Sometimes characters die. It's tragic, heartbreaking, and powerfully fulfilling. The term Aristotle put forward is catharsis, a sense of satisfaction and contentment, an emotional cleansing that comes from witnessing tragedy in fiction.
The rest of this post contains spoilers for Marvel's recent superhero movies.
May 16, 2013
May 14, 2013
Commitments
My wife is a big fan of Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew. Watching it with her has made me reflect on commitments and the level of discipline needed to juggle multiple responsibilities. For those who don't know, Secret Street Crew is a show in which Ashley Banjo, the front-man of a popular British street dance crew called Diversity, secretly teaches a group of people to dance. At the end of a month, they surprise their friends and loved ones with a performance.
As an author, I manage a number of different commitments. Day-job, being a new parent, running a weekly game night, running monthly weekend games, looking after two dogs, helping Jen with things around the house, and of course, writing, editing and promotion. It's safe to say I have a pretty full schedule.
But it rarely feels like that. I make sure to manage my time so that I can give each commitment the due attention it deserves and needs.
Often on Secret Street Crew, you see people who take on the training, and miss rehearsals due to other commitments. Often, they declare that responsibilities such as work or family take priority, and they can't let them down.
This is fair, and right. If there are things in your life that take highest priority, then you let other things suffer so that you can give them the time and attention they need.
Of course, this is all a choice. You could as easily choose to sacrifice those things others would hold as more important, or let your attention to them suffer in the short term for a greater reward at the end.
The key here is choice.
No-one forces you to take on challenges that take time away from your other commitments. When faced with the opportunity to try something new, or when forced to take stock of your existing responsibilities, it's your choice to put time towards those activities. And when you over stretch yourself, you end up letting someone down.
Will the people you let down understand that you needed to take time away from them to take care of something else? Probably. Is it okay to have to let someone down once in a while? Of course. There are times it can't be helped. Is it okay to let them down repeatedly? No. That's not fair to them or to you.
Sometimes you can't do all the things you want.
That's the harsh truth of it. If you want to do something in life, it's your responsibility, and yours alone, to make the time for it. If you have children, it's your responsibility to make time for them, to teach them and raise them well. If you have a job, you have to be there on time and put the work in. If you have commitments outside of work and family, it's your job to see to it they get what they need from you.
And if you can't manage that, and regularly find yourself letting people down or stressed out over demands on your time, then something has to go. Cut out those things that you find yourself putting off or missing most often. Consider that you might be holding on to these things out of habit or a sense of obligation (despite the fact that in most cases, you'd be better fulfilling that obligation by stepping back and letting those people carry on without you). Human beings are amazing, but our ability to spread our attention is limited. Odds are good, and I speak from experience, that the more you try to hold onto, the more likely you are to resent those responsibilities you keep trying to shirk, and the happier you're likely to feel once you shed some of them.
People will understand if you can't meet your commitments, but I think people have a responsibility to ensure that they don't take on more than they can handle. Of course you'll never really know what you can handle until you push past your limits, so it's important to make a mistake every now and again.
As an author, I manage a number of different commitments. Day-job, being a new parent, running a weekly game night, running monthly weekend games, looking after two dogs, helping Jen with things around the house, and of course, writing, editing and promotion. It's safe to say I have a pretty full schedule.
But it rarely feels like that. I make sure to manage my time so that I can give each commitment the due attention it deserves and needs.
Often on Secret Street Crew, you see people who take on the training, and miss rehearsals due to other commitments. Often, they declare that responsibilities such as work or family take priority, and they can't let them down.
This is fair, and right. If there are things in your life that take highest priority, then you let other things suffer so that you can give them the time and attention they need.
Of course, this is all a choice. You could as easily choose to sacrifice those things others would hold as more important, or let your attention to them suffer in the short term for a greater reward at the end.
The key here is choice.
