tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23373691955688447612024-03-14T10:52:21.272-07:00Aaron RathNovels, humor, and self-inflicted ordeals. My newest book, <i>Scott Stokely: Growing Up Disc Golf</i>, is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/165234201X/">available on Amazon</a>.Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-51301310689745639462020-01-06T08:07:00.000-08:002020-01-07T06:46:07.065-08:00Scott Stokely: Growing Up Disc Golf<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuGCEw9y5sNd9oQeVZ212F_1rilrgh7NSohw3HFeSC9oVFBA6OttXgfpwa_nvkFyqd2ntg31j4_Ij1WhQGp9kDdfAEpXZ2nuYQyef9NV6zcS10vr8SW431xr__DKzCBwzaoWxTnM0sgRP/s1600/stokely-med.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuGCEw9y5sNd9oQeVZ212F_1rilrgh7NSohw3HFeSC9oVFBA6OttXgfpwa_nvkFyqd2ntg31j4_Ij1WhQGp9kDdfAEpXZ2nuYQyef9NV6zcS10vr8SW431xr__DKzCBwzaoWxTnM0sgRP/s1600/stokely-med.png" title="Scott Stokely: Growing Up Disc Golf" /></a> My newest book is out! It's a collaboration with disc golf champion Scott Stokely, writing his memoir of his childhood and years on tour. As of today is is available in both <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/165234201X/" target="_blank">print</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JJ4JBS/" target="_blank">ebook</a> formats.<br /><br />
Before he was a national disc golf champion, Scott Stokely was a
latch-key kid, a troubled teen, an arrogant punk. Before his entry in
the Guinness Book of World Records, he was a black-market dealer, an
addict, a fugitive from justice. Scott would become a devoted teacher, a
dedicated advocate, a team leader, and one of the toughest competitors
in the history of disc golf. But first, he would have to grow up.<br /><br />
The story begins in 1976, when a 7-year-old Scott discovers the world’s
only disc golf course, Oak Grove Park in Pasadena, California. There he
quickly falls in love with the sport and becomes a junior member of the
world’s first disc golf club, the Oak Grove Gophers. Soon he begins to
compete. Over the next 25 turbulent years, the one constant in Scott’s
life will be disc golf, as his career develops from child prodigy into a
decade-long successful professional disc golf tour.<br /><br />
During those years the sport of disc golf will itself come of age, growing from
obscure infancy through adolescent growth pains to respectable
adulthood. See this history through the eyes of a man who lived it,
beginning with the early “Wild West” highlights all the way through its
establishment as a professional sport. Scott’s story covers decades of
stars, legends, and misfits of the Frisbee family, hundreds of
tournaments, and tens of thousands of miles as he tells about his highs
and lows, successes and failures, and every aspect of life on the disc
golf tour.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/165234201X/" target="_blank">Get the print version</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JJ4JBS/" target="_blank">Get the Ebook</a>.</span>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-22017909681508447182019-08-04T07:47:00.001-07:002019-08-04T17:53:58.513-07:00The Final, Definitive Guide to Word Counts for Short Stories, Novellas, Novels, and More<div class="css-901oao r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" id="tweet-text" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">How many words make a novel? It's an age-old question.</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> I have done a seriously ridiculous amount of research and have the definitive answer for how many words in a short story, novella, novel, and everything else.</span></span></div>
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We start where everyone always starts, with Wikipedia. The four-part breakdown is pretty simple. Short story to 7,500 words, novelette to 17,500, novella to 40,000, and beyond that is a novel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Piece of cake, right? But what about flash fiction? Where's that fit? One source suggests anything between 53 and under 1000.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCRHAteglsager76Al2pfdlR7ytg97n8JAgsOE3EDpxz8F1DRHhVEvS9PssIjZpoNV0ANLiqGZwUr_SdShjvJocDuwtRYQW_HMUB6HltLTSWxqltm6Wzn-i5X50T8Bjmt6WKaVLp5ss3W/s1600/word-counts2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="465" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCRHAteglsager76Al2pfdlR7ytg97n8JAgsOE3EDpxz8F1DRHhVEvS9PssIjZpoNV0ANLiqGZwUr_SdShjvJocDuwtRYQW_HMUB6HltLTSWxqltm6Wzn-i5X50T8Bjmt6WKaVLp5ss3W/s320/word-counts2.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But wait, that same source says short stories have at least 3,500 words. Anything between 1,000 and 3,499 has just fallen into a forbidden void. That's dangerous, because nature and writers alike abhor a vacuum.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz6PpMuJdeVQeoQ_rSr1P_W9Z1JT18xnKAS_VPnhAC-QAJJmxUKs5EnFqMH0LQc4EjZOW4brb6Qce9TqJKbT3LbOGwdYys3175LpLvM_sc9N4QLe7vFJGnDsIdeGzGCPcHme6Mj5j-G6V/s1600/word-counts3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="464" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz6PpMuJdeVQeoQ_rSr1P_W9Z1JT18xnKAS_VPnhAC-QAJJmxUKs5EnFqMH0LQc4EjZOW4brb6Qce9TqJKbT3LbOGwdYys3175LpLvM_sc9N4QLe7vFJGnDsIdeGzGCPcHme6Mj5j-G6V/s320/word-counts3.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A second opinion comes to the rescue with a refinement on short stories, separating them into short-short and long-short stories. The short-short is a very awkward name, so I propose we call it the Old Mac Donald (like the farm, with a short-short here, a short-short there, etc.)</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's still some void, but it's small and containable.</span></span><br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A long-short is just as problematic. Using the writer's favorite tool, creative synonyms, we <i>could </i>call it a big short. Big Short? That's a movie! It was a book first, but with all respect to author Michael Lewis the most famous name here is Christian Bale.</span></span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recapping:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxUtWZlqtU3wH1qa4MKVbW4FuLkVAaCKVx686ND3C1P4FlaMksR0i76TqbFdzlql_LKUs9plKR4a3b7AbUctcItv6iLE-2QtiC-6ubipXQJ7xsdNtnEXJs4a7j4kVvTWwFbOkcm9xqjLn/s1600/word-counts4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="465" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxUtWZlqtU3wH1qa4MKVbW4FuLkVAaCKVx686ND3C1P4FlaMksR0i76TqbFdzlql_LKUs9plKR4a3b7AbUctcItv6iLE-2QtiC-6ubipXQJ7xsdNtnEXJs4a7j4kVvTWwFbOkcm9xqjLn/s320/word-counts4.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> We have to add in an important pivot point in the graph. McSweeney's submissions famously said submissions of exactly 742 words used to get accepted to the site as if by magic. That golden rule is, alas, no longer true, but the magic number remains.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi5lzCZzAWk4-0-ZeSpQGEKf2QdPc1GMnglyBmIWYx_-z3QNq4E3-W7aDkUmaXlufC_Dl5lK8LWEphinaFWL9MJg5El_1MsOkctZOgc1zda3-1_uP8YYsfMI8kUUbLlnVuW9ZSTRwhrlB/s1600/word-counts5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="465" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi5lzCZzAWk4-0-ZeSpQGEKf2QdPc1GMnglyBmIWYx_-z3QNq4E3-W7aDkUmaXlufC_Dl5lK8LWEphinaFWL9MJg5El_1MsOkctZOgc1zda3-1_uP8YYsfMI8kUUbLlnVuW9ZSTRwhrlB/s320/word-counts5.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">But that presents a logical problem, with two different lengths both called "flash". We could separate them into microflash and macroflash, but with that perfect Goldilocks zone in the middle, literary history calls out for Mama Bear Flash and Papa Bear Flash. </span>For consistency, we also have to dump the reference to McSweeney's in favor of baby bear (we can't name the just right length after Goldilocks; she's a burglar and a thief).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPgVLbYj5-xmQSaQWLaCHTvPNeAW1cHGbdmqLy1XdlrDKKMvxZ7SvLg3wWIKgNPZq5-aXHoiyQEOkVQdfNmCRJmJCsSu5gYeL9aej6iqr4zkhyphenhyphenmC_XPZpMl60fVXUQk3aCKtPKNzhZ4TU/s1600/word-counts6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="465" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPgVLbYj5-xmQSaQWLaCHTvPNeAW1cHGbdmqLy1XdlrDKKMvxZ7SvLg3wWIKgNPZq5-aXHoiyQEOkVQdfNmCRJmJCsSu5gYeL9aej6iqr4zkhyphenhyphenmC_XPZpMl60fVXUQk3aCKtPKNzhZ4TU/s320/word-counts6.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now we have some problems on the low end. The unsubstantiated story of Hemingway's "For sale: baby shoes, never worn," slots in nicely at six words.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shorter than that and you don't have a story, you have a byline. As for 1-2 words, frankly, you're staring at a screen, trying to figure out how to start. You've got writer's block.</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After 6, we get into a murky area. You've got a couple handfuls of syllables, but you haven't gone very far. Up to, say, 17 words, it's probably just a haiku. It's not a sure thing, but wise gambler takes the best odds.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-welvWHvLb4z2i9SQVU0JO5ncuqCSjXey4WdtYPrEXD8KMZ9syn9iA8S0yJl9HL6OO5snqaLh5epD1dRlNtMqw2htKd8hiKOHRzQbIc6TVbs71UHWJhdhcGE1P6dhXATWmKrJbu2l7Uo/s1600/word-counts7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="108" data-original-width="466" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-welvWHvLb4z2i9SQVU0JO5ncuqCSjXey4WdtYPrEXD8KMZ9syn9iA8S0yJl9HL6OO5snqaLh5epD1dRlNtMqw2htKd8hiKOHRzQbIc6TVbs71UHWJhdhcGE1P6dhXATWmKrJbu2l7Uo/s320/word-counts7.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, we can get to the novel. Hand-waving everything over 40k is far too open-ended. For one thing, 40k is too short for modern times. "Old" novels might fit there, but not new novels. Heh, that's ironic. "Novel" means new. Old novels are "old-new." Who's the expert on old-new things? They Might Be Giants, with the lyric, "Old New York was once New Amsterdam."</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As everyone knows, books are metric. That gives us an important milestone at 100,000+.
