So I just finished revising two novels back-to-back. That’s a lot of revising. That takes its toll. Not that I prefer one over the other (composing vs. revising), but if you do one or the other for a long time, it grinds. In any case, I needed a break from writing without taking a break from writing. I didn’t want to write any new short stories, didn’t want to start a third novel. If only there were something fun to do with my writing time. Something to remind me why I love it, like a game. A game with writing. Not one where you just fill in blanks like a…
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The Books I Read: January – February 2026
Constituent Service by John Scalzi A small novella by John Scalzi. Was debating whether or not to even write about it, it’s more of a snack than a meal. But people like snacks. Scalzi seems to be eschewing serious stuff like Lock In and The Collapsing Empire for humorous science fiction (at least in terms of what he’s producing). I don’t know what the market is like for that genre, but I enjoyed this story. It’s like an episode of a TV show, or maybe a pilot, with some sitcom one-note characters (not a slight–you don’t need heavy character development in comedy) solving a low-stakes mystery. This takes place in…
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Magic Systems: What You Need to Know (Part 1)
I’ve been thinking about magic systems lately. A little bit for fun and a little bit because I potentially need to for an upcoming novel. Most of my knowledge comes from video games (usually RPGs), which are magic systems applied, but based around numbers and probabilities and statistics (mathmagic?). Most use “fuel” or “mana meter” in the same way that HP is a rough representation of your health and consciousness. When it’s gone, your agency is removed and the result will likely be a game over. In the same way, not enough fuel for your magic, and you can’t do it. Or you can think of it like currency. The…
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Analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains: Lizard (The Amazing Spider-Man)
Lizard Real Identity: Dr. Curt Connors The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Characteristics and Powers: Curt Connors researches regeneration, which is the process by which animals regrow their limbs. Specifically, lizards. But after pressure from the top for “results”, he tests the product on himself. It works, but has the added side effect of changing him into a giant lizard-man who looks a little like the goombas from Super Mario Brothers if they were properly proportioned. In addition to the superbeing standards, his body regenerates. Chopping off a limb isn’t going to do much good, although Spider-Man doesn’t use blades, so it doesn’t come up much. Relationship to the Hero(es): Spider-Man always…
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Neil Gaiman: Was I Wrong? Was I Right?
So for the first time in years, Neil Gaiman broke his silence since the reports came out about him being a creep. Another independent journalist did a counter report bringing evidence that 6 women’s accusations were disingenuous and were only to gain money. That it was bad journalism, all rooted in a single report with dubious sources, biases, and undisclosed connections to the parties of interest. It’s a pretty complete report, and there does seem to be merit behind the arguments. The commenters on the Reddits and Facebooks, however, are having none of it. They’re calling it the same bad journalism as before, which doesn’t disprove anything. They are violently…
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I Wonder What It’d Be Like to Be a Journalist
The best writers usually cut their teeth in journalism. Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, E.B. White, David Steinbeck, Charles Dickens, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, the list goes on. It’s where they learn to write for an audience and how to be a taker-outer, not a putter-inner (because you need your words to fit on the page next to the car ad). I took Journalism I and II in high school. That was the only way to get on the school newspaper. It wasn’t an after-school activity, and you couldn’t take it until 11th and 12th grade. If I weren’t a software engineer, if it weren’t such a comfy and…
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Tropes to Lose: He Was Never Real to Begin With
In addition to “it was all just a dream“, here’s another trope I’d love to get rid of: “He was never really there the whole time.“ This trope is so overused, so cliché, that at this point I can see it coming from miles. I just watched Goodnight Mommy and (spoilers) I knew within the first minute of the first interaction with the three main characters that Lukas wasn’t really there. We, the audience, were supposed to think he was, because the story is from Elias’s perspective. But it’s obvious from the get-go. Only someone missing a modicum of intelligence wouldn’t be able to tell. I realized it as soon…
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Analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains: Loki (The Avengers)
Loki(now with Chitauri army) The Avengers (2012) Characteristics and Powers: The only thing different from Thor this time around is Loki’s new scepter, so let’s talk about that. Its main capability is controlling people’s minds, turning them into slaves. But not mindless slaves–these guys can use knowledge, coordinate attacks, plan and predict. Complete brainwashing, but still autonomy. One problem though, is that this door works both ways, as both Hawkeye and Erik Selvig gain access to knowledge that helps them defeat Loki. It can also act as a device for mental projection when he uses it to communicate with the mouth of Sauron The Other, who is a go-between for…
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The Books I Read: November – December 2025
My Steamboat: A Ski Town Childhood by Dori DeCamillis It’s a basic memoir of living in rural Colorado in the fifties. Nothing really earth-shattering happens. There are no eating disorders or parent deaths. But I got this book because I was hoping it would talk about living in a skiing town, and there’s none of that. Apparently, this was the only person in Steamboat who didn’t take advantage of the slopes. When you don’t have that, it’s mostly amusing stories about getting into mischief and trying to keep from being bored before there was the internet. Gnome Cave by James Rolfe It’s really a novella. A good idea, but poorly…
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Stranger Things: Sorry About Your Happy Ending
STRANGER THINGS MEGA SPOILERS AHEAD So I finally got to see the finale of Stranger Things. You know me, I like to come late to the game. The trick is avoiding spoilers. But there seems to be some disquiet about its conclusion, and I don’t know why. Something called “conformity gate“. I don’t think this refers to a gate to the Upside Down, but the traditional suffix for controversy (like “Watergate”). This meme refers to the disappointment some viewers had that, in the epilogue, all the main characters went on to lives that matched their goals or character arcs. They “conformed” to the roles expected of them. It was perfect.…
