The second draft of my fantasy short is done. I’ve written about “The Final Prophecy” before, but I will add that finishing the second draft was tougher than expected. When I got to the last chapter and a half, I stalled. That’s usually a good sign, because the harder it is for me to finish something, the more I’ve loved working on it. So much so, I don’t want it to end. Luckily, I eventually got tired of procrastinating and went back to work.

The next step is more revision. Editing used to scare me, but now I see it as a chance to polish and tweak where needed – and in the worst case scenario spot a dud before I send it out into the world. Finishing the second draft is still a milestone worth mentioning, because this is the part of the process where I involve a few trusted readers. They are the Wise Ones who point out where the holes are, and the inconsistencies as well as the gems and the exciting stuff. Their feedback provide the setup for writing draft three.

There is also inspiration coming from the gaming campaign, I’m running parallel to the writing. We just finished running an adventure set a few years after the events described in “The Final Prophecy”, but in much the same location, and some of the questions posed by the players as part of our game, provided excellent fodder for the story. Details about the daily life, geography and mythology that had not crossed my mind before.

And it doesn’t end there. I recently read two excellent pieces that helped kick me back into writing mode. One is an interview with Stephen King by Neil Gaiman. The insight into King’s process and approach was highly motivating to me. Then I read Second Drafts are a Way of Life by Ryan Macklin, the timing of which could not have been better. Both are recommended reading to any writer.

Now I’m going to take a short break from the story, while I filter it out to the Wise Ones. And in the meantime, I hope to ride the wave of finishing things, and get my arcade iPhone game – Nebula Rescue – done and out the door.

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Deepest Dungeon is a song about crawling around in dungeons, killing monsters and collecting loot. Or what some people call “a great way to spend the weekend”. It’s my second song inspired by gaming, and probably not the last…

I’m crowdsourcing, kind of.

After I wrote Save or Die, I decided to let “the crowd” (that’s you) decide whether the world needed more nerd rock songs by yours truly. I am humbled and happy to report, that there were people out there who wanted that to happen. If you’re one of them, thank you for helping me overcome my own insecurities!

Anyway, here is it, download Deepest Dungeon from Bandcamp. You get to name your own price, starting at free. Again, thank you for the support and encouragement.

Let’s rock ‘n’ roll some dice!

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“Save or Die” is inspired by one of the tensest moments in gaming. That last chance, where everything comes down to this one final roll of the dice. Usually, when it gets to this point, it’s because things have already gone to hell. If you’ve ever played roleplaying games, you know what I’m talking about.

Whenever I have an idea for a song, I record it as a voice memo on my phone. Sometimes it will just be a line or two, sometimes it’s a chord progression or a melody. Yesterday, I stumbled across the outline of a song without any lyrics attached – just humming where the words were supposed to go. I started typing whatever wanted to come out, and after a few hours of work – I had a song!

I suppose this is nerd rock. I’ve been inspired to try writing some songs like this for a while; since the busking session at Emerald City Comic Con especially (see the post on ECCC for more on that). I love getting inspired by talented people!

The song is free, unless you want to pay for it. Get it on Bandcamp and check out my other songs in the shop.

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Do you play Dungeons & Dragons? It was the first roleplaying game I ever played, and it quite dramatically changed my life. Who would have thought that a single session, playing a level 3 fighter someone else had rolled for me, could have such an impact. After many years away from the game I returned to D&D in 2010.

I ran a homegrown 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign entitled “Sundering Wrath”. We played almost the entire Heroic Tier before Life got in the way of our group. But I like planning ahead and frankly love writing this stuff (it’s a comfort thing, I’ve been writing game material since the 5th grade), so of course I had notes going all the way through the Epic Tier.

I have folders of scribblings, sketches and maps for Sundering Wrath. When we played, I started a blog dedicated to the campaign – I’ll be moving some of its content over here one of these days. Encouraged by Kelly, who thought I should do something with all these notes of mine, I put together an 11-page campaign outline.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your own D&D game, maybe this will help.

Download: Sundering Wrath – Campaign Outline (pdf)

The download is completely free, just right click and save it.