And finally, if we've gone past 120,000, we're definitely into fantasy (or rarely sci-fi) epic territory.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are deeper milestones. "Ulysses", at 262,869 words, makes one complete Odyssey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time you've reached 350k, you have clearly (and coincidentally, since this famous author's top 7 longest novels roughly average this length) written the Dickens out of a book.</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we reach the length of "Gone with the Wind" I think it is frankly safe to say we have given a Damn.</span></span><br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beyond that, and I admit I'm getting tired here so I'm going to stop with the fancy naming and just let the titles speak for themselves, there are several clear roadmarks.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cozij5SYbMcrdgZBmaJuqUyFkUw9LXiedzHeNXLcvSpBr1Z8qIeuqVKSwfLcEqyaCGh_jfL7RuwwUwJaBcKlv49c4JMf15iHnqISUQERbywPKXvopdI4GjwUBKUXpsprKizS29q7Wauc/s1600/word-counts9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="467" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cozij5SYbMcrdgZBmaJuqUyFkUw9LXiedzHeNXLcvSpBr1Z8qIeuqVKSwfLcEqyaCGh_jfL7RuwwUwJaBcKlv49c4JMf15iHnqISUQERbywPKXvopdI4GjwUBKUXpsprKizS29q7Wauc/s320/word-counts9.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Two exceptions, because we need more granularity. In a Chabon book, one character is working on a 2,611-page novel, which at 250 words per page sets fine boundary for a "Wonder Boy" of a book.</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then there is a saying, sort of like Gladwell's somewhat debunked 10,000 hour rule that a writer's first million words are practice. Once you hit that, it's go time.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQWvHksp4VyuyXUxKn0HtXUA5xL7xNn-L_R6B8whlLOiBiaN6O2qLgFewUfgfIHVtOY5D9zQAUgzsh3IpduX3WygMTDONpPJ_RMBcbMtuHN3uczfYrobBgx5RzFiN193ZMrQAxO42KfN5/s1600/word-counts10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="70" data-original-width="464" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQWvHksp4VyuyXUxKn0HtXUA5xL7xNn-L_R6B8whlLOiBiaN6O2qLgFewUfgfIHVtOY5D9zQAUgzsh3IpduX3WygMTDONpPJ_RMBcbMtuHN3uczfYrobBgx5RzFiN193ZMrQAxO42KfN5/s320/word-counts10.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In summary, the final, definitive, universal, totally accurate and un-arguable for all time list of how many words does it take to have a short story, novel, or any other kind of non-poetic (except haiku) literary work:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzSOa_H2TlanbdSiUOf73xVFfx3PhILYtRilN-1bzNmCtDrCc7hRnKvevGLVBmOXOFbyviGzO1_aFd6xWLQwzM2jEvMilzSKlDXzI1VKXCWOGS5VTwLSyv_ugo4x_jEmAU_ja2u2xi-nc/s1600/word-counts-definitive.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="466" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzSOa_H2TlanbdSiUOf73xVFfx3PhILYtRilN-1bzNmCtDrCc7hRnKvevGLVBmOXOFbyviGzO1_aFd6xWLQwzM2jEvMilzSKlDXzI1VKXCWOGS5VTwLSyv_ugo4x_jEmAU_ja2u2xi-nc/s320/word-counts-definitive.png" width="280" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Wait, sorry. I have clearly made some mistakes. Kilo is 1000, and Old Mac Donald is 1000. A Kilo-Mac Donald ought to be a million.
Also, I have failed to recognize the squidgy Balette space, where the Bale and the Novelette overlap.
That plus a typo where flash went to 9,999. </span>Still, every system is imperfect. It would be foolish to scrap all this hard work and start over, right?</span></div>
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Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-32457389759768466392019-05-28T10:53:00.005-07:002019-06-04T17:59:12.502-07:00My Inspiration for Writing "The Great American Novel Returns"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwY-fXUgSAIgkcLEhz_n2Hi0d1mKIV6vjUio8jTKrQz86r67JZE4dpUQzSNzwvSndtZRPhKVXiHDPj5Pp9bsmxZI04-SKbSnHtZcyuo4qUdWGoYQqYVsLT6etE3uJ-XnxzSr7sB8YFl59/s1600/The-Great-American-Novel-Returns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwY-fXUgSAIgkcLEhz_n2Hi0d1mKIV6vjUio8jTKrQz86r67JZE4dpUQzSNzwvSndtZRPhKVXiHDPj5Pp9bsmxZI04-SKbSnHtZcyuo4qUdWGoYQqYVsLT6etE3uJ-XnxzSr7sB8YFl59/s400/The-Great-American-Novel-Returns.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Novel-Returns-ebook/dp/B07SJQ1WH8/" target="_blank"><i>The Great American Novel Returns</i></a> exists to celebrate the public domain. Art belongs to the world as a part of our shared culture. For practical business reasons we let the creators hold on to their inventions for a time, but it's a temporary monopoly. Eventually all great stories become part of our collective experience and should be free to re-use, adapt, and build upon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The book is a "mashup," blending an old work with something new. The idea has been around forever. How many myths have been reworked, how many classics retold? Shakespeare, maybe the most-referenced writer from the past, was himself working from stories that were old in his day. But the idea has taken on a life of its own in recent years. Since I first heard about Seth Grahame-Smith's <i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i> I knew I wanted the chance to take an existing work and treat it like a LEGO kit: break it apart and reassemble in a way that featured both old and new.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One problem was I didn't want to tackle the same books everyone else was already tinkering with, so Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and most other writers from before the twentieth century were out. Also, I didn't want to go that far back in time. Weren't there new-old books being freshly put in the public domain? For twenty years—my entire adult life—the answer was no. The last copyright extension, the 1998 "Mickey Mouse Protection Act," created a gap, putting creative access to artistic works on pause for two decades. That ended this year, with a crop of works from 1923 finally entering the public domain in 2019.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Among them was the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas." I couldn't make a book out of that, but I hope for the life of me someone eventually does. Then I found<i> The Great American Novel</i> by William Carlos Williams. I knew little about Williams and nothing about the novel, but I have always loved the half-jesting, half-striving implications of that phrase, and immediately knew that was the one to work with. Williams still inspires many poets, but I think his books, and this one in particular, are mostly forgotten. It deserves to be revisited and recalled as a piece of our history and culture. That is part of what I hope to do by dragging his old words along on a road trip with my new ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How did I do it? The final result contains three roughly equal portions:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One third is text from the original <i>The Great American Novel</i> by Williams. The parts quoted represent maybe half of his original work and are presented with only minor modifications.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another third of the book is a conversation with Williams’s text, adding commentary, playful discussion, and a century’s worth of insight and events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The remaining third is a straightforward story, a road-trip buddy adventure of a car and a computer who set out together to discover America. This part came about because Williams's original satire had hundreds of scenes and talking points, but basically no over-arching story, and the best way I could conceive to make a satire of a satire was to put a story back in, but one that has machines exploring man-made world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Novel-Returns-ebook/dp/B07SJQ1WH8/" target="_blank">available on Amazon</a>. </span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-5603778984507008342018-12-09T10:59:00.000-08:002018-12-09T11:04:02.173-08:00My Year in Writing: Invisible Strides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's the season for annual lists and summaries. Looking at some other authors' "This Year in Writing" posts and threads has me thinking about my own.<br />
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The short version is this: If you were looking for Aaron Rath words in 2018, you would have found nothing, unless you want to count a few hundred Twitter posts. But behind the cloak of invisibility, a lot has been going on.</div>
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I started the year on the third month of a "quick and dirty" project that was supposed to take six weeks, a novelization of Twilight Heroes, a computer game I used to run. I'd spend another six months not making much progress there before starting to understand I needed to rethink the scope and tone of the book. It's on the shelf now behind some other projects, but I think I've slowly come around to understanding what I need to do to finish it. Late 2019 is likely.</div>
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This year I made my first real writer friend, someone to talk to about craft, good books, an accountability partner, and mind-expander. I can't overstate the value of having someone in a similar position and equally obsessed with the hobby to share things with.</div>
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Up until this year, everything I had done has been self-published. It seemed like an adventure, and also fewer hoops to jump through, and I'm frequently a do-it-yourself-er. But a combination of exposure to the writing world on Twitter, stories from my writing buddy, and tidbits gleaned from dozens of writing-related podcasts (Book Fight, Writing Excuses, The Drunken Odyssey, Ditch Diggers, I Should Be Writing, How Authors Work, and several more) all nudged me toward considering the traditional route as well.</div>
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The final push was a challenge from Barrelhouse, putting out a call for "that one unpublishable thing you really love." I figured, what harm could there be in sending something I knew was unpublishable and having it rejected. So I created a Submittable account, dredged up an unfinished Joycean homage from 1998, figured out how to actually finish the thing and sent it out. My first ever submission to a real publication, more than 30 years after I'd decided I wanted to "be a writer." It was fun and painless, so I sent more.</div>
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Naturally, I got my first rejection. Several of them. Because that's how it works. A low success rate is to be expected, and maybe it took me a few decades to come to terms with it--I'm still resistant to fetishizing the rejection process the way many seem to--but it felt normal. But I did write several new short stories.</div>
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I also got my first acceptance! A short story sent to a literary journal. I haven't talked about it yet because I'm not sure when I'm supposed to. It seems like mostly that happens on publication, and I'm still waiting for that part. I don't know what to expect there, either, but I'm being patient and hopeful, because it seems like patience is a huge part of the print world.</div>
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Most of the summer and fall went to a new project, a novella-length mashup adaptation of <i>The Great American Novel</i>, by William Carlos Williams. That book will be entering the public domain in January, part of the first batch of books in roughly 20 years, since they passed the last copyright extension. I've always wanted to do an adaptation of an old work, and this one grabbed me from the title. It nearly lost me again afterward because the book itself is difficult and experimental, but I found a way to tackle it. I'm deep in revisions now, and also waiting for 2019 when I'm free to make use of Williams's old words. It should be out by spring at the latest.</div>
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Finally I've been asked to ghost write the memoir of an old friend. We're about halfway through with that project. It's going well and is on pace for a mid-summer release.</div>
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In summary, one and a half books, a literary journal acceptance, a friend, and massive shifts in my world view. All of it invisible on the outside, of course, but it feels like one I'll be pointing back to for decades to come.</div>
