Tag Archives: inspiration

Lack of Focus

Art, Self, thoughts, Writing, , , , ,

Roses are red,
Music is cool,
I’ve got ADHD,
ooh look a squirrel.

I grew up as a hyperactive child before any real proper diagnosis of ADD was ever done, and managed to some extent with a restricted diet free of many of the stupider E numbers.

So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve struggled with focus for a long time, and perhaps not in ways that others might. My mind often flits from thing to thing before I’m finished with it… Sometimes it’s almost as if I fear finishing things, fear taking that step.

As I say, I’ve struggled with this issue for a while… So I’ve decided to see what happens if I stop struggling so much. Allow myself to drift from idea to idea, with the added proviso that I at least try to finish things when I can.

Perhaps it should be obvious that I often feel as though I have a bit if an identity crisis. I find it hard to categorise myself; am I an author, an artist, a designer, a web coder, a video game maker, or… What?

Perhaps, for now, I’ll content myself with calling me a nerd.

Facebook Launch

And so it began…

Lair of the Nerd, , , ,

So, now the dust settles, the leaflets and business cards have been delivered, myriad forms have been filled out, sent off, sent back, and so on… Press releases have been released, things have been arranged… And the waiting… oh god so much waiting, and some of the waiting is not over with yet.

Yes, Lair of the Nerd v. 1.0a has been live for a little more than a week, and people have been sharing things, liking things… some people have even been ordering things which is awesome.  More information after the jump.

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Review: Snakes Eyes I – A Man of Will and Experience, Joseph D’Lacey

review, Writing, , ,

The first of Joseph D’Lacey’s Snake Eyes pair of novellas, A Man of Will and Experience tells a tale where the fractured and many-layered psyche of the main character is as much an antagonist as any of the ‘spiders’ or plant-zombies he encounters.

Beginning in a dream, transitioning to a very-normal world and a hyper-normal protaginist, the reader is presented with an intriguing dilemma of a character who has noticed something that nobody else has.

The mystery gradually unfolds and soon the story begins to move from layer to layer, but whether we are transitioning from reality to fantasy or vice versa is never clear.

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Heroes, part two

Self, Writing, , , ,

Authors need to read. Learning by example is one of the most fundamental and seemingly obvious pieces of advice anyone can give an aspiring author like myself, for a huge number of reasons.

In a previous post I explored a few of my writing heroes, but a list of favourite writers, like a list of favourite books or films is never truly exhaustive, and so I figured I’d pick up that thread and continue running with it, like a deranged kitten of some sort.

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Heroes, part one.

inspiration, , ,

When I think of being an author, of writing, I can’t help think about all the work of others I have read over the years, about the things that inspire me, about the works that have touched and moved me.  I know it’s a cliché to talk about standing on the shoulders of giants, but in many ways the cliché rings true.

If I do ever become successful as an author, then it will be, to a greater or lesser extent, due to the works of various authors who have inspired me to put pen to paper – or rather, finger to keyboard.  I want to take the time to talk about a few of these literary heroes, and will probably do so again so don’t be fooled into thinking what I say in this post is by any means an exhaustive list.

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The Founding of the Ministratum Cycle

rpg, Writing, , , , , , ,

My story concept for my current novel began about a year ago as a table-top role playing game (RPG) scenario. Set in a pseudo-medieval fantasy realm, the concept focused on a patriarchal theocratic society where what would often be considered normal freedoms would be oppressed.

It began with three main characters, who were somewhat fantasy clichés to begin with. There was the burly, lecherous blacksmith, the innocent nature-loving herbalist, and the young fresh-faced lad. In our RPG sessions these characters were portrayed by my good friend Phil, my other half Anna, and my good friend Tony, and I was the GM – games master – essentially the one who controlled the story.

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Pinning Ideas Down

Self, thoughts, , ,

Sometimes trying to be creative when being me, with this anxious, easily distracted but difficult to steer mind, is difficult. At times, I feel a little like a child walking into the greatest toyshop in the world, and being unable to move because so many urges and so many bright shiny colours are trying to drag my mental state in so many different directions.

“Ooh! Oooh! Over here!” shouts a fascinating concept for a webcomic.

“Pick me! Pick me!” cries an innovative idea for a social networking website.

“I’m the one you want!” the shrieking voice of a videogame concept echoes around my head.

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Bargaining With The Muse

Self, Writing, , , , , ,
Where to start… perhaps with something that looks like a quote, but is actually written by me… yeah that’ll do.
The muse cannot be ordered, or tricked, for she comes when she will.
She can only be cajoled, persuaded, or bartered with, and any bargain may both weaken and strengthen he that makes it.
Creativity is a difficult pursuit, and a difficult goal, for simply expressing a desire to be more creative is no more conducive to actual output of ‘stuff’ than wanting to learn to drive is conducive to becoming a racing driver.