The campaign outline includes a brief introduction to the setting, background story and a campaign arc outlining each tier. The Heroic tier is split into individual adventure ideas (including stats and details for the main villain, Krogar Shadowsting), and also included is a template of unique powers for the badguys to wield.

Go ahead, roll initiative…

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Last night, I ran the first gaming session on the island of Vitas. I’m using the game as inspiration and to help me build a detailed, hopefully interesting fantasy world, and if the first session is any indication, that was a smart move. Having others play characters in the world naturally conjures up questions and details that I would have never thought of on my own.

The adventure we’re playing is set in a small village built around an old abbey, sitting atop a hill from which an underground river springs; Chillriver. It’s early fall, harvest is over, the big markets are winding down as people prepare for winter. I will be sharing the adventure in a downloadable version, once we’re done playing it.

The characters, Johann Horsemaster (trainer of horses) and Orville Grimm (tracker), were asked to deliver a small shipment of cloth and salt to the monks of Chillriver Abbey, and return with a few barrels of their fine ale. They were given plenty of time and promised a reasonable payment, and since both men needed gold to survive winter, they took the job.

The story took a twist when shortly before arriving in Chillriver, they encountered a boy around the age of 12, looking pale and sick. They stopped to help, only to find that the boy was mad, incapable of speech – and tried to bite and stab poor Orville. They ended up pacifying the sick boy and taking him along, hoping the monks could shed some light on his condition.

Upon arrival in the village, they found it shuttered up and closed down, even the monks had closed their gates. Only after tying the mad boy to a nearby tree and proving that neither had been bitten, were Orville and Johann allowed inside the abbey walls.

The monks eventually explained that this mysterious malaise hit their area a few days prior, infecting a large number of villagers. Some were killed, others were rounded up and isolated. Abbot Greystone and potion maker, Brother Halthor, said they had studied the stricken, both dead and alive, and they believed a cure could be made. To concoct it, quite a few herbs were needed from the nearby forest, and though Halthor would normally go find these himself, the abbot would not allow it given the circumstances. Reluctantly, Johann and Orville agreed to help.

Finding the needed ingredients proved harder than expected, though they did discover a small shack in a hidden clearing. Upon further investigation, they found a primitive altar inside, with a dead baby goat on top, and next to it a small leather journal…

That’s more or less where we left off. It was very much about setting the scene and introducing the world to the players. They could have chosen to kill the sick boy, but saving him ended up adding to their sense of commitment, and it added a nice touch that as a couple of normal travelers (as opposed to battlehardened soldiers, for instance), they tried to do the right thing instead of taking the easy way.

They did encounter a crazed elk out in the forest, the only actual combat encounter, which began and ended with one well placed arrow. This was definitely not a meat grinder session, but it was a lot of fun.

Huge thanks to Lee and Nick who took on the parts of Orville and Johann, and helped Norkol, Vitas and Chillriver come alive.

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Next week I run the first session in my new fantasy roleplaying campaign (still to be named). It takes place in the same world as my recent short story – The Final Prophecy of Jalahar, currently in editing. The events in the game unfold a few years after those depicted in the story. This would make a lot more sense if you knew either story, I know, but I can’t reveal those just yet.

What I can reveal is some of the background information; my notes, essentially. This is basic stuff, outlining the geographic area and hinting at both political structures, trade and so forth. There’s even a crude map! Norkol is inspired by a mix of early Nordic middle ages and dark fantasy. You won’t find jolly gnomes or aloof elves here, but a goblin might steal your firstborn in the night.

I will be sharing the progress of the game, once we get underway. In the meantime, here are some notes on Norkol and the island of Vitas.

Norkol

Norkol consists of an eastern peninsula and a number of islands to the west. These lands hold a number of small kingdoms and clan strongholds. The people are hard working folk, farmers, fishermen and hunters for the most part, but also some of the best sailors in the world. The weather is harsh in the fall and winter, the winds and snow taking their share of lives every season. The summers are hot and dry, and the people depend on the flow of streams and rivers.

It is a time of stability and peace in Norkol. The kings have intermarried their sons and daughters, and forged alliances that have left their lands to prosper. The last of the goblin tribes were defeated half a lifetime ago, and now traders from the southern lands can be seen at some of the bigger markets, selling exotic spices, wine and silks.

