule at my school that the dissertation committee had to sign off on it and that you had to “defend” it in public (like a dissertation). So, in essence, the prospectus has become a “mock” dissertation — same basic accouterments (full committee, defense of it, etc.) of a dissertation, but not nearly as long or detailed.
Well, Covid-19 put this on hold, so my director suggested working on the prospectus in the summer and defending it in early Fall. So, I slowed down on trying to get one written. However, over the past few weeks I was able to get an outline down that I really liked. My mentor this semester, Dr. Meyers, helped me integrate the idea of “empathy” into the outline as well, and this is what I’m currently working towards now. I have a written a (very) crappy introduction that I intend to redo.. I think I’m going to start working first on the video game section as the two major video game projects this week discussed ways in which they were bringing in filmic techniques to gaming, which is a central thesis as to why I’m discussing them in relation to Afrofuturism.
Writing Time: Waking Up to Write
As I mentioned above, I’ve found great success over the past three weeks with writing consistently. I tend to wake up early, but my body doesn’t actually want to get up (not a coffee drinker–so even though I’m awake, I’m not really awake, if that makes sense–so now, I’ve taken to grabbing the notebook and either drafting the next section of the story or jotting down dreams/story “seeds”/character ideas that I’ve thought of over night. This has helped me really me move along on “Project Arizona.” I’ve been less successful, as I’ve noted, actually getting what’s in the notebook translated to the computer. The ideas just seem to flow easier and better writing in the notebook than on the computer. However, I really need to do this daily. I caught an interview with Stephen King on NPR and he writes for four (4) hours daily. In essence, King has made writing his “part-time” job (20 hours a week in America is considered part-time while 40 hours is considered a full time job). And I have to say, as much as I might fault some of his works individually, he is still one of the most consistent and successful authors out there (mainly because he puts in the work). Outside of these blog posts, I struggle with putting in more than an hour (1) daily at the keyboard daily. So while I’m finding a fair amount of success writing daily in my notebook, I still need to work on finding “keyboard” time as well (as NO ONE is going to pay for handwritten copy, no matter how good it is).
Well, that’s all I have time for today–hopefully, I will find that 4th category so that I can give you a proper update in about a month or so. Next week should be the return of the Reading Log, so until next moth, Happy Writing!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft (Idea phase)
Next: First Draft (Plot phase)
May 13, 2020
Epic, Unreal Engine 5, and the PlayStation 5
Why did I skip yesterday’s blog and upload this one so late? Well, when you read the following paragraph, you’ll get some hint of where the is post was originally headed–rather than talking about the PS5, I went “deep” into bashing both Microsoft and the media’s love for Microsoft and their absolute disdain for Sony. However, I felt that I was way too negative and simply was contributing to the “toxicity” that is all too common on the internet these days. So as I was rethinking the blog post, Epic Games discussed their Unreal 5 game engine and showcased it on the PS5. So, I changed the post to reflect this new, more positive, direction in the games’ industry. I left the original paragraph below as I think it is germane to the discussion and would like games’ media to consider as they go forward in covering the transition to the next generation.
A recent “headline” in Forbes cried out in regards to Microsoft’s recent teaser for its upcoming gaming console, “Micosoft Just Showed an Uncomfortable Truth About the X Box Series X and the Playstation 5.” I wonder how that could be since, to my knowledge, no Sony Playstation 5 game was actually shown on the stage. Wasn’t the whole point of an X Box presentation to show how “great” Microsoft’s new system was going to be? How then, do you as a writer, justify linking one console’s lackluster debut to the other one? How does the “stink” of Microsoft’s mistake translate back to Sony? When Sony makes a mistake, such as a “boring” presentation, that in no way translated back to Microsoft, so how does Microsoft’s missteps always seem to translate back to Sony?
