Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 19
April 8, 2020
Please, and Take It With You
So, trash collection service in my city happens (for my neighborhood) happens on Mondays. I put my trash out as normal this morning, but it was mid afternoon (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm) before the collection occurred, As I had already been outside today in order to 1) get some air and sunlight and 2) do an hour’s worth of yard work, I decided not to go out and put the trash can up immediately. What should have been a personal choice on my part may have serious consequences for me (although I hopefully took enough preventative steps).
Putting Trash in Someone Else’s Trash Can in the Height of a Pandemic???!!!
Forgive me if I’m out of touch, but I looked up between watching the Expanse in the background and writing emails for school, to see a car drive up and begin dumping trash into my can. I put on my shoes and hurried out to confront the person, but they had already driven away by the time I got outdoors. However, in my can was–and I kid you not–multiple used wipes and lollipops that had been unwrapped (and presumably licked by the person’s kids).
In the midst of a pandemic. I’ll let that sink in.
Wipes and used lollipops in the midst of a pandemic. In someone else’s trash can. Unwrapped.
Now, I don’t know about where you live, but throwing trash into any can that isn’t your own or isn’t a public receptacle is considered a rude move. Well, “rude” isn’t the word that I would use as there is another more appropriate four letter word I could use here, but I like to keep my language clean.
What is About the Word “Pandemic” Are People Not Understanding?
Germs don’t magically disappear when thrown into a trash can, especially if that can isn’t your own. This is a Pandemic. One of the reasons why so many people are under stay-at-home orders (which we are here in Chattanooga), is that we are trying to stop or limit the spread of germs. How does putting your trash (which is loose and unbagged, and consists of germ-ladden items) into someone else’s trash limit the spread of germs and diseases?
So what did I do?
After venting loudly–the car was just turning off the street as I got out there–and while they were too far away to get an earful, if they looked in their rear view mirror, I’m sure they got an eyeful (no “rude” gestures, but I made my displeasure clear).
I then dumped the trash out on to the street, grabbed an old broom, and swept it down the street. I washed out the area in front of the street and then put the old broom in the trash. Next week, I’ll wash out the can once the trash is picked up, but I will be sure not (hopefully) doing anything with the can before then, outside of putting my trash in it (carefully).
What happened if my grandmother had still been alive (she would be 100, closing in 101 this year) and that moment of carelessness, rudeness, irresponsibility, and downright dangerous behavior by the unknown individual might well have been enough to kill her. My mother works at a life-care center for the elderly and sometimes pulls the can inside the gate to be helpful–germs might have spread and infected the most vulnerable population.
A pandemic means that you practice respect for each other. Respect is leaving other people’s things alone if they don’t belong to you. In a pandemic, that could mean the difference between life and death. I hope that person learns that lesson–leave other people’s things alone, including trash cans, especially if you are dumping germ-filled items in them.
Social distancing doesn’t mean keep away from each other–it means keep germs from spreading, and this person definitely did not believe that I, or anyone who might come in contact with that can, was worthy of their respect.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 3 (of 3)Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2
April 7, 2020
HawkeMoon Reviews Are In
I was cruising the internet yesterday, trying to see if I could find reviews on my latest published story, HawkeMoon which appeared in Storyhack #4 last year. There are couple of major sites that do short fiction reviews, but to the best of my knowledge (Tangent Online and Locus Magazine), but I guess neither reviewed Storyhack because I didn’t see the magazine listed for either site). However, the issue was reviewed by a couple of places. One, a fellow WordPress blogger and the 2nd was a market that I think I’ve submitted to once before. Both had interesting things to say, so I’ll link to their reviews.
Planetary Defense Command
The first review comes from Planetary Defense Command whose tagline reads: “Defending the planet from bad science fiction.” I’ve not read this blog before, but they do give a short review of Storyhack #4. While I’m not going to post their entire review (which you can read by clicking on the “short review” link in the previous sentence), I am going to repost their review of my story for commentary purposes.
They say: “Hawkemoon by Sidney Blaylock. A strange form of undead, an assassinated king, and animal magic sounds like too much to cram into one story, but it fits together nicely.”
