Well, NaNoWriMo starts next week. For the three of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is short for “National Novel Writing Month”. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to encourage writers and those who aspire to be writers to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. No, really. I’ve attempted NaNoWriMo several times now and I’ve always failed but I’m trying again this year. My problem has always been that I have ideas for things (including this oft-neglected blog) but never seem to be able to actually consign them to paper (or word processor files in this case). I keep hoping that I will come up some magic formula that will let me write things easily, but have never come up with one. The truth is, creativity is hard work. I’m sure there are some people out there for whom things flow naturally but for me it often feels that there is a physical block between what I want to get out of my brain and actually getting those ideas into physical form. So I’m trying NaNoWriMo again this year. I’m hoping that if I can physically force myself to put words down on paper, then I will somehow open the hole between the inside of my head and the outside. Will it work? Who knows, but for now I’m planning on it. See you in November.
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NaNoWriMo 2011 – Back in the Saddle Again
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Sunset
Sunset was almost over when the first of the planes flew overhead. A chill had set into the air and a number of the abnormally large number of guests that had set the staff of the small cafe scrambling throughout the day had gone inside, but they came rushing back into the flagstoned courtyard at the sound of the engines. Three V-formations of large bombers passed overhead, their support fighters flanking around them like remoras pacing a shark. Many of the watchers whispered excitedly to each other, pointing towards the skies. Others shouted angrily and one cheered wildly until he was silenced by others of his group. But most simply watched silently. A few wept. I had been here often enough that I no longer looked at the planes. Instead, I watched the crowd of tourists. What drew them here, I wondered, to this place. To this event. I had first come here many years ago, for me anyway, because it seemed to be an out of the way place. While many came to visit Paris, or Normandy, or Berlin or even Auschwitz, very few came to Le Fleur de la Mer, this small cafe on the northern coast of Belgium. Most were now engrossed in watching the next wave pass overhead, though a few others watched the crowd as I did. We glanced at each other, nodded slightly in recognition, then returned to our observations of the others. The staff has been struggling to handle the unexpected number of
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Foundations
I woke up in a cleared field. Somehow I wasn’t surprised. The three of them were there, watching as I sat up from the bed in which I found myself. The three of them sat around a banquet table which was loaded with food and drink. There was a fourth chair at the table, waiting. I walked over and sat down; there really was no reason not to. We all knew why I was there. “A fascinating device.” Blue spoke first, holding up a dunderschlag. “Immediately obvious as to its use and obviously useful.” He pointed it at me and I briefly flinched but he seemed more impressed with it than threatening. “We don’t care about that!” snapped Green. She took the device from Blue and pointed it at me herself. This time I didn’t flinch. I suspected half her anger was due to the fact that she couldn’t use it and knew it. None of them. That would certainly anger her. “What we want to know is how you acquired it.” I shrugged. “I made it.” “We are aware of that.” said Red. “As we are of everything. But we are not aware of this.” It pointed at the dunderschlag which Green still held in a firm grip. “It has no source. No template. So where did you get it.” I shrugged again, dismissively. “Not everything has a template. You know that. We make new templates all the time.” “Yes you do.” Blue spoke again. He seemed almost genuinely
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The Morrowind Diaries – Chapter 5
Chapter 5 – The Road to Balmora Heartfire 5 (Day 21) The last few stars were still out as I began my travels. I left Ald-Rhun through the western gate and was planning on passing southward through Caldera and from there on to Balmora. As I walked, I found myself thinking about things I had heard the previous evening. While passing the time indoors and away from the blowing ash I had spoken with several of the locals. One had mentioned a secret cult known as the Sixth House that was killing Imperial citizens. Another, a bard, had said the appearance of this cult and the general increase in violence across Vvardenfell was a sickness of the soul caused by a lack of faith and a love of sin. He said that the bad dreams and omens people had been experiencing were a sign that the people had abandoned the Temple and fallen into greed and wickedness. He said more but I once again found myself remembering the strange dream I had experienced just as I arrived on the island. It continued to haunt me for some reason and I strangely felt as if my own destiny were tied in with that of Morrowind. These thoughts had troubled me in my sleep and they continued to do so as I made my way along the road. Hisin Deep-Raed My thoughts were interrupted when I spotted a figure standing alone on the road. I made a friendly gesture as I approached
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Level 5000
I had been climbing for days. I don’t know exactly how long I had been on the ladder. I had tried counting for a while, numbering each rough, corroded rung as it passed in the dim glow of my biolight, but I had lost count somewhere in the tens of thousands. I do know I had slept three times, hanging clipped to the ladder, but in the darkness of the shaft I had no way of determining how long I had gone between sleeping. So I continued to climb. I was starting to wonder if I should climb back down and try to find another upward access from the maze of vents I had previously been traversing when a change in the shadows indicated an end to the shaft. The ladder finally ended in a horizontal panel. It was frozen in place, but a few sharp blows were sufficient to break the seal produced by decades of oxidation and it finally, reluctantly drew aside. I pulled myself up into the room beyond and lay for a long time, allowing my arms to rest as I lay motionless on the padded floor. After some time I stood up and looked around. I was in some sort of maintenance closet. Several machines I did not recognize stood along one wall, a faint, almost unnoticeable vibration being the only indication that they still functioned. Part of the air circulation or food fabrication systems I presumed. Certainly not one of the enormous electromagnetic generators
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The Morrowind Diaries – Chapter 4
Chapter 4 The Ald-Rhun Thieves’ Guild Last Seed 28 (Day 13) Now that I had made up my mind to move on I decided to leave Balmora immediately before I began to have second thoughts. After a quick glance at my map I headed for the northern gate and left the city. My plan was to follow the road past the Moonmoth Legion Fort until I reached the Foyada Mamaea. I planned to proceed up the foyada until I reached Ghostgate then turn east to reach Ald-Rhun. This seemed to be a much more direct route than trying to follow the roads through Caldera. Dwemer Bridge I briefly became disoriented in the dark but after a short time found my way to the Foyada Mamaea where it was crossed by a Dwemer bridge made of some strange metal. I briefly examined the area and decided there was no convenient route to the bottom of the foyada from there and started to cross the bridge to check the opposite bank. To my surprise, I saw a figure on the bridge but as I approached he yelled at me in anger. There was a flash of light as the figure summoned a skeletal warrior then he began to throw bolts of electricity at me. Knowing something about Magicka, I charged towards the wizard and ignored the skeleton. The mage attempted to back away from me but became trapped between the side of the bridge and a crude cart which was parked there.