Moving On . . . From Microsoft’s Marketing to Sony Substance
Unreal 5 running on a Playstation 5
Luckily, Unreal 5 (a game engine that helps to power games) was announced today. What was notable is that is was specifically noted that the demo is running live on a Playstation 5! And it (in my opinion) is stunning! Now let’s not kid ourselves–X Box will get this engine too. However, the fact that it is an impressive demo, running on a PS5 and truly doing two things: 1) showcasing new technologies that will better enhance creativity and graphical fidelity and 2) showing visuals and enhancements to the next gen experience (something that MS’s conference didn’t do according to “social media” and the media) is something that needs to be applauded and should translate to Sony (and not Microsoft).
It is a tech demo, but does some really interesting things. The technology behind the demo sounds impressive and looks like it will handle the vision of artists in new and unique ways. The game design engine does what Sony tried to articulate, but was “booed” for (called boring and unintersting) by the public–and by the people who should have known better–the games’ media. This what got my ire up and why my “claws” were out in the earlier draft of this post.
Just because something isn’t meant for you (aka the public or the media), doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from it. Sony’s talk was originally for GDC (designers), but talked about problems that other consoles and generations weren’t trying to solve. Today’s event really helped, to me, crystallize and visualize what the next generation of games might come to life and this is just one company.
The Coming Future
My hope, in addition to breaking the love affair between Microsoft’s Marketing Department and the media, is that this announcement will be the beginning of getting the “conversation” started for the next generation of gaming. For me, the big take-aways from this announcement are 1) artist’s assets don’t need to be scaled down in any way from the platform they were created, 2) the dynamic light source, 3) sound separation and authoring (esp. in light that Sony is also trying to address the sound issue), and 4) water and the way it is generated and created in games (this was a small mention in the demo, but has huge potential for games as water is often the hardest to achieve, but is one of the best ways to aid in graphical immersion.
For me, the next generation discussion started today–and I’m so glad that Playstation 5 was the platform that got to help kick off the discussion in a meaningful (and positive) way.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
May 11, 2020
Murphy’s Law 2.0: The Ephemeral Web
In 2012, I published a short-story entitled, Sister Knight, in Sorcerous Signals, an online publication. That was 8 years ago and it was free to the public. Go ahead and try to find it now–I’ll wait. I’ll bet you googled it like I did and you probably came back with this Facebook posting about it: https://www.facebook.com/WolfSingerPubs/posts/the-may-july-issue-of-sorcerous-signals-has-been-posted-at-wwwsorceroussignalsco/415618418462900/.
You’ll find the story and my name about mid-way down the column of stories being announced for the May – July 2012 issue of Sorcerous Signals. However, trying to find this story is impossible–the website no longer exists and even though it was a free publication, I can’t link to it in order to help promote myself as a writer.
The Internet Never Forgets, Right?
Well, that truism probably holds if you do something bad, but if you do something good? Yeah, count on that disappearing at some point. Hey, it is hard for non-corporations to make money from the internet–and it took companies a while to figure how to monetize their internet operations–but still, it is difficult to see something that you worked on for nearly a year vanish without a trace.
So what brought this on? Did I just now discover that Sorcerous Signals was no longer in operation–no, I’ve known for about 2-3 years when it first happened as Duotrope alerted me via newsletter that it was ceasing publication (or had gone defunct–I can’t remember which one it was exactly). This is actually the 2nd or 3rd time that I’m trying to search for it.
I’m trying to compile a list of artists that have contributed artwork for my published stories. The goal is two-fold: 1) I want to have a repertoire of artists to work with when I start writing graphic novels seriously which I’m working on in-between my short stories and my dissertation, and 2) I’d like to do a blog post on them, highlighting them and showcasing their work.
For Sister Knight, there is an artist (who will go unnamed for the moment), who I remember doing the artwork for my stories. However, when I checked the person’s name that I remember, she lists herself as a writer and not an artist and I don’t see any artwork under her name. Fearing that I have the wrong name, I wanted to double-check the artist for Sister Knight just to be sure–guess what, I can’t do that (easily).
Tempest in a Teapot, right?