This is a hopeful review for me. I read novels, but I write (at the moment) short-stories. I’m always trying to get a lot accomplished in the 5,000 or so words allotted to me by the short-story format. I do have a lot of elements going on in my stories–because I think of them as mini-novels (or maybe better, proto-novels). I just can’t be as grand in scope with the myriad of plots and subplots as I would like because I don’t have the space to go into that level of detail. I have just enough time to one major plot with a character arc and then I’m pretty much out of space. How can I expand my stories out more so that they can breathe and not feel like I’m putting too much in and making them too busy?
Now, the final statement of the review isn’t a criticism. As long as I can balance all the elements, like I did for this reader, then it will work fine. However, as you can tell from this blog entry, I tend to be quite detailed and meticulous and I often want to imitate the complexities that I read in my favorite authors (Brandon Sanderson, Tad Williams, Elizabeth Moon, and Robert Jordan) in short form where as all of these writers are primarily long form writers.
My goal is to work on my stories to get them to where the reviewer would like to see them turned into novels as he/she does for the last two stories reviewed. That’s ultimately where I’m going anyway, so if the reviewer notes that that story could be the entry chapter in a novel (or expanded out into a novel), then I’ll know that I’m on the right track with getting my stories where I want them to be.
Broadswords and Blasters
The 2nd review is from an online market that I think I’ve submitted a story to in the past called Broadswords and Blasters. No, they didn’t take whatever story I sent them, but I don’t think it was HawkeMoon that was submitted (but I’d have to check my submissions via Duotrope to be sure). They had a much longer review (with criticism) of the issue as a whole, but I’ll just repost my review (again, for commentary purposes).
“HawkeMoon by Sidney Blaylock, Jr. A king has been assassinated, so the captain of the royal guard goes in search of the one master assassin who was responsible… only it turns out she wasn’t the one behind it. This story is memorable for its characters, but even more so for the ultimate villain of the piece, The Scarecrow King.” I wished the setting had been a bit more developed than it was, as it felt very much a cardboard backdrop against which the characters acted, as opposed to a fully developed world. I know, that’s a lot to ask for in a short story, but I still think the overall setting was too roughly sketched, and thus seemed fairly generic for my taste. This story is the cover story for the issue, and I can absolutely see why.”
Okay, so there’s a lot to dig into here. First off, the characters. It is gratifying to here that the reviewer responded to the characters. While I did focus on them, they weren’t completely my focus like with a couple of my stories. Yet, hearing that the characters were the most memorable parts of the story really heartens me and helps me think that when I focus on characterization (& not just the cool visuals/plots happening), I can create a story that is interesting and intriguing to the reader. Now the criticism–the reviewer did not like my world–he/she thought it was too “sketchy” and underdeveloped. It is a fair criticism. I did have a more detailed world in mind, but it didn’t get from my mind on to the page. The world was supposed to be a mix of traditional fantasy lands, kings, knights, guards, but with the beginning of the new (German) renaissance–burghers, merchants, mayors, etc., just beginning to come into play, with an Old Town (more like a medieval village) and a New Town (more like the early modern Germanic towns in which the “Kris Kringle” legend sprang up (without the guns/gunpowder of the period). However, I couldn’t figure out how to work that into the story without a great big exposition info dump. The best I could come up with was having New Town be where the castle and townspeople were located and Old Town being more like a rundown fishing village.
Still, this criticism is both valid and constructive and I can use it. I knew that the world I had in the story seemed generic, but chose to ignore that fact. Now what I plan to do is identify places where I think the story is weak and see if there is a solution that addresses the weakness in some small way to at least alleviate, if not fix, the problem area in the story.
Sure, as writers we’d like to have perfect feedback, but now I’m learning that world building, while not really a weakness, may be a bit sketchy for me as I focus on characters and characterization. It’s something that I know I need to be aware of going forward to make sure my stories are the best they can be and so I can get reviewers to want to say that they’d love to see my stories as novels (or as the beginning chapters) to a novel.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 3 (of 3)Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2
April 6, 2020
Fixing What Isn’t Broken
This will mark my first blog that I’ve published in about 4 weeks. Why? Well, there’s a short answer to that and a long one. The post today will lay out my reasons for the longer answer, but the shorter answer is simple: I fixed what wasn’t broken and now it’s broken. It’s that simple. I don’t mean technology broke, or even society (with the Covid-19 virus and the global Pandemic and subsequent “shut-down” and shelter in place status) going on.