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Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-75867649806372584612018-10-07T09:24:00.001-07:002018-10-07T09:39:19.157-07:00Fear and Loathing and NaNoWriMo<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 24px;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> as seen through the eyes of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i>. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sincerest apologies to Hunter S. Thompson. Originally written in 2002, so some of the references are a little dated:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were somewhere around five thousand words on the edge of a real breakthrough when the triple latte began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe I should switch to decaf ..." And suddenly there was this terrible roar inside my skull and the screen in front of me was full of what looked like plot penguins, sliding and cawing and hopping around the page, which was scrolling about a hundred miles an hour towards some insane but obscurely satisfying goal. And a voice was murmuring: "My God! Am I already reduced to using these animals?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then it was quiet again. My brother had taken his fuzzy Kangol hat off for the tenth time and was wringing it in his hands, to facilitate the creative process. "What the hell are you going on about?" he muttered, staring unceasingly at his own screen with eyes bloodshot and framed by gold-rimmed glasses. "Never mind," I said. "It's your turn to make the next drink." I hit command-S and aimed a copy of the Great American Novel toward my backup zip drive. No point mentioning those penguins, I thought. The poor bastard will need them soon enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was almost the twentieth, and we still had more than forty-five thousand words to go. They would be tough words. Very soon, I knew, we would both be completely twisted. But there was no going back, and no time to rest. We would have to ride it out. Wordcount verification for National Novel Writing Month 2003 was already underway, and we had to make it there by the thirtieth to claim our winner's graphic. A crazy website in California had taken care of the reservations, along with this clamshell-shaped orange iMac we'd just borrowed off a generous stranger in the Bay Area ... and I was, after all, an aspiring novelist; so I had an obligation to finish the project, for good or ill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My brother and I had pooled $100 in cash, most of which was already spent on extremely dangerous chemicals. The table in front of us looked like the smart bar at a rave. We had two cartons of V8, seventy-five pellets of vitamin C, five bags of fun-sized candy bars, a canister half-full of presweetened Kool-Aid, a whole galaxy of multi-colored tea bags, coffee types, crackers, chips ... and also a bottle of tequila, a bottle of vodka, a case of Old Style, a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans and two dozen pixie sticks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this had been rounded up the night before, in a frenzy of high-speed shopping all over Fort Collins--from Safeway to Aggie Liquors, we picked up everything we could get our hands on. Not that we needed all that for the project, but once you get locked into a serious snack collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only thing that really worried me were the espresso beans. There is nothing in the world more twitchy and incoherent and depraved than an author in the depths of an espresso bean binge. And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon. Probably at the next chapter break. We had sampled almost everything else, and now--yes, it was time for a large handful of beans. And then do the next thousand words in a horrible, jittery sort of spastic trance. The only way to keep productive on espresso beans is to balance it with a lot of alcohol--not all at once, but steadily, just enough to ease the muscular flow as your mind fires ninety miles an hour through half a dozen plot twists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Man, this is the way to write," said my brother. He leaned over to turn the volume up on the stereo, humming with the rhythm section and kind of moaning the words: "Yeah I'll search the world over for my angel in black. Yeah, I'll search the world over for a Eurotrash Girl."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Angel in black? You poor fool! Just wait till you see those goddamn plot ninjas. I could barely hear my brother's music ... slumped over in my lounge chair, head phones strapped to my head turned all the way up on "Sunday, Bloody Sunday." That was the only MP3 my borrowed laptop had, so I played it constantly, over and over, as a kind of demented counterpoint to the stereo. And also to maintain my rhythm on the keyboard. A constant speed is good for the fingers--and for some reason that seemed important at the time. Indeed. On a project like this one must be careful about finger limberness. Avoid those quick bursts of typing that pull blood away from the brain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My brother noticed the visitor long before I did. "Let's see what this guy wants," he said, and before I could mount any argument he was across the room and this poor neighbor kid was walking up to my computer with a big grin on his face, saying, "Wow, I never saw an orange computer before!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Is that right?" I said. "Well, I guess you're about due, eh?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The kid nodded eagerly as I kept typing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We're on a mission," said my brother. "It's not like anything you've heard of before."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh crap, I thought, he's gonna go into the whole spiel again. "No more of that talk," I said sharply. "Or I'll put hot sauce in your coffee." He grinned, seeming to understand. Luckily, the noise in the room was so awful--between the dishwasher and the stereo and the headphones I'd removed--that the kid three steps away couldn't hear a word we were saying. Or could he?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How long can we maintain? I wondered. How long before one of us starts raving and jabbering at this boy. What will he think then? This same strenuous project was the last known endeavor of Nietzsche before he went mad. Will he make that grim connection when my brother starts screaming about penguins and black-clad ninjas converging on him? If so--well, we'll just have to force-feed him espresso beans. Because it goes without saying that we can't turn him loose unadulterated. We needed plausible deniability in case he tried to report us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goodness! Did I just say that? Or just type it? Was I talking, too? Did they hear me? I glanced over at my brother, but he seemed oblivious--making a mixed drink of tequila and coffee, talking to our neighbor at a thousand words a minute or so. There was no sound from the visitor.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe I'd better have a chat with this boy, I thought. Perhaps if I explain things, he'll understand.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course. I leaned around in the seat and gave him a fine big smile ... admiring the skull logo on his Punisher shirt.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"By the way," I said. "There's one thing you should probably understand."</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He stared at me, not blinking. Was he gritting his teeth?</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Can you hear me?" I yelled.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He nodded.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"That's good," I said. "Because I want you to know that we're participating in NaNoWriMo to complete an American Dream." I smiled. "That's why I borrowed this laptop. It was the only way to do it. Can you grasp that?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He nodded again, but his eyes were nervous.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I want you to have all the background," I said. "Because this is a very strenuous assignment--with overtones of extreme personal punishment ... hell, I forgot all about this coffee; you want some?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He shook his head.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"How about some Old Style with V8 and echinacea drops?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"What?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Never mind. Let's get right to the heart of this thing. You see, about twenty days ago we were sitting in a coffee shop over in Oakland--in the couch section, of course--and we were just sitting there with an extra foamy latte when this tall skinny guy wearing a brown shirt that said NaNoWriMo came up to me and said, "You must have been waiting a long time for this kickoff party."</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I laughed and ripped open a bag of espresso beans that skittered all over the table while I kept talking. "And you know? He was right! I'd been expecting that kickoff, but I didn't know what the mission would be. Do you follow me?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The neighbor's face was a mask of pure angst and bewilderment.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I blundered on: "I want you to understand that this man in the kitchen is my brother! He's not just some dingbat I found on campus. Shit, look at him! He doesn't look like you or me, right? That's because he's from SoCal. I think he's probably a beach bum. But it doesn't matter, does it? Do you have a problem with that?"</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Hell no!" he blurted.</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-48001289059346942222017-10-30T19:11:00.003-07:002017-10-30T19:13:31.789-07:007 Paths to Self-Improvement<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have a featured guest article that posted today about the Seven Axes of
Development (a.k.a. SAD ... no, that needs work) that I used to shape my
recently published Quirkz Handbook with the Really Long Title, called "<a href="https://www.pickthebrain.com/b%E2%80%A6/7-paths-to-self-improvement/" target="_blank">7 Paths to Self-Improvement</a>."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" href="https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/7-paths-to-self-improvement/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Full Article here: https://www.pickthebrain.com/b…/7-paths-to-self-improvement/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-90225202847567134372017-10-01T05:00:00.000-07:002017-10-01T05:00:00.173-07:00"Stranger and Better" Q&A: What Didn't Make the Cut?<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When you write five drafts of a book, like you did with "Stranger and
Better," and also cut 70,000 words from the original version, there must
be a lot of material left behind. What kinds of things didn't make the
cut?</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> A lot of things, obviously. Most of it junk, too. When I'm a little uncertain I tend to ramble, hoping somehow that the volume of my words will fill the space with an adequate uncertainty, and that maybe if I say enough of them, one or two will resonate. I'm terrible about writing a full page, realizing the entire thing is boring and pointless, rewriting it as a paragraph, and then recognizing that what I really need to do is delete that and replace it with a single sentence. This is particularly bad with openings (setting the scene before getting to the action), or transitions, where I know I need to get from A to C, and to do so I wedge in D-Q, while forgetting entirely about B.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That said, there were other points that I actually liked, but which I took out of the book because they weren't quite pertinent enough, or the shifting nature of the book over five drafts eliminated the point. Examples include:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Simpsons references. Back in 1999 I was <i>really </i>into the Simpsons. They are still a popular item 18 years later, but I didn't feel like I needed to use them anymore to make my own points. The only thing I kept was Polly calling Martin a kwyjibo.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The idea that I would start and end each chapter with two halves of a scene, or two iterations of a quote. It didn't always work very well, and was hard enough to do with 9 mega-chapters. Trying to apply the idea to a revised 40-chapter book seemed terrible.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Physics references. I personally studied physics in college, and it crept in to a lot of Martin's points, such as using a metaphor of billiard balls getting knocked around, and some references to the three-body problem. I had even invented a joke walk that Martin would engage in, called the Martin-step, but while it's something I could demonstrate visually, it didn't make much sense verbally and mostly confused readers.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I used the editorial interference to gloss over or shorten some scenes that had seemed funny, but which ran way too long. (In short, the humor density wasn't high enough, and it wasn't pertinent to the plot.) For example, the original draft had a detailed, mistake-ridden explanation of Martin's first shower, a very euphemism-heavy version of the Great Masturbator scene, and the original "how do you fold your laundry" joke ran about four times as long as the final draft. It wasn't pithy or snappy, so I either chopped it way back or just cut it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Oberlin inside jokes. I put a lot into the first draft, because I was writing for a fellow Obie. But much of it didn't make sense to outsiders, or, as time passed, was even forgotten by my classmates. Points include: the microburst of 1996, "strenuous objections" vs. regular objections, the transition between Starr and Dye as presidents, the fall poster sale, details about graduation requirements, popular local bands like Bippy and Package from Sally, jokes about the mail room, and a lot more.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Martin's desire to be a writer. The first draft had him wanting to get into creative writing, and finding a redemption of sorts by putting together a book while left behind after graduation. I have since been convinced that writers writing about wannabe writers is about as cliche as it gets, and in my years of noveling I'm only going to allow myself one such story, but not yet. So his failure to get into the program, his aggravations and eventual accomplishment, (some of it in a "can I win over Ginevra this way?" fashion), all got dropped. His first adviser, H. Royden Jones, was supposed to be a famous author who was trying to help but accidentally shames Martin badly in a discussion about creative writing interests, much more dramatic than the eventual conversation the two have, but so it goes.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A lot more drugs. There were originally multiple trips, different bonding moments with multiple friends, lots more scenes of strangeness and confusion. But while those were originally written to add in humor and fun, creative impulses, they filled too much of the book. Also, the scene with Mudd as a fractal was the original conclusion - a vision of a multitude of universes, of transcending levels, but also an acid trip. I didn't want the story to be just about the drugs, and I definitely didn't want the primary insights to come from them, so they got pushed into the background, in favor of more intellectual pursuits, like the meaning of life.