After procrastinating on NaNoWriMo 2022 to a sufficient degree that it has just become another story I hope to finish at some point, this week I’ve turned my attention back to The Last Question, which was my world of choice for NaNoWriMo 2021. I have some ideas for where I’d like to go next.
Continue reading “Building a World”NaNoWriMo 2022 Check In
As is now tradition, I’m giving some attempt to National Novel Writing Month. And, as mentioned in my post about getting into fountain pens, I’m doing it by hand in a notebook.1For those keeping score, it’s a Rhodia A5 Webnotebook with lined paper in Blue.
Continue reading “NaNoWriMo 2022 Check In”- 1For those keeping score, it’s a Rhodia A5 Webnotebook with lined paper in Blue.
A New Writing Implement
It’s an odd experience drafting a blog post on paper, but here we are.
Continue reading “A New Writing Implement”A Potential Change to This Blog
Whenever I think about this blog, I feel slightly disappointed in myself. My internal impression is that many of the posts are written at the last minute about nothing with any lasting interest. Most frustratingly, I want this blog to be a tool to improve my writing and communication, yet I’m not convinced I’ve set up a framework that lends itself to that goal. I began to think about a change.
Continue reading “A Potential Change to This Blog”Kurt Vonnegut
I first started drafting this post in January of this year. As time has gone by, and it’s been yet a little bit longer since I stormed my way through many of Vonnegut’s novels, my words feel increasingly inadequate to describe how much I admire and enjoy this great American writer. So it goes.
Last Question Update
Two months ago I revisited The Last Question, a basic RPG I wrote at the start of the pandemic. A group of friends has agreed to start an actual campaign with me later this year — we’ve had trouble finding a good time to get started — so I decided to retool the game itself. I wasn’t happy with the initial set of mechanics; it didn’t seem to mesh with the intent of the game.
After some research, I settled on the Motif system, which focuses on asking questions. A natural fit. I wrote a gameplay guide in Affinity Publisher1I learned InDesign at work, but am certainly not in a position to subscribe to the Adobe Suite, so Publisher was a great option. that I’m pretty proud of, and will provide below.
I’m excited to play this game with some friends. It’s a creative outlet just for us. There’s no spinning this into an actual-play podcast. There is a lot to be said for having fun in a way that isn’t performative for someone else.
- 1I learned InDesign at work, but am certainly not in a position to subscribe to the Adobe Suite, so Publisher was a great option.
Journaling Update
I’ve been journaling consistently for a few months, and it felt like a good time to quickly reflect on how this habit has grown.
I’ve been using the app Journey to give me a daily prompt for a gratitude statement, just a single sentence, and have handwritten in a journal each evening. I made it through a Moleskin notebook by the end of February, and have since upgraded to a Rhodia WebNotebook. It’s a huge upgrade in quality, particularly since I’m using a nice rollerball pen that bled through the Moleskin pages.
Writing each night has not been the burden I thought it might, nor have I become complacent. Even on the few nights where I was unexpectedly up late, I took the time to jot down my thoughts. It offers a consistent outlet, a place to examine the day and reinforce the parts I want to remember. It is a meditative act as well, a time of solace, where I sit down alone without any other distractions.
I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I’m hooked on the routine, and it has kept me accountable to myself in a way that my habit trackers and other systems never quite managed. While they are good for a quick glance at the past, they don’t provide a running narrative; they lack subtlety. I’ve already bought refills for my pen, and look forward to a few months from now when the current journal is filled.
Practicing Missing
I’ve watched and listened to hours of disc golf content across YouTube and podcasts over the past few years. Since I started playing about 9 months ago, an increased portion of that has been focused on instructional content: specific videos about form, techniques, tips and tricks, anything to help me feel more comfortable and consistent on the course.
Just like with regular golf, putting is the most frustrating aspect of the game. Particularly in disc golf, where you are approaching this relatively large basket and all you need to do is throw the disc in from 20 or 30 feet (ideally), it looks childishly easy. Yet I have a lot of trouble with consistency. Sure, I can make a few, but overall I’m missing in pretty much every possible direction during my round. In fact, both on the course and during my warmup I am practicing how to miss.
Continue reading “Practicing Missing”