January Madness
Arguably the busiest months of the year are now behind us, with the above distribution to the words worked on. December and January are notorious for all the sales materials going around! My role in all of this was to translate, and translate I did. I am, after all, the resident linguist of the household. As we approach Valentine’s Day, however, I come to you with some exciting news!
WIP: Our Story is finished!
In January, I set out to finish this project. I had dawdled on it for way too long, and something finally snapped inside my reptilian brain. So, I made a plan, and most of all, I kept to it!
I made the cover and other art, and while I was at it, I went over the story once… twice… A few times, at least. I crafted the promotional materials all the way from ads for my site and the various socials to the Tweets that will be plenty when the time comes. All and all, I have enough material to sustain about a month’s promotions. With that, Our Story (name due to change so look forward to that!) is finally finished!
I also worked on a three-part story to publish as a complementary here on the site, promoting the WIP. I thought it to be a brilliant stroke of genius, but when the story began living its own life (as stories often tend to do) my husband stopped me. And so, the story of Duissa and Andos will get its own launch somewhere in the future. Possibly when I manage to move on to the fantasy world of Bargent.
Direction of the Website
We also talked about the purpose of this site. The results are in, and so far, it serves only as a place for me to log my progress. That being said, I may revamp it a little from the idea of a ‘hub of stories’ into more ‘log book of my escapades’.
Rocco, too, would then get its due respect in being re-written into a book format. Once we open up Amazon for the books, that will become the hub for all my stories. It only makes sense, and those who traverse the land of promotion know these things intimately. People hate to leave their preferred platforms, and boy, those platforms will do anything to keep their people locked in place!
WIP: Rialar
Now that Our Story is in a phase where we are just thinking about the launch, I can move on to other projects.
The next big stretch is the completion of Rialar, the introduction to my realms, starting from the dystopian, semi-magical world of Gechemo. We have some interesting new ideas about it, which means I will need to re-write the whole script – again. With each iteration, however, the methods and models with which I work on my stories become more solid, more sustainable.
And then again, I only really have the final fight left to write in the story, anyway! I am hoping to finish it in the next two months, but we will see how the seasons change and how the translation workflows. After all, we must all make our gold before we begin experimenting with uncertain futures, no?
Art Projects
In the bold move to make my own covers, I decided it was about time I learned something about art. And boy, am I weak in my foundations!
That box practice above was my first attempt at perspective. I understood very fast that I, much like the legendary John Snow, know nothing. I’d like to think I’ve become better, but only time will tell in the end.
I did end up making my first drawing tablet pixel art piece. Despite its blatant lack of any effort to make it more than flat, I think my first chandelier turned out rather illuminating. So much so, in fact, that it illuminates places it is not supposed to light up… But who’s judging! It is a commemoration of our 5th wedding anniversary, from a restaurant we went to celebrate the occasion.
You can go check out my recent works on Instagram, and read more about my art journey in the February ArtLog.
Game Developments
Have you heard of the muffin man? Ahem! I mean, the tutorial hell? It’s pretty spooky, I know. In essence, it is the state where young sprouts such as myself keep on watching and following tutorials, hoping to somehow learn more and more and… Then you realise that these tutorials are about making FPS games while your desire is to make an interactive fiction for your first project… And there’s just nothing there for you.
So I have changed my strategy. I know enough C# to start making my own things, and it is better I learn how to look for that specific piece of information I need. Rather than, you know, watching hours upon hours of material on making things I don’t really intend to make at this point in my journey.
I will, of course, go through some tutorials and the courses we have accumulated, but I will no longer be following them to the letter. Knowledge is power, but dare I say too much of irrelevant topics compared to what needs to happen now is utter foolishness.
As I finish Rialar, it is then time to pick a game project. I am of two minds about making an interactive fiction (code name: EHE) or a short, pixel horror (code name: She Comes At Night). Both of them are very different, and both would make a great first game.
You can read more about my game-making journey from the February DevLog.
But before Rialar…
When my husband got us the drawing tablet, he had one thing in mind. Assets. And not just any assets, RimWorld Assets.
So, now that I have had a day or two of rest, before I hop back onto the writing trail, I will do a little project for my husband. Female clothing, and perhaps hairstyles, to be more specific. I find the challenge intriguing, and it will be a great learning experience in making game assets in general.
And to be honest, why wouldn’t I make him some lovely gear for that sexy PsyBonded Highmate Harem!