Chrono Trigger: Blast From the Past
I popped the cartridge into the 2DS with a measure of trepidation. I’d bought the handheld months prior to catch up on a generation of games that had passed me by. We had several of these in the house, gifts…
Playing Chess With My Sister
I’m an introvert, the kind who’s spoken fewer words in her life than you’ll find in the average short story. As such, it can be challenging to keep in touch with my friends and family, who live nearly 3,000 miles…
Societal Progress Is Not Linear
Nowadays, it can feel like the precious societal progress we thought we’d achieved has been inexorably slipping backwards. Extreme conservatism and hate in the US, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the unwillingness to act to ensure our species’ survival keep…
Oh, Picard
Now that the trailer for the second season of Star Trek: Picard is upon us, I feel the time is right to unleash a rant about my one big gripe with season one, which I enjoyed overall. So Timely Yes,…
Writing the Truth at This Time in History
Discussing our craft feels small and unimportant at the moment. Protests over the deaths of George Floyd and so many others have been taking place all over the country for more than a week. They are even now erupting in…
What Have I Been up To?
It’s been a while since I wrote on my blog. What have I been up to since last we met? A novel, twice finished These past few months, I was working on my first novel. Again. I previously thought it…
The Core Problems with Mass Effect 3’s Ending
Mass Effect 3 may be several years old, but its ending is infamous in the world of video games. It spawned a wealth of memes upon its release for just how bad it was, and deservedly so. Many factors come…
When Is My Manuscript Good Enough?
Books take a lot of work. Months ago, I declared my first novel complete. The manuscript had gone through two full drafts, many changes, and as much revision as it took for the text to feel finished. I was proud…
How Much Should I Write?
Advice on this matter varies. In his book On Writing, Stephen King alleges he starts the day writing and does nothing else until he has put 2,000 words to the page. This amounts to doing NaNoWriMo all year long. Even…
Star Wars: Franchise Fatigue Is Not the Issue
Last year, Disney decided to put the brakes on Star Wars, one of the biggest franchises in its portfolio. The stars stopped streaking as the hyperdrive shuddered to a halt. This move, namely slowing or stopping development on more prequel…