No. I simply mean that I tried to fix my writing process (of which the blog is a part) and I fouled everything up. It has taken this long to untangle myself and work to get back to where writing is an enjoyable process and where I feel that I can create (no matter if it is for work, school, or play).
21st Draft
Yup, that’s right. This is draft number 21 and it (hopefully) will be the first post that I publish in a while. I have 20 other drafts in my drafts folder for this blog that are in various states that I need to either finish or delete since the first of March.
Now to be fair, about 8 or 9 of those pre-dated March 5, when I went to the conference in Boston, but I’ve tried multiple times over the past three weeks to get an entry out, but each time I’d either start it and not finish, or get some of it written, or (in one case) write the whole bleeping thing and then have the computer not save it to the WordPress server.
THIS is why it is so dangerous for me to get out of my routine/comfort zone. Not only do I not produce work that is up to (what I believe) are my standards, but I then go on long unproductive stretches where I can’t complete the things that I need to complete.
EDIT: And this post is an example of this–I started this post last Monday (March 30, 2020) and I’m just now publishing it on April 6, 2020 (assuming WordPress allows me to do so–it will let a draft sit in the compose window for only so long before it stops allowing updating. They really want you to close out the window and let it sit in the “drafts” folder.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
March 9, 2020
A “Scummy” Choice
So, on Friday–actually Sunday morning is when I first saw it–but it was sent on Friday, so that’s what I’m going with . . . so, on Friday, I got a response back from a market that I sent my story to . . . back in September.
Yup, you read that right. A story that I sent to a market back in September of 2019 just sent me a reply as of March 2020.
I just want that to sink in.
Long Response Time Suck!
There’s no other way to articulate it–long response times suck! For those who are wondering, that’s five months and approx. 7 days. How do I know . . . because i have an internal “clock” of sorts that somehow triggers right around the 6 month mark. A week before, my clock had triggered and I went to look up how long it had been.
I’d originally submitted on September 21, 2019 to a Sci-Fi market that I’d never submitted to previously, but seemed to have a fairly high “reputation” as it didn’t have a high “lost/no response” rate and seemed to have a fairly robust rate of submitters along with a open response call for submissions that seemed reasonable. My story fit under the guidelines, so I decided to submit.
Poor choice on my part. I can’t remember whether or not I looked at the length of time for response–I usually do and if I find that response take too long–usually over 90 days is a bad sign, but I often go up to as high as 100-120, then I don’t submit, no matter how lucrative the market or high good of a “fit” my story is as I find markets with long submission times problematic.
Again, I can’t remember if I checked or not (it’s been nearly 6 months after all), but even if I didn’t check, I don’t remember seeing anything in the market listings that raised a red flag.
What’s the Problem with Long Submission Times?
First, it is disrespectful. Your business is a journal/magazine, but you can’t easily fill it with your own staffers (or you can, but may take a hit to your “reputation” if you do), so you solicit material from writers (either actively by sending queries to writers to send their work individually or by opening up your submissions to everyone–either year round or through certain submission periods). However, you “lock” up that story for writers like me who only submit one copy of the story to one market at a time–sequential submissions. Most writers don’t do this anymore for just this reason–the whole idea of the simultaneous submission came about because of this habit of publisher of taking forever to respond to submissions. Digress: I remember in the mid-to-late 80s that the debate over the “ethics” of simultaneous submissions raged quite vociferously with the writers basically winning the practice became standard for most markets so long as the writer immediately informed the market when the story was sold somewhere else and the writer would then withdraw it from consideration.
Second, and back to the point: for writers like me, who don’t do that, then that story is out of circulation for that time period and unavailable for submissions. I estimate that I lost 3-4 chances with other markets in that 5.25 month window that it was out to that 1 market.
So they Accepted It Right–I Mean They Did Take All That Time to Decide
Nope.
A simple form reject of 1 paragraph. Yup, you read that right as well. It took this market 5.25 months to respond to a sub 20 page story with a “canned” copy and pasted paragraph that 1) Thanked me for the submission, 2) Said they could not use it at this time.