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play-within-a-play moments. I had an homage to James Joyce in one part, and Ish writing romantic comedy in another place. It seemed like too much material, too much of a diversion, and honestly I kind of groan every time I'm forced to read that sort of thing anyway.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Characters. The original version was aswarm with one-offs, cameos, freshman-vs-senior friends, and more. It might have been realistic, but it was confusing, and most friends didn't get a lot of time on the page. Ish, and Ginevra were always fairly independent, (and Leon, to a lesser extent) but among the other friends, a pool of 7 eventually turned into Polly, Seth, and James. (Poor James. I think I changed his name at least 20 times as more and more roles landed on that one character. That's more than once per year.) The tradeoff is I lost a little sense of transition, because you rarely meet your four best friends on Day 1 and keep them the whole time, but from a narrative standpoint it's a little more cohesive than adding and dropping new characters every semester.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Believe it or not, I really toned down Martin's lust for Ginevra. I would have said two decades ago I was pretty sensitive as to how he wrote about her, but either times have changed, I've grown, or being a father to two girls has shifted my perspective, but looking at the first draft, I feel like he was drooling all over her constantly in a fairly crude manner. At least one reader argued I ought to pump up the final draft a little ("He ought to want the girl more than anything in the world.") and I can see how that's normally part of a modern love story, but in the end I wanted Martin to be more in love with ideas than the girl, and on more than a couple of occasions he shoots himself in the foot because of his love of the truth. Such honesty might mean <i>Stranger and Better</i> will never be a best-seller with movie rights, but it sure as hell knows what it's about.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the original version, when Martin and Ish have their final argument, Martin gives in and Ish finally calls him Dale. I liked that, but in the final draft, Ish is honestly more important than Ginevra to Martin, so he's had his "I need to be true to myself" moment before the final showdown. It hurt me to take it out, but it made more sense that way.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A whole bunch of deliciously crafted lines that were just too off-topic. (I've got enough of those, that may be a separate post.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Ginevra kiss scene was totally different. Originally, Ginevra tells Martin not to say anything, but he can't help but sigh her name, and that triggers a breakdown. Then in the follow-up scene, he hears a phone tick just before it starts ringing (something Oberlin dorm phones actually did), and he has half a second to hate the entire universe (running to a couple of pages) before Brent's call comes through and ruins the rest of the night for him. I intended to keep the moment that way, but in a very rare instance of characters acting up and doing their own thing, (Seriously, I don't believe in the "I want X but my character refuses to cooperate" kind of thing you'll hear a lot of authors say. I would have said I subscribe 100% to the belief the author is in charge. Now I guess it's 99%.) but in this one instance I was trying to tweak Martin's guilt about Antioch, and after I'd tuned that, I could not see anything else but the more comic kiss they engage in.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, this has gotten long enough. I'll definitely save some of those quotes and a final few editorial changes for a later post. </span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-62217197542354218252017-09-24T11:28:00.000-07:002017-09-24T13:57:37.170-07:00Q&A: Generating Plot Points From Painting Titles<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why do the Kim sections have Dali painting titles instead of numbers? Or, is it true you auto-generated an entire relationship based on Dali paintings?</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are a whole series of funny twists and turns here. When I first dreamed up Dale Martin, I wanted a character who was often misunderstood, and decided it needed to be as such a fundamental level he didn't even get to keep his name. (Some of this may be personal projection. Aaron Rath is a pen name; my real name isn't a secret, I just opted not to use it because it confuses people. My first name is a common last name and my last name is a common girl's first name. I'm forever flipped backwards, and into the wrong gender.) I'm honestly confused now why I picked Dale Martin -> Martin Dali, since it's not even a proper spoonerism, which it ought to have been to fit the book's theme.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At that time, I knew nothing about Dali, other than melting clocks from The Persistence of Memory posters. But if there's one thing I'm good for, it's that after latching on to a joke, no matter how offhand, I will then pursue it tenaciously. So I started buying books of Dali collections, and read a couple of biographies, until it became a research project that for a year or so took up more time than I spent actually writing, even though for the most part I didn't even have anything in the book about him, except for an "Any relation to the artist?" running joke, and Ginevra's offhand comments when she first meets Martin.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted to work in more, but didn't really have a place for it, until nearly at the end. One of the last sections I wrote was Martin's relationship with Kim. (In the original version, Kim was concentrated into one chapter, all of it supposed to be a unified theme, rather than mixed in chronologically with the rest of junior year, the way it is now.) I kept putting it off in part because at age 23 I still hadn't had a significant relationship and felt I didn't have much insight into imagining one for Martin, and beyond that I simply didn't have any ideas for how it would rise and fall.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, one day while flipping through one of my Dali books, I noticed the title of one, The Great Masturbator. I laughed to myself, thinking he had a knack for really catchy titles, and thought it might almost make for a great story. Well, why not use it for myself? If there's a great masturbator, obviously that has to be Martin. Why's he masturbating so much? Again, obviously, it's because he's trying to get the relationship started, but something isn't working when it comes to intimacy. Okay, that's a start.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I flipped through the books, writing down all the other titles that I really loved, or that seemed to fit with a relationship, or were attached to images that I liked. I won't list them all, but some of the favorites included:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paranoiac-Critical Solitude</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Couple with Their Heads Full of Clouds</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Unsatisfied Desire - obviously goes with the Great Masturbator</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Wounded Bird</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Metamorphosis of Narcissus</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Autumnal Cannibalism</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sleep</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Swans Reflecting Elephants - a nice reversal of Narcissus</span></span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Persistence of Memory</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those plus a dozen more, all powerful titles. I shuffled them a bit, and started to detect certain themes: desire, struggle, a transformation, a restful peace, then more transition and a wistfulness. If that didn't spell out the full course of a relationship, nothing did. Given that auto-generated structure, actually filling in the details after that went really quickly. It was universally recognized as the strongest chapter of my first draft (and rated as surprisingly realistic, from a number of people who knew I wasn't writing from experience, but who had been there themselves), and in fact when it was over I spent a bunch of time wondering if I'd done it all wrong, because Martin clearly needed to end up with Kim after everything they'd been through. I had to really pump up the subsequent Ginevra chapter to make it convincing why he'd want to pursue her instead.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this was long before I thought up section numbers for the rest of the book. During the rewrite where I added them, I debated for a long time whether I should keep the Dali theme in the Kim section or convert them to numbers, too, and ultimately decided if I dropped the Dali titles I'd be cutting out too much of the original vision. So those stayed with Kim, and then that gave me the leeway to add in</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a few other joke titles (????, the infinity symbol, 3.14159, 2.71828) plus</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the Greek letters on some other sections, but that's a topic for another entry.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">technique isn't uncommon. You could just as easily generate ideas with a deck of tarot cards, or pull slips of paper out of a hat, or throw a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> dart at a grid of ideas. I think I've even seen <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">plot spinners. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using Dali paintings seemed like a way to work in a little tribute and reference to the artist whose name I was borrowing<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-20764441662057403652017-09-21T19:41:00.001-07:002017-09-21T19:48:41.611-07:00“Show, Don’t Tell” Must Die<h1>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">If we could obliterate the commonly used critique, “Show,
don’t tell,” today, it wouldn’t be soon enough. Why?</span></h1>
<h1>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It’s pithy … too
pithy.</span></b></h1>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The phrase is short and sweet, a three-word Band-Aid that
can be applied to many different failings. It may seem useful to have a versatile
phrase which quickly encapsulates the issue and suggests a fix. Problem is, it’s so dense
it tends to require extensive follow-up explanation. I’ve read lengthy articles on the topic, page after page, as a supposedly competent writer tries
to unpack what “show, don’t tell” <i>really</i>
means.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Worse, there’s a great divergence of opinion on that subject.
Some say it’s a call for more detail or vibrancy, as in the apocryphal Chekhov
quote, “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken
glass.” Sometimes it’s a call to make a passive moment more active. Others
suggest the rule really only applies to emotion, where you need to demonstrate realistic
feeling rather than flatly indicate that it’s happening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But if your three words could be indicating any or all of
the above, how is the writer to know? From context, maybe. Or maybe it’s a
vague and lazy panacea, when something more specific would be appropriate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s most often said
to those who understand it least.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Due to lack of experience, beginners are the most prone to
all of the faults listed above. If they knew how to do it better, they would. Delivering a deceptively simple catch-phrase
about showing instead of telling doesn’t really explain the complexities of
what needs to be fixed. It may be fine to nudge an experienced author on
occasion if one of their scenes is flat, but there’s a good chance a new
writer’s whole story suffers from multiple different show-v-tell flaws. Giving
them three words is frankly almost no better than giving them nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s the hammer of
the critique world, and it turns all problems into a nail.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s an expression, if all you have is a hammer, then
every problem starts to look like a nail. “Show, don’t tell,” is likely to be
the first and most common of all criticisms for beginning writers. It
becomes the first tool applied to their work, and then in turn is the first
tool they lob at someone else when they get a chance to critique, repeated ad nauseam until more subtle tools have been learned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By golly, I’m going
to stick someone they way I got stuck.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe I’m venturing too far into psychology here, but I’ve
seen critiques get a little … shall we say competitive? I think there’s a lot
of writers who, when first jabbed by “show, don’t tell,” particularly if it’s
delivered in a snide tone, hold on to that moment and then pay it forward with
a certain amount of vengeful relish. “My drill sergeant pounded it into me, and
now I’m going to pound it into you,” I can almost see in their eyes, hear in
the tone of their voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could be wrong about this one. Maybe I’m just personally lousy
about showing too often, and well-intentioned advisers really needed to hammer
the point home to save me. But I’d swear at least some of the time I could see
the “gotcha!” in their eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What should we do
instead?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stand by my headline. I think the phrase “show, don’t
tell” should die. It would be better for most writers, and especially beginning
ones, to get a much more targeted criticism instead of an inscrutable mantra.