No-one forces you to take on challenges that take time away from your other commitments. When faced with the opportunity to try something new, or when forced to take stock of your existing responsibilities, it's your choice to put time towards those activities. And when you over stretch yourself, you end up letting someone down.
Will the people you let down understand that you needed to take time away from them to take care of something else? Probably. Is it okay to have to let someone down once in a while? Of course. There are times it can't be helped. Is it okay to let them down repeatedly? No. That's not fair to them or to you.
Sometimes you can't do all the things you want.
That's the harsh truth of it. If you want to do something in life, it's your responsibility, and yours alone, to make the time for it. If you have children, it's your responsibility to make time for them, to teach them and raise them well. If you have a job, you have to be there on time and put the work in. If you have commitments outside of work and family, it's your job to see to it they get what they need from you.
And if you can't manage that, and regularly find yourself letting people down or stressed out over demands on your time, then something has to go. Cut out those things that you find yourself putting off or missing most often. Consider that you might be holding on to these things out of habit or a sense of obligation (despite the fact that in most cases, you'd be better fulfilling that obligation by stepping back and letting those people carry on without you). Human beings are amazing, but our ability to spread our attention is limited. Odds are good, and I speak from experience, that the more you try to hold onto, the more likely you are to resent those responsibilities you keep trying to shirk, and the happier you're likely to feel once you shed some of them.
People will understand if you can't meet your commitments, but I think people have a responsibility to ensure that they don't take on more than they can handle. Of course you'll never really know what you can handle until you push past your limits, so it's important to make a mistake every now and again.
May 9, 2013
My Little Girls
Taking a break from my normal schedule this week.
Erica and Amy will be 5 months old this weekend. That's so crazy. I still remember how small they were when we brought them home, and now they're so big, cooing and gurgling, giggling and kicking like crazy.
I'm sure all dads feel like this, but when I'm holding them or just watching them observe the huge world all around them, I feel incredible. Invincible. They make me feel like there's nothing in the world I can't accomplish. Like every challenge I'll ever face has already been overcome and I'm just waiting to see how it turns out.
Erica and Amy will be 5 months old this weekend. That's so crazy. I still remember how small they were when we brought them home, and now they're so big, cooing and gurgling, giggling and kicking like crazy.
 |
| Mischievous grin and contented independence |
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| Joyous smiles and eagerness to explore |
May 7, 2013
Long Weekends
Last weekend was a bank holiday in Ireland, so Jen and I indulged ourselves a little.
Went to see Iron Man 3 on Saturday. Good, but I didn't feel it really lived up to the hype. Quite slow, in that there were several scenes where nothing at all happened, at least nothing which couldn't have happened in other scenes to keep the movie snappier. I think it could have been at least half an hour shorter and lost nothing. I still think the second movie is the best of the Iron Man series. As always, it's worth staying until the end of the credits.
On Sunday we had a barbecue with my parents. And on Monday we brought the girls for a walk down along the beach then spent the afternoon playing board games with some friends. It's great that the weather's turned so nice; it means we can get the girls out into some sunshine and fresh air.
I booked next Monday off work, so I have another long weekend coming up. The new Star Trek is out this week, so we might try to see that. And if the weather stays nice, I think a trip to the zoo is in order.
Hope everyone else is enjoying the nice weather!
Went to see Iron Man 3 on Saturday. Good, but I didn't feel it really lived up to the hype. Quite slow, in that there were several scenes where nothing at all happened, at least nothing which couldn't have happened in other scenes to keep the movie snappier. I think it could have been at least half an hour shorter and lost nothing. I still think the second movie is the best of the Iron Man series. As always, it's worth staying until the end of the credits.
On Sunday we had a barbecue with my parents. And on Monday we brought the girls for a walk down along the beach then spent the afternoon playing board games with some friends. It's great that the weather's turned so nice; it means we can get the girls out into some sunshine and fresh air.
I booked next Monday off work, so I have another long weekend coming up. The new Star Trek is out this week, so we might try to see that. And if the weather stays nice, I think a trip to the zoo is in order.