Will I be submitting to this market in the future. Unfortunately, no. They have joined my list of publishers that I will no longer send submissions to in the future. While not particularly large (sub 10 at the moment), it is a list made up of 1) a market who gives feedback, but does so in a condescending way that once remarked upon my education rather than my story, 2) a market that responds quickly–too quickly in fact, usually a day and under, I think the longest time out for a story was a glacial 2 days–and NEVER once has responded with ANYTHING positive about any of the stories that I sent, and 3) 4-5 markets that have submission times approaching or over the 180 day mark. One that I used to LOVE submitting to is on that list as the last time I checked it had an incredible 495 day response period. Yup, and as you and I both know 360 = 1 year and 360
Had this market gave substantial and substantive feedback, then I might have felt the long wait justified, but having lost multiple chances at publication for the story only to receive no feedback whatsoever makes me feel like I was robbed and that I made a “scummy” choice in submitting my story to them.
Newscasters love ending their stories with cliches, so I will do so as well: “Once bitten, twice shy.”
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
A "Scummy" Choice
So, on Friday–actually Sunday morning is when I first saw it–but it was sent on Friday, so that’s what I’m going with . . . so, on Friday, I got a response back from a market that I sent my story to . . . back in September.
Yup, you read that right. A story that I sent to a market back in September of 2019 just sent me a reply as of March 2020.
I just want that to sink in.
Long Response Time Suck!
There’s no other way to articulate it–long response times suck! For those who are wondering, that’s five months and approx. 7 days. How do I know . . . because i have an internal “clock” of sorts that somehow triggers right around the 6 month mark. A week before, my clock had triggered and I went to look up how long it had been.
I’d originally submitted on September 21, 2020 to a Sci-Fi market that I’d never submitted to previously, but seemed to have a fairly high “reputation” as it didn’t have a high “lost/no response” rate and seemed to have a fairly robust rate of submitters along with a open response call for submissions that seemed reasonable. My story fit under the guidelines, so I decided to submit.
Poor choice on my part. I can’t remember whether or not I looked at the length of time for response–I usually do and if I find that response take too long–usually over 90 days is a bad sign, but I often go up to as high as 100-120, then I don’t submit, no matter how lucrative the market or high good of a “fit” my story is as I find markets with long submission times problematic.
Again, I can’t remember if I checked or not (it’s been nearly 6 months after all), but even if I didn’t check, I don’t remember seeing anything in the market listings that raised a red flag.
What’s the Problem with Long Submission Times?
First, it is disrespectful. Your business is a journal/magazine, but you can’t easily fill it with your own staffers (or you can, but may take a hit to your “reputation” if you do), so you solicit material from writers (either actively by sending queries to writers to send their work individually or by opening up your submissions to everyone–either year round or through certain submission periods). However, you “lock” up that story for writers like me who only submit one copy of the story to one market at a time–sequential submissions. Most writers don’t do this anymore for just this reason–the whole idea of the simultaneous submission came about because of this habit of publisher of taking forever to respond to submissions. Digress: I remember in the mid-to-late 80s that the debate over the “ethics” of simultaneous submissions raged quite vociferously with the writers basically winning the practice became standard for most markets so long as the writer immediately informed the market when the story was sold somewhere else and the writer would then withdraw it from consideration.
Second, and back to the point: for writers like me, who don’t do that, then that story is out of circulation for that time period and unavailable for submissions. I estimate that I lost 3-4 chances with other markets in that 5.25 month window that it was out to that 1 market.
So they Accepted It Right–I Mean They Did Take All That Time to Decide
Nope.
A simple form reject of 1 paragraph. Yup, you read that right as well. It took this market 5.25 months to respond to a sub 20 page story with a “canned” copy and pasted paragraph that 1) Thanked me for the submission, 2) Said they could not use it at this time.
Will I be submitting to this market in the future. Unfortunately, no. They have joined my list of publishers that I will no longer send submissions to in the future. While not particularly large (sub 10 at the moment), it is a list made up of 1) a market who gives feedback, but does so in a condescending way that once remarked upon my education rather than my story, 2) a market that responds quickly–too quickly in fact, usually a day and under, I think the longest time out for a story was a glacial 2 days–and NEVER once has responded with ANYTHING positive about any of the stories that I sent, and 3) 4-5 markets that have submission times approaching or over the 180 day mark. One that I used to LOVE submitting to is on that list as the last time I checked it had an incredible 495 day response period. Yup, and as you and I both know 360 = 1 year and 360
Had this market gave substantial and substantive feedback, then I might have felt the long wait justified, but having lost multiple chances at publication for the story only to receive no feedback whatsoever makes me feel like I was robbed and that I made a “scummy” choice in submitting my story to them.
