Tag Archives: monthly review

Monthly Update

January 24 Update

December was busy, not only with writing projects but with holiday events.

Writing

My work on Champion Bold was to continue run the story through a decent editor program. Turns out the Scrivener, as great as it is for writing and organizing, has a terrible spellchecker and no grammar program to speak of. Nothing I can’t work through, but it took some time.

With the Colonel Lieutenant, I wrote and worked through the middle section of the book, connecting the threads between the beginning and the end. I’m close to having a draft ready for heavy revisions, if I can just sit down and knock it out.

I snipped at my various other projects last month. I added research notes, wrote more chapters, and did world building exercises to prepare the secondary projects for if and when they become primary. I’m also working on several extra blog posts for the year that are something other than monthly updates and book reports.

January Goals

  • Prepare Kickstarter Campaign for Champion Bold
  • Complete Draft of the Colonel Lieutenant
  • Knock 10 things off my Secondary Project List
  • Post one writing blog post

Movies and Shows

LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

I finished Loki Season 2 this month. It was quite an exciting ride, one that stretched the rules of the multi-verse and time travel as the MCU seems to use it. It was a bit of a shame I didn’t remember many aspects of the first season, because there were parts of the second that didn’t connect as well as they should have. Still, it was a fun show to watch.

Next came Good Omens Season 2. This was the opposite of Loki, in that I really enjoyed the first season, so I was excited for the second. I was curious what they’d do for their second season, given that they would have to come up with a whole new story within their universe. The story they told was a fun mystery. I think they might have relied a little heavily on flashbacks, but I still loved it. I’m looking forward to Season 3.

Continuing to work through the Expanse. I’m past the episodes I’ve seen and I’m into new episodes, though still in the Second Season. Oddly enough, I found the show more likable once I got past the last episode I saw; I guess I stopped just one episode short of the crest. Still, I’m liking how the factions develop, and how the characters are surviving (or not).

January Goals

  • Finish Two Seasons of the Expanse
  • Finish one other TV show
  • Watch one new movie
  • Complete one remaining Best Picture Winner (Coda or Nomadland)

Books

Oddly enough, I didn’t finish reading any books in December. My reason has to do in part with trying the Libby app to get free ebooks. Since I only have the books for three weeks, and I have to fit them into my current reading schedule, I started several but didn’t finish. I’ll have to wait for the next renewals to come through and then power through. But I did start several books.

Top of this list is Declare, a paranormal thriller set during and after World War 2. The story is set in two different timelines. The later timeline is happening in 1963, where the characters are dealing with the end results of their actions in the previous timeline, set in the 1940’s. It’s a nice mixture of spycraft and Lovecraft.

Also on the list, I started (and stopped due to Libby timeout) The Last Tudor, the next novel in the Philippa Gregory series. The novel follows the the short reign of Lady Jane Grey — Queen of England for only nine days before Mary and Elizabeth — and then her sister Katherine, who lives through the early days of Elizabeth’s reign. I was enjoying the book before it times out; I look forward to getting back into it.

All the other books I’ve been picking at the last month were research books for one project or another. Gathering notes and assembling stories. Good times.

January Goals

  • Finish one eBook
  • Finish one physical book
  • Finish one research book

Games

I completed the story for Farcry 6, where I played Dani, a revolutionary who is fighting for the liberation of her island, Yara, from the oppression of a cruel dictator. I’ll be honest, I was disappointed with the ending. all through the story, characters were discussing what would happen when the revolutionaries won. How it wouldn’t be easy or bloodless. And when they get there, and the story just skipped over any consequences.

Not much else to bring up for gaming last month. Worked through a few more sections of both Anno 1880 and Gears of War Tactics. Didn’t lose any RPG characters. Had some ideas for campaigns or encounters I added to my list of ‘wouldn’t it be cool?’ Still, glad to knock one story game off my list.

