Hey all! Forgot to post it here, but today’s article for Holosuite is live. This time I talk a little bit about favorite books of my childhood and why I think it’s important we continue to strive for more diversity in our stories.
Writing
What a week! I’d like to apologize for the lack of content – it’s mostly due to two things:
1) I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning when I’m not working. While most people do Spring Cleaning, I sometimes get an overwhelming urge to clean, straighten, and rearrange in the fall. I have 17 grocery bags full of books to donate, if that gives you any idea. 
2) My computer has been a bit wonky, most likely Windows 10 bugs since the computer itself is so new. I think I have them squashed for now, but it involved a clean install and all the time and hassle that entails.
I have another piece almost ready (We had an amazing Beyond the Veil show last week, with an NPC suddenly “coming to life” and interacting with us thanks to our awesome dev team), but in the meantime I have links to other projects!
The piece I wrote for the Extra Life gaming community went live last Friday! It’s been a long time since I wrote for someone I didn’t know and who was editing my work. I’m still so pleased to get the chance to write it, and look forward to possibly writing more for them in the future. If you missed my posts on social media, you can find the article at http://community.extra-life.org/articles.html/communitycontent/how-extra-life-helped-me-find-my-voice-r58/.
Jennet, of OtterDown and The Secret World fame, has put together a trailer for Extra Life 2015! She kindly let me in on the fun, and the filming this morning was full of glorious flailing. “Sorry, I fell into a me-sized hole and almost got eaten, what were you saying?”
[link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPq65oAp5cI]
In other news, it looks like I’ll be hosting this week’s Beyond the Veil show, which should also be a great time.
With luck I’ll have time to get my other post up tomorrow!
In which reading Scrivnomancer’s book makes me ponder what I like in horror tales.
link: Horror That Works
Whoohoo, I made it!!! 😀
*does Snoopy happy dance*
This is where I mention I 100% feel anyone who attempted Blaugust should be proud of what they’ve accomplished. Offline life happens, and no matter what you’ve had a chance to experiment and learn. I’ve added a Blaugust Blogroll as a submenu up top there, under the About section. I encourage any of my readers to check out the blogs on the list, we have so many talented writers!
Tactics
After I signed up, I made a list of topics I’d been meaning to cover. Some of them I never got around to, and some came up organically, but it gave me a base to work from. When I heard gaming news, I took a few minutes to consider whether I had anything to say on it. I also tried to read as much as I could (not nearly as much as I wanted) since that often gave me ideas, or at least got the gears moving. I made use of our writing prompts, though I tried to do so sparingly so as to only pick topics I was sincerely interested in exploring. I had notes for a few that I later scrapped because I wasn’t feeling it. I made sure to allow myself a few out-of-the-norm posts, both for fun and also because some days I just didn’t have anything else in me. I decided to try to alternate my posts, if I’d just done a research-heavy post, I planned an easier one for the next day.
I prefer writing in the evening, which works pretty well since I can spend time during the day mulling my topic over. This also makes it difficult during long work stretches, but I managed. (Though I did sleep through my alarm one morning, eep!) I tried to write any time I was home and had a lot of ideas – this meant sometimes I started an extra post after my required one, but it also helped me take advantage of the times I was super motivated on a topic.
Other than that, I kept an eye on my schedule and tried to plan for days I knew I’d be busy. I knew it would be easier for me to keep going with one a day than to catch up, so I made every effort to do that. The hardest days were when I was sick and the night I posted so late. If I hadn’t written part of my post before the podcast and surprise dungeon run, I don’t think I would have made it. Or I would have had to bow out of the dungeon which would have sucked. I had to be careful planning my Holosuite articles as well, since I try to keep them longer and more complete than I necessarily do for my regular posts. Continue Reading
Today’s post comes courtesy of another writing prompt from Void over on the #Blaugust Nook.
If you were to create content for a different medium what would you choose? Videos, Streaming, Podcast, Something Else? What about that medium appeals to you as a content creator?
For Day 15 of Blaugust, I’ve blogged about Blaugust over on Holosuite Media!
