Proudly took pary in Script Frenzy this year, and think it came out well.
If you don't know, it's a challenge where a writer writes a complete feature length screenplay of 100 pages within the 30 days of April. Created an comedy idea, and worked on it dilligently. Quite a bit, in fact. It got to where I was having trouble walking away from the computer.
In the end, 104 page screenplay completed in 6 days. 6 days. I was given 30, done in 6. That gives me enought time to finish a second script before the end of April.
No promises, though.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Mockery
So once again the computer screen stares at me as if in mockery. It's heartless sneer daring me to create prose the likes of which will live on forever, quoted on the mouths of readers for days to come. The process begins, and yet the muse dances to and fro on skates of deception, tempting me, misleading me. She's a harlot, that one, telling me to write when words are none the wiser. And yet I do, and what lays before me? Is it prose the likes of Alexander the Great, or something more akin to the groundhog that hides from it's own shadow? I never know until I begin.
And such is life, a life I willingly choose. This life, these words, this is the path I've chosen for myself. Not an easy path. Certainly more than occupied with cracks and boulders, but I press ever onward. The end result? Unknown. So why bother? Why even ensconce myself if the end of the road is lost in fog?
Because of the journey. The journey itself is why I must live this life. Characters that live and breathe at the precipice of my fingertips all howl at me to venture on, to give them life, to tell them what to say, to place obstacles in their path that they might overcome, all the more rewarding me with their presence. Shouting tiny voices in the back of my mind daring me onward, pleading with me to give them life, to let their stories be known. And for them - and a little for myself - I venture onward into the fog.
Dare I find myself at the end.
And such is life, a life I willingly choose. This life, these words, this is the path I've chosen for myself. Not an easy path. Certainly more than occupied with cracks and boulders, but I press ever onward. The end result? Unknown. So why bother? Why even ensconce myself if the end of the road is lost in fog?
Because of the journey. The journey itself is why I must live this life. Characters that live and breathe at the precipice of my fingertips all howl at me to venture on, to give them life, to tell them what to say, to place obstacles in their path that they might overcome, all the more rewarding me with their presence. Shouting tiny voices in the back of my mind daring me onward, pleading with me to give them life, to let their stories be known. And for them - and a little for myself - I venture onward into the fog.
Dare I find myself at the end.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Why role play
My name's Marker, and I'm a role player.
I've been role playing for, oh, like, well, it will be 20 years this December. It started small, a couple games of that board game Hero Quest, that was out at the time, then a quick foray into Marvel Super Heroes role playing game from TSR, and then....
Well, to be honest, my hobby was already running wild at that point. After Marvel, there came D&D, and then a running cascade of overs including, in no particular order, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "Shadowrun", "Ninjas & Superspies", "Rifts", "Vampire the Masquerade", "Mage the Ascension" and countless others from then on.
And, just as honestly, I wouldn't trade those nights of my life for anything.
Make no mistake, I'm very much aware of the awkward social positions I saved myself from by preferring to find myself lost in realms only my imagination will ever see. I am conscious of the nights I could have spent embibing alcohol, falling all over the floor, attempting to pick up women out of my league, racing cars, running over pedestrians...all those things that naysayers believe is more fun and socially acceptable than role playing games.
But those things were never me. Never. I traded societal norms for a set of polyhedron dice and considered myself the victor. Rather than exorcise brain cells, I chose to exercise my brain cells by fueling my imagination, flooding myself with stories of other lands, taking time becoming people the likes of which I will never get to see. Due to this, I've been a starship captain, a vampire, a wise wizard, a ruthless terrorist, a cunning spy and even a mutant puppy dog with an oversized sledgehammer. What other hobby gives you a boast such as this?
So, yes, I'm a role player, and no, this is not an apology. Rather it's more a plea, not for myself but for you. I know what fun role playing can be, do you? When was the last time you were able to step outside of yourself and ride the skin of another person, living their life, living an adventure in their guise (without mind-altering drugs, of course)?
To those who themselves role play, I say preach the gospel with me, brothers. For those who have never attempted it before, consider what you are missing. The obvious retort is video games; some like to have the story laid out before them in one-sided narrative that forces the player to figure out where the story is and follow it while being bombarded with predesigned images and sounds that command little to no brain activity (it is focused more at stimulating your senses than your intellect, afterall).
