Monday, December 29, 2014

Last Blog of the Year

            And so, another year passes, as they do. They just keep flying by, don’t they? It was a decent year, as years go.

            Business went well for Ringcrafts, although we’re currently pouring time into improving it more – we've realized we’re spending too high a percentage of our income on materials and booking shows, so we’re looking to streamline everything. Unfortunately, this probably means our prices will be going up throughout the year (although we still have a lot of numbers to crunch before we know for sure).

            On the writing front, while I didn't get published this year, I got something nearly as valuable – actual feedback from a number of agents. This means that I'm getting to understand the query process well enough to get my foot in the door. The downside is that I learned my first book straddles the middle grade and young adult target audiences and, as such, is unlikely to be picked up in the publishing industry (which wants everything to fit neatly into a category).

            Since I did the silly thing that writers aren't supposed to do and wrote a full trilogy as my first books, this means I can’t query for any of my first three books until I rewrite the first one so that it’ll appeal to publishers. On the bright side, my fourth book is ready for querying in the new year and I have very high hopes for it. Meanwhile, my fifth book is nearing completion – although I'm cutting it awfully close on the book a year thing.


            I could summarize the rest of the year, but if you’re interested, all you have to do is read the previous blog posts. So, I’ll finish by wishing you all a happy New Year. I hope it brings much joy and chocolate. I mean happiness.






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Deathstar the Christmas Tree

            Today I shall share with you the story of our first Christmas tree, since 'tis the season.

            For those of you who've follow this blog, you’ll know that over the spring and summer, Colleen and I were involved in some extensive renovations to convert her parents’ house into two separate units – one for us and one for them. I don’t think I mentioned it before, but we actually did move over the summer as well.

            Anyway, Colleen went out hunting Christmas trees with her family, only looking for one for them since we don’t really have space for one. However, while they were out, they came across what can only be described as a spherical tree and Colleen fell in love with it. So, they grabbed it as well as their own tree.

            As it turned out, this particular tree had been targeted by an insect that specifically eats the tops (and only the tops) of evergreen trees. Since the tree was a write-off anyway, it was given for free (with thanks for saving them the work of getting rid of it themselves).

            The tree was promptly brought home and suspended from the ceiling – yes, that’s right, it’s hanging from the ceiling – with a container for water attached to its stump. Today, we finally got it decorated with our combination of traditional and geeky decorations.


            So, without further ado, I give you the first Christmas tree of our own Colleen and I have had – Deathstar, the spherical Christmas tree. It’s a shame that no future tree is likely to compare.









Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Twisty Plot Expectations and Predictions

            I have frequently frustrated my wife with the ability to predict plot twists that she never saw coming. Sometimes we’d be watching a TV show and I’d say “Oh, this person is going to use that piece of information they just got to their advantage later” and when she asked how I knew it, I’d say it was a momentary facial expression of the actor. In Frozen, I knew who the surprise villain was the moment he came on screen. When asked how, I was able to say that the situation was just far too convenient – plus (and this is the part Colleen hates the most) he happened to have the same sideburns as some villains in Tangled.

            There is far more to it than the subtle clues, though. Stories have arcs that they follow, there are certain patterns that are expected. If those patterns aren't followed, the story doesn't resonate with us as well – or the outcome is too obvious for the audience. Funnily enough, that's exactly what makes them easier to predict.

            Surprisingly, I couldn't put words to all of these patterns, but I do have an instinct for them. If I pointed to a specific one, I could tell you why it’s important to have. Other than that, I just “know” the route a story is supposed to take – a very useful talent for a writer.

            In fact, that very thing happened when Colleen and I went to see Big Hero 6 this week. Colleen and I pretty much had the theatre to ourselves (you know that thing Sheldon from Big Bang Theory does in theatres? She did that), so we happily whispered out plot predictions to each other. Who was it behind the mask? We each had a theory on the twist, but it wasn't until after we found out which of us was right that I put the thought into exactly why the one character was better than the other, specifically that the wrong option had too minor a role (sorry if I'm a bit vague – I'm trying to avoid spoilers. It was an excellent movie and the short at the beginning was amazing).

            So, you might wonder what enjoyment I can get out of stories if I can predict the outcome. Does it lessen my enjoyment that the plot twists don’t surprise me? Quite the opposite. For me, I thoroughly enjoy predicting the outcomes based on the evidence presented by the story teller. Foreshadowing is important in stories because, without it, there is no evidence to support the plot twist. As a result, I feel that if the creator of a story did a really good job, I should be able to predict the outcome.


