T w e n t y S i d e d
Wow. Now THAT was a productive weekend. I have 8 comics (13 pages total) all done, and two more written. The eight aren’t in sequence (I have a few gaps where I need to fill in events) but I haven’t had a weekend with this much output since I started the project months ago.
I also designed a couple of t-shirts, beat XIII, and worked some more on another humor project I have going in the background.
This means that unless I go crazy and trash what I just did, all of the strips for the next two weeks will have been written on the same day. I wonder why creativity works like this. The past three weeks I’ve had to fight to come up with new material. Today I wrote several weeks’ worth of material. I feel like I could sit down and write more, but I need a break.
I really wish I knew what regulated this spark. Lunar cycle? Sleep patterns? Diet?
I haven’t been listening to music for the last couple of weeks, but today I got the urge to put some music on. Did I want the music because I was feeling creative, or was I creative because the music was on?
Hmmmm. I threw my back out Saturday night. I took some Vicodin today to try and loosen up the muscles. I certainly hope that isn’t the cause. I’d hate to have to go to the doctor to get a perscription for pills to make me funny.
Shamus Plays WOW
Ever wondered what's in all those quest boxes you've never bothered to read? Get ready: They're more insane than you might expect.
The Gradient of Plot Holes
Most stories have plot holes. The failure isn't that they exist, it's when you notice them while immersed in the story.
The Best of 2014
My picks for what was important, awesome, or worth talking about in 2014.
Object-Oriented Debate
There are two major schools of thought about how you should write software. Here's what they are and why people argue about it.
I Was Wrong About Borderlands 3
I really thought one thing, but then something else. There's a bunch more to it, but you'll have to read the article.
According to Terry Pratchett (who is an authority on such matters), inspiration is a physical particle that barrages all massive objects. We hope that they hit us. See Pyramids, et. all to see the… interesting effects of inspiration that hit the wrong target.
Ben
I know exactly what you mean. In writing for my campaign, I can go back to certain times, and the writing is shoddy, the plot points are too far apart to connect, and the obstacles don’t make sense. At other times, I could publish the damned thing on a first draft, and I have pages of evocative description, detailed character motivation, interesting obstacles, etc.
And I can find no common thread.
Someday, scientists will discover that the Ci (Creative-Inspiration) Particle is activated by a specific chemical compound formed when semi-digested potatoes are attenuated by the audio waveform of Depeche Mode songs.
Going off on a tangent here:
“I also designed a couple of t-shirts”
So, when will be able to admire and order them?
I find these bubbles most common when i go to bed WAY to early and then wake up around 01:00. Unfortunately it only works one time each other month, if i try to force it more than that, i only get exremely lazy…
Sometimes, the synapses just fire. The trick is to be prepared when they do, because they might not do so again for a while.
One thing that’s for sure is that you have to ride the wave until you’re completely worn down, because you never know when the next one will come. However, it seems people who have routine in creative arts (professionals, long time web-comicists) have a better control over the creative flow and some can just turn it on as a switch whenever they want.
Someday, scientists will discover that the Ci (Creative-Inspiration) Particle is activated by a specific chemical compound formed when semi-digested potatoes are attenuated by the audio waveform of Depeche Mode songs.
Depressed Mode? Oh hell frak no. I think much better with silence or something less wordy. And definitely less pretensious… If it’s going to be music, I prefer classical, non-dance techno, or crunchy metal.
But hey, to each his own…
Need music to get your creative juices flowing? Nothing beats the Conan Soundtrack by the late Basil Poledouris. He passed on Nov. 6th, 2006. He went against convention and created a timeless score. His music made an average movie epic, (Governator aside). The opening theme ‘Anvil of Crom’ still gets my adrenaline pumping.
Actually, I listened to a few soundtracks so often while working, almost to the exclusion of all other music, that now just listening to that music makes me want to work and gets me inspired. Of course, that was my favorite music, and now I can’t listen to it normally because I don’t want to lose that effect, which sucks.
Just thought I’d let you know that I’ve posted “DM of the Rings” as a link on Mirth Canal, a site that rates and ranks humorous findings on the internet. Anyone can vote for their favorites.
http://www.mirthcanal.com/index.php
It’s doing relatively well (in the top 4 for this week as I’m writing this).
Just thought I’d let you know, and throw in my support for this great project! :)
Shamus,
I just want to tell you that I admire you for your creativity. What’s more admirable about you is that you’re bold enough to share it with strangers and take feedback, positive or negative, and it looks like you receive more positive than negative. I can only wish that I had one electron of creativity.
I tried my hand at DMing recently, maybe about two months ago. I wasn’t very confident about my creativity, or actually, the lack thereof, so I used a bunch of modules. Within one module, I read about a few key points within a location and it got my creative juices flowing. It was probably one of the best feelings ever. So I started to create this story in my head that not only included the main storyline, but other things as if you were actually walking down the street. So I tried to incorporate this into the campaign. Unfortunately, the responses and feedback were pretty much negative, that I just stuck to what the module contained. I haven’t tried to be “creative” since, but I do admire those who are and share it.