Last night I just read. I needed a break. Soloing the System is fun (and it gets better; I found the start off-putting). And here I am awake at 0400, again. A few things filled in while I slept. Chapter 18 may have become tractable. I went through the blog’s emails during first coffee. IContinue reading “G*d and System”
Author Archives: Mark
Flammable Water
This really happened last night. I’ve written it as if it were a scene in the book. I need to find something better to do during my lunch breaks. The menu was basic: Rice, meat, and a vegetable. “Asparagus or Corn?” Mark called out. “Asparagus,” The Laird replied. Mark removed a bundle of asparagus andContinue reading “Flammable Water”
AI Assistance
I finally need to figure out how the System’s ‘sectors’ are laid out on Earth. I’ve been dreading this because math. A sector is 1/4,320th of the surface. That’s 45,586 square miles. They are constrained to 3 degrees of longitude, which means they get taller as they approach the poles. How does that actually layContinue reading “AI Assistance”
AI Slop and Buggy Whips
This one is my introspection, not my characters. The great and powerful YouTube algorithm presented LughDJ to me. I’m not a huge fan of club music, but it’s high energy. I like having the fake shirtless men dancing on the side of my screen when I look away from the text I’m writing. This isContinue reading “AI Slop and Buggy Whips”
Chapter 18 Sucks
It refuses to gel. I split chapter 19 out of it. That’s an isolated scene that deserves it’s own chapter, even if it is short (five pages; remember when I worried about going over six? now it’s twenty). Chapter 19 is done. Some info may slide when 18 finally completes, but 19 is stable. IContinue reading “Chapter 18 Sucks”
Intra-Chapter Breaks
Despite my tendency to end chapters with everyone going to bed, there are times when one needs a time break or perspective switch within a chapter. Exactly what marks this break varies widely. A blank line/empty paragraph is a bit subtle. A centered horizontal line about a quarter the width of the page is traditional,Continue reading “Intra-Chapter Breaks”
Crepuscular Gloaming
This came up at work (indirectly via ‘petrichor’). What a great phrase! Unfortunately, I don’t think it works in LitRPG. Epic Fantasy, hell yeah. After saving the damsel, showing up the knights, and receiving accolades from all and sundry, the intrepid heroes rode off, soon fading from sight in the crepuscular gloaming. Needs more adjectives.Continue reading “Crepuscular Gloaming”
Introspection
I swear that I have some sort of sleep disorder. I was tired last night, so I went to bed an hour early. I’m now awake; two and a half hours early. Anyway, this is not about my introspection. It’s about character introspection. Our intrepid squad (although they’re not known as that, yet) has beenContinue reading “Introspection”
88 feet per second
60 m/h * 5280 ft/m * 1/60 h/min * 1/60 min/sec = 88 ft/sec. “In the head math” rounded 5280 to 6000 to make all come out even. 100 ft/sec is decently close (for most things). What brought that up? The concept of “following distance” while driving. Distance is important, but it’s a second orderContinue reading “88 feet per second”
Publishing Schedule
Chapters 16 and 17 are “done”. 18, 19, 20 are half-ish. The rest are a paragraph, at most. However, fighting with fonts made me wonder: When could I get this published? My plan is to have the first and second ready-to-upload done before pressing the button on #1. The third will be written before theContinue reading “Publishing Schedule”