            Now I just need to hone my skills so I can predict the future. After all, life is just a really long story, right?




Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, December 08, 2014

Who Are They And Where Do They Go?

            I never really notice just how many people there are in the world until I take the time to pay attention to how many cars are on the road at any given time of the day. How does it tell me more than seeing a group of people? Because it points out how many people there are who don’t fit into an “ordinary” routine.

            To clarify, by “ordinary” I mean the typical 9-5 job that most people are assumed to have, although I've realized that assumption is very flawed. Being self-employed, I am often running my errands at the oddest of times. And no matter when I'm driving, the road is always filled with cars.

            It got me wondering – who are all these people? Where are they going and where are they coming from? Why aren't they at their 9-5 job at 2 in the afternoon?

            Naturally, it makes sense for some of the people to be there. Some are running errands for work, some (such as delivery and taxi drivers) are working, some are unemployed or self-employed with less strict schedules. Some work night shifts, others work evening shifts, so that time of day is the right time for them to be out and about.

            But there are so many! It is mind-boggling, at least to me, that the roads can be filled all day long. How can there possibly be so many people with so many places to go that there is always so much traffic?


            Sadly, it is one of the things I doubt I’ll ever know.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, December 01, 2014

100th Blog!

            Do you know what this is? It’s my 100th blog post! Wow, where has the time gone? It feels like it was only yesterday when I started writing this thing.

            When I started blogging, I had no idea how long I’d be able to keep it up. I expected that I’d have to eventually cut down from once a week to once a month. I mean, I don’t have all that much to talk about. I don’t go out much, except to sell chainmaille, and I don’t do much at home other than make chainmaille, watch movies, read, write, and play video games.

            On top of that, I actively avoid the news and other world issues because I can’t do anything to change the world’s problems and knowing about them only depresses me. So, how have I managed to find so many things to talk about?

            I guess that’s part of being an author. There are just so many ideas bouncing around in my head that they find ways of expressing themselves – even if they are only obscure thoughts and concepts being expressed circumspectly in anecdotes.


            With any luck, I’ll continue to be able to catch those elusive, bouncy ideas and continue to share them for another hundred blogs. If not, I’ll just need to make up more milestones to comment upon.




Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Thoughts on Talent

            When I was in higschool, I played the clarinet. I played it rather well, too. By my final year I was considered the second best clarinettist in the school band(s) – the person who was better than me practised very hard to get that way.

            The thing was, I never practised outside of rehearsals. I played using my innate talent and, since I did well enough for my liking (and for my marks in class), I felt practising was a waste of my time.

            However, there was one band rehearsal I’ll never forget. We were getting close to our concert and, as such, we were already quite familiar with the music. As we played through one particular piece, I suddenly stopped and stared at my sheet music as if I’d never seen it before.

            There was a note on the page that I had no idea what the fingering for it was supposed to be. I’d played this piece many times before and, every time, I had played this section flawlessly. Until now.

            I wracked my brain, trying to figure out how to play this note that I’d played so many times before and, at long last, had to look up the proper fingering.

            There’s a big difference between having talent and having skill. Talent is amazing and can get you far, but what happens when you reach the end of that talent? Or on that one occasion that your talent gives out and you realize that you don’t know how to do something you've done dozens of times before?

            That’s where skill comes in. When you have to work at learning something, the abilities you learn stay with you far better than if you pick them up easily with your talent.


            Having talent is great, but it can only take you so far. When it comes down to it, it’s hard work and practice that shapes a talent into a solid skill.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Software Relationships

            This morning Colleen came to me with a brilliant metaphor, so I told her to write it down because it would be perfect for this week’s blog. Besides, it’s been far too long since we heard from her. So, without further ado, I give you my wife.


At the risk of creating another one of those ideas that begins "Life is like a ham sandwich..." it came to me that relationships are like software.

At first, when you download your packet, you're so amazed and excited by all the new features. You enjoy it in all its shiny, brand new aspects and for a little while it's the epitome of perfection.

However, every program has its bugs. Eventually you discover one, then another and before you know it you are wondering if it was worth it downloading and installing the program in the first place.

Then you're faced with a choice: uninstall and try and find another program with fewer problems, or deal with the issues as you can. Because if you're creative and determined, most problems have fixes if you persevere.

Though not everything can be dealt with. You will always have those glitches, those odd little bumps and twists life is prone too. Because nothing is perfect, because humans are not perfect.

Some people download, then uninstall perpetually, ever searching for the perfect program to fit their needs. Always seeking the new or the different, convinced it is the program's responsibility to form to their needs, without effort and without thought on their part.