With role playing, however, there is a live person facing you detailing the story to you and actively making your character a part of that story. That person will have a predetermined story worked out, but if you take that person off the course they had planned, they can always think on the spot and readjust details to work around your actions. What video game is capable of doing that?
It's also more financially feasible to enjoy role playing games. Video games are averaging about $60 a piece now, and their game time is running shorter (some are taking right around 6 hours of real time to complete, some less). Once the game is beaten, what do you do but go plop another $60 on another game and start the cycle over (unless you opt to sell the game back for store credit; in that case, the amount changes but the end result is the same).
The more expensive role playing games are costing between $50 and $60, yes, but they are good for countless hours of entertainment. A good 6 hour session could be your introduction, and the game itself could last for weeks, months or even a year or more after that. On average, role playing games are costing between $30 and $40, some even less if they are bought online or from independent publishers, some as low as $15 even. And role playing games entertain entire groups at once, not just one player.
So good mental exercise, increases your attention to detail, a character driven narrative, a story teller that can adapt the scene and the story to the actions of your character personally, less damage to the pocket book, a self-adjustable level of realism and fully destroyable backgrounds, along with side quests.
Sounds obvious to me.
I've been role playing for, oh, like, well, it will be 20 years this December. It started small, a couple games of that board game Hero Quest, that was out at the time, then a quick foray into Marvel Super Heroes role playing game from TSR, and then....
Well, to be honest, my hobby was already running wild at that point. After Marvel, there came D&D, and then a running cascade of overs including, in no particular order, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "Shadowrun", "Ninjas & Superspies", "Rifts", "Vampire the Masquerade", "Mage the Ascension" and countless others from then on.
And, just as honestly, I wouldn't trade those nights of my life for anything.
Make no mistake, I'm very much aware of the awkward social positions I saved myself from by preferring to find myself lost in realms only my imagination will ever see. I am conscious of the nights I could have spent embibing alcohol, falling all over the floor, attempting to pick up women out of my league, racing cars, running over pedestrians...all those things that naysayers believe is more fun and socially acceptable than role playing games.
But those things were never me. Never. I traded societal norms for a set of polyhedron dice and considered myself the victor. Rather than exorcise brain cells, I chose to exercise my brain cells by fueling my imagination, flooding myself with stories of other lands, taking time becoming people the likes of which I will never get to see. Due to this, I've been a starship captain, a vampire, a wise wizard, a ruthless terrorist, a cunning spy and even a mutant puppy dog with an oversized sledgehammer. What other hobby gives you a boast such as this?
So, yes, I'm a role player, and no, this is not an apology. Rather it's more a plea, not for myself but for you. I know what fun role playing can be, do you? When was the last time you were able to step outside of yourself and ride the skin of another person, living their life, living an adventure in their guise (without mind-altering drugs, of course)?
To those who themselves role play, I say preach the gospel with me, brothers. For those who have never attempted it before, consider what you are missing. The obvious retort is video games; some like to have the story laid out before them in one-sided narrative that forces the player to figure out where the story is and follow it while being bombarded with predesigned images and sounds that command little to no brain activity (it is focused more at stimulating your senses than your intellect, afterall).
With role playing, however, there is a live person facing you detailing the story to you and actively making your character a part of that story. That person will have a predetermined story worked out, but if you take that person off the course they had planned, they can always think on the spot and readjust details to work around your actions. What video game is capable of doing that?
It's also more financially feasible to enjoy role playing games. Video games are averaging about $60 a piece now, and their game time is running shorter (some are taking right around 6 hours of real time to complete, some less). Once the game is beaten, what do you do but go plop another $60 on another game and start the cycle over (unless you opt to sell the game back for store credit; in that case, the amount changes but the end result is the same).
The more expensive role playing games are costing between $50 and $60, yes, but they are good for countless hours of entertainment. A good 6 hour session could be your introduction, and the game itself could last for weeks, months or even a year or more after that. On average, role playing games are costing between $30 and $40, some even less if they are bought online or from independent publishers, some as low as $15 even. And role playing games entertain entire groups at once, not just one player.
