I was hoping for ‘accelerating’, got ‘ambling’. Ambling feels about right for how August (and a little of September) have been.
You may have noticed an experiment (https://scribbles.malcolmfcross.com/) which is still on-going – as I mentioned last time, the experiment involves just… posting stuff online, seeing how that feels. So far, it feels pretty okay. Going to keep at it, and will highlight the notable items in these posts each month.
(Currently notable – some commentary on authors behaving badly – https://scribbles.malcolmfcross.com/china-mievilles-the-city-and-the-city-neil-gaimans-neverwhere-portal-fantasies-and-reading-books-by-abusive-authors-now-with-bonus-rowling-included.html – and putting some of those feelings down as a very rough narrative, about as first draft as I get – https://scribbles.malcolmfcross.com/the-boy-with-the-glass-scar.html)
Life got… unexpectedly busy, last month and early this month. I’ve been dipping my toe into running TTRPGs, and dealing with some scheduling mishaps meant getting a ton of work in on prep – effectively writing a TTRPG module – which… makes me wonder if that’s something I should try my hand at, sometime. (A San-Iadras influenced cyberpunk/furry campaign frame for Daggerheart would… amuse me. Instead of using magic on that locked door, spend cold hard cash to make it pop open… possibly by buying the building. Premade Character Sheet? That’s a clone. Etc.)
The interesting thing is that between that stuff, and writing the little scribbly bits, I’ve been exercising a lot of writing skills I wouldn’t ordinarily be using. Like, when I’m in the middle of figuring out some plot issue and the way it all sits together, I might not write a lick of prose for weeks – sometimes months. Alternately, while I’m drafting, I’m not doing much by way of worldbuilding or figuring out new characters.
Somewhere among the scribbles and the TTRPG running, it feels like I’m exercising all my writing skills at once, little by little. Which is a bit hopeful – skill development and staying sharp are big things for me.
Other than that, and coping with a little more life stuff than usual (nothing huge, just navigating bureacracy), things have not been as productive as I’d hoped… but things are definitely still moving.
Hopefully you’ll see a few more scribble pieces (which I’ll highlight) over the next month, and maaaaybe some good news, depending on how solid the work I’m not talking about feels.
As ever, and in the meanwhile, thank you so much for your support – it means a ton, and I look forward to entertaining you all soon.