Others, those lucky few, discover a program early in life, decide it is just good enough to work hard at the remaining glitches, and live happily, understanding that inherent imperfection that humanity – and therefore software – is prone to.



            There you have it – life is like a ham sandwich, relationships are like software programs and, without further ado, I'm taking my wife back, because when I said I was giving her to you what I meant I was lending her to you.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Why Not End War?

*Disclaimer* Remembrance Day is a pet peeve of mine and, while expressing my ideas on the subject, what I say can sometimes come across as saying that veterans do not deserve our thanks. This is not the case – I simply believe they should not be hero worshipped because that leads to others following in their footsteps and suffering as the veterans have (or falling in battle, causing their families to suffer). I also believe that Remembrance Day should be focused on remembering the tragedies of war so we can stop repeating our mistakes. Gratitude to those who have sacrificed for us should be a constant, passive thing, not something that dominates a day that was once – and should still be – dedicated to peace. If you have strong emotions related to this subject, you may want to stop reading now.


            One day I thought to myself, wouldn't the world be a much better place if every country in the world disbanded their armies and ceased production of all weapons? What a wonderful world that would be.

            Then I stopped to think about what would actually happen.

            According to Wikipedia, Canada has 104,150 people in militaristic jobs. The UK has 371,360. USA, 2,231,447. I started to add up all the countries, then decided it would take too long. I was at over ten million, though, and I’d barely scratched the surface. This doesn't even include the researchers or the people who make the weapons and uniforms.

            So, what would happen if the world did away with war and violence? Mass unemployment. Certainly some of those jobs could be repurposed, but there already aren't enough jobs to go around.

            Why not just have those people in reserve, trained and ready in case we are attacked? Because if no one is fighting, people begin to wonder why their taxes are paying all these people. So the soldiers are sent off to fight – and often to die, which (dare I say it) “conveniently” eliminates the excess population that the world doesn't have enough jobs for.

            It all becomes a great cycle then. We need war so we can employ soldiers so people can afford to eat. If we eliminate war, the whole economy comes crashing down around our ears.

            Like many others, I dream of a world at peace, but it will never happen unless we drastically change the way our economy works. My vote is that we stop siphoning money off of arts programs and we flood the world with artists.

            That is something I’d like you to think about this Remembrance Day (or whatever November 11th is in your country). I’d like you to think about how much society pressures us into remembering and thanking veterans, how we are taught that they are heroes so that more of us will follow in their footsteps.


            I want you to think about all the lives lost or ruined because we don’t know how to make the economy work without war. What a waste.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, November 03, 2014

Halloween Costume Philosophy

            Halloween is an interesting concept for me these days. It pretty much passes by without me noticing it.

            When I was a kid, I loved Halloween, at least in concept. Dressing up in costumes was great and the candy was even better. The weather, on the other hand, was hit or miss. Sometimes it made the day more fun, while others it made me wonder why I liked Halloween so much.

            While there’s no denying the enjoyment of candy, I think that the greatest allure of Halloween is getting to dress up. Why? Because it’s fun for everyone! I think that’s why I don’t really notice the holiday any more, though. I mean, really, who only dresses up once a year?

            When I was in high school is when Halloween vanished for me, at around the same time as I started LARPing. Let’s face it – dressing up in a costume once a week trumps once a year. Even more so when sometimes we’d wear our costumes to school to promote our group.

            Now, with Ringcrafts going to conventions or renaissance festivals nearly every month, there are times when I look around me and wonder why people aren't in costumes.

            Or are they?

            Perhaps it’s the everyday clothes that people wear that are the true costumes. They are worn as an effort to fit in and to avoid offending social expectations.


            Could it be that Halloween is the one day of the year that people feel comfortable in taking off their costumes and letting their true selves show?





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Revisiting

            Well, I've done it again. Surprise, surprise, I've left writing my blog too late and I can’t come up with any ideas for what to say this week. Possibly because I didn't even notice that a whole week had passed. The trouble is, this time I've run out of clever ideas for filling the empty space.

            I mean, I've already blogged about blogging, written blogs that didn't exist and simply saidsomething profound. What else is left?


            Revisiting them, I guess.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Memory

            This morning, while I was driving to GenreCon, I had an idea for a blog topic. It was a good, profound one, too. I even had it half written in my mind. By the time I arrived, I had no clue what the idea was about.

            Memories are fascinating and frustrating things. You can’t remember what you want to (at least, not when you want to) and you can’t forget what you don’t want to remember. Memory varies from person to person, both in content and in style.