I’m not so sure it is. See, I CAN actually find this issue. I had the foresight to download a copy of the PDF issue and print it out. I recently saw the printout a month or two ago, and I while I don’t remember where I put it, I know that it is in the house somewhere. Also, I think I still have the PDF on my Mac (as I never delete things like that from the harddrive), so I may be able to do a quick search there for it. So, while I can’t do a quick check, I can at least still check–at least until I lose that hard copy or it gets damaged in some way.
So, in the long run, does it matter? I actually think it does matter. There are “internet history” sites (The Wayback Machine) that are dedicated to archiving old things on the web (hence the term, the internet never forgets), but as those “spiders” crawl the internet so irregularly, it is easy for things to slip beneath the cracks. Although, the Facebook post lists the May – July 2012 date, the Wayback machine doesn’t have it–it has a listing for June, but the issue for my story hadn’t been updated for that “issue”, and by the time the next time the “spider” had crawled the site again, the issue was already into the 2013 stories.
So, effectively, my story, Sister-Knight, is “out-of-print” even though it was published on the web, something that isn’t “supposed” to happen. If not for my hard copy (definite) and PDF (probable), then I’d hae no way to prove that I actually published this story.
This is something for future historians to consider as the web and web 2.0 makes up more and more of our lives. How much content and history is potentially at risk because we’re not practicing good data archiving?
Or to put it another way, here’s a new “Murphy’s Law” for the 21st century: “What’s bad, lingers and what’s good, fades away.” Let’s call it: Murphy’s Law, 2.0.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
May 8, 2020
Gaming Log: The Division 2, Knack 2, and The Crew 2
Over the “Lockdown” period, I’ve played quite a few games (although not as many or as much as one might think). I’ve converted my class to “Distance Education,” so much of my time has been devoted to that–grading, checking email, and the like. However, I managed to finish 3 games over the period (all strangely sequels with the number “2” in the title–go figure), so I thought I’d briefly talk about them.
The Division 2
This is a game that I finished during the Covid-19 Pandemic and “quarantine.” It is a game about reforging America (specifically during Washington DC) during a Pandemic. So, to use the current term for this one, it was so “meta.” I was playing a game that had elements of what was happening in the real world. Now, to be clear, the pandemic in the game is mostly over and you’re using your “military” training to “rebuild” the city from roving “factions.” In a way, this is a power fantasy of good over evil, or what I wish both Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead had been instead of the “man’s inhumanity to man” plot lines that inhabit most of both shows’ runs. I finished the “main” game and saw the “ending” cinematic, before the game “reset” and tasked you to redo the most of the game over again–just on a harder difficulty (won’t go into more detain due to spoilers on how that happens in the game). I finished the “main” story-line and I’m happy with the resolution of the game, so I will be moving on to other games. I thought it was worth the purchase price (I got it on sale), and enjoyed my time with it. GRADE: B
Knack 2
Okay, so Knack 2 is something that only I like. It (along with the first game in the series) is roundly criticized as a game that should not exist. It is an “old” design, repetitive, and the story is too “traditional” as it is “good vs evil.” Or, at least that is the critical and popular opinion. However, Knack 2 is definitely a game for one person–me! I love the series. Knack has its issues, don’t get me wrong. It is no Grand Theft Auto (GTA) by any means, but that’s not a bad thing. Gamers decry the fact that there’s no variety in the game offerings any more, but just as I am NOT the target audience for The Hunger Games, so too are most gamers NOT the target audience for this series and it seems to make them angry–just look at the level of vitriol because this series exists. However, the game is an action platformer that I can put my brain on cruise control as I play. It does have some weird difficulty spikes, but for the most part, is simply mindless fun–something that I want after a hard week of reading, writing, and grading papers. Over the break, I’ve finished the “main” story and I’m going back and replaying it to try to get all the trophies (100%) for the game. Again, although no one else likes its combat and platforming, I really do and I hope they keep making them despite the gamer “rage” that it seems to inspire. Grade: B
The Crew 2
This is a racing game that I finished recently. It is set in a (truncated) open world version of America and let’s you travel to various places in America while taking parts in different race types. You can either race in various events scattered throughout the map or you can drive the open world and explore. They have many U.S. cities (although outside of New York, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake, and maybe Seattle, as well, the smaller cities don’t have any correlation to what they look like in real life. They even have a version of Chattanooga & Nashville (areas where I live/work as Murfreesboro is about a 30 minute drive from Nashville) in the game. Surprisingly, no Atlanta or Boston–two cities that are more populous/well known than Chattanooga or Nashville, but hey, I’ll take it. I finished the game and all the event types and I’ve done every trophy except for two. Unfortuntely, both are multiplayer trophies and depend on getting someone else online to do those two activities with you. I tried over the weekend, but no one wanted to “join” me, so it’ll be a matter of luck to get those now–when the game was “young,” tons of people wanted to do those trophies–now, not so much.