The Island of Vitas

TThe western part of Norkol is the largest of the islands. Vitas stretches about 120 miles from north to south, and about 90 miles across at its widest point.

The Long Forest stretches through the middle of the island, separating the more settled and domesticated eastern half, from the wilder and largely untamed west. Brek and Salthorpe are the only real towns in the west. Brek (population 2,000) is known for its ship builders, Salthorpe (population 1,000) for its salted cod and smoked herring.

On the eastern side, the southern most city of Grenthorpe is the largest settlement on Vitas holding over 20,000 people, swelling to as many as 35,000 during the summer months, when trading is at its height. The Grenthorpe fleet is strong and patrols the Bay of Kings, which is sometimes plagued by raiders from the smaller islands to the south, around The Bay of Teeth.

The largest city of the north is Bitton (population 8,000, up to 11,000 during trade season) on the coast of the Bay of Sighs. A trading hub connecting Vitas to central Norkol with its busy port and three major trade routes by land, north to Valborg, east to Brek and going south, the Spear Road leads to Seston and Grenthorpe. Along these trade routes are many small settlements and hamlets, inns and guarded rest stops for travelers.

Between Grenthorpe and Bitton lies Seston (population 5,000), a lakeside town that has grown rapidly during the last 20 years. The area is known for its wool and a nearby iron mine.

The northern highlands, north of the Bay of Storms in the west, and the Bay of Sighs in the east, has an unwelcoming rocky coast leading into the Norkol Sea. Besides the Valborg clan, a weatherbeaten tribe of whalers – and in harder times, raiders – not many people live in the highlands. The town of Valborg holds about 1,000 people.

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A few months back, I was invited to be part of a project – the making of an “It Gets Better” video. For those unfamiliar with the concept, these are videos where all sorts of people show their support for young gay/lesbian people. This particular group of teenagers and young adults are at high risk for bullying, which can lead to all sorts of problems in life, including depression, even suicide. All the videos carry the same message to those victimized by homophobes everywhere: It gets better!

This particular video had a story to tell based on an actual event, and it holds a secondary message to those who watch it regardless of sexual orientation: don’t accept bullying behavior, even if it’s not directed at you.

Essentially this was the collaboration between a bunch of nerds. The whole thing was the brain child of game designer Mike Selinker who shares the screen with online gaming legend Stepto. There is also a guest appearance by Paul and Storm.

My job consisted of the actual shooting and post processing of the video itself. Nerdwrangler Liz Smith made sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do when, and Thomas Ourada acted as production assistant on the shoot itself. It never ceases to amaze me how many people it can take to put together even a short and simple video, such as this one.

For those of you who like puzzles, Mike included one in the video. For more about that – and the solution – take a peek at his post about it on wired.com.

Sidenote: I got hit with a flu which meant I missed out on Norwescon, including the panel I was supposed to be on. If you were there looking for me, I am sorry to have disappointed you.

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Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) last weekend was my first con in nearly twenty years (not counting techie/photo trade shows). It pretty much went like this: on the first day I was extremely overwhelmed in an awesome way. It was great connecting with a few friends, take lots of pictures and discover tons of great art. Day two, I was warmed up and really enjoying myself, and on the final day, I was happy and tired. And really sore.

A few highlights worth sharing…

The nerd busking session – performers Molly Lewis, The Doubleclicks, Vixy & Tony and Marian Call shared a super intimate set in one of the lobbies.

Meeting up with Jade Gordon – an artist soon to be featured on Another Passion, Jade makes nerdy fan art so taking her portrait for the upcoming interview at ECCC made perfect sense.

Hanging with Thadeous – the man behind Geek Cred had a very special project going on. I can’t talk about the project itself, but I was more than happy to lend a hand.

I’d gone to ECCC thinking it would be 100% leisure time. Turns out of course, I don’t know how to have leisure time anymore. I’d brought my camera of course, and I just couldn’t help it but put it to use. The massive amount of fantastic art and costumes were inspiring too, making me want to create stuff!

Pics for Liz – On the last day, I teamed up with nerdwrangler extraordinaire, Dammit Liz. She needed photos for a project too, I had a camera and time to spare (leisure time? Pssh!) – everybody wins.