            Personally, I know my memory is in third person. I don’t remember events as if they happened to me; I remember them as if I observed them happening to myself. I also have an excellent memory, at least for most things (blogs apparently not being most things). I tend to be able to replay events for analysis with a high accuracy to how things actually occurred.

            On the other hand, there’s my brother. He has a pretty good memory most of the time, but every now and then he tells a story from our childhood that is slightly confused – specifically in that he remembers things that happened to him as happening to me. They mostly seem to be his unpleasant memories, so I suppose it was a coping mechanism to superimpose them onto me. I find it amazing, though, that a brain can do that.

            One of the best stories I have about different types of memories, though, comes from my mom. She has a good childhood friend who she visits with every now and then. When they are remembering past times, my mom’s friend can remember all the details of an event – even recalling conversations word for word. My mom, on the other hand, remembers all of the emotions connected to the event, what it felt like to be there. Together they’re able to paint a very accurate picture of their shared memories.


            Now... what was I talking about again...?






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving

            Hey, it’s Thanksgiving, isn't it? Well, at least here in Canada it is. That means this should be an easy blog to write, right?

            To be honest, I've never really appreciated Thanksgiving. Taking a day aside to be grateful for things? It just didn't make sense to me, because the things I'm grateful for, I'm grateful for all the time. I mean, if I needed a special day just to sit down and think about what I'm thankful for, I’d be pretty ungrateful.

            No matter, it’s as good a reason as any to get together with family and eat too much food.

            I’d list all that I'm thankful for, but the list is both too short and too long. So I’ll stick to saying I'm grateful for short blog posts on nights when I stayed up too late and didn't get around to writing them earlier.


            Happy Thanksgiving. But only to Canadians (and anyone else who doesn't have their own Thanksgiving but wants to join us in ours). You Americans have to wait.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, October 06, 2014

The Hobbit Book Review (Sort of)

            I guess this isn't really a review because, let’s face it, The Hobbit really doesn't need any reviews. If I even have to tell you it was written by J.R.R. Tolkien, chances are you’re reading the wrong blog. So, I guess this is more like my thoughts on the book rather than an actual review.

            Naturally this isn't the first time I've read this book and it most certainly won’t be the last. I think I was in the area of five years old when my dad read The Hobbit to me and my brother. I loved it, in spite of the recurring nightmare it gave me (Smaug chasing me and my family – actually, when the dragon attacked in the movie, it was almost identical to my dreams. Well done, Peter Jackson). It is, to this day, one of the greatest stories I've ever read.

            It isn't just the story itself that has made this book so great, but the writing. Tolkien’s style in this book has personality. It’s more than just words on a page, its storytelling. The book reads as if Tolkien is sitting there in front of you, a fire crackling in the fireplace while he tells you this beautiful tale.

            As I read the book this time, marvelling at how wonderful and enjoyable it was, I came to notice something that I find to be very sad.

            No one would publish The Hobbit in this day and age.

            It all comes down to the writing and what is expected of us as authors. If you look up writing tips, Tolkien goes against a great many of the ones you’ll find.

            We’re supposed to use “said” all the time. No more dwarves grumbling what they say or Bilbo squeaking when he’s frightened. Apparently readers’ eyes just skip over the “said”s and similar. Personally, I read every word in a book and there’s nothing quite as bland as seeing nothing but “said”.

            Exclamation marks! We’re not supposed to use too many exclamation marks. They lose their effectiveness if they’re used too frequently, it’s true, but the amount they’re supposed to be cut out is unbelievable. Used properly, exclamation marks change the entire tone of a sentence, the feel of the book. You wouldn't believe how many of them Tolkien uses! I agree with moderation, but these days they’re becoming extinct.

            Adjectives. Descriptive words. We’re supposed to avoid them. Some people take this too literally and say to never use them. Instead of a nice word that gives clear and definitive meaning to something, we’re supposed to use excessive space to describe the specific characteristics of those words. To me, that’s a waste of time for both the writer and reader if every time someone waves excitedly their hand waves back and forth in blur with a grin on their face. Tolkien uses adjectives all the time and very effectively. Again, it’s a case of using it in moderation, but elimination clutters the writing.

            So, on the off chance that someone decided to publish The Hobbit, they would first run it through editors to eliminate all these “problems”. I can’t say that I’d want to read the book once it came out the other end of that process. They’d take out the split infinitives.


            If you haven’t read The Hobbit before, you should. There’s never been a book like it before and there never will be one again until people stop clinging to guidelines as rules. Writing is an art and art is an expression of yourself. If you allow rules to remove your personality from your writing, can you still call it art?






