Tis the middle of a busy summer. Lots of social outings to choose from; so many that I feel FOMO. Been spending far more time with people than usual. Add in a large handful of 90 degree days and you have a season that doesn’t slow its stride.
But its been worth it. I think summer should be that way. Always something exciting to do. Last Saturday, I drove to a renaissance faire. Never went to one in high school nor in college. When I found out about it, I absolutely had to go. Besides, I wasn’t interested in the time period as a kid. Nothing but Industrial Revolutions, Medieval times, and two World Wars were all I was fascinated by. A few games I’ve played are set in them. The only story I’ve written like those is a forty page fantasy one.
Now for what I wrote in June:
- The beginning ten pages of Chapter 8.
- New story concepts.
And thats it. Yeah, not a lot. Chunks of it writing dialogue. A character tuning in to radio talk through earbuds, a few angry words, and confrontations. Stuff of drama. I wanted to write more, but I got too busy with the real world to focus any better.
New story concepts though! Recent inspiration has led to five brand new ideas. Amped up by random things taking place in life, I had to keep them for later. One came as a combination of a previous idea, a picture of my baby nephew, and the Roaring 20s. They’re safely stored in my ideas document on my PC. Two of them I already had in mind, honestly; they don’t count as much. But I still am! For the sake of this update.
Two are plays. Ive never tried writing a short play. I dont know if I’d enjoy it. Different in format, voice, and structure than prose. Formatting one can have similarities to script writing. Dialogue, character names, maybe stage direction and narration. I think placing stage direction is the hardest part. Does it need to be explained? The answer lies in trying. And yes, they would be adaptable for theatre. I’ll make sure one character is Shakespearean, one is straight out of Fiddler on the Roof, and another wears attire from Nazi-occupied France.
In other words, the only plays I have read or watched; barely any Shakespeare. He’s a tough read.
The next new idea is a fantasy story. Not the one mentioned earlier. While writing the novel, I started spontaneously daydreaming of scenes. My mind thought here is this weird scene, and here’s a location, and here’s a couple of characters.
Was it a short story? Novel? Trilogy of some kind? I want to write one. Personally, I’m leaning toward books. Writing an own epic tale ala JRR Tolkien. However, short stories are easier to gain first time publishing credits from. You can even apply to videogame writing jobs with them!
The last two are, in line with the above, videogames. One may be a powerful drama. Another a short, fun, click-based game. Neither are solidified.
Life Events
I am close to a month into working my new temp assignment. I run the front desk for a homeowners association company. Work is good. Pay is good. I was going to apply for the USPS this past weekend. Long story short, I didn’t. I’m staying at this company for now. And while I do that, I look for videogame writing positions. I did apply for a Junior Writer role last week, in fact. An uncommon opening. I spent three evenings after work tweaking my application. Was not letting this one out of my sight!
I don’t remember writing it last time, so I will say it now: I am moving out. By September 1st I will be in a new room somewhere else in Portland. As much as I want to leave Oregon, I don’t have a compelling direction. No career opportunity solidified, no relationship, nor for a friend and not yet for family. Any of those are incentive. I could always be adventurous – just make one up. Pack my Pontiac Vibe and head out. But I dont see that as wise yet.
Alright, thats it for July. See you next month!
Matthew Birdzell 