Month: November 2018

Novel writing takes patience

Arborial Dragon

One of the things I’ve always wanted to do was write a novel. The idea started with writing exercises and classes way back in elementary school. We were asked to write short stories every so often, and coupling that with my love for reading it just made sense.

Sadly, I haven’t really gotten there yet. For the longest time I’d always been looking at that dream and reading how to get there but never making the leap. Probably because of odd sources of discouragement, like advice threads online that try to convince you how futile it is to try because you need an IN somewhere.

Times have changed. You can now self-publish, if you so choose, through Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and possibly others I’m not familiar with). Or, if you still want to chase the traditional route, you can submit a manuscript to the major publishing houses and have your work tossed on the slush pile with every other hopeful author.

While I haven’t written a novel, yet, I’ve been slowly building up the ideas and paying attention to the recommendations of successful authors on how to get your work out there. All I have to do now is start the writing process. Maybe I’ll get something self-published in 2019? Who knows, but we’ll find out!

 

Live Streaming and being an introvert in an otherwise extroverted activity

Arborial Dragon

I might consider myself to be introverted, but public crowds don’t bother me. People are too busy worrying about themselves and I know I won’t be the center of attention, so more extroverted activities like going to the bar or concerts is fine even if I don’t prefer going out. I can still do those things, I just don’t always enjoy them for one reason or another. The physical activity of jockeying for a space somewhere to enjoy your drink or see the stage. The emotional drain of being social and talking to strangers, trying to make new friends or connections. So I tend to avoid those situations.

Now, though, I don’t really worry about those things as much.

As a hobby (and for some, a lifestyle) live streaming has changed the game, so to speak, of being introverted versus extroverted. Viewers can interact as little or as much as they want (or is available in a given stream) and broadcasters can technically do the same.

For me this means I can be a total lurker in some streams, or a casually active chatter in others if I feel like it, but when I “Go Live” as a broadcaster it’s a totally different story.

As a broadcaster on Twitch.tv (my channel here because, you know, self plug on my own blog) I become a bit more extroverted. I start to do things that I normally wouldn’t do IRL, like talking to strangers from around the world and trying to put myself and the game at the center of all their attention. Being behind the camera, in the comfort of my own home, makes it easier to act more extroverted than I would at a place like the office.

So now, I get a nice blend of being both introverted and extroverted. It can still be tough though. I have my schedule days off to try and make up for the emotional drain that naturally comes with being an introvert. Sometimes those aren’t enough, and I need an extra day off, while other times they become extra streaming days if I’m feeling up for it.

That’s just my experience with streaming. Maybe I’m actually more extroverted than I give myself credit for. Either way, it’s been a lot of fun, and I hope to keep doing it for a long while.

 

Where To Begin

Arborial Dragon

When you first create a WordPress blog there is an entry already created. It is titled “The Journey Begins” and I thought that might be a good prompt to follow for my first official blog post here on The Dragon’s Grove. But, the real question I asked myself is “Where DO I begin?”

The way I see it, where I begin (with this post) needs to be about what the heck even motivated me to start this blog at all.

Let’s start with a question. “Why a WordPress blog?” Well, it’s simple. One of my favorite Sci-fi authors, John Scalzi, uses WordPress for his blog (which I read occasionally) and he made an entry touting the quality of the site and its premium services. His influence led me to choose WordPress.

To the next part of why I am blogging at all is because I felt I needed a place to actually house and share some of my writing. A place that could connect to other aspects of my life such as Twitch, Twitter, and Discord.

So what will I be doing with this blog? Hopefully a lot of things! It’s going to be a training ground for me. A place to document my journey, and the lessons I learn along the way.

Things I hope to include here:

  • Interviews
  • Game and book reviews
  • Life lessons and anecdotes
  • Behind the scenes of my live streaming
  • Short stories
  • Writing prompts
  • Chapter previews for novels I hope to write

If any of this sounds interesting to you then I hope you’ll follow along with me to see where this all takes me.

Taylor