It’s a shame, really, as the game was technically a Christmas gift. I’d really like to get those two trophies to get 100% to show that I really enjoyed the game and my time with it. A mini-rant: game designers–please, please, please STOP putting multiplayer trophies in your games. They work “early” in the game’s life-cycle (sometimes), but are almost always impossible to get without “boosting” or “cheating” in some way later on. Yes, we know you’d like us to do your marketing for you by convincing our friends to buy your game. No, we’re not going to do this (in most cases), so please stop. Also, while you’re at it, please stop with the “Drifting and drift events.” They’re not good in this game and they’re rarely ever good in racing games, in general. Thank you. Mini-rant over.
Outside of the fact that I’ll probably be stuck at 96% completion for the rest of my time with the game, I enjoyed it. I hope they bring out a sequel for the next generation consoles (without multiplayer trophies this time).
Edit: I was able to find a player who wanted to “partner” up and I got one of the two trophies that I needed. So now, I’m currently at 98%. It was super-lucky that the player wanted to partner up — this player just wanted to drive around (which is fine–that’s mostly what I do in this game which is why it has taken me so long to get all the activities done), so I wasn’t able to get the other trophy done — which is to “team up” to do an event, and this player didn’t seem to want to do this. Still, I was happy and surprised to knock out one of these two trophies.
Grade B.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
May 5, 2020
Dental Emergencies in the Time of Covid-19
So, I try whenever possible to not discuss current events and current issues as there are SO many other places and blogs that can handle that — and my mission is “escapism,” so I’m usually trying to go in the opposite direction. I will (briefly) tackle current events as it is relevant to why I didn’t post as much as I hoped last week.
A Tale Of Dentists
In February, I had a sharp tooth pain at night and I went to a “big box” dental place in Murfreesboro the very next morning. They did an “all around” x-ray, but didn’t find anything. The dentist suggested sinus issues as a possibility. I wasn’t really sold on that explanation, but as the pain slowly subsided and I had to focus on the upcoming Conference–I let it slide. However, upon returning from the conference in early March, Covid-19 became an issue about a week later. Not being able to do either eye exams (I’m down to my last pair of contacts) or dental exams (for a 2nd opinion), I was pretty much stuck until the Covid-19 quarantine was over.
A Tale of Woe
However, in mid-April the tooth pain returned for a day. I was able to knock out the pain with over the counter medicine, but I knew that I was going to have to make an appointment soon. However, pretty much every dentist office was closed and not seeing patients due to the virus. So again, I waited. As the US started to discuss opening up and some states (including my own) began to allow partial re-openings, I thought, well I’ll give it a week or two and try again. However, while I was sleeping, and nerve in my face began to throb–there was no pain from either the facial nerve or the tooth, but that cemented my desire to find a dentist. I called around and was able to find one open –made an appointment for Wednesday of last week and went in. They also did an “all around” x-ray, but they found something. Turns out it was one of my Wisdom teeth and made an appointment on Friday. Just before I was born, it was accepted medical practice to pull wisdom teeth for many people (there were even sitcom episodes where kids got to stay home and eat ice-cream as it was just short of a “rite of passage” — but by the time I had grown to that age, that was no longer the standard practice.
