Whew!

Boy, it's a good thing you don't exist. Otherwise you might be really upset with me right now. I say this because my foray into game creation is turning out to be pretty nonexistent. Oh, I'll try to get some reviews out there, or something similar, but there's simply no chance anything more is possible. Shame, because I'd worked up a few fairly interesting boards and cards. Had some fun ideas to explore.

But, whatever. (This is a blog, I can be conversational here)

You'll still get weekly updates of my strip (just imagine how much more you might love that fact if you actually existed!). Also, I'm returning to my first true love: writing fiction. In fact, I've got three novels going at once. That's a first for me. It's actually kind of fun to bounce back and forth between them. Without a doubt, fiction is the most expeditious art form available to the storyteller. Just look at those authors who put out multiple books a year! (or maybe some should slow down a bit)

So that's where I am at this point. Aren't you glad you don't care because you don't exist? Existing is sometimes less than it's cracked up to be. And it's damned expensive too, naturally.

Incidentally, probably won't be posting these, or any other, novels online (and why should you care either way, seeing as how you don't exist and all). For the foreseeable future, they stay in my drawer. I may try to get them published, or attempt a POD thing, eventually. But for now I'm content with writing them and keeping them to myself (my wife gets to read them because she's my favorite). Besides, creation is its own reward. Else I'd be playing many more video games and leaving it at that.

BTW, just kidding about the not existing thing. If you exist I won't hold it against you. I know someone sees my stuff because I've made contact with, and have received comments from, several nice folks over at DrunkDuck. Yay! (Shout out to Subcultured, my partner in crime)

I couldn't be happier as a creator than I am right now. Well, I suppose I could be happier. What I'm trying to say is I'm happy enough. And that's precisely where I wanna be. The "happy enough" place. It's the only ecosystem stable enough for truly sustainable living.

Flow

I'm very interested in the idea of flow. At the end of the day, I think its presence or absence defines our lives on some fundamental level. But what causes it? As an artist, it feels like performing a dance between gaining control and losing it, both of which are equally desirable. The control part is obvious enough (the pen is in your hand, the words come from your fingertips), what's less obvious is the lack of control. This part may be best expressed by the concept of a muse; an outside source of inspiration. No one controls the muse. Hence the dilemma, but also the fun. Creation becomes a hairy business. Unpredictable. Reactive as well as active. Yes, it's reactive because you're reacting to yourself, but the "you" may be the muse talking through you, which is not really "you." If you know what I mean. In any case, I suspect flow works best when we enter a delicate state of dynamic negotiation between control and surrender, between action and reaction. Sweet surrender really is sweet. When it creates flow. And it won't rot your teeth! (may even put money in the bank!)

Anyway, those are my random thoughts on this particular Monday, the twentieth day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and nine. I'll update my comic later this evening.

Digital world > real world?

Will there come a time when we've become so "plugged in" that the "real world" is not only irrelevant, it is utterly forgotten? And how broken will it be by that point? Will we live our lives in MATRIX-like pods, having abandoned reality for fantasy? I mean, who wouldn't want to sleep all day if given the chance? Yep, seems the WALL-E prediction is realistic enough. And even if we do function in the world, will we tweak it to our heart's content? Use stimulus filters or something? Hear what we want to hear instead of what's really being said? See what we want to see? What's to stop us?

Oh yeah, I've got questions and concerns. And I'll be perfectly honest and admit that despite my website, blogging, etc. I have what could be described as old-fashioned sensibilities. I consider myself a bibliophile, cherishing the smell and texture of real books. I doubt I will ever own a Kindle. I also love packaging, liner notes, road maps (I freaking adore those damn road maps that I can never properly refold!) and I dread the day we lose this physical connection with our surroundings. Love lives in the hands and body, as much as if not more than in the head. And I'm doing my part. I spend my hard-earned cash on CDs, DVDs, books. My wife and I patronize used and independent bookstores anywhere we find them. Much more than we should and sometimes just to support the cause.

But please feel free to ignore what I just said and peruse my website. That said, who knows, perhaps my stuff will enter the physical realm someday. Until then, I will continue to work and dream digitally, while secretly plotting my invasion of the "real world." Man, oh man. If only.

I've got a t-shirt slogan for you:

Got reality?

New comic, etc.

Did I mention I plan to update my webcomic on Mondays? Should happen on both the website and DD. No idea why I picked Mondays, except it gives me the weekend to work on it and maybe someone has their Monday improved slightly. I'm not doing this for myself, people. Well, not completely.

Also, been thinking a lot about my board game. I definitely want pieces, so I'm thinking of somehow using Scrabble blocks. Perhaps you could print something up as a makeshift decal. Double-sided tape might allow you to keep the pieces for later use without ruining them. Just a few of my ideas.

A stated goal of this project is to have physical objects to "play with." Keeping it real. Okay, it's not exactly the freakin' Holodeck, but what do you expect for a buck fifty?