Category: Articles

“Just Keep Writing” – An Emerging Podcast

“A podcast for writers, by writers, to keep you writing.”

“Just Keep Writing” is, at the time of this writing, a fledgling podcast that boasts a modest five episodes. I don’t expect this number to stay low for very long. Listening to the podcast, you can tell that the two hosts, Marshall and Nick, are both incredibly passionate about elevating their amateur writing hobbies into bona fide career opportunities. Between the two of them, they cover an impressive swathe of life experiences and motivations, with previous podcasting history under their belt, and connections within the writing industry. The fruits are ripe for a long-term podcast.

Even this early in the lifespan, the podcast has gained a decent following, with an active Discord channel where fans and fellow would-be authors can communicate and learn from one another. The highlight for me so far was their interview with guest Maurice Broaddus, author of many a fantasy and horror novel, including the upcoming steamfunk adventure, Pimp My Airship (which might be one of the best novel names I’ve ever heard). In the episode, Maurice gave us some insight to the inner workings of his daily grind, as well as explored his passion in community development for the black community. If this is the standard for guest episodes, then I have a hard time believing that Just Keep Writing will be anything but successful, especially if the regular episodes keep bringing the quality writing tips and challenges as they have insofar.

If nothing else, they have at least one new fan in me.

Hard Friendship – Cowboy Bebop

I recently came across an article from the Bebop Attic (linked below) which explores the topsy-turvy, sometimes painful discourse of friendship that is the main cast of Cowboy Bebop. Being a long-time fan of Watanabe’s work (and CB, in particular), I am always delighted when I find a new angle on this classic anime. For all their casual disregard and generally laid-back, easy-going nature, it’s important to remember that Spike, Faye, and Jet are, at the end of the day, hardly more than active shells of the people they used to be. They are walking walls, keeping everyone around them at arms-reach, yet inexplicably can’t pull themselves apart from their meandering life together exploring the cosmos.

Take a look at the original article for more detail. And if you haven’t seen Cowboy Bebop yet, or it’s been a while since you last explored space with the crew of the Bebop, I encourage you to rectify that as soon as you have a chance. It ages like your favorite wine.

http://bebopattic.weebly.com/friendship-in-cowboy-bebop.html

“Area of Effect: Wisdom From Geek Culture”

Published by Mythos & Ink, “Area of Effect: Wisdom from Geek Culture” checked a lot of my boxes. Using pop culture and the wider community of geekdom as a vehicle, the writers within challenge the quagmire of life with subtle excellence. Regardless of what media is most endearing to you—whether it cinema, novels, anime, video games, etc.—there is bound to be at least a handful of insightful deductions that make you think, or personal tales that make you feel.

I know a small handful of the collaborators involved in this book. I worked with most of them, in one way or another, during my time as a writer and editor at Geeks Under Grace. But Area of Effect afforded me an opportunity to learn new things about each of them, both in their opinions on various stories, as well as formative events that shaped their lives. I think what was most impressive about this compilation, however, was the consistency of ‘oh‘ moments I had. I was challenged to think in new ways (I’d never considered what it must have been like to be an average citizen in the sociopolitical climate of the Fire Nation when Sozen decided to siege the world), and I’ve never understood the appeal of Buffy the Vampire Slayer until two or three different chapters addressed aspects of its story. Now it’s at the forefront of my list (along with Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse).

There’s something for every geek in this series of articles and essays. Do you like anime? Plenty of that within these pages. Marvel films? There are at least four topics around those. Video games? Galore. Lord of the Rings? But of course.

I think it takes a unique frame of mind to connect the fiction we read to the lives that play out before us every day, and something even greater to learn from that connection. If you appreciate good dialogue on the merits of your favorite pieces of fiction, I implore you to pick up this book, available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions. I suspect you will not be disappointed.

NYT on Depression/Anxiety in Video Games

E3 2018 revealed a feast of new video games that we should expect to see throughout this year. One game that stood out to many people, myself included, was the sadly serene Sea of Solitude, developed by Jo-Mei Games and published by Electronic Arts. This waterscape misadventure, characterized by an aesthetic of over-saturated colors, braces itself against a narrative exploring loneliness. It is also Electronic Arts’ first major foray into supporting an indie story that focuses on mental health. Their support cannot be understated.

Laura Parker of the New York Times talks about Sea of Solitude in further detail below, as well as other video games that dare to explore the complicated waters of mental and emotional health in video game storytelling.