Pre NaNo jitters

Don't know if I'm giddy for this whole thing to kick off just yet or am I totally terrified that my story idea will unravel before it gets started. Or am I concerned that I will run out of steam before I get close to 50k words. I usually don't feel this much anxiety. Of course, I usually believe that my story idea will work. However, this year is a whole different can of worms. 

I have had an idea for this story for quite some time, spurned by a character someone made for a D&D game a few years ago. However, the more I plotted out things, the more I was seeing an eerie parallel to Harry Potter. And that is what terrifies me. I don't want to inadvertently write some Harry Potter look a like by accident. I want this to be my story, my world. And it is slowly driving me nuts.

It is just so easy to fall into that set up. Magic school, mean student, student who is the best friend, go off on some adventure. I suppose the only thing I can do is just take the formula and make it unique to me. And then I can leave the editing for December. (Or whenever I get around to it). I suppose what is going to make it my own are the rules about magic. I might do some tweaking on them before the writing frenzy starts.

So yeah, three more days...only three more days.

GMX Day 2 and Day 3

I had to condense these two days down into one post because I wasn't there for the entirety of either two days. However, I want to talk about some of the things I saw and did the rest of the weekend.

The panels that were done this year were great. I know last year there were a few that I was a bit iffy about, but none of that this year. I went to several panels on writing and art, and it just felt good to sit down and talk shop with those in the same craft. I didn't get to go to all of the writing workshops that I wanted to because they were scheduled against things like Live Angry Birds (we will talk about that later) and stuff like that. But what I did get to sit on was really really awesome.

I have to say that the Geek Journalism panel was exactly the type of thing I was looking for. Yes it was Sunday and yes everyone was tired, but I was happy that I sat in on it. Sitting through the panel, I felt like the site that I work for was not the only one that had its problems, mess ups, and short comings. Everyone who did this kind of thing encountered the exact same obstacles. And they were willing to be open about it and give some pointers on how to overcome those problems. I wish all of the USH Staff would have been sitting in there with me to hear what these guys had to say. I guess I should have networked a bit more. Put the UnSung Heroes name out there. But I didn't. Maybe at MTAC?

So what was there to do aside from panels? There were several game-like events that happened. One was Game of Thrones: Human Chess. Now this event sounded good on paper, but I think there could have been some things done to make it a little better. First, the idea of having two people play a chess game and then have it reenacted on a life size board, with people as the pieces was a pretty cool idea. It is just that the way everything was set up didn't really lend to an audience watching. I'm sure if you were part of the game, it was cool. But I didn't spectate long before walking about. I hope they try it again next year, but change a few things. For instance, have the two players up on a stage where the audience can see them. And utilize the use of microphones. Also, make the markings on the squares a bit more clear, so when the play says "Knight to G4", the person can move. Someone shouting "Hey you, move there" sort of lessens the effect. However, the idea was pretty neat all in all. I hope they try it again.

One of the most entertaining things outside had to be the live Angry Birds. Yep, a team would build cardboard box buildings and the other team would shoot birds and try to knock it down. Inside some of the boxes were green water balloons signifying pigs. I know it is a sin to admit, but I have never played Angry Birds. However, watching these outdoor hijinks was very amusing. I wanted to watch the live Plants vs. Zombies, but there was Steampunk panel I wanted to get to.

And what would GMX be without a little Steampunk? Apparition Abolishers were set up in the Pavilion and some of the stuff they brought was jaw droppingly amazing. I will admit that my knowledge of Steampunk is a bit limited. But these displays they brought out expanded my creative knowledge by leaps and bounds. Aside from "woah" "cool" and "awesome", I don't know what other words I have to describe all the things that I saw. All you could do was have your mouth come open as you were surrounded by some fantastic work.

I met some really cool people and had the time of my life this weekend. I did a bunch of other things and saw a bunch of other things, but listing them would make this blog way too long. I am so glad that I attended GMX and will definitely put it on my list of things to do next year. I have a ton of pictures that will be going up on the USH Facebook page. I'll link it once they are up.

GMX 2011 - Day 1

So, the new location of GMX this year is awesome. The stage, the lights, it just feels so much bigger and more exciting this year. (Parking does suck just a tad though). Definitely had a blast tonight and I'm raring to go tomorrow morning. 