Hope everyone else is enjoying the nice weather!
May 2, 2013
Gaming as a Sounding Board for Authors
I confess. I cheat.
I liberally raid my gaming notes for book ideas. Dorian, one of the antagonists from the Locked Within series, is based on the villain from a Buffy The Vampire Slayer campaign I once ran. In fact, that villain was an intentional prototype for Nathan's enemy.
Authors, or anyone with aspirations to write, can fall victim to the trap of structuring their games in a very linear and forced manner. Many GMs are prone to frustration if their players de-rail their plot by killing and important NPC or taking a different route to achieve their goals. Writers, who get to spend so much of their time in the company of characters who do nothing but obey their every whim, can perhaps be even more prone to it.
But when we let go of that control and accept that being a GM is part of a collaborative process, something wonderful can happen. Not only can we apply our storytelling skills to the adventures and settings we create, but we can test out our ideas on other gamers.
Gamers are notorious for coming up with unexpected solutions to problems and, like many sci-fi and fantasy fans, for picking out plot holes or character inconsistencies. This is doubly so when it's their own characters on the line, and that one little nitpick could mean the difference between success and failure.
Not that I think nitpicking during a game is a good thing. Far from it, I hate when a good game session stalls because one player wants to bring everyone's attention to how radar really works or how ship rigging would get tangled in a scene like the climax from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
But, that drive to understand and make sense of things can be an excellent trial by fire for your ideas. I'm certain, that if a group of gamers all think your story, setting or characters have enough merit to pass by without criticism (or better yet, with praise) then you've got something special on your hands. I still toss new ideas into my games to see how they fly, then re-work them to suit the book. There's a reason why the names of several members of my gaming group can be found on the acknowledgements page of Locked Within!
I liberally raid my gaming notes for book ideas. Dorian, one of the antagonists from the Locked Within series, is based on the villain from a Buffy The Vampire Slayer campaign I once ran. In fact, that villain was an intentional prototype for Nathan's enemy.
Authors, or anyone with aspirations to write, can fall victim to the trap of structuring their games in a very linear and forced manner. Many GMs are prone to frustration if their players de-rail their plot by killing and important NPC or taking a different route to achieve their goals. Writers, who get to spend so much of their time in the company of characters who do nothing but obey their every whim, can perhaps be even more prone to it.
But when we let go of that control and accept that being a GM is part of a collaborative process, something wonderful can happen. Not only can we apply our storytelling skills to the adventures and settings we create, but we can test out our ideas on other gamers.
Gamers are notorious for coming up with unexpected solutions to problems and, like many sci-fi and fantasy fans, for picking out plot holes or character inconsistencies. This is doubly so when it's their own characters on the line, and that one little nitpick could mean the difference between success and failure.
Not that I think nitpicking during a game is a good thing. Far from it, I hate when a good game session stalls because one player wants to bring everyone's attention to how radar really works or how ship rigging would get tangled in a scene like the climax from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
But, that drive to understand and make sense of things can be an excellent trial by fire for your ideas. I'm certain, that if a group of gamers all think your story, setting or characters have enough merit to pass by without criticism (or better yet, with praise) then you've got something special on your hands. I still toss new ideas into my games to see how they fly, then re-work them to suit the book. There's a reason why the names of several members of my gaming group can be found on the acknowledgements page of Locked Within!
Apr 30, 2013
Book Promotion
Last year I kind of left myself a little short on time to prepare for the release of Locked Within. This year, to help spread the word of Silent Oath's release, I'm looking into my options early. In particular, two of the most prominent and widely-accessible promotion tools I'll have at my disposal:
Blog tours and giveaways.
I hadn't realised that there are companies who will organise large-scale blog tours for you! Having read about my fellow WiDo author Jadie Jones' experiences, I decided to do some investigating of my own into places that would specialise in such promotion work for urban fantasy. I'm pleased to say I've found a place I want to use and I'll be contacting them to make arrangements as soon as I have my release date.