Fanboy moment – I spotted John Layman, writer of my favorite comic currently in print, CHEW! I learned that it has been picked up for a pilot by Showtime (move over, Dexter!) and that mr. Layman and I share something, which may account for my love of this particular comic: we’re both married to foodies! I didn’t get a photo because I was in fanboy mode and completely didn’t think about it. Don’t know Chew? Start here.

This weekend, I will be at Norwescon. My mid-thirties body is asking why I am doing this. My early-twenties brain is chanting: Let’s GO!

Come find me on the “New Media vs. Old Media” panel, Saturday at 3pm, or ping me on twitter if you’d like to meet up during the con.

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I just finished the first draft of a fantasy short with the working title “The Final Prophecy of Jalahar”. I may change the title later, and keep this as a subtitle, but never mind that for now. Finishing a first draft is always a great feeling and this is no exception.

More than anything, I’m happy to have written (and finished) a piece of fiction. I’ve missed writing fiction, and fantasy is a genre I haven’t touched in years, unless you count writing out gaming adventures as fiction (which I don’t). The creative freedom when writing, is one of my favorite things in the world, because you can literaly invent and do anything. It’s daunting for that same reason.

This particular story is part of a grander scheme. I plan on releasing it online when it has been edited, polished off and illustrated, and if enough of you like the story I will write another one. I have a couple of hundred years worth of tales to tell about this world I am creating, and because of that I want to let the readers pick which details they want to hear more about in the next story.

The story itself takes place towards the end of the Age of Glory. If you saw my post about the creation myth, you may have noticed that I split my timeline up in Ages of historical significance. The Age of Glory is period of stability and prosperity amongst common folk, which I thought made it a good, neutral starting point.

The main character in this story is a young novice monk named Hedric. I am not going to reveal too much about the plot, except that it has something to do with a prophet named Jalahar. If that just isn’t enough for you, I have posted part of the prophecy itself below…

SPOILER ALERT!
Here are two verses from somewhere in the middle of the prophecy…

And War and Pestilence shall plague the Realm
And Madness will follow in its wake

The Army of Souls shall march across the land
And Dark Beasts of Terror shall follow

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Yesterday, I tweeted that writing fiction in English is sometimes intimidating to me, because English is my second language (Danish being my first). I got a couple of responses, encouraging me to write about it, and to remember the wonderful writers that came before me, who also wrote in English though it was a second language to them. Joseph Conrad and Karen Blixen come to mind, not that I would otherwise compare myself to these masters.

When I write stuff like what you are reading now, I don’t think so much about my choice of words, sentence and paragraph structure and that sort of thing. When I write fiction, those are all very important elements of portraying characters, describing locations and setting the scene. That is when I am sometimes hit with the intimidation stick – it’s easy to feel like my vocabulary is too limited, or that my style is too heavily influenced by something else.

For writing my initial draft, I try not to let it hold me back too much. The important thing is getting the story down and try to make it hold up structurally. Second draft is where language starts taking a front seat.

Thinking about it, I realized that many native English speakers also struggle with writing, for very similar reasons. Maybe we all compare ourselves to those we admire, whether we want to or not. That might make anyone doubt their abilities. The only real answer I have come up with is this: use an editor!

Best case scenario, find a professional who knows what they are doing, and have them give you notes. You can point out what your exact doubts are, and they will keep an eye out for it. And they will point out stuff you haven’t even thought of. I have written books both with and without the help of an editor, and it just confirmed that having that extra set of eyes does make a huge difference.

I have met writers who say: I can’t afford an editor. I usually counter by asking how long it took them to finish the first draft. Often the answer is several years. My point is: if your story is important enough that you will spend years of your life writing it, it should also be worth a few bucks to have an editor help you polish off the details. Many freelance editors are surprisingly affordable and willing to negotiate (they know most writers aren’t exactly rolling in cash).

If you can’t find an editor you like, use your network – if you’re writing a science fiction novel and your buddy is a hardcore sci-fi nerd, by all means have him take a look – just remember that friends don’t always make the most honest critics, because nobody likes to potentially upset their friends. It helps if your friend is a writing pro of some sort, so they have an understanding of what goes into structuring and writing a story. Librarians, teachers and journalists can make for excellent editor replacements.

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