The white void between projects
Updates
Project Tokyo, now known as 'Exposure Therapy', has finally been submitted as discussed in the last issue. I won't hear back until around April whether it's been accepted or not so it's on to the next thing. That said I'm pretty sure I could shop the story around elsewhere should it meet with rejection on this occasion. The story is a strange mix of kaiju antics, noir and cosmic horror and deals with grief, trauma and the prospect of moving on.
I'm in that strange limbo space between stories at the moment (barring some flash/micro fiction pieces to keep myself limber) so the aim is to begin spinning up several more shorts in the next few weeks and seeing what sticks. New notebooks, blank pages, nothing better!
Next weekend is the date for the amazing (and newly retooled) Thought Bubble Festival. This is my favourite comic convention in existence, a notion echoed by most who attend as a guest or otherwise. This year, for the first time, the festival is not going to be in Leeds but the wonderful town of Harrogate.
I was really looking forward to the change of venue this year. Having been to Harrogate a few years ago I know what a fantastic and picturesque town it is and was really aching to see what Thought Bubble would bring to the community. You'll notice the air of melancholy and past tense as I'm unable to attend this year. Mostly it comes down to cost. The last year has seen us moving into a brand new house. With it comes all of the responsibilities of upkeep, essentially constructing a back garden from scratch (British builders scrimp where they can apparently), carpet (carpet is ridiculously expensive y'all), and all the rest.
I'm gutted I won't be there but be sure to seek out Magnus Asplii the brains behind Metropo as he will be there behind a table with copies of the book to sell. Also tabling will be Mary Safro, artist on one of the stories in Metropo and co-creator of the amazing Drugs & Wires. Seek them out and buy their wares!
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Links
A bit of a short one this week as I've not done a lot in the way of longform reading. My concentration has been, instead, on getting 'Exposure Therapy' in tip top shape and out of the door. Anyway, onwards:
First up, even though it was a bit of a 'clip show' kind of article I did enjoy this piece on the favourite characters and books of various horror authors.
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I've recently started to read Jason S. Ridler's column on writing at Flash Fiction Online. The first post is here but they're all worth a read.
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Continuing on the writing theme I was recently made aware of this piece at The Millions about there being no handbook for being a writer.
"I’m not 22 or even 42 and do not have the benefit of time, but I do have one advantage. I arrived here fully formed, certain of only one thing: there is no handbook for this. There is trial, error, and work, work, work. My disappointments are often followed by a glimpse of hope. The first novel found an agent but not a buyer. I was briefly destroyed. I wrote an essay about a woman I had met in the Soviet Union, sent it to an anthology, and accidentally became a travel writer."
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I've been enjoying Obsidian's new game The Outer Worlds (not to be confused with the equally awesome The Outer Wilds). It's a traditional RPG very much in the same ballpark as Obsidian's previous titles Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity. The player character is taken out of cryosleep to find themselves on the edge of the galaxy in a system completely overrun and controlled by corporate interests and an all powerful group known as 'The Board'.
The game doesn't go quite as far as I'd like with its anti-corporate stance but it's nice to see a mainstream game dealing with such things as workers rights, unionisation, strikes, and corporate greed. Its treatment of the group known as 'The Marauders' is a bit one note in a game that seems to want to speak to the experiences of the outsider and the marginalised. That said, the writing, as expected from an Obsidian game, is really top notch with the sidekicks in particular on the receiving end of some great characterisation and voice work.
During the course of the game the player character will receive a quest line to do with each companion's back story or personal goals. The most memorable, for me and a lot of other people it seems, is that of Parvati the first companion you recruit. Polygon did a great piece on the character, her motivations and preferences and the all round great work that went into the character.
The game is not too long and has an excellent log/journal system that makes it easy to reorient yourself into the game after time away. One for gamers who have other shit to do.
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I'm closing out with another list, this time from Slant Magazine's list of the 50 Greatest Horror Movies of the 21st Centry. Enjoy!.
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I'm off to read. See you in two!