Databases, Taxes, Stories, and the Value of Communication
Last week I was ill, so I spent the day creating a database for the 3.5 monsters I've chosen for the background fantasy world we'll be using. Mostly it was just typing basic info into a table. I'll start building the queries later, but I have the basic native climate and CRs in, which is all I need for the moment. I also assigned regions on the world map to several races, those that I had definite ideas for. This will provide for some regional flavor and some hooks to draw adventures (and player characters) to different regions. It also provides some realistic separation between races that would otherwise have evolved and heavily competed in the same area.
I also did our taxes, not that anyone but the IRS cares. Meh.
I have also started posting my last NaNoWriMo story here. This is providing some mental flossing from my dayjob. Several others are posting their short stories there for feedback and comments. I like getting feedback from online friends. My personal, local friends tend to be a bit ...cautious... about offering criticism. On the one hand, I appreciate their respect and friendship. On the other hand, it doesn't help my writing as much. So I post it for friends I've made online who are not as immediate and willing to offer honest criticism and feedback. And writers THRIVE on feedback. (I'm paraphrasing another's blog, but I'm not 100% whose, so I'm not citing it. If someone recognizes it and would be so kind as to jog my memory, I'd be gratefully appreciative.)
This past weekend was the monthly meeting of the group I RPG with using the Hero System. We're playing a superhero campaign at the moment and two other members of the Gang of Five are part of the group. I asked the GM of our Pulp Hero campaign if she was ready with the write-up she was working on. She said she thought that I was rethinking the magazine and so she stopped working on it.
Now I was re-thinking the magazine and I had discussed that with the Gang of Five. I had not realized that they had stopped writing on the things they had been writing on. Assumptions were made on all sides. This underscores the value good communication has over incomplete communication. I wasn't clear that I wanted everyone to keep up with their writing, even though I was re-thinking delivery methods. Important lesson.
Later!
I also did our taxes, not that anyone but the IRS cares. Meh.
I have also started posting my last NaNoWriMo story here. This is providing some mental flossing from my dayjob. Several others are posting their short stories there for feedback and comments. I like getting feedback from online friends. My personal, local friends tend to be a bit ...cautious... about offering criticism. On the one hand, I appreciate their respect and friendship. On the other hand, it doesn't help my writing as much. So I post it for friends I've made online who are not as immediate and willing to offer honest criticism and feedback. And writers THRIVE on feedback. (I'm paraphrasing another's blog, but I'm not 100% whose, so I'm not citing it. If someone recognizes it and would be so kind as to jog my memory, I'd be gratefully appreciative.)
This past weekend was the monthly meeting of the group I RPG with using the Hero System. We're playing a superhero campaign at the moment and two other members of the Gang of Five are part of the group. I asked the GM of our Pulp Hero campaign if she was ready with the write-up she was working on. She said she thought that I was rethinking the magazine and so she stopped working on it.
Now I was re-thinking the magazine and I had discussed that with the Gang of Five. I had not realized that they had stopped writing on the things they had been writing on. Assumptions were made on all sides. This underscores the value good communication has over incomplete communication. I wasn't clear that I wanted everyone to keep up with their writing, even though I was re-thinking delivery methods. Important lesson.
Later!