Newscasters love ending their stories with cliches, so I will do so as well: “Once bitten, twice shy.”
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
March 5, 2020
Sorry For Not Posting
Sorry that I haven’t been posting on a more regular basis. I have been working on catching up with my students’ grading and preparing for my final conference. My students had to receive their mid-term grades by Friday, March 6, so I needed to make sure that I had all my grades finished by this time. I also wanted to make sure that I filled out the paperwork for MTSU for reimbursement for the conference. Now, normally, I don’t do that, but since this is my first major (regional) conference where I’m going to be flying and staying in a hotel, I wanted to make sure that I was able to get everything done correctly.
I Have a Post That I’m Working On
So, I am in the middle of a post that I’m working on, so even after this one posts, there will be another one either by the end of the week, or at the beginning of next week. I’ve never watched Batman Begins nor The Dark Knight, even though I’m 1) a comic book fan and 2) I like Heath Ledger. There are many reasons as to why I’ve never seen these two movies–more than I probably need to go into at the moment, but these have been on an off streaming for the past couple of years. They are scheduled to go off Netflix by the end of this month at the time of writing. While they’ll probably be back, I decided to jump in and watch The Dark Knight (mostly for Heath Ledger’s performance) before it went away (and because of the looks I got from two of my GTA friends who I (shouldn’t) have told that I’d never seen those two movies.) Also, as I am a film student, I suppose that I should see it as it is one of the seminal movies, but (spoilers) I new that I wouldn’t like it because of the subject matter, so I decided to wait–but the time is now, I think. I’ve seen 2 hours of the movie, but since it is 2.5 hours long, I still have a half an hour to go, so I wanted to wait and finish the movie before finalizing my post on it.
Spring Break Next Week
Next week is Spring Break, so hopefully, I’ll be able to work on a few more entries and get them posted. I have tons of material ready to write up (book reviews, movie reviews, video games, computer stuff, even a couple of “household” successes, but the problem is finding time to get it written up. I’ve changed my writing style to try to find a more convenient time to actually write creatively and its worked. I try to write just after breakfast and my shower before I leave for whatever task I have that day. There’s a period of about 20 mins or so that I have daily that I’m using to write. The problem is, even though I only have one class to teach, I’m finding that it is draining all my time and energy throughout the week. So, I’m having to take a lot more time–time that normally I’d devote to getting blog out (at least every other day or so). Still, since I’m 750-800 words into what should be the “final” draft of The Independent, I’ll just have to keep marching along this way until its done.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
February 25, 2020
Tennessee Philological Association Conference 2020
Sorry for not posting, but these past few weeks have been a lot of work between classes and preparing for the various conferences that I’m attending this semester. I just finished the first of 3 conferences that I’m going to and I had a blast. I read a paper and was inducted into the association’s membership. This was a really cool conference on a great and friendly campus.
The Lion (and Panther) That Roared: The Mythical Interlinkages between The Lion King and Black Panther
Over Summer 2019, I took a Children’s Film class with Dr. Hixon and this paper is one that I wrote as the final paper for the class. We watched The Lion King in class and I was struck by some of the mythic elements that appeared in both films: the mythology of ancestors who “return” from the dead to help their progeny, the way that Judeo-Christian myth is linked between the films (Scar and Killmonger as the “betrayer/usurper”), and how race, particularly in Africa, can be viewed through the lens each film. My paper dealt with these subjects and showed how two seemingly disparate films can be linked together through the use of myth.
Still Nervous
One of the things that I still struggle with is that I still get too nervous when I’m reading to a crowd, especially when I know that scholars with PhDs already are listening. Luckily, the TPA is a really nice group of scholars, so I think I need to practice more in order to assauge my nervousness. I practice writing by doing very different things in my writing (blogs, short stories, scripts), but I don’t often practice reading my work before reading it in front of a crowd and I think that I need to do that in order to get my nervousness under control.