So a break down of the night: I went to the comedy show first. For the most part, the comedians were really good. The nerd humor was great. There was an act or two that wasn't up my alley. But it was something new that was being tried out and I for one hope that it comes back next year. Then, I headed off to the panels, right after stopping by the arcade room.

The old school arcade machines were so awesome. I suppose I should have sat down and played a game, but I was too afraid of sucking. I never played these games. I would just keep dying repeatedly. I decided to leave the seat open for someone who knew what they were doing.

First panel was about WarSport 2041. I honestly had no idea what that was, but after hearing about it, I am so intrigued buy it. The story is set in a world where wars don't exist. Instead, problems are solved in games called WarSport. There are talks going on about this web series being turned into a mini series on Sci Fi (or SyFy, as I refuse to call it) and I for one hope that they do. It sounds so great. I wanted nothing more than to get a picture with those guys on the panel, but I found out at the Opening Ceremony that I had left my battery in the charger. So I will probably stop by their booth, get some photos and pick up a t-shirt. And I found out there is a prequel to the show that can be watched at www.youtube.com/warsport2041

Then I sat in on a talk about post apocalyptic art. It was quite an interesting talk that meandered around lots of different topics. How pop culture was affecting the art industry. What makes a picture scary? How you translate your own fear onto a canvas. People like this guy are the ones that I just want to sit under and watch their process. When I asked how could I make my art more scary, since my work never seem to take that turn, I got an answer that I didn't expect. He told me that I should just draw whatever it was that came to me naturally and I shouldn't fight it. I should just take what I do and turn it up to 11. I had honestly never really considered that. 

I was going to stay for some more panels, but I was honestly ready for bed. I shall be back with bells on tomorrow morning. Maybe with bells and Starbucks.

NaNoWriMo and GMX 2011

Well would you look at that, GMX is this weekend. I had a whole lot of fun last year and looking to have even more this year. Hopefully there will be more pictures and interaction than last year. GMX 2010 was the first con that I had ever been to, so there was a whole lot of me just trying to feel things out and figure out what does one actually do at a con. So this year I have a little bit more experience under my belt. I will probably look at more booths this year. I didn't go to any last year (except Questionable Content) because I felt like I had to buy something. But avoiding them all together probably isn't the greatest thing to do either. I will probably be posting pictures up on the USH Facebook page or something like that.

I will probably try and blog after every day like I did last year. Hopefully I will be able to keep up. A friend's birthday party is falling smack on the same weekend. I felt a little bad that I checked the schedule before I told her yay or nay about me coming. But hey, it is what it is. If I thought she would have a good time, I would just invite her to come with me. But I just have this strange feeling that I would be the only one having a good time and she would just keep giving me the sideways stare.

There is a little less than two weeks before the start of NaNoWriMo. I still haven't gotten the full plot of the story all penned out. I have been extremely busy and haven't had as much time to brainstorm as I have wanted to. Nothing has names, no one has names, I don't think I even have a solidified list of characters yet. This is probably the most behind I have ever been when it came to the start of NaNoWriMo. I'm not too worried however. I have this feeling that it will all come to me when it needs to. And if it doesn't...well, just start pulling stuff out of the sky.

YouTubers and Minecraft

I was pretty late to the game of Minecraft. I had heard about it, but never thought it was something that I was going to get into. I mean, just how fun could stacking blocks actually be? Well, I was shown just how fun it could be and I was hooked after playing only one time. However, what I found is that I enjoyed it much more when I was playing with other people. So that meant I had to convince my sister to play as well. No one knows me as well as her, and if there could be anyone I want to build things with, it would be her.

Being less of a gamer than I am, it was going to take a whole lot of convincing in order to get her on board. The graphics weren't that great. She wasn't much of a PC gamer. She had the same skepticism as me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get her to budge. So I gave up on the idea of us ever playing together. Life moved on, my play time on Minecraft dwindled to nothing and I forgot about trying to get my sister to play. Then enter Simon and Lewis of Yogcast.