If it’s too passive, tell them it’s too passive. If they’re glossing over
details that would be more interesting if depicted thoroughly, say that. If you
don’t think the emotional content is believable or gripping enough, explain how
it could be more vibrant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides, if the person delivering critique is supposed to be
enough of a writing hot-shot to give advice to anyone else, shouldn’t they be
able to do more than just repeat the same three words over and over? Where’s <i>their</i> originality?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-37129501040746951052017-09-17T13:04:00.000-07:002017-10-11T17:38:48.229-07:00Q&A: What Does Fractal Storytelling Mean?<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is the "fractal storytelling" from your novel <i>Stranger and Better</i> supposed to mean?</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYfZkm_Evg4b87j2xLeIVWQnMwaYH9SqslM4GKVXthG0xwHLWqKL89D8mckiAD6GKyhQATortH1fIu1TtEcedNzhF5F2cKTINN27Uzd6aKzyTgWHPcT1uh464HcQpKN5pYglZdB3iGCBx/s1600/md-spiral2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="557" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYfZkm_Evg4b87j2xLeIVWQnMwaYH9SqslM4GKVXthG0xwHLWqKL89D8mckiAD6GKyhQATortH1fIu1TtEcedNzhF5F2cKTINN27Uzd6aKzyTgWHPcT1uh464HcQpKN5pYglZdB3iGCBx/s200/md-spiral2.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswerText">Short answer: your guess is as good as mine. Heh.<br /><br />Longer
answer: from the beginning, the idea of patterns was laced into the
book. There's "The Pattern" (an acid-induced vision), Ish's Zen rock
garden pattern, metaphorical patterns of Martin's stay at the school,
and a lot more. The ultimate pattern was supposed to be a fractal, a
self-repeating pattern that was particularly popular during the years of
the book (1992-1998, roughly). You could get posters and screen savers,
and it made little appearances in pop culture (though its most famous
moment is probably a lyric in Frozen's "Let it Go").<br /><br />I thought
I'd try to adapt that concept to the narrative itself. My early
interpretation was that the book would often start a scene or idea,
delve into a different scene or series of concepts, and then slowly work
its way back out (in other words, sort of like the Seinfeld backwards
episode, but in two directions). Each chapter would open and close with
two halves of the same scene, and lots of other moments would zoom in or
out between layers - the same way if you're looking at a fractal, you
can zoom in and out, because it repeats itself.<br /><br />Later, I decided
it wasn't working very coherently, so I straightened out the entire
story to be chronological, thinking I needed to look at it in order,
before I could choose how to artfully pull it out of order. Eventually
it seemed that it was better to tell the story mostly chronologically,
and I needed to come up with another way in which a story could be
fractal.<br /><br />My next idea was that certain themes would repeat
themselves. Scenes would parallel each other, sometimes direct repeats,
sometimes mirror images, or occurring in other variations. For instance,
there's one paragraph that appears three times, verbatim, but it comes
as a response to three totally different scenarios, and then triggers
three totally different results. Certain locations are revisited with
different combinations of people, certain conversations are rehashed
with different friends, or in some cases the same point is rehashed with
the same friend, to a different conclusion. There's another scene where
Martin's friend Leon ends up running away from him while standing in a
park; in a much later scene, Martin ends up running away from Leon at
that exact same spot.<br /><br />Originally, briefly, I thought maybe I
could make an entire book out of four themes: drugs, angst, lust, and
competition, which would make up the four sides of the squared-off
spiral that recurs as an image in the book - call it the four walls of
the structure, or the four cardinal directions. Even further, I thought
maybe I could even rotate through them, always in order. Probably
two-thirds of the scenes do cover one of those four elements in some
way, but as a guiding structure for a novel I couldn't make it work.
It's on my wishlist for things to try again when I'm more skilled.<br /><br />I
dropped the four directions/themes idea, but the repeating scenes angle
did make it into the final draft. Still, it didn't seem enough by
itself to make things really "fractal." To add another dimension, I
decided what the book needed was layers of commentary. So there are
points where Martin comments on himself, on his writing, and on the
writing process. But then I've worked in a kind of editorial
train-wreck, where the characters who are supposed to have been
assembling the book for publication start making comments about the
narrative, and in some cases begin to bicker with each other and provide
meta-commentary and meta-meta-commentary on the text. This culminates
with a final layer, mostly revealed in the book's conclusion, which I
won't explain to avoid spoilers. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswerText"> </span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><i>Stranger and Better</i> is available in digital format from Amazon (</span><span class="communityAnswerText"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62" target="_blank"> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62</a> ) and in print from most major online retailers. </span></span></span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-86803020477175396502017-09-11T18:09:00.003-07:002017-09-11T18:09:37.556-07:00'The Eight-Bit Bard' Now on DriveThruFiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgY-iPVbwcFtmrqKt7HGHPxdEOl-rJ1in3x0q9caT3GSl46IWxMqs8z9J87Vwp9MT34FkU9zlZPj9Hx3qcUpzZ1qG3p6fwbY8PhbzUpYOgi-N2XAG7RB51d99eu2t0jZuNkqTj7wqguwA/s1600/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgY-iPVbwcFtmrqKt7HGHPxdEOl-rJ1in3x0q9caT3GSl46IWxMqs8z9J87Vwp9MT34FkU9zlZPj9Hx3qcUpzZ1qG3p6fwbY8PhbzUpYOgi-N2XAG7RB51d99eu2t0jZuNkqTj7wqguwA/s200/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" width="125" /></a></div>
I'm branching out and trying <i>The Eight-Bit Bard</i> on <a href="http://www.drivethrufiction.com/" target="_blank">DriveThruFiction</a>, sister site to <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a>, a place full of role-playing-gamey goodness. It seemed like a great location to try out my fantasy novel, which is full of subtle nods and rich parody of computer role-playing games and role-playing in general.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/218202/The-EightBit-Bard">https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/218202/The-EightBit-Bard</a>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-76776519970001027702017-09-10T06:41:00.000-07:002017-09-10T06:41:32.090-07:00Q&A: The Five Drafts of "Stranger and Better"<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
dedication in <i>Stranger and Better</i> indicates that parts of the novel
are 18 years old. How does that happen, and what changed in the interim?</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswererName"></span>
<span class="communityAnswerText">
I wrote the first draft between 1998 and 2001. It took that long in part
because it was my first effort and I was still learning how, but also
because it was 200,000 words, nearly twice as </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihV2TpQLt_9rk1829e5ua7yvPgPVUVUQDPfBaydSgEQCl8gvKhmAVpHoe7vjn-Rqv81oDG83FzcfYa2UfJPeJGRKOUXw19AALS6qQMWgx6FieSdv_Tz-lNPIIUmQy-6RNy9bpVVjZXWRe/s1600/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihV2TpQLt_9rk1829e5ua7yvPgPVUVUQDPfBaydSgEQCl8gvKhmAVpHoe7vjn-Rqv81oDG83FzcfYa2UfJPeJGRKOUXw19AALS6qQMWgx6FieSdv_Tz-lNPIIUmQy-6RNy9bpVVjZXWRe/s200/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" width="125" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">long as the final project.
Some of that was lack of focus, some of that was inability to condense,
and some of that was my habit of reading 600-page novels and believing
mine needed to match.<br /><br />The original version had only 9 chapters.
They were theme-based rather than chronological, so you'd have a chapter
about Ish, a chapter about Kim, a chapter about Ginevra. All the
subcomponents were mixed up, but that was supposed to be okay because it
was fractal, which in the early version just meant "jumped around a
lot, while folding in on itself." Each chapter began and ended with the
same scene or idea, book-ending the other events. Each chapter also had a
theme (quintaphones, spoonerisms, Dali paintings). Those items are
still in the final product, but more scattered rather than concentrated.
