August was another month that whizzed by faster than a speeding car. I found myself torn between taking it easy after the Camp NaNo’s final rush, and keeping the general progress, so I finally settled on writing three short stories I’ve been meaning to get ready. It seemed like a reasonable goal, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. (more…)
Some time ago, I read a book series. I think I was already reading a third or fourth book in the series, when I some point I fell the pace slowing down and losing my attention. I checked what page I was at, and I immediately thought: “Oh, it’s page X. It means that there will be the big reveal or the main battle in about ten pages.” That gave me a stumbling pause, killing all my reading pleasure as I realized all the author’s books are exactly the same in their structure, and therefore very predictable regardless of the story that author is telling. In the end, reading the series became boring and lost most of its appeal. (more…)
It seems that the shorter the work, the harder it is. Sure, a novel takes longer to write, and requires a good deal of perseverance, but writing a captivating novel is easier than writing a captivating short story as the volume of the former will allow for some mistakes to be excused. Then, writing a short story seems easier than writing a synopsis, and synopsis can be much easier than a pitch in for the query letter. This makes coming up with titles the most challenging part of writing… Well, at least it does for me. (more…)
The Flame in the Flood was one of the games I found through GOG.com. The graphics looked interesting, and so did the game play featured in the trailer: sail your raft, craft all the necessary items, and survive the wilderness. How could I resist this game for long? (more…)
Even though my favorite video games are the ones offering rich stories and immersive worlds, I also like to play managerial games from time to time as they provide unique challenges, encourage planning and problem-solving. So every once a while a managerial game sucks me in for long hours, and this time it was Stardew Valley’s turn. (more…)
Back in December 2016 I was looking forward the New Year with excitement and many plans. I’ve joined the 365 Writing Club (which changed its name from the 365k Club to emphasize the writing routine instead of high word counts) for the third time, and I wanted to focus on polishing my existing works while still planning some new writing.
Of course, as usual, life decided to interfere and within the first days of 2017 it threw me off the track. (more…)
I was born in a communistic country which lacked the necessary resources, let alone fancy things, so from my early childhood I developed a specific perspective towards everyday objects. When an adult is allowed only 1kg (half a pound) of sugar per month, the queues for toilet paper weave longer than those for the ticket of a famous band, and the shop shelves are as empty as they would be after zombie apocalypse, anything you come across might become your next treasure. (more…)
I would have never come across Sunless Sea if not for GOG’s Summer Sale. The game popped up on the list and its cover graphic looked intriguing, so I had to learn about the game more. The trailer was climatic, the graphics beautiful and creating a dark but enchanting atmosphere, and the fellow gamers’ reviews offered a fresh approach to a rogue-like genre. (more…)
It’s been quite a while since I’ve last posted my music inspirations, even though my Spotify writing playlist now boasts an awesome 15 hours worth of music. Mostly, because I rarely search for songs that would reflect specific scenes. Instead, I either listen to my playlist in a shuffle mode or pick a song that keeps me focused and motivated.
Still, some songs come up and seem to be fitting perfectly to scenes or plots I’m writing and I tend to put those songs in a loop until I’m done, and these four songs stuck with me. (more…)
If you follow my Gaming Writer’s Saturday posts, you already know I love video games and share my time between writing and gaming (and few other things), but those two hobbies are not as separated from each other as one would think. I play video games whenever I feel uninspired or when I need to fuel my creativity, and in a way, video games are a part of my writing process. They might come before I even write the first word down, but they definitely contribute to my plotting, worldbuilding, and outlining (in one case, a game and its soundtrack inspired a whole novel). So when a friend asked in a writing group about video games, I couldn’t stay silent, and my response became the root of this post. (more…)