Still alive over here, so at least there’s that! I learned an important lesson about second opinions today, and am now on an increased dosage of antibiotics and what is effectively prescription-strength Aleve. With any luck I should start having some actual improvement on my dental drama. Thank for the good thoughts my way, it’s been a rough few days made better by the kind messages.
Beyond the Veil
I’m almost definitely going to end up missing it thanks to still feeling much like roadkill, but Beyond the Veil records its 150th show tonight! We’ve got a couple community guests on, and will be giving away awesome prizes. By the time this blog goes live, it’ll be pretty close to starting (7pm EST) but go check it out if you can over at http://www.twitch.tv/holosuitemedia. Otherwise, the remastered version, as usual, should be up shortly on www.beyondtsw.com.
Currency Exchange Rates for Issue 12
The day has finally arrived for us to learn the planned conversion rates for the Issue 12 currency revamp! The relevant post can be found on the forums in the General section. I’m still very excited about this revamp, as it hugely opens up the ways in which players can receive Black Bullion for upgrades. While you’ve never needed to be top geared to play the game, it’s always nice to have that goal to work towards.
I mentioned the revamp briefly in another blog post; but for those unfamiliar, it’s effectively taking currency that was previously only rewarded by Nightmare Dungeons and setting up countless other ways (PvP, Scenarios, missions, etc.) to earn it. This is a huge deal to those who may not want or be able to run dungeons, but would still like to work towards better gear.
If you missed the news about Issue 12, check out this article from Azagthor or check out the dev stream where it was announced. There’s a lot of new things planned with the intent of making sure the game is as truly “Play as you want” as possible.
Blaugust
One small bonus to being so miserable the last few days is I’ve shown myself I can still do short updates even when the conditions aren’t the best. I’m starting to enjoy these shorter updates more, though I’m hoping to have the energy to do a longer one soon. There’s so many topics I’d still like to talk about!
While it’s important to take care of yourself, posts like these are exactly what I hated missing by posting so infrequently. Current news (like the currency revamp numbers) isn’t so current if I wait until I can write a thousand words on the topic. Better to mention it right away, then come back to it later if I have more to say.
Want to join in on #Blaugust? There’s still time! Visit the Blaugust Initiative page, and then head over to the Nook to get signed up and see what everyone else is up to.
Before anything else, can we all take a moment to fully appreciate that today, a friendly, fully domesticated duck was dropped off at the shelter where I work? Yes, for real. She likes to be held and pet, and will curl up in a coworker’s lap while muttering content duck-thoughts to itself. My job is rarely glamorous, but it’s also rarely boring.
All right then, Blaugust! What is it and why am I participating?
Blaugust is a blogging initiative started by Belghast over at Tales of the Aggronaut. Each of us who have signed up will attempt to write a blog post of at least 10 sentences each day in August. (There are also guidelines for vlogs.) The complete rules, prize list, and directions for signing up can be found on the Blaugust Initiative page – and yes, you can still participate even though it’s already started!
As for why I’m participating, there’s a few reasons. Continue Reading
WHOO-HOOO adjusting to new medication!!!!
Ok, not really woo-hoo. Like last time, if my writing seems off that would be why. It’s also an excellent excuse to throw another PSA out there. Depression, anxiety, and other not fun illnesses/disorders are not anyone’s fault, and sometimes getting help is the best plan.
I say this as someone who hasn’t been in the best financial place, and who has a long history of not listening to her own advice. Still, whether it’s finding a counselor or therapist, looking into medications, or exploring other avenues, it’s worth the effort. Even if the first few things (or many things) don’t seem to work. If your finances are borked, do some investigating to find out where you can get free or low cost help. If you’re insured, see what may be covered even if it means doing some digging.
It sometimes seems like folks assume being miserable is a sign of intelligence or creativity; but seriously, you can be intelligent and creative AND less miserable. They don’t cancel each other out.
On a lighter note, speaking of my new medication… Continue Reading
Just a heads up that starting today, I will be posting links to my off-site content on its own page. A link can be found above, in the site’s header. I’ll add my articles from Holosuite Media as I publish them, as well as any other writing I do separate from this blog. If you’re interested in some of my thoughts on wider geeky topics than I tend to address here, that would be where to find some! 🙂
LFGryph 