January Goals

  • Finish one story game
  • Get into Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Have fun

What’s Next

I have a table at Minocon 57 the last weekend of March. I’m hoping to get a Books and Beer even in sometime soon. And I’ll be prepping for the next Kickstarter campaign for Champion Bold.

Looking to start 2024 with a boom.

Cheers!

Michael

Monthly Update

April Update

March was a busy and productive month. I got a lot done and knocked a lot of things off my lists.

Writing

I’m closing in on a good draft of The Colonel Lieutenant. I finished wargaming and writing the big campaign, and re-worked most of the subsequent scenes. Right now, I’m working through the first scenes, one by one, focusing on the timeline, specifically how fast people and news moves across the land. What was originally two days worth of events is now spread out across a week, now that people aren’t teleporting.

I’ve been focused on Book 3, so Orcfyre (the fantasy novel) and my untitled Science Fiction novel are on the backburner. I also haven’t done much with the Tales of the Templar short story collection. Sometime this month I’m going to sit down and work out what I have to do for all my projects and set a schedule for the year.

On a slight aside, I’ve had some work come in through Fiverr, so I spent some time building another person’s military background, in this case plotting out a campaign for their story. It was a lot of fun, and I’m writing out a blog post on it for April.

Movies and TV

After a couple of weekends of false starts, I finally got down to watch All Quiet on the Western Front. It was certainly a brutal war movie that captured the psychological terror of combat. And I did like it. But, I felt that it fell short of the impact of the 1930’s adaptation. There’s never any scenes of the characters returning home and failing to connect with civilians. And the sub-plot of the end of the war (between General Foch and the German leadership) seems to be written to make the French seem as if they were intransigent villains, without explaining why they might feel justified being so firm in their position.

I finished Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in March. The new, episodic series really took me back to the TOS and TNG days of Star Trek, before multi-episode and season-long story arcs became the norm. And it really worked for me. The stories were fun to watch. The characters were enjoyable (both legacy and new). And the ship beautiful. I felt the crew of the show understood Star Trek and made an effort to honor its legacy.

And in the same field, I finished Star Trek: Lower Decks, the animated humorous show. I was worried about this one, because I found the first season to be very hard to get through. I have a hard time with characters who always have to be right or always have to be wrong, and Season 1 had both (Mariner and Boimler), specially because the always right character was always provign the other character wrong. But that didn’t continue into Season 2 and 3, and I found those to be much, much more enjoyable.

Books

I finally finished Education in Violence: The Life of George H Thomas by Francis F. McKinney. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a history book of that type. Most of it was fun, but it did drag towards the end when it got away from Thomas and followed the Army of the Cumberland. Still, I’m glad I read it. I don’t read a lot of biographies.

I started and almost finished The Boleyn Inheritance, the next book in the Philippa Gregory series. This book follows several of the later wives of Henry VIII, jumping between several characters chapter after chapter. I look forward to having the book report up soon.

Also started The De Facto Duchess, Book One of the Burton House Saga, by Ashley Katharine Houghton. It’s a historical fiction novel set in the Georgian era of Britain. I’ve found it to be a comedic drama, in that the story is overall serious (as far as I’ve read), but a lot of the scenes have humorous elements. I’ll have to see where it ends up.

Games

I continue to play through Last of Us 2 and pick at Napolean: Total War. I added a new game, one I kickstarted many years ago that finally release: Ancient Cities, a stone-age city builder. I’ve enjoyed what I tried so far, but the game doesn’t have much of a manual or guide. I have so many questions I can’t answer and it bugs me. I’ll still play at it a bit, but unless I can find some answers I’m not sure how much time I’ll invest in it.

I’m happy to report I’m still playing the same RPG characters. I’ve also gotten to try a new system called Blades in the Dark, a story telling RPG set in a dark, steampunk fantasy world. If you want to try a new story-telling game, this is one to take a look.

What’s Next

This upcoming weekend I’ll have a table at Minicon 56, my first full convention since before Covid. That will be fun, though of course I’m worried about my table set up. By the end of the month I’m aiming to have at least one more event lined up. Fingers crossed.