An Introvert and a Scholar
So, I just finished booking my flight to my 2nd conference of the year and I have to say that I’m feeling just as much trepidation for this next conference as I did for the TPA Conference. As an introvert, it is VERY hard to do new things and meet new people when all you want to do is be wrapped up in your own thoughts, words, books, media (games, videos, what have you). Being an introvert and a scholar is (what I’d imagine) it would be like to be an introvert and an actor–often physically painful as you have to put yourself on display constantly in order to do the profession when every fiber of your being is saying, no, I want to be alone with my thoughts. Yes, I have things to teach, but to push myself out into new situations and meet new people is (at best) hard, (at worst) painful. However, I have to say that the fine people at the TPA make it at least bearable in that they are a friendly and welcoming bunch, so it isn’t as hard to put oneself out there. I just hope this second (much larger conference) is also a friendly bunch–with flying and finding a hotel for the very first time, I really hope to see scholars who can at least take pity on a neophyte scholar who is most definitely out of his element.
Fingers crossed.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
February 16, 2020
The Problem with DLC (Downloadable Content)
For me, most (not all) additional Downloadable Content (DLC) for games that either adds on to the story or expands the game in some way just isn’t worth the purchase price. The value of it isn’t there. Usually, less than the cost of the base game, many developers skimp on either content or game design (sometimes both) as (rarely) the full team is invested in created this additional content. Akin to the Dr. Who “Minisodes,” these DLC packs are often much less than a full episode (game) in terms of characterization, missions, and overall structure of the game.
Assassin’s Creed II
I first noticed this problem in Assassin’s Creed II (AC 2) when I bought the “Missing Missions” for this pack. The conceit of the game is that you were learning about your ancestors life through the Animus, a machine that allowed you to relive the life of Ezio (your ancestor) and to play various “missions” around his life. Now all of these missions led you to the final chapter of the game–except, the game designers removed (or “scrambled” to keep with the game’s fiction) two or three missions and you had to purchase them later in order to play through them. I loved the game, so I didn’t wait until later, but bought them immediately and played through them during the course of my game–to simulate me going through ALL the missions without having to skip missions that had been “scrambled.”
Big mistake! These missions were some of the grindiest, unfun missions in the AC universe. From what I remember, one mission was super combat focused, but the other mission–oh boy, the other mission was a stealth mission that had a “no-spot” rule, meaning that if the guards spotted you, the mission was automatically failed. This was not how it was in the base game, nor was it a part of the AC universe until then. There was only one preferred way of completing the mission–where, up until this point, it had been up to the player’s discretion–sneak, do combat, or do a combination of both. In fact, these “grindy” play mechanics made their way into future AC games which helped to deteriorate subsequent games in the series’s popularity with customers and long-time fans. I almost stopped playing because of how unfun those DLC missions were, but I preservered and managed to earn the Platinum Trophy for the game–but I still remember those missions as the only thing (outside of collecting all those feathers) as negative experience in the game.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
This brings me AC Origins. The two DLCs were on sale for a fraction of the price recently, and–despite my better judgement, I went ahead and pulled the trigger and I’m playing through them now. I actually finished the first one, but I”m working on the second one as we speak. Have they gotten any better? In a word, no.
They do manage to keep the core mechanics of the original game, so that’s pretty nice. No game breaking design choices that are different from what happens in the base game. There’s more consistency between the base game and the DLC. No, my issue is with the story and the pacing of the new content. Most importantly, these are short–sure, I’m mostly focusing on the “main” story line and a couple of “side” missions here and there, but I’ve already beaten the game and Platinumed it–I don’t feel the need to do everything in the DLCs anymore as I’ve already done it all in the base game. However, the price I paid feels about right for the content and I would have felt “ripped off” had I purchased it for the original asking price. One thing they do is make the game more “vertical” meaning that you have to do more climbing (which takes longer than running or taking a mount) to get around. This extends (pads) the gameplay time, so that you think you’re getting more value. Secondly, they tamper with the narrative of the main game–instead of introducing new unique characters that are as inventive as they are in the main game, they (in the first DLC at least) change the outcome for a fairly important character in the base game. Not a fan.