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, September 29, 2014

World Building

            One of the most important parts of writing is world building. It doesn't matter where a book or story is set; the writer needs to know the world inside and out.

            Some world building is easier – for example, a book set in the real world tends to need very little creation, although it does require more research. Other times, world building can be challenging – like a book set in a fantastical city in another world where the various people and establishments are critical to the plot.

            What I chose to do is, in hind sight, nearly impossible (at least for one person) and exceptionally challenging. I decided to build an entire fantasy world, the same size as ours (or, at least, close enough).

            Why is this task so difficult? Try to picture our entire world. Can you name all the countries and their capitals? What are the diplomatic statuses between each country? Where are the trade routes and what do the countries trade?

            Those are the easy questions. There are a whole lot of other details to come up with as well, like plants and animals unique to the world or ones that appear in other books and mythology that have their own twist in this world. Famous historical figures and locations. Religions, cultures, societies, politics, regional moral standards. The list goes on and on.

            Luckily it can be cheated, at least to a certain degree. Do I really need to know about unicorns if they don’t appear in the book I'm working on? No, I can leave that until I actually need it. But the more that is developed in the world, the easier it is to add flavour.

            Recently I decided that it was high time (after four and a half years and books of writing in this world) that it was high time I named the months and days of the week in my world. It seems like a relatively unimportant task, but now that it’s done I can actually set my characters’ birth dates in stone. Plus, whenever I feel like naming the day or the month in which the story is occurring, I'm ready to do so. I may even go back and add them into the books I've written, adding a new depth to the realism of my world.

            Of course, that whole process opened up a whole new can of worms for me, because now I'm working on the moon cycles. It sounds easy enough – and it was. For the first moon. However, following in my footsteps of craziness, I decided that the moon has a couple moons of its own. Now I'm working on coming up with the rotation patterns of those moons, trying to find a pattern that will allow me to have an easy reference for when I'm writing.

            It’s a good thing that I found a program for making my own encyclopaedia. I have the right mind for storing all this information, but having it all written down and organised in one place has made my writing infinitely easier.


            Nevertheless, let this be a lesson to you. If you want to build a world, start off small or you might find yourself drowning in the oceans of your own creativity.






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, September 22, 2014

What Were Those Mysterious Sounds?

            I don’t get out to as many medieval fairs and renaissance festivals as I’d like to – I mean, after all, they’re a ton of fun and it’s where chainmaille sells the best. However, of the ones that I know, I have a particular fondness of the Royal Medieval Faire that we were vendors at last Saturday.

            What makes this event so special? It has a new theme and storyline each year. I've never seen that anywhere else and I've gotta say, the organizers have a lot of fun with it.

            Last year, the faire was invaded by Vikings (also a drunken lady asking people to kiss her stuffed frog). This year was something unique and – I felt – very clever. It was a mystery. In fact, it was such a good mystery that I still don’t know what was going on. All I know is that throughout the day, we kept hearing the oddest noises. I also observed two shady looking characters dressed all in black offering a child a gold coin in exchange for information about the strange sounds.

            My best guess is that it was a snoring dragon. While that only accounts for some of the sounds, it’s the best I've got.


            Story line or no, medieval fairs are great fun. If you've never been to one, you should find one near you and go. Beware of dragons and Vikings, though. Also drunken ladies with kissy frogs. I'm not sure I’ll ever recover from that on.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Minecraft - the new Lego

            When I was a kid, my brother and I used to love playing with Lego. It was one of the best toys out there – at least for us, because after we’d built a Lego set, we could take it apart and create.

            Our different personality types were very evident, even back then. My brother’s constructions often focused on creating vehicles, while I was busily building castles, fortresses and forts for us to play with our Lego men in.

            Of course, as always happens, we grew older and we stopped playing with Lego. Our vast collection got packed up in a big plastic bin and is now sitting unused in a closet at our parents’ house.

            In more recent years, the same style of creativity inspired by Lego has come back into my life, in a far less messy platform. Minecraft.

            This is a video game that was created by a small company called Mojang. Minecraft is a game where your character is dropped into a randomly generated world made up of blocks. What then? Well, then you do whatever you feel like.

            You can harvest blocks, craft tools, build structures and mechanisms, mine, explore the infinite world, explore monsters. Oh, yes – monsters. In survival mode, one of the first things you learn is to build a house as quickly as you can, because at night, the monsters come out to play.

            This game, so simple in appearances, has grown to be one of the most popular games out there. Why is that? Because it allows people to explore the same creative side that Lego does. Find the blocks you need and build whatever you please!