Prices do vary, from as little as $35 for a single-day's promotion, to a couple of hundred dollars for longer ones. That said, I've seen a few that are charging in the region of $500 to arrange fewer blog stops and less additional promotion than others who will charge a fraction of that for a much more comprehensive and specialised package. It definitely pays to shop around.
In addition to a professionally-managed blog tour, I'm going to of course be arranging one of my own among any of my followers who are willing to have me.
I'll also be holding my first ever Goodreads giveaway for signed copies of the new book. This should be interesting, as I've never held a giveaway before and I don't know quite what to expect.
There'll also be my usual run of posts related to Silent Oath, especially closer to the launch.
If you're interested in helping out, in any way, with the promotion for Silent Oath, please let me know!
Apr 25, 2013
Theme Songs for Games
Just as I listen to music while I write, I use background music during the games I run. I've been known to spend hours going through my music collection to assemble the perfect playlist for a game before it starts.
Tonight we're starting a new campaign with the Dresden Files Roleplaying Game. In it, the players will all be on the run from the White Council's Wardens (magic cops, for those unfamiliar with the series), due to a violation of the Laws of Magic that they've either been directly blamed for, or are considered accomplices in for helping the lawbreakers evade the Wardens.
We're all taking a lot of inspiration from the tv show Supernatural, and it looks set to be a grim trek across America for the group as they try to track down the real lawbreakers. They'll have to keep one step ahead of the Wardens as they help people with their supernatural problems along the way.
Given the hopeless, "on our own" nature of the game, I figured this would make an appropriate theme song:
Do any of you use music in your games? Have you ever chosen a particular theme song to play at the start of each session, to help people get focused and in the mood?
Tonight we're starting a new campaign with the Dresden Files Roleplaying Game. In it, the players will all be on the run from the White Council's Wardens (magic cops, for those unfamiliar with the series), due to a violation of the Laws of Magic that they've either been directly blamed for, or are considered accomplices in for helping the lawbreakers evade the Wardens.
We're all taking a lot of inspiration from the tv show Supernatural, and it looks set to be a grim trek across America for the group as they try to track down the real lawbreakers. They'll have to keep one step ahead of the Wardens as they help people with their supernatural problems along the way.
Given the hopeless, "on our own" nature of the game, I figured this would make an appropriate theme song:
Do any of you use music in your games? Have you ever chosen a particular theme song to play at the start of each session, to help people get focused and in the mood?
Apr 23, 2013
Fear of Endings
It's strange to think that I've completed main edits on my second novel, and I'm well into writing the first draft of my third. I still remember writing Locked Within, and the sheer openness to Nathan's story. At first I had no idea how the story was going to go in later books, but as time went on I became more and more certain of what would happen to Nathan Shepherd and his friends.
I find myself nervous when I work on the third book. As a reader or movie/tv viewer, I am incredibly picky about how stories end. I know what I like and I've had a number of series disappoint me in the past. My biggest fear is that by the time the third book is out my readers will have their own expectations and I'll let them down. I suppose it feels weird to be thinking about how the series ends when people have only read the first book, but needs must, and if Book 3 is going to be released on schedule, I have to get the bulk of the work done early.
I'm pulling out all the stops with this one. Where Locked Within is Nathan's introduction and metaphorical rebirth into his life as New York's guardian, Silent Oath reveals more of his past and the stakes at hand. It's a brutal, hard-fought battle that leaves Nathan scarred in more ways than one. Hopefully, it will leave readers eager to read more.
The things I have planned give me goosebumps. I'm incredibly excited by Nathan's adventures and the moments that I've written and have yet to write. My biggest wish is that everyone feels the same way when they read them.
It's not just the responsibility I feel to give everyone a story they'll enjoy, but also the awareness that once I finish the third book, that's it. The end. Endings have always made me sad, but I hope that the sadness I feel will be bittersweet. Of course, this is harder to deal with because I'm currently two books ahead of my readers. I can't afford to get caught up in the emotion of the end when no-one else even knows what happens in the second book.