A Tale of Tragedy
Now, my family is pretty tough, We don’t usually have pains or aches and the few times we do hurt ourselves, we tend to just “soldier” on unless we’re in obvious bad shape (bleeding or the like). However, my uncle started feeling poorly in Winter and Spring 2000. He felt horrible during the Summer of 2000, and finally went to the hospital in the Fall of 2000. It turns out that he had developed colon cancer. The doctors tried to treat him, but he had waited too late. He passed away 5 days before Christmas of 2000.
A few years later, while I was working on my Master’s Degree in Education, I was helping a fellow student named James who, while being a former educator, couldn’t get his head around the “new” paradigm of computers in the educational field, and so (since I knew computers) teamed up with him to help him on the final project. We’d set a date for him to come talk to me about how to set up a Microsoft Spreadsheet (which was going to be his final project), but that date passed. I emailed him, but didn’t get a response. He missed class and I remembered that he’d told me that he’d been feeling ill, so I thought well, he’s either emailed the professor or he’s going to take an incomplete for the semester and finish over the summer. The professor announced at the end of class toward the end of the semester, that James had passed away. I was stunned. Not just because it an unexpected death, but because it had happened so much like what had happened to my uncle.
A Tale of Caution
I’ve learned to take warning signs seriously. My tooth is gone and everything seems to be back to normal (I hope that it is and that I won’t have any more occurrences). I know I can only speak for myself, but I would encourage anyone who is feeling poorly to go get checked out as soon as possible. From experience, this seems to be the wisest course of action.
Anyway, that is the reason why I didn’t post like I should have last week. My last post was about trying to become more consistent at everything that I do, but even that should take a backseat in the interest of health. At least in my case where I’ve had two clear examples/experiences of the consequences of what may happen should I choose to ignore my health.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
May 4, 2020
Lightsabers: A May the 4th Blog Topic
I don’t usually “celebrate” May 4th, but today I’m just going to do a short blog topic on what is probably my favorite weapon of all time: The Lightsaber. When I saw it in the original Star Wars (Episode 4) , it blew my mind. However, it wasn’t until Empire Strikes Back (Episode 5) that I really understood the power and ferocity of what a lightsaber could truly do. The fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader was something that I play out endlessly.
Toy Lightsabers
I’ve always had a lightsaber. I may have told this story before, but my local amusement park–Lake Winnepesaukah–had a gift shop that sold little knickknacks. One of those was a toy lightsaber. It was two pieces of plastic–a black plastic hilt and a red (or blue or green) plastic blade that was hollowed out so that when you swung it, it produced a whistling sound that–if you swung it hard enough–produced a sound effect not unlike that of the uncanny roar from the movies (if you used your imagination enough).
“Real” Lightsabers
Over the past few years, there’s been a cottage industry to build “real” lightsabers. Not the ones that are actual “lasers” mind you, but adult versions of lightsabers in which the hilt is metallic and the blade is some sort of PVC that is both light and durable. Most of the companies making the sabers are small businesses that create the blades for show, for competition, or for stunt-work. The prices can vary, anywhere from 75 to 500 hundred dollars (US) at the time of this entry, depending on the company and quality.
I Want One
In case there’s any doubt, I want one of these new generation “real” lightsabers. I don’t back Kickstarters as rule–my experience has taught me that I only have luck with products that have been released and reviewed, so I missed my chance to own the lightsaber that I really want–a Flowsaber. It is one of the “stunt” sabers that are out there that allow people to learn how to do lightsaber “stunts” with their saber. They offer a “balanced” lightsaber to help with those stunts, but they are currently in a 2nd kickstarter mode and have not offered “Gen 2” for sale. It is also probably on the expensive side (it is about 200-250 dollars US from what I remember for the Gen 1 versions).