This was something that I stumbled on quite by accident. I was looking for tutorials on YouTube on how to build some cool looking things and I found Yogcast ; two English guys playing Minecraft. First thing that got me was the banter between the two and it was interesting to watch them play. But soon, the whole thing started to develop into a full blown story. The story was interesting and the things that were being built in game were absolutely spectacular. I had to show this to my sister. The players were funny, the story was amusing, it was just a good way to spend your time.

I didn't expect her to want to play Minecraft, but I had hoped that she would at least enjoy what was going on in the YouTube vids. The next day, after watching, she was ready to play. I was pleasantly surprised. Both of us really enjoy Yogcast and because of them, I have someone to play Minecraft with :) 

Daily Write - Coffee and Sunshine

At first I thought it was my alarm clock that was causing the incessant noise that dragged me out of a sound sleep. I swatted aimlessly at my night stand, hoping to cut that blasted thing off before my brain could fully pull itself out of the comfortable dark fog that enveloped it. However, after smacking the snooze button more than once, I realized it wasn’t my alarm clock that was making the noise. It was actually my cell phone jingling loudly amid the clutter on my night stand. And there was only one person that could have been calling me at this time of morning.

I turned my face just enough so my voice was not muffled by my pillows as I grabbed my phone. I didn't bother to look at the number calling me. I just said hello. The response to my groggy salutations was a warm and chipper voice. Way too chipper for this time of morning. One of the many reasons waking up to these phone calls was a nice way to start my morning. Must nicer than being shoved on, which I am pretty much immune to at this point.

“Good morning, handsome.”

I rolled over on my back, phone up to my ear, arm splaying out on the rest of the bed. I knew exactly how I awful I sounded at this time of morning. Far from handsome. But far be it for me to argue with a woman. Especially when she was giving me a compliment.

“Good morning to you, Sunshine.” I answered, yawning and stretching as I replied.

I remember the first time I had used that nickname. It was just something that tumbled out of my mouth. Very awkwardly actually. But you would have thought I had just recited a romantic sonnet the way those beautiful grey eyes lit up. Now I use it constantly. Just because I know she grins when I use it. I laid in the bed and just listened to her voice. She had already been out and about at this hour. She started recounting what she had done with her morning and some interesting happenings from the night before. Half the time I don’t know what she is talking about, especially when I have just woken up. She knows it. But it doesn’t stop her from talking and it doesn’t stop me from listening.

Time simply idles before I finally decide to get up and find my glasses. I hate putting them on. It signifies that the day is starting and I actually have to leave this blissful spot where it is just me listening to her voice. And though I would love to just ignore the fact that another day of my life has started, I simply can't do that. I make my way over to the window and part the blinds, phone still next to me ear. Only one vehicle in the driveway. Just like yesterday, just like the day before that and the day before that. But, it has become a strange compulsion now. Whenever the phone rings, I check the bed before I ever say anything more than hello. Then I walk to window to see if it is just my car in front of the house. I am waiting for the day that I have to touch my doorknob three times before I walk outside. Though I expect it wouldn’t make my heart beat any less loudly.

“Jonathan, have you had your morning coffee yet?”

I have been listening the entire time, but haven't really added much in the way of responding outside of sleepy grunts and throaty noises to let her know that the call hasn't been dropped. She knows my morning routine almost as if we had known each other for years. And if I'm not that talkative, it is because I haven't had my coffee yet. However, I am a pretty predictable man. So it shouldn't surprise me that she knows me inside and out by this point.

“I’m sorry, I suppose you were looking for something more of a conversation.”

“Oh, don't apologize. Just go and get your coffee. That way we can talk our trip. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Ah yes, our trip. How could I forget that? Just thinking about it made my heart beat a little bit faster. That strange flutter I always get whenever I am with her. I reassured her that I had not forgotten. In fact, I had picked out the spot where we were going. It is a place that is pretty special to me. I am actually a bit nervous. An odd feeling and yet a pleasant one. It is that strange butterfly feeling that you aren't sure if you want to go away or not. I told her that I was on my way to the kitchen now and pretty soon I would be caffeinated and lucid enough to speak.