Mass Effect 2
So, I’ve given two examples of games not getting DLC right, but Mass Effect 2 is the rare exception to that rule. The content for that game felt like it had been developed in conjunction with the original game (and while some might look askance at that–put it in the base game!), as long as it doesn’t change the tone of gameplay or seek to rewrite base story elements, I’m personally fine with it. However, even this content, as good as it was, still had flaws. I triggered the “penultimate” mission before doing the DLC and so, because I wanted to completely “wrap” up the game, I went and did the DLC first, not realizing that if you didn’t do the “final” mission right after triggering the “penultimate” mission, then you lost the ability to save certain “non-essential” members of your crew. This had never been an issue before–as long as you completed the missions correctly and had enough Paragon/Renegade points to settle “important” characters’ disputes, then the game did not penalize you for waiting to do a mission. And, not only did the game penalize you in this case, it also offered no “warning” that doing the DLC mission would affect how the “final” mission played out. So, even here, we see that DLCs have downsides. And I won’t even talk about the “crappy” DLCs for Mass Effect 3 or the cancelled planned DLCs for Mass Effect Andromeda.
So, for me, I find that DLCs are rarely worth it in terms of value–especially at full price. I only buy extra content now when it is massively discounted, but even then, I find that I’m often still disappointed in the extra content, rather than being excited about it and getting a chance to play more in my favorite game worlds.
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
February 12, 2020
BioWare is Apparently Redesigning Anthem–and it Couldn’t Come at a Better Time.
So, this blog post was originally going to be about the Oscars–and hopefully, that will still come (although not in any traditional form), but as I was brainstorming what I wanted to say about the Oscars this year that hasn’t already been remarked on, I happened across a small gaming news story that caught my eye. Anthem is set to be overhauled in the future.
Anthem–BioWare’s Black Eye
I’ve made no bones about the fact that I was wary from the very start about Anthem as a game. The reveal of it on Microsoft’s XBox One stage left a sour taste in my mouth from a once avowed “platform agnostic” game publisher (EA). After the game was released, I followed the following PR storm and resulting low review scores on YouTube and in the gaming press. I resolved that I would only pick up Anthem at the sub $10 mark as I feel EA simply no longer cares about its customers. Yes, the game had been in development for quite a while and thanks to a report by game’s journalist, Jason Schreier, we’ve been told that the development of the game was troubled. Yes, I understand that EA is a business and that they need to recupe their investment, but their business is games, not investors, and just like Hollywood, sometimes you have to sink more money into a floundering project unless you want to burn your customers’ goodwill for your future products.
Yes, I Bought Anthem–for a Song
So, yes, I bought Anthem. However, I didn’t lose money as I purchased it from Gamestop for $5. That’s right, Gamestop had bought so many copies and had such a surplus from people not buying the game in the quantities that GS had hoped, that they had to slash the price in order to clear inventory and recoup some investment on the game. I know how retail works, and GS likely purchased the game for approx. half of list price (in bulk quantities, hence the discount–or at least that’s the way it was for books back in the day when I worked at a bookstore). They likely didn’t eat the full $60 price tag, but even at half price, $30 is nothing to sneeze at. Usually stores will discount to around $10 or so to really clear inventory–so to have it at $5 likely means that GS bet big with Anthem (and lost).
Anthem Devs: Get Rid of the Tombs Mission
The reason why the report is timely is that I just stopped playing Anthem over the past weekend. There is a “roadblock” mission (known to the community as the Tombs’ Mission. Effectively, it is a roadblock to throttle player progress through the game since the game actually is much shorter than (apparently) it was designed to be and acts as an artificial barrier impeding progress. I knew the mission was there before I bought it, but I hit it this weekend and after looking at the requirements to complete it, I said, “No, I’m out.” I will NOT pick up the game again to play until that mission is gone (or heavily modified in some way so that it doesn’t throttle progression). I play games for FUN. If you can’t be bothered to design a game that is fun (for whatever the reason, I won’t play it; simple as that). If BioWare wants me to play their game, be invested in their world, and (what they really want) have a chance of selling me on content after I’ve purchased the game, then they have to come up with a compelling game that warrants my initial purchase (& any subsequent time and money that I choose to sink into the game).
Companies have to remember: the purchaser is NOT obligated to give you money for your product (or to continue funding that product) just on the publisher’s say so. Nor is the audience of the company its shareholders, but rather its customers.