Until next time, keep writing!

-Michael

Monthly Update

March Update

February was a busy month. Not only did I spend time concentrating on getting over some of the issues with various writing projects, but I knocked several movies off my list. I also got into podcasts at work, listening to them while I process some of the more mundane responsibilities.

Writing

My main focus was Book 3, wargaming out the end campaign to better understand how fast the units would be moving and reacting to events. I wrote through about 30,000 words, replacing previous scenes and building a much stronger campaign than the first run through. This leads me into the last acts of the book and gets me closer to a draft.

When I haven’t been working on Book 3, I’ve been spending some time on the sci-fi novel. I had to correct a few errors, re-writing scenes to account for mistakes I had made. I’ve also had to face the fact that the rough-draft’s final acts were not very exciting, so I’ve been planning out a new sequence of events. I’m working through those scene and closing in on a rough draft of that book as well.

Movies and TV

Knocked many things off my watch list last month.

I finished Star Trek: Discovery Season 4. I thought it was fantastic. A lot of people find problems with Discovery, and I understand why, but I really like their stories and their story-telling. Season 4 was the first season that I thought did not fall apart in the last two episodes.

Then I watched The Other Boleyn Girl, a film version of one of the books I’ve read. I was not too impressed. I know everything that got cut out, so the movie just feels like a rushed collection of events. I’m writing a more detailed blog post which should be up soon.

I also knocked out Top Gun: Maverick. It was an exciting movie, which I expected. What I did not expect was how strong the story was. I don’t know that I would say it is Best Picture material, but it was really good.

Books

Slowly making my way through the Education in Violence: The Life of George H Thomas by Francis F. McKinney. It’s a long, involved history book, with a lot of details about the general’s life and command during the civil war. It’s good, but it is involved. Takes a long time to get through one page.

Games

I finished both Last of Us and Fort Triumph. Fort Triumph was a fun game, with a decent and fun story. Last of Us though, holy crap was that an intense game. I had to give myself a few days between sessions. Still, I think it was one of the best games I’ve ever played. Up there with Horizon Zero Dawn. I started Last of Us Part II, which continues to be just as intense as the first game.

For my next computer game, I was going to start Mechanicus, a Warhamemr 40K game I’ve heard good things about, but it turns out there’s a problem with the game: the text is so small I can’t read it and I have no idea what’s going on. So instead I’m working through Napolean: Total War, to satiate my need for a strategic game of conquest.

Not much new to report in terms of RPG’s. My characters are all still alive and continuing with their stories. I’m doing a bit of work on some campaign ideas, but just broad strokes. I don’t think I’ll be running anything for a while.

What’s Next

I’ve got Minicon coming up Easter Weekend. By the end of the month I’m hoping to have another convention and a Books and Beer even lined up for summer. But those are yet to come.

Monthly Update

February Update

Here is my update for February, covering December of ’22 and January of ’23.

Writing

January was a bit of a slow writing month, after the high temp of the end of 2022. I’ve been tweaking the sci-fi story and correcting some errors, and gaming out the end battle of Book 3. I probably added about 20,000 words all month. Not bad, but not great. I’m readying myself for February to be a big month.

Movies and TV

Not a lot new in terms of TV shows or movies recently. I did snag a year of Paramount+ for cheap during a holiday sale, so I’m getting into the fourth season of Star Trek Discovery, with several other Star Trek shows to follow. Plus I’m aiming to knock a few movies off my to-watch list in February. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Books

Between December and January I read a lot of fun books.

A Hundred Years from Launch (by Kayli Schaaf): I picked this book up from Kayli and a Books and Beer event I ran back in September, and I freaking loved it. It’s set in a small terraforming colony, trying to prepare for a population fleeing a dying earth. The main character is dealing with deep secrets that she cannot reveal, and trying to build some sense of happiness. The story covers a series of crisis that force the character and the colony to adapt, painfully but for the better. I enjoyed the story so much that one aspect of the story that took me out and had me saying ‘WTF?’ wasn’t enough for me to give it 4 stars. I absolutely recommend this book.