The ride isn't over yet, and I still have a lot of work to do to get the story told. So I need to keep my head in the game. Locked Within was the best start for my writing career I could have hoped for. Silent Oath is set to continue things. It's a stronger book, I believe. Certainly stronger than the original draft I sent to my publisher. I'm really looking forward to sharing more about Silent Oath as we get closer to a release date.
If you haven't read Locked Within yet, check it out so you're all set for Silent Oath.
I find myself nervous when I work on the third book. As a reader or movie/tv viewer, I am incredibly picky about how stories end. I know what I like and I've had a number of series disappoint me in the past. My biggest fear is that by the time the third book is out my readers will have their own expectations and I'll let them down. I suppose it feels weird to be thinking about how the series ends when people have only read the first book, but needs must, and if Book 3 is going to be released on schedule, I have to get the bulk of the work done early.
I'm pulling out all the stops with this one. Where Locked Within is Nathan's introduction and metaphorical rebirth into his life as New York's guardian, Silent Oath reveals more of his past and the stakes at hand. It's a brutal, hard-fought battle that leaves Nathan scarred in more ways than one. Hopefully, it will leave readers eager to read more.
The things I have planned give me goosebumps. I'm incredibly excited by Nathan's adventures and the moments that I've written and have yet to write. My biggest wish is that everyone feels the same way when they read them.
It's not just the responsibility I feel to give everyone a story they'll enjoy, but also the awareness that once I finish the third book, that's it. The end. Endings have always made me sad, but I hope that the sadness I feel will be bittersweet. Of course, this is harder to deal with because I'm currently two books ahead of my readers. I can't afford to get caught up in the emotion of the end when no-one else even knows what happens in the second book.
The ride isn't over yet, and I still have a lot of work to do to get the story told. So I need to keep my head in the game. Locked Within was the best start for my writing career I could have hoped for. Silent Oath is set to continue things. It's a stronger book, I believe. Certainly stronger than the original draft I sent to my publisher. I'm really looking forward to sharing more about Silent Oath as we get closer to a release date.
If you haven't read Locked Within yet, check it out so you're all set for Silent Oath.
Apr 18, 2013
Gaming in a Licensed Setting
There's a whole section of the gaming industry devoted to games based on established properties such as movies, books and tv shows. I think it's fantastic, because not only do gamers get to jump straight into playing in their favourite worlds without trying to adapt another system, but it also draws newcomers to the hobby who are fans of the property in question.
One of the earliest properties to be licensed for a roleplaying game, and still one of the more popular ones today, was Star Wars. Originally published by West End Games, there have been four different versions of the roleplaying game produced over the years and my time running Star Wars campaigns have given me some of my fondest gaming memories. To this day, I hold that my most successful campaign ever was a two and a half year Star Wars game which spanned from shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star to the years following the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic.
Ghostbusters, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, DC comics, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, even video games like Streetfighter and World of Warcraft have had tabletop roleplaying games published using their licensed material.
There are pros and cons, of course. While you have an immediate understanding of the setting and what the game is likely to be about, as well as the buzz of playing around in the setting of a favourite tv show, the group must figure out how to address problems like the presence of established characters. Typically this isn't an issue with villians - the players are usually heroes, so going up against Darth Vader or The Joker can be fun. But it can be a problem with heroic characters, who the players might expect to save them if they get in over their head.
Then there's the problem of choosing when in a particular setting's history to set your game. If you set it during the events, will the players' actions clash with the established plot? If you set it before, there's the danger of upsetting the starting status quo of the setting, or invalidating the players' efforts with the knowledge that the real heroes haven't known up yet. If you set it after, then there's the problem of figuring out what might happen next in the world, and the danger that further stories will contradict your own group's adventures.
