Cao Cao – the boss. Xiahou Dun – the right hand man. Xiahou Yuan – the straight shooter. Cao Ren – the conflicted idealist. Brought to you by my case of shiny object syndrome for New Wave and ’80s Miami-style gangster aesthetics.
MILON’S SHITTY ASSHOLE! TRIAL AND ERROR! MOSTLY ERROR! THERE IS ONLY ONE MAHARITO – FOR ME TO POOP ON!
Stuff a sock in it and go kiss me where the great Hank split me.
A full throttle rampage through a junkyard wasteland of skulls and rust and chrome. A straight up action flick reveling in its nature while flipping a rocket-powered bird at tired genre conventions. A heavy metal symphony with a human heart.
Early on, my concept of Dynasty Warriors appreciation was messing around on easy mode with the fat guy or the chakram girl or the claw guy who looked like Vega. Dynasty Warriors 5 turned me from a casual dabbler into a proper fan of the series and enthusiast for Three Kingdoms history and lore. The love remains strong a decade after its release.
I got many great pictures, a few small purchases, and more understanding of China’s industrialization, urban culture, and current challenges. I went through the Three Gorges Dam locks during a cruise ship beer bash. I learned to play mahjong with helpful onlookers backseating. I saw an acrobatics show with muscle men and motorbikes, opera music performed in a historic estate preserved among high rises, and a sex museum.
Pages: 1 2 3 4
So you want to write a story with a lot going on under the hood, from characters’ goals and frustrations to greater challenges of society. These varied pressures can create a desirably layered narrative. They can also explode into a scattershot mess – or intimidate you into fearing the rigors of development.
With some thought and planning, you can sort out all these ideas and get them to play well together.
So you want to expand your story idea into a road map. Or you’re stalled out on plotting or planning or rewriting. Or you’re mired somewhere in the wilds of Indecision, Overthought, or I Got Nothing. Time to take a high-fiber brain dump.
In which I visit a free haunt for charity hosted in a Philipsburg car dealership.
Traditionally, NaNoWriMo focuses on word count. An alternative measure of work time might ultimately be more productive. Which metric best suits your project?
In which I visit a longstanding local attraction billing its Halloween transformation as Pennsylvania’s most unique haunted house.