            Creativity is an integral part of the human mind and, to many of us, we feel stunted if we can’t express that creativity. Minecraft provides a unique outlet, similar to Lego blocks, that has gripped the world’s imagination. You need look no further than a simple search on Google or YouTube to find examples of the brilliant things people have done.

            I can’t truly say that Minecraft has replaced Lego – although it comes close. For one thing, you can’t make vehicles, so my brother won’t play it. It does, however, cut down significantly on the mess and sore feet.


            Naturally, such a similarity has not been missed by others. For those who enjoy both Minecraft and Lego.... There are also Minecraft Lego sets and Lego texture packs for Minecraft. Sometimes I love this world.








Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, September 08, 2014

Heat Wave

            I don’t know about the rest of you, but we just had a terrible heat wave over the last week. Luckily I didn't have to deal with the heat itself all that much, but it did get in the way of the usual running of life.

            Colleen and I had just started getting into our new routine – we actually had a work schedule set up for ourselves and it was already improving our productivity – when this smouldering heat comes along, intent on hanging about all week. It came along and spoiled everything.

            See, our home is set up like this: we have one room downstairs which serves as dining room, living room and kitchen, while upstairs we have our bedroom, workroom and bathroom. Only the downstairs is air-conditioned.

            To further this, our workroom contains a lot of electronics which produce heat, particularly when they’re being use. While we make chainmaille, we always have a movie or show playing because – let’s face it – no matter how much patience you have, if you’re making as much chainmaille as we do, you need something else going on to keep your brain from melting.

            So, we had two choices: work upstairs in the sweltering heat, adding more heat to the point where it would be impossible to sleep at night, or move downstairs while lowering productivity. Unsurprisingly, we chose the latter.

            But we’re nothing if not adaptable. I often read to Colleen while she’s doing various chores or tasks, so that’s what much of the days went to for me. We finished Take a Thief (Mercedes Lackey), went through the whole of Homeland and most of Exile (R.A. Salvatore). Meanwhile, extra housework got done, a little chainmaille was completed and, while I wasn't reading, a lot more writing work got done than usual.


            Finally a thunderstorm came along and broke the heat. Usually “it never rains but it pours” is a negative saying, but in this case it was delightful. Now we can get back to work as usual. Although, I must admit – as sore as my throat has gotten at times, I'm going to miss reading so much.






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, September 01, 2014

Aren't Allergies Fun?

            Allergy season has come again. Funny, isn't it, how there are multiple allergy seasons? It’s a little unfair, too, to those of us who suffer from them.

            I've had a myriad of minor allergies since I was very young. I remember lying awake some nights, hardly able to breathe because my nose was congested and my throat was closing on me. When I was tested for allergies, the tests showed I had a sensitivity to... well, just about everything. No serious allergies, for which I'm grateful, but a minor sensitivity to just about everything in the natural world – grass, trees, pollen, dust, cats, perfumes, milk, wheat... I don’t even know everything that was on the list, it was so long.

            Luckily for me, spending several years on a rotation diet and growing older have lessened the severity of my allergies, but every now and then they hit me – and hard. In the past week I've been sneasing regularly, with litters of 3-15 sneezes at a time. I've single-handedly gone through three boxes kleenexes in a week.

            I've always felt that the timing of allergy seasons was notoriously unfair as well. I mean, the first one of the year is springtime, and it usually isn't too bad, but it meant that my nose was running and making me feel miserable for the first good weather of the year.

            The second season hits in late June. The end of the school year. Have you ever tried to write exams with your nose dripping onto the paper? Naturally, the third season arrives around now – just about the right time to go back to school. It was many years that I sat through the first couple weeks of classes, trying to discreetly wipe my nose (blowing my nose was out of the question, as I've always made it a point to be as silent as possible when around other people).

            Throw into the mix any colds that could be caught during the winter... well, I needn't say more.


            So, as I sit here blowing my nose and trying not to rub my eyes that are so itchy I want to gouge them out, I can’t help thinking about all the other people out there suffering as I am (or worse). To them, all I can do is tell them the same thing that the doctor told my father-in-law when my sister-in-law swallowed a dime when she was a baby (there was no good way to say that): This, too, shall pass. (Don't look at me; it wasn't my joke.)




Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Low Productivity with Results

            The downside of being a self-employed introvert is that I have almost complete control over my schedule. How is that a downside? Sometimes I just can’t be hard enough on myself.

            See, vacations are great and relaxing and all that, but, in other ways, they’re also quite tiring. For people as introverted as me, they’re downright exhausting – I mean, I get tired just thinking about leaving the house.