There are other sabers out there, ones that look and feel much more like a real lightsaber, hilt that mimics the original designs from the movies, lighted PVC blades, and integrated sound effects chips embedded in the hilt. There are a couple of companies that make these, and of these two only Ultrasabers produces an affordable set ($75-125 US dollars).
I don’t have a lot of discretionary income (well pretty much none), but I think that my goal for the next year. To earn enough from my writing (and other endeavors) to get a good lightsaber.
May the 4th (and Force) Be With You!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
April 28, 2020
Living Slow and Methodical in a Quick and Impatient Culture
If I was a superhero, my code-name would either be “The Tortoise,” or perhaps, “Mr. Methodical.” That is something that the quarantine period of 2020 has reinforced in my mind, and I saw another example of it yesterday. My problem is, either I forget these lessons or I’m forced out of them by situations beyond my control. Modern life in general, but American life, in particular, puts a prize on being quick and being good. It even puts a prize on being quick and average or even substandard. About the only thing American culture doesn’t like is being quick and bad (especially, obviously bad). Pretty much anything else goes, so long as it’s quick.
Living Life in the Slow & Methodical Lane
What brought this insight on? Well, one of the fences that I share with a neighbor is overgrown. As she is older, I usually try to keep it up. I was able to do that to a fair degree while working at the Public Library and I was able to an awesome job clearing it off over the summers during my time as a teacher. However, since I commute now to school on a weekly basis, even during the summers (for summer classes and other obligations), the fence has seen less attention than usual and has been heavily overgrown in the past couple of years.
However, now that quarantine and the “stay-at–home” protocol has been in effect, I’ve almost COMPLETELY cleared the front part of the fence, just by a daily half an hour/hour “clearing” session. No big deal–I just grab my work gloves, assemble my tools (small clippers for the smaller things like vines and the big clippers for thicker, tougher branches), grab some water and my earbuds and go to work. Again, these sessions aren’t long or huge–they’re literally 30 mins -1 hour. And these were done when they’re weren’t a lot of people out around or when it wasn’t raining, and even with these restrictions, I’ve almost finished the front fence and I’m moving to the side yard.
Living Life in the Methodical Lane
Yesterday, another neighbor who has a relative in the lawn care business pulled up outside of her house at 2:30 pm and did an epic stint of yard work until a little before 6 pm. He cut grass, he used the weeder, he used the blower–he basically used every piece of lawn equipment he owned on the back of his “carrier” (and then some).
I can’t do this.
Well, I can, but I’m not successful when I try live my life this way. I need to continuously work in smaller segments over long periods of time rather than two or three (or one) long stint. This is where my strengths lie. I get so much more done at a much higher pace when I use my time to work in smaller work segments over a longer period of time. Yet, I find I’m rarely able to do this in the real world. There are so many pressures (short deadlines, quick turnaround time for assignments, etc.) that I’m often pressed for time and forced into longer stints to make sure that I hit my deadlines on time.
One of the life lessons that this “enforced isolation” as really taught me is that, to the best extent possible, I’m going to have to find ways of making as many tasks (writing, reading, dissertation, job-hunting, novel writing, whatever) into short, clear segments stretched out over a long period of time. While epic sessions may work for others, success is about learning what works for you and then maximizing it to your fullest. I don’t think I’m maximizing my abilities because I’m too caught up following the conventions of what American culture says is the best vs my own clear and natural tendencies.
In other words, yes, it’s going to take me a while to get to some of the things that I want to do, but if I start early enough on them, I will get there and at the high level that I want to achieve. Now it’s all about doing the work consistently and not missing days (or missing as few as possible).
Well, that’s all I have to ramble about today–thanks for listening! Have a great day!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
The Independent (Sci-Fi Short-Story)–
Editing DraftShip of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2“Project Arizona” (Weird Western Story)
Finished: Rough Draft
Next: First Draft
