Festival of Magic Review on Speculative Chic!

My review on an amazing DnD one-shot adventure is now live on Speculative Chic!

Running Dungeons and Dragons games while on lock-down has led to an increased number of games, so I’ve turned more and more to pre-written one-shot adventures. This is the latest adventure I have run, and let me say that rarely have I enjoyed a game more.

The premise is simple: a Festival of Magic is returning after tragic incidents and needs some extra protection to make sure that things go off flawlessly. Your group of adventurers is hired on to keep an eye on things.

Then the flaming octopus shows up at a bar.

Read the review here.

Black Lives Matter

Just in case, it's not clear I stand: Black Lives Matter.

If you're looking to get involved and do the work, I suggest starting with some of the great resources on the official Black Lives Matter website

Con-Tinual

Are you missing conventions? I know I am.

2020 was the year I planned to return to attending conventions on a regular basis so I’m bummed that isn’t able to happen.

However, some friends have some up with a great option to help ease that pain, a virtual non-stop space for nerds to gather, talk and share. Authors talk about books, vendors share their items and debates about the best Star Trek episode linger on.

It’s like a convention right on your Facebook feed!

Join in the fun on the Con-Tinual page and I’ll see you there!

(I’ve just realized my last few posts all are about Cons (ConCarolinas, Control and now Con-Tinual) so that’s fun.)

Control

Control is one of the hardest things for me to let go of. I like being able to control things. Not in an evil dictator sort of way but in a way that means I know what is going to happen. You do X task and y happens. I want a simple formula that works with known results. 

So why in the world do I write, right?

Writing is one of the fiels where you have the least amount of control. I cannot garuntee anything. I can't control how well a book sells or if a publisher or agent likes my work. I can't control the number of five star reviews or how many people give a book a bad review. I can't control what the markets will do or what the next hot genre will be with 100% accuracy. 

At times it is incredibly frustrating and difficult at times. It makes it hard to really decide what to work on at times. It's easy to get lost in the 'nothing I do really matters, so what bother' kind of nihilism.

What I have found helps is to focus on what I can control, however small that might be. 

I can control my writing, showing up for the work on getting words onto the page. I can control the time I spend staring at social media and doubting myself. I can control how much time I spend being inspired by other creative work.  I can control how I am taking care of myself (and the answer to that question is usually very poorly. I am working to get better at self-care.) 

What matters is that I am turning my focus to the things I can do, not what is totally outside of my control. I can't change Amazon adjusting the way royalty rates are handled or that another writer is able to easily create 10,000 words a day. What I can and must focus on are the things that I can do. 

Look small and focused on where you can make an impact and start there.

ConCarolinas all Online

The full schedule for the online ConCarolinas is now available!

Make sure you join in next weekend for some amazing online panels, discussions and fun!

Full schedule is available here.

The Quitcast and Writer Burnout

A shift from the sleep saga and into a series I have recently found and loved. 

The Quitcast talks about things for writers to consider quitting. The video series on Burnout is one of the best discussions on the topic for writers that I have seen. It made me realize just how very badly I burned out in 2019....and 2018... and 2017....and... 

Well you can see a pattern emerging. 

I highly recommend checking out this series and learning a bit more about how to manage your energy and be aware of what burnout is, how it hits, and how to get out of it. 

Episode 1 of the Quitcast’s discussion of burnout in writers.

The Sleep Saga Begins

If you follow me on social media you'll notice I've been posting about having a hard time sleeping. This has been going on for months, before lockdown even started, and I have, for the most part, been just continuing on as though everything is normal and super fine.

I've finally accepted that if I want my sleep to get better I've got to make some actual changes. So starting last night I'm starting my project, The Sleep Saga, where I will try different techniques to create the perfect bedtime routine to get a great night's sleep.

So the first strategies I am trying:

1. No screens for at least 30 minutes before bed.

2. No books. (I get sucked into novels way too easily and stay up late reading!)

3. No caffeine after 12.

4. Lavender lotion on my face and lavender spray on my bed sheets.

5. Chamomile or other soothing tea before bed.

Night one was a success with me getting over 6 hours of sleep naturally for the first time in months so whoohoo! I'm hoping that sharing my journey here will help anyone else struggling right now and also will keep accountable with actually doing it. Fingers crossed for that mythical 8 hours!

New Writing Resource

I've been using an interesting new writing resource called Campfire. It's a really robust encyclopedia feature that is super nice. You can create all kinds of detailed reports on characters, relationships, timelines, history, etc.

I've been using it to get ready for a new dnd campaign and I am super excited about its use as a story bible resource as well.

Right now you can get 15% off with the code: NANOCAMPO

JordanCon Live Game!

This coming Saturday (tomorrow, April 18th) at 5pm EST, I will be livestreaming a charity Dungeons and Dragons game with JordanCon. 

This charity stream will be raising money for the Mayo Clinic, a great medical and research facility! 

I'll be playing with Gerald L. Coleman, Jenn Lyons, and Mike Lyons and all of us will be playing as characters from our novels. 

You can bid on items to give our characters before the game starts by going here and donating. 

it should be an incredibly good time! 

What Even to Say

What to even say

There's so much to write about or say or not say about how strange scary and weird things are right now. I'm having a hard time right now and I think almost everyone is. With all the uncertainity and fear in the world it's a true breeding ground for anxiety to go rampant. I'll be totally honest, last week, the anxiety consumed me totally. I didn't break down but I shut down. Most of last month, I can't even remember what I did. I bought some cat food but I have no idea what safe place I put it in. I still haven't been able to find it. 

I don't know how much advice I can give to everyone going through so much right now, but I did want to share just a few tips that are helping me and maybe they can help you too. 

1. Make a schedule 

I have a day planner with an hour by hour breakdown. I have started making a rough schedule for the day when I get up in the morning. It helps me keep me on task and feeling like there is some structure in the otherwise shapeless blobs my days have become. It doesn't have to be super rigid but having some plans for the day help it make sense. 

2. Set out for one small win. 

Every day I try to give myself one little task. I mean little-bitty like drink a glass of water. Something that I know I can accomplish. I do that small task early in the day and it helps me feel like I am capable of accomplishing stuff. It begins a kind of momentum through the rest of the day towards a day where I am crossing things off the list rather than hiding from my list of tasks. 

3. Listen to my body

I am trying to listen better to my body. When I'm thristy, I drink some water. When I'm hungry, I have a snack. When I'm tired and can't keep my eyes open, I plop down on the couch for a bit. Anxiety is hard on your body, being constantly on edge or worried, even if you're not always feeling it, takes a huge toll on your energy levels. By trying to listen to what my body is telling me, I'm hoping to take better care of myself and honestly show myself a bit of gentleness in the chaotic world. 

Those three things have made a big difference for me already this week and I am slowly feeling like a human again. Remember that you're not alone in this, we're all here together.