            So, this week, there isn't much for me to talk about. I got some work done, but not nearly as much as I should have. On the bright side, I finally finished this wonderful chainmaille shirt:



            It has 46 hours of work in it and would have been completed in 5 days if I hadn't needed to wait for more materials. I'm very proud of how it turned out, though – it has a tricky double-layered part over the shoulders and the stag’s head transfers from one layer to the next – a process made doubly difficult by the weave going in opposite directions on each layer.

            Beyond that, my wife and I also took my grandmother out to an appointment and had lunch with her. It was the first time we've seen her in several months and it was great to chat and catch up with her.

            So, even in a week of low productivity, the week wasn't a complete write-off. It’s still strange to think that we’re so introverted that having a vacation tires us out enough that we need time off to recover from it. Hopefully next week will be more productive and I’ll think of something more interesting to talk about.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Cottage Time

            Once in a while, my wife and I get invitations to visit a cottage, but we rarely are able to accept – actually, this is the first vacation we've had since our honeymoon, two years ago. I suspect that this trip was partially planned around us, since we left for the cottage on Wednesday, shortly after our last show before the end of September – in other words, the first free time we've had all year.

            This particular cottage is owned by some family friends and I've come up here a couple times before with my in-laws. It is a wonderful, relaxing place to come – if I could, I’d live up here. Oh, and the view is great.





            Not that this is the exact view I've had the whole time I've been here. It is accurate for my previous two visits, however today is the first day I've really gotten a chance to enjoy being outside. It’s also the first time the first day that the sun has come out to play (it’s back behind a cloud again now). Much of the time here looked more like this:



            In spite of the weather, it’s still been a great vacation. The friends and my in-laws are a delightful to spend time with, even cooped up inside by the rain. Plus, during the precipitation, we got to hear and see this lovely loon:



            It’s kind of funny, though, because even though I'm on vacation, I'm still working away. My wife and I brought chainmaille to make while here and I, of course, am writing every day. Actually, of my five books (including my current work in progress), this is the third one I've worked on at this cottage. Without all the distractions of regular life, I get far more done here than I do at home, while, at the same time, being more relaxed.

            I can’t help but think how wonderful it would be to live like this all the time, without the hubbub of every-day live interfering with... just living. I wish everyone could live like this and experience the simple joy of slowing down and enjoying life for what it is, rather than what we've made it.






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Us and Them

            It seems like it has become a tradition that I write a blog post while selling chainmaille at Festival of Friends. I don’t really have much choice – I’ll be getting home late enough that I really won’t be feeling like writing anything.

            So, while we were watching the crowds wandering the festival, my wife commented to me on how fascinating it is to see how many different type of people there are. Not that we were unaware of their existence before, but it’s not often that we get to see such a mix in one place.

            When people leave the house, people generally dress for where they’re going. If it’s work, they’re wearing their work clothes, to parties they wear fancy clothes. At the sorts of events we go to, people usually dress however they want to (admittedly, sometimes this involves costumes) and that allows their personalities and interests to show through. They are usually more comfortable and more personable when chatting. That’s when you really get to see how diverse our society is. What it tells me more than anything else is how no two people are alike.

            Yet, at the same time, we always are trying to group people into categories. Be it race, interests, gender, hair colour, clothing, music, country – it doesn't matter. We’ll slap a name on them and call them all the same. We even do it to ourselves; we find a category of like minded people, give ourselves a name and proudly declare ourselves to be part of the group.

            Suddenly there’s an “Us” and “Them”. I don’t even need to comment on what that leads to.

            Where does it come from, though? I think, at its very core, it stems from our own innate insecurities. Because without these groups, it is “Me” and “Them”. With how many other people there are out there, it’s nice to feel like there are some that are the same as us, who will stand with us against the massive forces of “Them”.

            The truth is, there is no “Them”. Only “Us”. It doesn't matter how we group and categorize people, because if you go into any one of those groups and talk to all of them, you will discover that the group is made up of people who are unique – just like you.


            I think it’s time we do away with these false ideas like “Them” and “Normal” and admit that each and every one of us is unique and completely alone. Just like everyone else. And because of our unique loneliness, we are all the same. There is only “Us”.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 04, 2014

I Did It Again

            This blog is probably coming out late because I was up late and then the internet died. Why was I up late, you ask? Dungeons and Dragons.

            Yesterday we had a power outage that lasted for a few hours, during which my wife and I played Sorry! With my sister-in-law. Then we played Apples to Apples. After that, we started talking about what board game to play next and, silly me, I suggested playing Dungeons and Dragons.