I meandered out of the bedroom. The house was silent, no one it but me. The kitchen smelled like coffee. The kitchen always smelled like coffee. Well that's not entirely true. When we first moved in the kitchen always smelled like frying, that greasy, batter fragrance that permeates everything. My wife used to do a lot of frying. Not that much anymore. Now it's just coffee.

"Seems like there is a pot already made. I should be a talking machine in no time."

She really didn’t need me to carry on the conversation. She spoke enough for the two of us. Probably the reason why we got along so well on the day we met. I remember that day pretty vividly. I had gotten in my car that morning and just decided to take a drive, a long one. One of those drives where the destination didn’t matter. I was just trying to get as much distance as possible. I found myself at the bus station. Where would I go? I thought to myself. If I could get a ticket to anywhere, where would I head? Honestly, I had absolutely no clue. That is just how unadventurous I had become. I didn't even dream about escaping to another place any more. Instead, I found myself across the street from that station at some unknown name coffee shop.

I had barely gotten the warm paper cup in my fingers before I was backed into and the liquid ended up all over the front of my shirt. I turned to yell at whoever it was that just caused to me waste three dollars. And there was she was, wide eyed and apologetic, with an overstuffed duffel bag over one shoulder and a cup of her own in the other hand.

I am not sure how we ended up talking so long. She offered me her coffee, which I refused. She offered to pay for the one that had been spilled. And again, I refused. Next thing I know, I was sitting in booth and we had been talking for hours about nothing at all. I have no idea how I got so swept up in her. She had these large grey eyes and she grinned with such ease. She was reading Les Miserables, just because. Her name was Denise. However, I like calling her Sunshine much better.

"I was thinking that I could drive out to our usual spot, I pick you up, and then we can head out. I would pack light, though."

As I was talking, I noticed a piece of folded paper on the counter. Opening it up, I instantly recognized Sienna's handwriting. It was starting to get that bubbly teenage girl look, losing the young girl messy script that I had been used to. There was a sudden pang in the center of my gut as I stood there, looking at this note. What was I doing? If someone were to even think about doing anything remotely like this to either of my daughters, I would pull their heart out through their ribs. And yet, here I was, doing this to my wife. For weeks I had been doing this. I knew it was wrong. I did not even try to justify it to myself. My wife had done nothing to deserve me doing this to her. My daughters would never understand why their father had broken their mother's heart. Every decent bone in my body told me that I should just hang up the phone and say goodbye to Denise forever.

"Something wrong?"

Denise had noticed the awkward pause and the long silence. She also knew what it meant. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. It was small things that make me regret these phone calls, these trips to our usual spot, and everything else Denise and I had shared. Innocent things like pictures, notes, reminders of soccer games and piano recitals. And every once in a while, that perfect evening where I remember why I married my wife and what I love about my kids. If I had any shred of decency left, I would tell Denise everything that is wrong with what we were doing.

"No," I answered finally, sliding my glasses from on top of my head to the bridge of my nose, "Daughter left me a note on the counter is all."

"You know, if you having second thoughts about this weekend we don't have to go. We can just meet at our normal spot. I'm fine with doing that."

That was my Sunshine. So understanding.

"No, I'm still coming. Both of my girls will be out of the house for the weekend. And I'm sure that I can come up with something to tell my wife. I might not have to say anything at all. I'm sure she wouldn't notice if I was gone or not."

The whole trip had been my idea in the first place. It was the rush that it gave me that made me stick with it. I have absolutely no intention of a having serious relationship with Denise. No, the trip was solely for the feeling of the adrenaline that coursed through my veins every time I thought about it. Just wondering if I could do this and get away with it. Would my wife catch me? Or would I come home from that weekend and my life continue on as normal? My normal life was stale and bored me. I had a nice wife. I had good kids. But there was no excitement in that any more. But this thing with Denise, it was new, it was stimulating, it thrilled me. It was me being an adrenaline junkie without having to find some high place to jump off of. It was me not being bland and predictable. It was me making bad choices and risky decisions, throwing caution to the wind, finally.

Everything was in place. Now all I had to do was wait for the day to come. I closed my phone and placed it haphazardly on the counter somewhere. I stood my silent house, finishing my coffee. I put my glasses back on top of my head. I was not ready to face the day just yet.