So those ideas broke down a little, but I think it ultimately made
sense, because chronological continuity really helps follow the rest of
the story.<br /><br />The last chapter in particular was problematic. I had
front-loaded a lot of the difficulties and angst that Martin feels, and
the final chapter was supposed to be a combination of acid trip,
flashback, and total re-assessment of his experiences. It was fifty
pages long, two thirds of it in italics for the flashback, and very
jumbled. Also, after a lot of reflection, it just felt dishonest, to
paint a miserable picture and then say, "Oh, by the way, here's all this
other stuff I kept from you." Some of that was supposed to reflect
Martin's mood, so it wasn't so much a total lie as just what he was
focused on, but it still didn't seem right.<br /><br />For most of the next
decade I didn't know what to do with the book. I knew it wasn't polished
enough, but I didn't know how to self-edit. Maybe I still don't (maybe
it's not even really possible), but I started and stopped a couple of
times. Then my brother (who is an editor) gave me notes on the first
chapters, and I started up again. But that still left me 7 chapters
short of a final product.<br /><br />In the meantime I'd been writing other
books, and eventually published <i>Chicagoland</i> in 2013. Working with an
editor on that project taught me a lot about brevity, coherence, and
making sure everything in each scene is actually relevant to something.<br /><br />I
finally decided I wasn't doing "fractal storytelling" right, and
figured the only way to sort it out was to first write the entire book
chronologically, and then figure out how to interleave the sections
meaningfully. So I completely straightened the narrative and cleaned it
up. That was Draft 2.<br /><br />Somewhere around there I realized that
Martin's philosophy major needed to take a more prominent role, and
decided on a quest for the meaning of life as the main thrust of the
book. On top of that, I'd learned to recognize junk scenes and pointless
digressions, letting me cull about 30% of the old book, while adding a
new 25% in meaning of life sections. I did the same thing with a whole
bunch of other scenes that were passive discussions, which were
re-written to be more active. That was Draft 3.<br /><br />Then I read a lot
of Vonnegut one spring, and decided to introduce the concept of
fragments found in a library. That introduced the section numbers and
pulled the story further into pieces. Around this time I also realized
the chronology had problems. I had to make Martin start college a whole
year earlier in order to line up events, and then for pacing and
narrative development about a third of the book shifted order, changing
semesters and years until it all fit again. Thus was Draft 4.<br /><br />Around
there I roped in a couple of test readers, who noted the book still
wasn't coherent enough and started kind of slowly. So I really played up
the meaning of life, took out some more scenes that I liked but could
finally recognize as not useful to the story, and then also re-inserted a
flashback into the first year, so that I could open with an acid trip
rather than letting the book start slowly. That made the fifth and final
draft, and is where I decided to polish, beta-test, and publish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><i>Stranger and Better</i> is available in digital format from Amazon (</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62</span></a> ) and in print from most major online retailers. </span></span></span> </span> </span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-22195641644607445192017-09-08T18:29:00.000-07:002017-09-08T18:29:18.848-07:00Koala's March - A Story of Pocky and Bad Translations<div class="entry-content">
This is not my creation. It’s something from the internet a friend shared with me so long ago it’s not even <em>on</em> the internet anymore. I am doing my job to repost it, because it is in my top ten favorite poems of all time.<br />
<br />
<i>Koala’s march:</i><br />
<i>The flavor of strawberry, of Koala’s march</i><br />
<i>Do you know?</i><br />
<i>In the inside of Koala’s march</i><br />
<i>A part of chocolates tastes of its flavor of strawberry.</i><br />
<i>Eat it,</i><br />
<i>And you taste giant strawberry pocky.</i><br />
<i>Therefore, next time, part 2 (last time)</i><br />
<i>I wish you are looking forward to.</i><br />
<i>I have what it must say to you by all means.</i><br />
<i>The koala’s march, the flavor of strawberry,</i><br />
<i>Is not sold in Hokkaido regrettably.</i><br />
<i>The taste was written last time.</i><br />
<i>But its koala has eyebrow,</i><br />
<i>And you may feel tasteless.</i><br />
<i>Bye.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Interesting addendum: I've loved this poem since about 1998. At the time, I thought the word "pocky" was a mistranslation, or a typo for "pocket" or something. Eventually I learned that pocky is an actual thing. Just this spring, in April 2017, I was in New York City and found pocky on the shelves of a convenience store. I bought some (strawberry, even), and it was delicious. Since then I've also had some chocolate pocky. I'm now a huge fan, both of the food and the poem.</div>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-26431044623363420452017-09-03T12:59:00.005-07:002017-09-03T12:59:43.011-07:00Q&A: The "Stranger and Better" Numbering System<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Most sections of your novel, "Stranger and Better," are numbered. Can you explain the system?</span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihV2TpQLt_9rk1829e5ua7yvPgPVUVUQDPfBaydSgEQCl8gvKhmAVpHoe7vjn-Rqv81oDG83FzcfYa2UfJPeJGRKOUXw19AALS6qQMWgx6FieSdv_Tz-lNPIIUmQy-6RNy9bpVVjZXWRe/s1600/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihV2TpQLt_9rk1829e5ua7yvPgPVUVUQDPfBaydSgEQCl8gvKhmAVpHoe7vjn-Rqv81oDG83FzcfYa2UfJPeJGRKOUXw19AALS6qQMWgx6FieSdv_Tz-lNPIIUmQy-6RNy9bpVVjZXWRe/s200/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" width="125" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span class="communityAnswerText">At one point, I thought the book would
unfold as a mystery, following a librarian character who unlocks a
numeric code and uses that to locate and piece together all the entries.
That eventually proved to be unworkable, partly because I couldn't come
up with a good enough mystery code, and also because I didn't want to
make the book 20,000 words longer, just for the sake of a mystery.<br /><br />The
final implementation of the code was supposed to reinforce the
"fractal" theme - repetitions and iterations, mostly, more easily
depicted and understood with short numbers than in the text. There are a
couple of sections that mirror each other, either with an opening and
closing, or a reversal, and their section numbers are mirror images (427
and 724, 421 and 124, 26 and 62).<br /><br />Many of the remaining section
numbers serve as a shorthand for the content of that scene. You
definitely don't <i>need</i> to know the code to appreciate the text, but I
hoped if someone was following along they'd pick up little hints and
enjoy it on a second level. It's not particularly deep, just a sort of
paint-by-numbers style (3 is Ish, 4 is happiness, etc. - it's more or
less spelled out in some "editor's notes" inside the text).<br /><br />Finally,
we have the jokes. 101, 201, and 301 apply to sections with
introductory, intermediate, and advanced philosophy. The 39 section
mentions Rolling Rock, 151 involves rum, we've got "???" in a section on
forgetfulness, 420 in a marijuana scene, and so on. Occasionally the
number on the heading just matches a number inside the scene (Camel
99s), and on the really subtle side we've got section 413 which is code
for the letters D (4th) and M (13th) in a scene that talks about the
initials DM.<br /><br />Then there's 42. At this point it's a cliche more
than a joke (for those who know Douglas Adams) so I didn't want to play
it up too much, but it appears twice in the book. Once as a header to a
section about the meaning of life. The second is more subtle, but a book
about the meaning of life also needed to have 42 chapters. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><i>Stranger and Better</i> is available in digital format from Amazon (</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="communityAnswerText"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62</span></span></a> ) and in print from most major online retailers. </span></span></span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-19479625658013059432017-08-17T22:01:00.003-07:002017-09-03T13:05:37.547-07:00'Quirkz Handbook' Excerpt: Day 6 - Prune<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today’s goal is to declutter, or
simplify, which is another way of saying, “Get rid of some junk.” I think the
title of today’s exercise, “prune,” is an apt one. (More so if you have old
fruit to throw away.) Pruning is about improving what is left behind by
selectively getting rid of things that shouldn’t be there.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of us have too much junk. Stuff
piles up pretty easily, often unintentionally, although we do live in a society
that puts a lot of value on collecting material things, so in many cases the
pile of excess is all too intentional. But I’m not here to take you on a guilt
trip, nor is my goal to analyze society at large (there aren’t enough days in
the year for that job). The point is to simplify your life, just a little, by
shedding things no longer wanted or needed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A lot of declutter programs get
pretty serious. I’ve heard of one that requires disposing of so many pounds of
stuff before the challenge is over, and another that demands trashing something
every day for a month. Really strict anti-clutter activists may make a policy
of finding something to get rid of before they’re allowed to bring something
new into the house. Don’t worry, I’m not going there. It’s easy enough if
you’re replacing a shirt or coffee mug, but if I had to dump something every
time I bought a new book, I’d have a pile of books and nothing else.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today’s challenge is to spend about
half an hour grabbing some immediately apparent stuff for an easy win. Come to
think of it, “Go for the easy win” would make an awesome tee shirt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some things to consider:</span></span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Old
electronics. It’s easy for this stuff pile up, especially if your state has a
mandatory electronics recycling program. Maybe now is the time?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Old
clothes. (Confession: I realized I have six highly impractical tiers of tee
shirts: 1) shirts I really like and wear any time they’re clean, 2) shirts I go
to when the good ones are used up, 3) special shirts I wear on rare occasions
(a sports jersey, say, or the slightly racy band memento I can’t wear in polite
company), 4) junk shirts suitable for when I’m doing dirty projects like painting,
5) other shirts that I don’t really like or don’t want to wear but I keep in
case the washing machine breaks, I can’t make it to a laundromat, and I’m stuck
like that for three weeks, and 6) a whole stack of shirts, mostly gifts, that I
wish I could wear but they’re the wrong size, so I don’t want to throw them
away even though they’re worthless. Obviously, number 5 and 6 are good
candidates for disposal.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Kitchen
gadgets, appliances, and utensils. Look especially hard at cracked items, sets
with missing pieces, and gifts that you never use.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Furniture.
Maybe there’s a broken piece you haven’t thrown away because You’re Going to
Fix It One of These Days, Really (TM). Maybe it’s unnecessary or in the way,
like the rocking chair we keep in the guest room, even though nobody ever sits
in it, which we have to move every time we get into the closet. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Expired
goods. Medicines; food; dried-up pens, markers, or paints; ancient bathroom or
cleaning supplies; dietary supplements from your last self-improvement program
in 2003; and so on.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unwanted
decorative items. Old posters or pictures, random kitsch that doesn’t represent
you any longer, gifts that you don’t really want. (Right now I’m looking at a
plant that died 6 months ago, but I haven’t fully admitted it because it still
looks green-ish.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Books
or periodicals that you’re not going to read. Be honest with yourself: if
you’ll never get around to reading them, or if you read them once and won’t
ever read them again, why keep them?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Leftovers
from hobbies you’ve discontinued, or half-completed projects you’re unlikely to
get around to finishing. (Alternately, this could be a good reminder to get
serious about finishing the project. Because of this I found something I was
working on for one of the kids that has been languishing for more than a year.