            Why was that a silly idea you ask? Because of what happened the last time I suggestedplaying D&D to people when I didn't think it was actually going to happen. I ended up as a Dungeon Master.

            Not that I mind being a DM – I thoroughly enjoy it and I think it’s a great exercise for any author. It’s just that I'm a bit busy right now, what with moving (okay, so at this point it’s unpacking), ongoing renovations, making chainmaille and shows, taking on more work is a bit crazy. And, as I mentioned in my post last yearish, being a DM is a lot of work.

            This time, I know a lot more about running a game (which is a good thing, because the game’s designed to have 4-6 players (plus the DM) and I'm running it for 2), but I haven’t had to thoroughly plan anything out, so I'm making up everything as I go along. It’s a huge challenge, but, again, a wonderful creative exercise. Keeps me on my toes.

            Did I mention I'm trying to find time to get my family together, too, so we can continue the game we started last summer? Then I’ll be running two games at the same time. Talk about crazy.

            That’s the most important thing about life, though. You have to find time for the things you love. Otherwise, what’s the point.


            Oh, look! The internet is back. Quick, upload, upload, upload!!!





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Artistic Life Choices

            The day after ConBravo!, a friend of mine commissioned a chainmaille shirt – the catch being that he wanted the shirt for an event that was next weekend. Because of the time required, both for production and for the materials to arrive, this posed an interesting challenge. Luckily, I had a few advantages in this situation: I had enough materials on hand to start the shirt, I have Colleen working with me to make chainmaille, and we both are making chainmaille full time.

            This got me thinking about the difference between people who are artists as a hobby and artists who are making a living off their art (or trying to, at least). The challenge with making money through art is getting paid for your time. That’s the biggest problem with every form of art – there is a lot of time involved. It has to be a labour of love.

            The result is that many artists undercharge for their work, because not many people are willing to pay even $200 for a painting with eighty hours of work in it. Yes, there a few people who will, but even if that painting is sold, the artist is only getting paid $2.50 per hour, and no one can live off of that.

            So, most artists use their art as a hobby, some of them making money on the side, while working a full time job. This limits their time to produce art, but it also provides them with a secure income. They can charge less for their work if they want to, but they don’t have as much freedom when it comes to rush orders.

            On the other hand, there are full-time artists – few and far between. They (or we) need to make a living off of what they sell, so they have to charge for the time invested in their products. Unfortunately, this means that prices are higher, but it also means that they have a lot more time to hone their craft, which in turn means more speed during production. The costs get lowered a bit, but still stay fairly high for larger projects.

            Chainmaille shirts are very large projects. I first started making chainmaille as armour. When I look back at the first shirt I sold, I am appalled that I sold it for $160. The materials alone cost $100, which means I was making about $1-2 per hour. On the other hand, I was still learning my craft and I was a high school student on summer holidays with no job.

            When I started looking into making chainmaille for a living, branching out into jewellery was almost mandatory. It’s simply because there are more people who will spend $15 on a bracelet that cost $3 in materials and took an hour to make than who will buy a chainmaille shirt for $600 that costs $120 in materials and took 40 hours to make. Especially when you can get one that was made with slave labour for $150 on EBay.

            Nevertheless, armouring is what I truly love about my art, so when opportunity knocks, I’ll answer. Here, being a professional artist pays off. The armour was needed within a time limit. There probably aren't any people out there with full time jobs that could make a full chainmaille shirt in under two weeks. My wife and I managed it in five days (well, six, but two of them were more like half days).

            Technically the shirt still needs a little more work on it that will have to wait until after the event – unfortunately my supplier was busier than usual and the materials for finishing it won’t arrive on time (the worst part is there’s only a few more hours of work to put into it). However, the shirt was complete enough and fully functional in time for the event – and if the materials had shipped when they normally would have, it would've been complete with all the bells and whistles as well.

            I was silly enough to hand off the shirt prior to getting a picture of it in its neo-complete form, however here’s what it looked like with 15 hours of work in it. It now has 42 hours and is much, much longer.





            Now, I don’t want you to take out of this that full time artists are better than part-time artists. We’re just a bit crazier and usually a bit hungrier. All arts are labours of love and deserve respect, attention, and purchasing.

            My instinct says I should end this blog with something along the lines of “Support artists”, but since you’re here and reading this, I don’t really need to, do I? You’re here because you support my chainmaille, my writing, or both – at least, I assume you do, otherwise I've got no idea why you could possibly be here.


            So, instead I’ll finish with saying, thank you for supporting artists. Especially me ;)





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.