skribeworks

After reading snail’s post about Flexnib’s post about Bibliotheque Bound’s post, I’ve decided to add this post to the posticle about work spaces. I have a work desk (or at least part of one). It contains a computer (a laptop) as well as several removable hard-drives, and a multi-functional laser printer. It also contains a lot of junk. I have written several novels, including Coils of the Serpent, at this work desk. However, I no longer use it. Well, I do. Mainly as a storage space for my old laptop. My Youngest has taken over the rest.

In comparison, it’s not much, but recently my novel Coils of the Serpent crossed the 10,000 views mark on Royal Road. The more popular works receive that many in a day, but it is almost two years to the day since I posted the first chapter there. Add in the few thousand views the novel has received on other sites (plus the three views it got on Wattpad before I deleted it), and that’s a substantial number of readers. Far more than I expected when I began.

Yesterday, I wrote about how I have difficulty reading whenever I’m deeply involved in a writing project. Well it’s the same for coding. I can’t seem to do both at the same time. It can be incredibly frustrating.

Often I will spend my time between writing projects coding up tools I need for my writing (or my website – the Mastodon feed in the left sidebar is something I created). Sometimes, once I’ve finished a project (or even just a draft) my mind needs a break from writing.

For example, I’ve recently finished working on a random name generator that allows me to set a number of parameters (gender, social status, culture, time period, etc) and it will generate a list of names. It’s only small, but incredibly handy. It saves me a lot of time.

If you ask any professional writer what’s the best way to improve your own writing, they will nearly always tell you to read. Read as much as you can. Read material outside your usual likes, even outside your comfort zone. Read fiction. Read non-fiction. Read biographies. Read history. Just read. But, what if you can’t read? What if the act of reading interferes with your writing? What do you do?

Let me say straight off the bat, I read. I won’t say I read a lot, certainly not compared to my wife. And not even how much I read even five-or-six years ago (I used to be someone that read a novel per week). But I do read. But reading fiction (especially) interferes with my ability to write.

I’ve been reading Sirekat’s posts about the various cabaret acts, she’s been attending over the last few weeks. I know it’s not quite the same, but it’s made me miss the theatre community I was part of back in Perth. Community theatre is not a thing here in Singapore. It’s either professional or semi-professional, with no amateurs allowed. The closest you can get is to study theatre at a tertiary level (there are lots of options), but even that is just a pathway to professionalism. It’s a pity, because I think it’s an opportunity missed.

The Glyphs is a multiple-choice game where you control the fate (and demise) of a gong farmer, as they explore the sewers beneath the Ancient City. Just choose an option from the poll below, and the most popular option will decide what happens next. I’ll put out one of these every week.

New here? Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

According to the Church of High Gods, Maz is one of the Middle Gods. He (although sometimes she, or it) is said to wander the Overworld in the form of a pig, or a mighty boar, or even a ravenous worm. There are many legends where pig farmers found him in their pens, impregnating their sows, or hunters stalking a massive boar only to realise too late that it was the Middle God itself. Such encounters never ended well for the hunter. She is a complex character, and is said to look fondly upon those in an unexpected dilemma.

Recently, I read snail’s blog posts, fillums and filmfest, about missing film festivals. My wife and I used to attend a lot of them, back in the day, especially the italian or French festivals in Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge. In fact, we used to watch a lot of movies. Some at festivals, some at the regular cinemas, and some at the outdoor cinemas that used to open during the summer months in Kings Park and at Burswood. But those days are long past.

According to the Church of the High Gods there are Nine Realms. They include the Heavens, where fallen heroes go when they die. All the places where the people, animals and plants live. This is often called the Overworld or Overground. And the places where the devils, demons, and the souls of the dead dwell.

One especially curious feature about these Nine Realms is that according to most sources there are at least eleven of them. Here’s a list:

Saerk (saerk) – vulgar

Verb:

1. to copulate
2. to destroy/defeat
3. to betray
4. to scold

Noun:

1. an act of copulation
2. someone/something contemptible

Interjection:

1. a gasp; an expression of dismay, surprise, or joy.