Like butter over too much toast…

Because he said it in the movie...

Well, it’s only day 3 of NaNoWriMo and I feel like I may be stretched a bit this time around. Working a full-time job (which admittedly is not that busy, and affords me some ample writing time…if the muse strikes), taking care of a rambunctious nearly-3-year old boy, and worrying about my daughters and their own problems and obstacles. Not to mention the changes in our personal life as my wife embarks an another incredible journey. And finally, as if that weren’t enough, throw in a dash of Grad School and mix well.

I’m still going to plug away at my book. I may not make 50,000 words by the end of the month, but I will still try (stranger things have happened). But, in the meantime, I have to read Spartans, an historical reference book, by the end of the month and then do an Academic Book Review, as well as the weekly assignments for my two classes. Unfortunately, even though they are History classes, they are more about the study of studying history (a discipline referred to as Historiography). Granted, after these two, it will be more straight up reading about history. Which is the part I like.

In other news, Scott Oden’s Orcs Anthology should be getting a due date for the submissions soon. I’m about 1/3 done with that story. I have a basic plot, some interesting characters, and I’m sure I will get it done. But, there’s still a part of me that dreads deadlines. Even though I work well under them (my prof. gave me a 10/10 on my essay this weekend…one that I wrote and cited five sources for in a single afternoon).

And, not at all surprising, my brain still keeps wandering in and out of different genres. Right now, with my degree focus being in Ancient Cultures, I am once again reminded of the historical novel I started about Agesilaus. I think I’d like to finish that some day. And who knows, maybe it will spur me on to do an academic study of him. I’m also thinking about some offbeat stuff. My friend is developing a campaign setting that he would like to see published as a compatible setting for the Pathfinder RPG. It’s kind of a a blend of Dragonstar and Stargate, with a Steampunk feel. At least that’s the vibe I am getting from his stuff so far.

Some good news on the tech front. I got my computer working again. Turns out it was some corrupted sectors. Running CHKDSK cleared it up, it appears. I still plan on getting a new laptop for me, and making my desktop the “family” computer. But at least now it’s not a priority. I also found the flash drive I thought I had lost last week. I was working around not having it. I couldn’t back all of the files up on an internet site (thankfully, I had backed them up on my work computer just the day before it disappeared), because my work blocks “file sharing” sites. So, I was using Google Docs, which works, but is a little cumbersome, compared to the convenience of a flash drive. Now, that’s a non-issue.

Well, looky there. Another “off-the-cuff” blog post. I’m getting pretty good at these.

Concentrate on what you can control

I sat down to start this blog fighting the temptation to comment on the political upheaval here in Madison, WI. I avoid political discussion wherever possible, at least on a deep level. However, on Facebook, this whole fiasco has cost me a couple of friendships. Mainly because some people don’t understand that just because you CAN say something doesn’t mean you SHOULD say it.

Anyways, in light of that, I have decided to talk about some things that I actually can control.

I got some great news the other day. I was invited to write a story for an anthology! I’m not sure how much I can discuss it, so I will leave it at that. Suffice it to say, I am ecstatic about this opportunity. And nervous. I’ve never had a single piece of fiction published before, so I have that normal fear of “What if I suck?” But, I understand that most, if not all, writers go through this. And not just in the beginning of their careers. In the end, all I can do is write the best story I can, rely on my editor to help me polish it up, and hope that readers enjoy it. The deadline is probably going to be about 12-14 months. I’ve already started the story.

In other fiction news, I’ve decided to enter my Orc Love Story into a fiction contest. Never done that before, so this could be a new experience. Assuming it doesn’t just get turned right down. Either way, I am also exploring other markets for the few other stories I have complete. I figure I need to start getting those rejections out of the way, so I can start getting acceptances.

Being Green (my Orc RPG) has been put on hiatus for the time being, as I am waiting for some much needed outside feedback. I liked where it was going personally, but I need some outside feedback on whether it was actually going anywhere or not, and if I was missing some stops along the way. I’ve only given it out to a couple of people so far, but if anyone else would like to review a copy, let me know. I’d be happy to send you a copy.

I’ve also been asked by a friend for advice and ideas about producing an MMO for mobile devices. Apparently there are already a few of these, so it’s doable. My experience is really only with desktop games, so I’m not 100% sure how much help I can be. But I will give it my best, and hope it’s a success for them.

Speaking of MMOs, I am game-free right now. Well, aside from Warhammer Online, which is free-to-play. But, I have very little invested in that, and really only play it for about 15 minutes before I get bored and turn it off. This is a good thing, as it will allow more time for writing.

And finally, I am changing my school goals. The psychology classes are interesting, but I am struggling with them. I’m also not so sure that I want to follow that path to a career. And my thought is, if I question it, I probably shouldn’t do it. It’s a huge commitment (both in time and money), so I don’t want to finish and then regret doing it. I already kind of feel that way about my Bachelor’s degree. But that one was more about getting the actual degree than it was about what the degree was in. So, I will be dropping my grad school for a few months. I am considering some other options, but I’m not sure yet. We’ll see how that all goes. In the meantime, it reduces my stressors even more. And I really need that right now, I think.