Limited number of copies of Abney Park’s RPG sold out at #gencon. No surprise. Not really that overly interested in the gameplay, just super curious about it in general.
Artwork developed for the RPG that have been sized for desktops can be found here. They are really cool!
Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro is my favorite place to write. Yeah, sure, lots of people go to bookstores to buy books. Not me, I go there to write books. Just the kind of crazy hoot ‘n nanny that I am all about. The right amount of distraction, endless supply of coffee and snacks combined with some of the nicest folks you will ever meet.
Easter Egg Alert – I have written Next Chapter into the epilogue of the West Wind.
And I finished a scene (3 scenes to a chapter… 1 & 1/3 to go!)
It’s 1 and 2/3 chapters from being done,
we got a MacBook with a full charge,
the family is out of town,
it’s dark…. and I am wearing sunglasses (ok, not really. But I am wearing my writing glasses).
Hit it.
Welcome to those of you who are visiting for the first time through the efforts of my shameless self promotion. I am planning on carpeting Gen Con with “The West Wind” business cards just to bring in more visitors. With that in mind, I am planning a bit of a content blitz starting 8/1 and leading up to Gen Con itself.
What you are likely to see:
So welcome first time visitors, welcome back others that have been here before – lets get out the brass goggles and feed the firebox… it is going to be a fun ride.
I was introduced to a new writers group tonight – some really great folks and a couple of old friends from writing class. I enjoyed attending and hope that I get to spend more time with them in the future.
Quick progress update…. I have 1 & 2/3 chapter to complete the first draft. I have to get it done before heading off to Gen Con next week. Have to keep it under a year!
The West Wind has moved to a new MacBook Air and a fully licensed production version of Scrivener (half off with 2010 NaNoWriMo winner’s coupon!)
I have come full circle. My first computer on which I did my first writing (a robotics lab manual) was an Apple IIe.
Three cheers for Tor.com and their Steampunk Fortnight! Of special interest is the thread on Steampunk Western. I am not sure I consider Weird Weird West and Steampunk Western to be the same – close relatives perhaps. Not going to complain much because the thread made me feel a lot less stupid about wanting to write in this genre. Saddle up and let off some steam!
In the depths of pre-writing in preparation for NaNoWriMo. This is my first go at this so I have been paying a lot more attention to what the other participants are saying about their process. Watching the forums I am seeing two distinct camps developing: the “heavy outliners” and the “wing-it” discovery writers. I suspect that this is nothing more than a reflection of their normal writing process – November is just the time to talk about it in the forums.
For my part, I am doing my best to outline and structure the character arcs. Focusing on each individual character and how they are going to develop through the story. Meshing these together and integrating with the world building is something I am leaving for the last week of October. The outcome, I hope, will be a useful outline that I can then spend the month of November more or less filling in the detailed blanks. Of course: “No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.” (Moltke)
Starting to get geared up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). To “win,” a participant merely need complete a 50,000 word novel during the calendar month of November.
Doing the math…
50,000 words in 30 days is 1,667 words per day. Assuming about 300 words per double spaced, 1 inch margin, 12pt Times New Roman – that’s about 5 and a half pages a day. More, of course, if you like lots of dialogue.
Every day.
Every day for the month of November.
I can’t wait.
Not to go all gushing fanboy here, but I continue to enjoy the Writing Excuses podcast. It has been a tremendous kick-start to learning about writing. Fun and educational – they earned the first spot on my new blogroll.
D.W. Beyer 