No customers = no company. I don’t care how many shareholders you have or how much investment you have–if the customer doesn’t buy it, no one’s going to fund you. Right now, it seems like BioWare is headed in the right direction–time will tell, however, if I ever pick up Anthem again. (Psst, BioWare, if anyone is listening/reading, then a good first step would be to get rid of the Tombs’ Mission. Just sayin’.)
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
BioWare is Apparently Redesigning Anthem–and it Couldn't Come at a Better Time.
So, this blog post was originally going to be about the Oscars–and hopefully, that will still come (although not in any traditional form), but as I was brainstorming what I wanted to say about the Oscars this year that hasn’t already been remarked on, I happened across a small gaming news story that caught my eye. Anthem is set to be overhauled in the future.
Anthem–BioWare’s Black Eye
I’ve made no bones about the fact that I was wary from the very start about Anthem as a game. The reveal of it on Microsoft’s XBox One stage left a sour taste in my mouth from a once avowed “platform agnostic” game publisher (EA). After the game was released, I followed the following PR storm and resulting low review scores on YouTube and in the gaming press. I resolved that I would only pick up Anthem at the sub $10 mark as I feel EA simply no longer cares about its customers. Yes, the game had been in development for quite a while and thanks to a report by game’s journalist, Jason Schreier, we’ve been told that the development of the game was troubled. Yes, I understand that EA is a business and that they need to recupe their investment, but their business is games, not investors, and just like Hollywood, sometimes you have to sink more money into a floundering project unless you want to burn your customers’ goodwill for your future products.
Yes, I Bought Anthem–for a Song
So, yes, I bought Anthem. However, I didn’t lose money as I purchased it from Gamestop for $5. That’s right, Gamestop had bought so many copies and had such a surplus from people not buying the game in the quantities that GS had hoped, that they had to slash the price in order to clear inventory and recoup some investment on the game. I know how retail works, and GS likely purchased the game for approx. half of list price (in bulk quantities, hence the discount–or at least that’s the way it was for books back in the day when I worked at a bookstore). They likely didn’t eat the full $60 price tag, but even at half price, $30 is nothing to sneeze at. Usually stores will discount to around $10 or so to really clear inventory–so to have it at $5 likely means that GS bet big with Anthem (and lost).
Anthem Devs: Get Rid of the Tombs Mission
The reason why the report is timely is that I just stopped playing Anthem over the past weekend. There is a “roadblock” mission (known to the community as the Tombs’ Mission. Effectively, it is a roadblock to throttle player progress through the game since the game actually is much shorter than (apparently) it was designed to be and acts as an artificial barrier impeding progress. I knew the mission was there before I bought it, but I hit it this weekend and after looking at the requirements to complete it, I said, “No, I’m out.” I will NOT pick up the game again to play until that mission is gone (or heavily modified in some way so that it doesn’t throttle progression). I play games for FUN. If you can’t be bothered to design a game that is fun (for whatever the reason, I won’t play it; simple as that). If BioWare wants me to play their game, be invested in their world, and (what they really want) have a chance of selling me on content after I’ve purchased the game, then they have to come up with a compelling game that warrants my initial purchase (& any subsequent time and money that I choose to sink into the game).
Companies have to remember: the purchaser is NOT obligated to give you money for your product (or to continue funding that product) just on the publisher’s say so. Nor is the audience of the company its shareholders, but rather its customers.
No customers = no company. I don’t care how many shareholders you have or how much investment you have–if the customer doesn’t buy it, no one’s going to fund you. Right now, it seems like BioWare is headed in the right direction–time will tell, however, if I ever pick up Anthem again. (Psst, BioWare, if anyone is listening/reading, then a good first step would be to get rid of the Tombs’ Mission. Just sayin’.)
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)–
3rd Draft of 3 Drafts
Revising Section 1 (of 3)
Deadline = February 29, 2020Project Arizona (Fantasy Short Story–Weird West))
Finished: Story Outline
Next: Character SketchI, Mage (Fantasy Short Story)
Mythic Mag. Deadline = July 31, 2020Ship of Shadows Graphic Novel
Finished: Script, Issue #1
Next: Script, Issue #2Ship of Shadows: Screenplay
Finished: Script Outline (Rough Draft)
Next: Script Outline (1st Draft)