Little Paris Bookshop (by Nina George): Not my usual genre but I thought I’d give it a shot. Originally written in German as the ‘Lavender Room’ and translated to English. This book is about a Parisian bookseller whose book shop is a riverboat. He discovers a letter from his deceased lover that makes him re-evaluate his life and their parting. He takes his river boat to the waterways of France, adventuring to soothe his soul until he can learn to love himself and face life again. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, given how far it is from my usual reads.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (by Mark Haddon): Another oddity, one I got from my mother for Christmas. What made this book fascinating is that it is written from the view point of an autistic teenager who’s writing the story afterwards. The writer explains the rules of his autism and how he interacts with the world. For example, he describes that the reason he can’t lie is that when he tries to, he doesn’t just think of one thing that didn’t happen, he thinks of everything that didn’t happen, and can’t decide what to say. Another fascinating book.

Education in Violence: The Life of George H Thomas (by Francis F. McKinney): A biography of one of my favorite and least known American Civil War generals, I chose this from several lists of biographies. I only just started it, so I’ve gone through his early life, the Mexican American War and into the start of the Civil War. I hope to finish it well before the end of the month and move into the next Philippa Gregory and 30K book.

Games

Jedi Fallen Order: I completed this game in January. Set in the years after the prequal movies, the game follows a young Jedi survivor. He becomes embroiled in a quest for an artifact. It was a fun game to play through, one that continued to expand the Star Wars universe.

Last of Us: I have only just started to play this one, recommended to me by my sister. The opening sequence was intense and brutal, but holy crap did it get me into the game. I thoroughly enjoy the story and the characters, but I find the gameplay a bit frustrating. I keep trying to stealth by areas, and the game keeps forcing me into combat. We’ll see if the story continues to make up for the gameplay problems.

Fort Triumph: A PC game in the same vein as Heroes of Might and Magic. However, instead of armies of troops, you command squads of hereos. It has a strong RPG element, with a fun tongue-and-cheek campaign that had me laughing several times. I’m hoping to finish this game this month and move on to something else.

In terms of Roleplaying Games, I finished my Homecoming game just before New Years, so I’m no longer running one. I’m still playing in several games, one as a blunderbuss-toting tengu pirate, another as Sir Montague the gambler. With the new year comes new campaigns. Some new characters might be coming out soon.

What’s Next

I’m signed up to have a table at Minicon, Easter weekend in April.

Monthly Update

November Update

Man, the monthly change really sneaks up on you. No sooner am I planning the update, then BAM, we’re past the first. Well, I’m only a day late to cover what I managed in both September and October.

Writing

I have been making a lot of good writing milestones the last few weeks. I got past the last big issue with Book 3 and I’m writing through that act. Then I’ll have to keep writing into the next act and start ironing out what doesn’t make sense, and iron it into the act before. I’ll have to take a few passes to make it work, but then I’ll finally have my rough draft. The downside is that even though I’m finally over 100,000 words (yay!), a lot of the work ahead is re-writing, so the word count won’t increase as much.

The SciFi and Fantasy novel re-writes are going well. Each is over 20K and progressing daily. Both are a lot stronger than the rough drafts were. It’s nice to be able to jump between them as I need to.

NANOWRIMO Note: My goal for NANOWRIMO is to add 50K words between the three projects. The Book 3 Re-writing will be a bit odd to count, but I’ll make it work.

Movies and TV

I cannot say I watched a lot of new Movies or TV the last two months, in part because I tried not to turn my TV on a lot over October.

I watched through She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the MCU show on Disney +. I liked the show, especially how the main character kept breaking the fourth wall to share joked with the audience. The misogyny the character experienced was hard to watch, but I don’t think you could tell her story without it. At least the character had a fulfilling arc. I hope to see her in future shows.