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At the Array
The beacons and the sweeping beams of the Interdiction Array glittered ahead of me, an out-of-place brightness against the faint dusting of the Void. I sat in the command chair, eyes half-focused on the view outside and half on the image on the overhead monitor. There, the Sun hung faintly against the darkness. Out here, at the edge of the Void, it was but a little brighter than the only slightly dimmer and slightly more distant stars beyond. Still, it was the only Sun I had ever seen in the sky and the thought that I would probably never see it again caused me to doubt once again the course I had sat myself upon. I rested my hands on the controls and noticed that they were shaking slightly. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and the shaking diminished but did not cease. I sighed. I had been waiting out here too long. Unfastening my harness, I allowed myself to drift upwards out of the seat a bit and stretched. I then punched the heat button on the coffee pod and fumbled for a cigarette. I would have liked something stronger but after several days with no sleep I couldn’t take the chance of getting too relaxed. “At least I’m not talking to myself yet.” I thought, then winced. I had said it out loud. Oops. So much for that. I lit the cigarette and took a deep pull from it. The shaking faded and I released
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The Morrowind Diaries – Chapter 3
Chapter 3 – More of the Balmora Thieves Guild Last Seed 22 (Day 7) It was just before dawn when I awakened the next morning and I exited into the cool darkness. A few of the town guard were wandering on their patrols but otherwise I seemed to be the only one yet awake. I was walking towards the gate when I passed the eastern guard tower and thought it may be interesting to climb to the top and view the countryside from there. The lower level of the tower was empty except for some racks on the wall holding a few, basic weapons. I climbed to the next level and found a bunk room with a bored guard standing watch. The guard seemed a bit put out by my arrival but simply told me to be on my way. I was about to do so when something on the top of a closet caught my attention. It seemed to be the hilt of a sword; one of higher quality than any I had yet seen in Morrowind. Obviously it would not be possible for me to examine the sword more closely with the guard in the room so I descended the stairs to the first landing and considered my options. I decided that, while bored, the guard was likely to remain where he was for some time and that my ability at sneaking around was still too slight to allow me to enter the room undetected. I was about
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The Morrowind Diaries – Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – First Explorations and the Balmora Thieves Guild Last Seed 17 (Day 2) Balmora, as seen from the Silt Strider platform The driver awoke me upon our arrival in Balmora. It was still dark and the sky was overcast but the rain had stopped and I could see a few lights in the town as its inhabitants went about their business. Thanking the driver, I descended into the streets of Balmora. A Dark Elf guard was idly keeping watch near the Strider stop and I asked him directions to the South Wall Corner Club. It turned out to be relatively nearby, just across the river to the east. The guard seemed to be in a talkative mood so I asked him more about Balmora. He told me that the town was the council seat of House Hlaalu, one of the three great Dunmer houses. He himself was part of House Hlaalu. He spoke of his desire to maintain order and keep the law and complained that crime seemed to be on the increase, even accusing the Balmora magistrate, one Nolus Atrius, of being on the take. With a sneer, he wondered how Larrius Varro, the Legion Champion from the Moonmoth Legion Fort who had sworn to fight corruption, would react to this. Thanking him for his information, I proceeded east across the river and through a narrow, dark tunnel through a row of buildings. Several crates were stacked in the tunnel and I briefly looked through them, finding
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The Road to Phaedra
The sun had just gone down when I got to the town gates. Some places closed up tight at sunset but this one looked like it stayed open. There was almost no other traffic and the guard barely glanced in my direction as I passed, instead concentrating on using a torch to light the large beacon over the main entrance. The usual tourist spots were just inside, torchlight streaming from most of them though the burger and coffee joints had their typically anachronistically artificial lighting, the cost of which I suspected would be reflected in their prices. I went a bit further down the main road before taking a side street and finding a smaller place with a more subdued illumination scheme. Inside I found a seat at the end of the bar. The bartender was busy with a couple of guys in typical traveller garb but indicated that he had noticed me with a nod. I settled my pack at my feet while waiting and looked over his current customers. Their gear was a bit too neat and clean and coordinated a bit too well. New on the Road. I winced as the bartender handed them a couple of Buds. Really new then. Previous customers served, he grabbed a towel and came over to where I was sitting. “What’ll you have?” he asked, wiping the towel quickly across the bar in front of me. He glanced over my own clothing as he did. It was similar to what the
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