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”
Category Archives: Writing
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”
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”
Font Search 3
Better, but no. For some reason, that feels Western. I hate this process. It’s so tedious and aesthetically gratuitous. That’s Megalito-Slab-Extra-Condensed, which is supposed a “free” font similar to ENBOK Regular. It’s not free. It’s free to download, but if you use it for anything, you need the commercial license. Even a lot of “freeContinue reading “Font Search 3”
Consider Leaving It Out?
A status update while Monday morning coffee takes effect. Somewhere in the giant mass of posts about writing, I mentioned that I often lose interest in a series around book 10. After some introspection, I realized that this is usually when the “our intrepid hero” story becomes too broad, complicated, and political. I’m finding thatContinue reading “Consider Leaving It Out?”
Overthinking
Words matter, but not every word (I hope). I just spent a minute rewriting this sentence several times: He turned to Frank, who was watching the banter, stunned. Frank is not only “watching” the banter; he’s also hearing it. “observing” would be better. Wait, that means “looking”, too. It doesn’t flow well, either. “watching” itContinue reading “Overthinking”
Marked Up 