Started the Andor show. I’m enjoying it so far, though I’m watching it more for what they’re doing with Mon Motha, the political character, than I am for what they’re doing with Andor. I mean, I like Andor, but I find her arc much more interesting. We’ll see how it turned out.

Books

Read through a five-book young adult series called the Phantasmagoria series, written by a Minnesota author named El Holly. The five books follow five middle schoolers who have to travel to a world of imagination called Phantasmagoria. They go to find balance between the worlds and save both from destruction. They’re books written for a younger audience, so there’s some wackiness in the story and some odd decisions, but it was still a fun series to read through.

I also read through a 40K book called ‘Battle of the Fang’, about the Thousand Sons attack on the Space Wolf homeworld of Fenris. A pretty decent book, as 40K books can go. A lot of cool combat sequences, some fantastic sci-fi, and a bunch of ‘seriously?’ moments. About what I’d expect.

Games

Finished Terran Command and Farcry: Primal. I may go back and finish some of the extras in both, but I don’t have to. I’ve got the stories done and that’s pretty decent. Playing through Epic 40K: Final Liberation, which is a game I played through way back in the 90’s when it first came out. I’m having another experience (like I did with C&C) where I’m playing much more competently now than I did as a child. Very much enjoying the playthrough.

Not much changing on the Role-Playing Game front. My Sunday night ‘Homecoming’ game should be wrapping up soon, so we’ll see if that ends on a high note. Hot Springs Island and Known World are still running great.

What’s Next

Focusing on NANOWRIMO (at least how I’m doing it this year). Got my eye on some conventions and events come the new year, hit 2023 swinging and selling. Keep selling on Fiverr if and when I can. And of course trying to blog more often.

Cheers!

Michael

Monthly Update

August 1st Update

July was a very busy month in some ways, and not so busy in others.

Writing

Book 3 is now over 80,000 words, which is only 5,000 more than a month ago, but is includes a 10,000 word re-write of the first two acts to account for a correction of geography. I’ve got the first and last acts written. Now I need to connect them with the middle acts and complete the rough draft.

I’m working on my fantasy novel again, having worked out the bulk of the problems with the mythology and pantheons. I’m in a similar position with the science fiction novel of having the background worked out. But since most of my writing time is dedicated to Book 3, I’m just picking at them when I have some extra time.

Movies / TV

I finished off Ms Marvel. I enjoyed it. Not only the story of the character, but the new background and culture of Kamila Kahn. I’m excited to see where she goes in the future.

I also got to see the Thor: Love and Thunder movie, which was great. Not as fun as Ragnarok, but it was a good movie. I still don’t see where Phase IV is going. Maybe it’s more of a palette cleanser between sagas? I think I heard something to that effect, but I haven’t read into it yet.

I watched through the fourth season of Stranger Things. Holy crap did that crank up the tension. I’m glad I started watching it on a Sunday morning and not at night. As it was, I was nervous the entire season. I will say this: that show does a good job of bringing different storylines together at the end.

Books

Guess I didn’t read a whole lot this month. Other than finishing Red Storm Rising, I read a book called Justice in an Age of Metal and Men, a cyberpunk western story. It was a fascinating world, though I had a hard time getting into the story.

Games

Been playing through Matrix Game’s Starship Troopers Terran Command. It’s a Real-Time Tactical game, commanding squads of troopers across battlefields while fighting the arachnids, complete with the generic cliches of the movie series. It’s pretty fun, and I’m almost done with it.

In RPGs, my Homecoming game is continuing into the last chapter. My Monday Night Game continues into Hot Springs Island (my character is still alive!) and my Thursday game is entering the next phase, a chapter of urban politics where my character plays a role of a foreign investor. Not my usual role.

What’s next

I’m running a Books and Beer Pop-Up Bookstore in September that I’ll be prepping for. I’m close to posting some job stuff on Fiverr. Other than that, it’s writing and revising and working being mor author-like.

Until next time!

Michael