My preferred method has always been to say that anything in a series or book that happened before the campaign is fact and has happened in our game world, but that everything else after that is fair game. Canon heroes can die, or fail in their task, their duties taken up by the players themselves. I firmly believe in making the players' characters the central heroes of the story, and the setting and metaplot must change to accommodate that.
Right now we're getting ready to start a new campaign using the Dresden Files roleplaying game. Starting in late 1999, before the first book in the series, this campaign will be a cross between Dresden Files, the A-Team, and Supernatural, with the players on the run from the Wardens of the White Council for a crime they didn't commit, travelling America helping those who no-one else will help, and trying to prove their own innocence.
Do any of you have any licensed settings you enjoy? Or do you prefer games with original settings, or coming up with your own from scratch?
One of the earliest properties to be licensed for a roleplaying game, and still one of the more popular ones today, was Star Wars. Originally published by West End Games, there have been four different versions of the roleplaying game produced over the years and my time running Star Wars campaigns have given me some of my fondest gaming memories. To this day, I hold that my most successful campaign ever was a two and a half year Star Wars game which spanned from shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star to the years following the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic.
Ghostbusters, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, DC comics, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, even video games like Streetfighter and World of Warcraft have had tabletop roleplaying games published using their licensed material.
There are pros and cons, of course. While you have an immediate understanding of the setting and what the game is likely to be about, as well as the buzz of playing around in the setting of a favourite tv show, the group must figure out how to address problems like the presence of established characters. Typically this isn't an issue with villians - the players are usually heroes, so going up against Darth Vader or The Joker can be fun. But it can be a problem with heroic characters, who the players might expect to save them if they get in over their head.
Then there's the problem of choosing when in a particular setting's history to set your game. If you set it during the events, will the players' actions clash with the established plot? If you set it before, there's the danger of upsetting the starting status quo of the setting, or invalidating the players' efforts with the knowledge that the real heroes haven't known up yet. If you set it after, then there's the problem of figuring out what might happen next in the world, and the danger that further stories will contradict your own group's adventures.
My preferred method has always been to say that anything in a series or book that happened before the campaign is fact and has happened in our game world, but that everything else after that is fair game. Canon heroes can die, or fail in their task, their duties taken up by the players themselves. I firmly believe in making the players' characters the central heroes of the story, and the setting and metaplot must change to accommodate that.
Right now we're getting ready to start a new campaign using the Dresden Files roleplaying game. Starting in late 1999, before the first book in the series, this campaign will be a cross between Dresden Files, the A-Team, and Supernatural, with the players on the run from the Wardens of the White Council for a crime they didn't commit, travelling America helping those who no-one else will help, and trying to prove their own innocence.
Do any of you have any licensed settings you enjoy? Or do you prefer games with original settings, or coming up with your own from scratch?
Apr 16, 2013
Boston
I had another post all written up for today but I don't really feel like it in light of the events in Boston yesterday.
Like a lot of east coast cities, Boston has a strong historical and cultural connection with Ireland. No doubt there will be a lot of blame tossed around, or will already have been by the time this post goes live. I've never believed in seeking people to blame just for the sake of it, so until anything definite is revealed all I'll say is that this tragedy, and others like it all around the world, bring only pain and serve no greater purpose. The ease with which information spreads in the modern world means we are all connected. What hurts people on the other side of the world hurts all of us, no matter where we are or what we believe in.
My thoughts are with those injured in the explosions, and the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
Like a lot of east coast cities, Boston has a strong historical and cultural connection with Ireland. No doubt there will be a lot of blame tossed around, or will already have been by the time this post goes live. I've never believed in seeking people to blame just for the sake of it, so until anything definite is revealed all I'll say is that this tragedy, and others like it all around the world, bring only pain and serve no greater purpose. The ease with which information spreads in the modern world means we are all connected. What hurts people on the other side of the world hurts all of us, no matter where we are or what we believe in.
My thoughts are with those injured in the explosions, and the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
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