Okay, two years.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If
you have a “junk drawer” (or junk closet, or—God forbid—a whole junk room), go
through that and get rid of anything that isn’t useful, and put the useful
stuff where it belongs.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Kids’
stuff. I don’t mean their belongings (decluttering someone else’s items is
cheating, plus it should be up to them to choose what they don’t need anymore),
but if you have old accessories or equipment (a high chair, old car seats,
toddler-sized camping gear, ten thousand sippy cups in the pantry) those are
the things that can go. Or maybe it’s time to sort through the pile of mementos
and drawings, filing away the good stuff and letting the lesser items go.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That’s just a starter list, but it
should be enough for a first pass. Try to get at least 10 items (use grocery
store express lane item count—a box of a dozen light bulbs for the lamp that
broke three years ago is 1 item, not 12, whereas 3 pairs of pants is 3 things,
and you’ll need advanced calculus to decide how to count the 4 pens and a
broken pencil you pulled out of the junk drawer), but if you haven’t done a
declutter before, I’d bet you can double or triple that pretty easily. If you
like the results, nothing’s stopping you from going further now, making a
regular habit of decluttering (like a monthly pass-over, say), or turning it
into your next project when this is done (more about this on Day 24). Still, if
you hit half an hour or 10 items and want to call it quits, I’d say that’s
mission accomplished.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don’t assume you have to throw away
your stuff. In approximate order of personal utility you might be able to:</span></span></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sell
it (Craigslist, eBay, yard sale).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Give
it directly to someone else who really wants it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Donate
it to someplace that will put it in the hands of someone who wants it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recycle
it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trash
it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Shoot
it into the sun with a doomsday cannon.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just make sure that your plans to
get rid of an item productively (like selling it) work out quickly, so you
don’t end up holding onto it forever.</span></span></div>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-28167699202402474252017-05-24T11:33:00.002-07:002017-09-03T13:05:57.479-07:00'Quirkz Handbook' Excerpt: Introduction<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hello, and welcome to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quirkz
Handbook for a Whole Bunch of Words and Stuff</i>.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Since you’re </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">here and reading this now, I’m going to make two educated
guesses:<br /><br />One, you found the title funny, and now you’re looking inside to
see if the contents are anything like that. You can rest assured that this book
has both many more long sentences, and also probably some jokes somewhere. So,
if you’re amused thus far, please continue. (If you’re not amused, that’s okay,
the program works just fine even for people with no sense of humor. [Or one
that’s different than mine.]) <br /><br />And two, you’re pretty okay. You’re not perfect, but you’ve got
things together, more or less. Sure, some things could be better. Maybe most
things, at least part of the time. But you’re not in a bad place, really. You
could even slack off a bit and still be pretty okay, or at least simply okay.
But maybe life doesn’t quite have the sparkle that you’re looking for, or
things have gone a little flat, and you want to shake things up, keep them
interesting, maybe find another level. You don’t know what it is, but you’re
certain, somewhere deep down, that there could be … well, more.<br /><br />My friend, this book is for you. It assumes you’re like me, and
like a lot of other people I know, or have heard about, in magazines or on the
internet, maybe. You have a good baseline, but you’d like to step it up. A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">little</i>. If it’s fun, and not too hard.
You know, more like a small nudge in the right direction (or directions) so
that you can look back after some arbitrary number of days (Thirty. It’s always
thirty.) and say to yourself, “I did all that? Look how far I’ve come. I spent
less than half an hour a day, and took a couple of days off for bowling league
or date nights or family emergencies or whatever, and I’ve still had some
awesome adventures and now I have this nifty story to tell.” (Have I mentioned
the Day-Off Coupons? This is the only 30-day program in the world that builds
in five vacation days. That’s one of many indicators of our innovation,
brilliance, and reasonability, all designed to help you succeed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally, there’s the fact that spending 30 consecutive days on
something (almost anything, really, but especially intentional improvement) is
a bona fide accomplishment. It is practically guaranteed to feel fantastic at
the end. And who wouldn’t want to feel fantastic and accomplished?</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let me reassure you, this is no joke. If you
spend a month (more or less) pursuing every activity in the book, by the end
you will indeed have several worthwhile stories to tell. You will have
discovered new things about yourself, pulled off things you didn’t expect you
could (probably, unless you have exceptionally high expectations or something,
in which case maybe you should be reading the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quirkz Handbook for Total Badasses Who Don’t Need to Improve at All</i>),
and you will have become something different: not just so-so, not just okay,
but maybe (just maybe) pretty good.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
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<![endif]-->Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-68005664040211021762017-04-19T10:47:00.001-07:002017-04-19T10:52:16.838-07:00'Stranger and Better' - The Origin Story<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Stranger and Better </i>is actually the first novel I wrote, but it's the third that I will publish. How does that happen? Well, I'll tell you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It began with a story a friend wrote. He was someone who I knew from Oberlin, a good friend there who needed some time off and moved back home to Chicago. When I graduated I also ended up in Chicago, and we continued our friendship there. One day he showed me a story that he had written. It was raw, emotional, triumphant, subversive, insane, brilliant, and funny, in equal parts. It dealt with someone trying to find his way after college, but a good chunk of the action occurred as a flashback in college, a college which wasn't Oberlin, but could have been. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Among the things that stood out were an acid trip that goes very weird, a foil of sorts with an unpronounceable name (Athmudx), and a few memorable phrases, including: "you're a wingnut", "blah, blah, blah, and like, whatever, blah, blah, blah", "a stomach full of vinegar and beach sand", and "pizzly little drizzle." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was great, and I enjoyed it tremendously. As an aspiring writer with no demonstrable results to show for my aspirations, I thought I could do worse than to start by trying to match that caliber of story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About that time, my friend returned to Oberlin to finish his degree. I drove out there with him, and during the trip we talked about writing. We shared a love of Vonnegut, and in talking I mentioned one of my own conversational quirks, a tendency to trail off in the middle of a sentence with an "and-" or a "but-", realizing that I'd already said all that needed to be said. "Vonnegut ought to work that in to one of his stories, a running gag or catch phrase," I said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Nah, Vonnegut doesn't need to do it," he said. "<i>You</i> should write that book."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Maybe I will," I said. And I decided then I'd write my own story, and it would be a graduation present for my friend. I placed the story in Oberlin, our shared connection, and I would have a foil with an X in his name (Ixthyaki), and I would use all the catch-phrases. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was December 1998, and I figured four months would be plenty of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roughly 200,000 words later, toward the tail end of 2001, I finished the first draft of what was then called <i>Major Dilemmas</i>. It had everything I intended (except<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the phrase about the drizzle, which somehow I never worked into a novel, despite it being set in Oberlin) and a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know I needed to say until I'd said it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After that I spent months floating it around to friends and family, trying to gather feedback, sort out what needed to be done. I liked it, but I knew it needed work, and I also didn't know what kind of work. So I let it sit while life went in a dozen different directions. A few years later I dusted it off and cleaned it up a bit. An old family friend was kind enough to look it over and provide some feedback, which included maybe polishing up the strongest chapter and shopping that around. Over five years I twiddled with that chapter, again realizing I didn't know what to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I set it aside, wrote first drafts for another three or four other novels, invented a computer game and spent five years managing that, only ever now and then wondering about<i> Major Dilemmas</i>. Finally I wrote a <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">first draft of a book</span> that seemed good enough to publish, so I did. I tried a second novel, more niche but more successful. I meant to do a sequel to the second, but on a road trip I woke up one morning, got in the shower, and by the time I was clean I had plans to completely rewrite <i>Major Dilemmas</i>: this time more fragmented like Vonnegut, with a library mystery as backdrop, and layers of editorial commentary to make it weird. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hree</span> rewrites later--and eighteen years from when I started--and it's finally something I'm content with. As I say in the book's dedication, some of these words are old enough to be an Oberlin College student now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-58093518334287069692017-04-04T19:17:00.001-07:002017-04-15T14:46:14.885-07:00Announcing Book #3: "Stranger and Better"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-pV6os3kmxSJABx1KqkzIeuYwZdmrijZSIawvDTp39ufZtcshu58fTVbL1DkzJA4_lq7dfp7YU8jaVe8f9YoQKnOiQmI1dLSU5A4iAXIGSRkkoKKfl1QdDNmj92-M0SWUYNRAAwMgg3N/s1600/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-pV6os3kmxSJABx1KqkzIeuYwZdmrijZSIawvDTp39ufZtcshu58fTVbL1DkzJA4_lq7dfp7YU8jaVe8f9YoQKnOiQmI1dLSU5A4iAXIGSRkkoKKfl1QdDNmj92-M0SWUYNRAAwMgg3N/s200/sb-cover-200x320.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My third novel, <i>Stranger and Better</i>, is due out later this spring. In the style of <i>Chicagoland</i>, it's a humorous coming-of-age story, set at my alma mater, Oberlin College. It's a quirky search for sex, drugs, and the meaning of life. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The book is now available for pre-order<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in Kindle format. The release date <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is</span> April 21<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t which point both print and electronic versions will be available.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZKVT62 </span> </span></span><br />
<br />Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-91650133191003965342015-07-06T18:53:00.003-07:002015-07-06T18:53:41.827-07:00My First Literary Reivew!<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
"The Eight-Bit Bard" just received its first literary review, from The Midwest Book Review. Right now I'm flip-flopping between being excited just to have a review at all, and being excited because it's universally positive and concludes "Highly recommended!"</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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The full review is here:<br /><a href="http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/jul_15.htm#andy" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/jul_15.htm#andy</a></div>
Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-78595671857010369302015-06-29T18:44:00.001-07:002015-06-29T18:44:30.091-07:00Eight-Bit Bard: Now in Print!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMw6bp8W_tJ63G3yjs15QYkycshG4PorvcCzK80dzfDD0TVTOqCCdyg3z5Aa5c6r0aveANHtv791LX6-JSQ7P3XRPdq20iHL7mI-lwTyzRrZKoMH_4RpYP52ij9NByjFblU2-CZUwT31O/s1600/print-eight-bit-bard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMw6bp8W_tJ63G3yjs15QYkycshG4PorvcCzK80dzfDD0TVTOqCCdyg3z5Aa5c6r0aveANHtv791LX6-JSQ7P3XRPdq20iHL7mI-lwTyzRrZKoMH_4RpYP52ij9NByjFblU2-CZUwT31O/s1600/print-eight-bit-bard.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just got my copies of the print edition of the book, and I'm very happy with the results. It's a <i>real </i>book, in every way that matters. As of today the print versions are available on Amazon for $12.50. It's a little more than I'd like to sell them for, but the costs of print-on-demand require it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If anyone is interested in a signed copy, I can do that, too. However, it would probably cost closer to $20, not because my signature's all that valuable, but because I'd have to get copies shipped here, then pay to re-ship them to you. Still, feel free to contact me if you're interested and I'll figure it out. International copies may turn out to be a bit more--depends entirely on shipping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The process of creating the physical book was easy enough I've also started work on a print version of <i>Chicagoland. </i>It's got more pages and will probably end up a little closer to $15. I'm supposed to get the proofs for that book any minute now (I literally just jumped up and ran outside because I thought I heard the delivery truck, but it was only the neighbor). If all looks good it could be available in just a few days or maybe a week at worst. I'll keep you posted.</span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-25287362190232626262015-06-18T19:30:00.001-07:002015-06-18T19:30:17.041-07:00Print Versions on the Way<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPklvJk20Cj0OJACd_NUztza3QmRCvW8UdBeMXwaQ23ggQvqdktoyZ6CN37uEKHl-06dKLjmkK3CWGh2Hv3HDsKezBDrnP5-A9B00kzbpogVok_eBntDlG7HoC2i0kEDoBs8_uLatYI4Z/s1600/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPklvJk20Cj0OJACd_NUztza3QmRCvW8UdBeMXwaQ23ggQvqdktoyZ6CN37uEKHl-06dKLjmkK3CWGh2Hv3HDsKezBDrnP5-A9B00kzbpogVok_eBntDlG7HoC2i0kEDoBs8_uLatYI4Z/s1600/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm looking into print versions of "The Eight-Bit Bard." I originally had the impression it would be more difficult and extremely expensive (like $20) but it looks like I can hit something closer to $12.50. That's still a bit more than $5 for the eBook, but it may be worth it for some. It's probably going to be a few weeks before I can get my hands on a copy to confirm quality, but let me know if you want to be notified when they're out.</span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-29880535736033726412015-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:002015-06-11T19:53:13.262-07:00"The Eight-Bit Bard" now CRPG Addict Approved<i>The Eight-Bit Bard</i> got a nice mention on the <a href="http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CRPG Addict</a> web site the other day, calling it "engaging and well-written" and giving it a solid recommendation.<br />
<br />
For those who don't know the CRPG Addict, he's sort of an Indiana Jones of the computer role-playing game world, which is to say a blend of historical archaeologist and adventuresome player, with a sense of humor. (I do not know if he wears cool hats, but I hear he has a birthmark in the shape of an Egyptian ankh.) I've been reading his blog (<a href="http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/">http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com</a>), initially for the nostalgia of revisiting favorite games from my own childhood (and, who am I kidding, also my mature adulthood) but I continually return to find out about games I missed. Besides the games themselves there's good discussion in blog and comments about trends, mechanics, game design, tropes and cliches, and the like.<br />
<br />
I'm particularly pleased with the reaction over there, because while <i>The Eight-Bit Bard</i> was written for a fantasy novel readers in general, it was specifically targeted at his kind of audience: retro gamers, role-players, nostalgic adventurers, and puzzle solvers. If it flopped there I was going to be in trouble, but so far both the Addict's response and comments from his readers have been positive.<br />
<br />
His full review is available here: <a href="http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-eight-bit-bard-novel-with-crpg.html">http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-eight-bit-bard-novel-with-crpg.html</a>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-43938465958298589462015-06-04T20:05:00.000-07:002015-06-04T20:05:01.240-07:00'Eight-Bit Bard' Excerpt: Brown-Bearded Dwarf Needs Food Badly<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I paused in the street, searching for danger. I smelled
frost on the night air, and … “Sssh. Is that footsteps?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Crunch, crunch,
crunch.</i> The sound of boots on frozen snowpack. That could only mean
impending danger.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spun in all directions, looking for signs of someone
approaching, but saw nothing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Invisible foes?” Jexica asked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Crunch crunch.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Flyers?” suggested Caltrop.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Flyers no walk,” Mulk reminded us all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Oh, right.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Crunch, crunch, cr-</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The noise stopped as suddenly as it had started. I fingered
my weapon, expecting death to reveal itself momentarily. The silence drew on,
eerie and nerve-wracking. Eventually we relaxed. “Maybe it was the ghost
footsteps of some lost soldier?” I lowered my weapon and the rest of the crew
adjusted their stance, prepared for doom within the half hour but not within
the minute. Wort tightened some flaps on his pack and stood straight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Okay,” I said, “We’re going to do a loop to the north.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Edda?” asked Caltrop.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Shadow Run. Edda’s got the guardian statues. I’m still not
ready to fight that ogre again. Let’s square up and-”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Crunch, crunch,
crunch.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“There it is again!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Mmmf-hmmf mrr mmf?” said Wort.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“What’s that?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The half-dwarf held up a hand: smack, smack, gulp. “What
could it be?” Wort said, before taking another bite of cracker. The source of
the munching and crunching was now obvious.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“What are you eating?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Wahbleb.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“What?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Sorry. Waybread. Gotta keep my strength up.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“It hasn’t even been two hours since dinner.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Really? It feels like I’m starving every time we go out. My
stomach starts growling, ‘Brown-bearded dwarf is very hungry!’ and if I don’t
eat I feel like I’m going to just collapse in the middle of a fight.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“There’s no way you’re going to starve. Come to think of it,
I’ve been out on five-day expeditions and we never bothered to bring any food
at all. Just eat when you get back to the Guild, or grab a snack if we pop into
a bar for a refreshing drink.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“But we’re fighting, and you need energy to heal.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We pay for magical healing, Wort.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Yes, but what does the magic act upon? Your body! And your
body needs food even for magical healing. Or so I’ve been told.” He looked
around a little shiftily.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Look, if you insist on eating, can you pick something that
doesn’t make so much noise? Maybe a nice sandwich. Untoasted. Without any fresh
veggies.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“But regular food spoils in the wild. You need dried goods
if you want them to last.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">“In a few hours? At these temperatures? If I
don’t have time to get hungry, the food doesn’t have time to spoil. Try a piece
of jerky, if you have to.”</span></span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-5261766117039622002015-05-27T18:53:00.002-07:002015-05-27T18:53:38.819-07:00'Eight-Bit Bard' Excerpt: Disarming Traps<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I said, "If we want any loot we’re going to have to take our chances. Thus we have Exhibit A, this treasure chest. </span></span><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Jexica, as our rogue it’s your turn to shine.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Jexica nodded and stretched her fingers, cracking the knuckles. I held up a hand. “Before we get started, there’s two stages. Identify, and then disarm.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Yeah, yeah, I’ve been trained. I know how this works,” Jex said.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“You’ve been trained to identify and disarm, but did anyone mention the Committee Method?”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">She paused. “No, what’s that?”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Before you do anything, we all take a look. You’re the specialist, but the rest of us aren’t dumb. We all take a glance and tally our impressions. You get the final say, of course.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“I like it,” Caltrop said, kneeling down in front of the chest and eyeing the lock mechanism. “Crowdsourcing is an excellent team activity. My father always had a saying, a few extra sous chefs just help make the bisque better. Hmm. Looks like a shocker trap to me.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“I’m not really sure that’s the best analogy,” Jexica objected. “Are you sure that-”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Wort interrupted, “Well I think it’s a gas cloud.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“No, look like dart trap,” Mulk said.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Don’t be silly,” Wort replied. “That bladder mechanism has to be tied to a gas cloud. Who ever heard of darts coming out of a bladder?”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Siobhan eyed the chest. “I see no bladder. That is a containment bulb for a deadly <i>Mage’s misery</i> spell. We spellcasters must be wary.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I pushed the elf out of the way. “That can’t be right. I’ve been in six dungeons, and I’ve never even heard of a <i>Mage’s misery</i> before. I don’t think that’s a real thing. It’s got to be a poison needle, if anything.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Darts!”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Gas cloud!”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“<i>Mage’s misery!</i>”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Poison toad?”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I looked up from the chest. “What? Who said that?”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Caltrop shrugged. “If there’s a bladder and you think it’s poison, maybe the bladder’s holding a toad, so it could be a poison toad.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I sighed. “I can assure you there’s no toad pushed into that trap.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The others continued arguing, with alternating shouts of “Darts!” and “Gas cloud!” gaining momentum. Jexica kneeled down to eye the lock. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I tried to explain, “Look, it really is a simple case of-”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Okay, here goes, trying to disarm the gas cloud,” Jexica said, poking her tools into the key hole.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“No, wait!”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Too late. There was a click, and then a snick. Jexica looked down aghast at her finger tip. “Ooh, I feel a little sick,” she said, and then slumped to the floor.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">“Gah. You fools, you didn’t let me finish. This first dungeon is filled with simple creatures who can’t manage complicated traps. Some of them don’t have any traps at all, but if they do, the only possible trap in the Troll Tunnels is a poison needle. My old team opened hundreds of them, and that’s all we'll see until the next dungeon.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The noise died down. Everyone turned sheepish, except Jexica, who was turning green and moaning.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">-----</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">This was an excerpt from </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">The Eight-Bit Bard</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. The complete novel is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y77R186" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kindle format through Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. </span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337369195568844761.post-44770671450329384482015-05-24T19:35:00.003-07:002015-05-24T19:35:42.855-07:00'The Eight-Bit Bard' is published.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgm8PUYuHwIkWUIlMIv3UcknvP4N6xV3kwbCpYWqJO_hw7kEkn1985SbRvGocprX9jEkmRW15TXcFE37mMYNjWfsgxd1UgUr9X-lJkwPQlFqd6h2FZ9JVU4MgRVailyJqaEyaooTT2a6Q/s1600/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgm8PUYuHwIkWUIlMIv3UcknvP4N6xV3kwbCpYWqJO_hw7kEkn1985SbRvGocprX9jEkmRW15TXcFE37mMYNjWfsgxd1UgUr9X-lJkwPQlFqd6h2FZ9JVU4MgRVailyJqaEyaooTT2a6Q/s1600/eight-bit-bard-cover-sm.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As of today my newest novel, <i>The Eight-Bit Bard</i>, is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Bit-Bard-fantasy-computer-role-playing-ebook/dp/B00Y77R186/" target="_blank">available on Amazon</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It's a fantasy story, a blend of humor and action. It's also the story of
seven misfits trying to find a place for themselves in a world where the
obvious good guys aren't so good, and the bad guys are the best of the
worst.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For gamers, particularly retro gamers, this one is heavy on
references to classics like Bard's Tale, Ultima, Might and Magic,
Wizardry, and many others from that generation. For those who don't do
computer games but like fantasy, I've tried to make the story stand well
enough without being distracted by inside jokes.
</span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I'd also like to note this one is a bit more family friendly
than my previous novel, <i>Chicagoland</i>. If it were a movie, it would be
PG-13, tops.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It's currently only available in Kindle format from Amazon. If you
don't have a Kindle, nearly any computer can get a Kindle reader for
free. If you have Amazon Prime, you can also "borrow" the book for free
any time you like, no purchase necessary.</span></span>Quirkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.com0