So good mental exercise, increases your attention to detail, a character driven narrative, a story teller that can adapt the scene and the story to the actions of your character personally, less damage to the pocket book, a self-adjustable level of realism and fully destroyable backgrounds, along with side quests.
Sounds obvious to me.
Unsheathe your cell phone
I think cell phones should come with sword attachments.
Not apps, actual sword attachments that slide right over the top of the phone, various models sold to fit your particular type of phone. The blades don't have to be sharp, in fact this would be a highly profitable position for Nerf to look in to.
You've seen this happen many times yourself, and you know you have. One person is sitting in a chair in a public place with phone in hand mentioning some feature or application they have in their phone, and just how much entertainment or informational value they find in said application. Then the second person sits down, takes out their phone and mentions something of equal value in their phone.
And that's just the beginning. Soon, the first person then has to mention some other app that is better then the one they were just shown, which is then countered by the second person with another app, on and on until the apps become more astounding and less sensible.
At this point, enter the swords.
Each person locks eyes on the other, wind blows their hair ever so slightly, newspapers rustle down the street riding the breeze languidly without a care in the world. One person jumps out of their seat with a blade rising out of the top of their phone as the second jumps straight in the air to dodge the first attack, a blade jutting from the top of their phone. They land, eyes locked, sword phones held in their hands with blades pointed down as the breeze stills and the music begins.
Anymore, it's not enough to have a cell phone. Now, a cell phone is less a phone and more a modern reflection of manhood or tech savvy. It's the fire stolen from Prometheus' hand. It's a tool, a companion and a crutch all at once. But it's not the crutch the emergency room gives out, but rather one we seek out ourselves. And since we choose our own crutch here, we of course are going to find one that we think suits us, that screams out our name for all to hear. It's the batsignal in your hand that goes no further than your palm. As such, it becomes a reflection of who we are, the apps being what we each are personally capable of and nothing more, within a certain price range, of course. Should someone have a phone that does something ours does not, well those are fighting words, and you should expect us to act according.
Have at you!
Not apps, actual sword attachments that slide right over the top of the phone, various models sold to fit your particular type of phone. The blades don't have to be sharp, in fact this would be a highly profitable position for Nerf to look in to.
You've seen this happen many times yourself, and you know you have. One person is sitting in a chair in a public place with phone in hand mentioning some feature or application they have in their phone, and just how much entertainment or informational value they find in said application. Then the second person sits down, takes out their phone and mentions something of equal value in their phone.
And that's just the beginning. Soon, the first person then has to mention some other app that is better then the one they were just shown, which is then countered by the second person with another app, on and on until the apps become more astounding and less sensible.
At this point, enter the swords.
Each person locks eyes on the other, wind blows their hair ever so slightly, newspapers rustle down the street riding the breeze languidly without a care in the world. One person jumps out of their seat with a blade rising out of the top of their phone as the second jumps straight in the air to dodge the first attack, a blade jutting from the top of their phone. They land, eyes locked, sword phones held in their hands with blades pointed down as the breeze stills and the music begins.
Anymore, it's not enough to have a cell phone. Now, a cell phone is less a phone and more a modern reflection of manhood or tech savvy. It's the fire stolen from Prometheus' hand. It's a tool, a companion and a crutch all at once. But it's not the crutch the emergency room gives out, but rather one we seek out ourselves. And since we choose our own crutch here, we of course are going to find one that we think suits us, that screams out our name for all to hear. It's the batsignal in your hand that goes no further than your palm. As such, it becomes a reflection of who we are, the apps being what we each are personally capable of and nothing more, within a certain price range, of course. Should someone have a phone that does something ours does not, well those are fighting words, and you should expect us to act according.
Have at you!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Artwork
It shouldnt be THIS hard to find an artist, but such is the problem I have been having. Already approved for publication, but I need artwork. Approved for black and white interior artwork, but that may not be enough anymore. RPGs these days are full color all the way through. This could make finding an artist - or team of artists - that much more difficult. Professional artists, which Im going to have to rely on whether I like it or not, are asking too much for this project. Im guessing publication is delayed again due to this.
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