Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. -- Gene Fowler

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Dresden, it takes over my life...

I played in another great session of the Dresden Files RPG this Saturday and spent a few hours Sunday compulsively writing about it. Sunday night the Muse even slapped me across the back of the head with a little piece of something that occurred a few months before the start of the campaign and I was compelled to write it out longhand in my Piccadilly after I got out of the shower. I should finish that one.

True to what I've thus far experienced, the best way for me to get writing is to write. It seems a little like the old question of the chicken and the egg, but with the RPG to get me going, all I have to do is make sure I'm behind the computer when the need strikes.

It feels good to have the story flow out of my fingers and onto the screen. Even in this particular case, where I'm not so much writing the plot as capturing it, James' perspective colours everything, since the story's written in first person. It's fun to watch his snarky thoughts spill out, dark and sarcastic, with a tinge of gallows humour. Like this (warning for James' mental potty mouth):
I felt more than heard Trench Coat moving up behind me. I was twenty yards from him, at least, and he closed the distance in an instant. The situation had just gone from 'oh shit' to 'get me the fuck out of Dodge'. I threw myself to one side, twisting on my heel just enough so I could see Trench Coat's sword slice down through the space where my head had just been. I felt the breeze as it moved, distinctly heard the near-silent 'snick' as the top millimetre or two of the hair on the back of my head was shorn clear. I didn't have a level between 'get me the fuck out of Dodge' and 'you're a dead man'. I hoped there was one.

I continued to pound on toward the door, which I swear was closer before the maniac with the sword started chasing me. There was a brief rending sound which I imagined was Mike the cat, hopefully taking a chunk out of Trench Coat. But I could still feel the guy behind me. You're on your own, Sterling, the remembered voice of my Commandant from the Foreign Legion ground out in my head. You're a Legionnaire. You're the best of the best. Major Pressman from the Special Air Service chimed in, Who Dares Wins, Sterling. Yeah, yeah, I know. Sirs, if you could kindly get out of my head for just a goddamned minute, I'm trying to not die here. Thank you and merci.

I'm still not caught up on all my notes, but I'm making progress. The lead-up to the narrative for this week's session found James flashing back to the events of the previous evening, which actually took place at the prior gaming session. I know, I'm confused too. That's why I take notes!

The full versions of James' adventures with the Dresdenite crew can be found here. I can't be sure that's the Philly skyline on that page, but it looks near enough to me, and besides, I like the colour scheme. Thank you Blogger InDraft and the Template Designer.

8 comments:

  1. Read Dresden...it's good

    Who did you happen to pattern James Sterling from? He seems familliar...

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  2. I've read most of the Dresden series already. I'm re-reading from the beginning right now. I love the series. James is patterned on a mercenary character I role-play in another setting. The character took a few sessions to come into his own, and he's still growing away from his roots, so to speak.

    I invite all commenters, but do you have a name? :)

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  3. I really don't want to give it out...

    I'll tell you what, though. I have this pillow over here in my room, with the words "Wistful" and "Jun 17", and honestly I don't know where I got this from, I think it's some neighbor's doggie pillow or something...but I don't know why, it just seems to fit me..."Wistful Pillow"

    So I guess you can call me that.

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  4. Oh, hey, you don't have to give out your real name ... I just meant something other than ".", which is hard to pronounce. :)

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  5. Yeah, that's OK. Hey, I was reading it and there was this funny name..."Augie"

    What's an Augie? Oh, wait! Stupid me, I should know this...there's two instances where I seen that name before...

    One was in urban Dictionary...I think the definition was "cool guy, better than a doctor, laywer or preist, someone who can get things done, even when others just give up(?)"

    And the other, was (Oh this is funny!) I was watching CSI and Augie was this real estate guy in the episode...and the CSI team was about to shoot an intruder, and all it was was this guy's cardboard cut out in the closet...

    Will there be other scenes where this "Augie" guy shows up, or is he just a bit player, because I like that name. Where did you come up with "Augie?"

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  6. The name was not chosen by me. The writing I'm doing is based on the events that occur in the role-playing game I play with my group. The GM made up the name.

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  7. Oh...ok. hmm. Well, I'd really like to read more of your writing...hope things turn out good for Sterling,

    Actually I like doing writing myself, but I don't think anything I write is good, I like your advice about keep writing and keep trying.

    The funny thing is...some of the description of Sterling seems to resonate with me, like I know this person from somewhere...like the description of "Mental Potty mouth" and other things...

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  8. Oh...OK. I don't know why I just seem to like that name, for some reason, I think I heard it before around here. Not sure :)

    Sterling has a "potty mouth?" LOL :)

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