Dr. Shaun Duke, Professional Nerd

Editor. Writer. Professor. Host.

Reading Time

(Writer: 5, Fate: 5) Edit: Writer: 6, Fate: 5…screw you fate!

Edit Again…Note: I’ve finally figured out how to add those pesky “Read Me” things. This will take a while to get the point where ALL my posts are converted to this format, but eventually all will be. Makes things more compact and neat for everyone.

Apparently I am now tied with fate. I got two more points for the following reasons: I actually finished Chapter Thirteen B even though as I was writing it I started to think I wasn’t going to be able to. I’m not entirely sure that I like the direction it went, but it seems to have worked well enough as people seem to like it. The story has gotten excessively dark and I’ve added more and more subplots that now I am pretty sure cannot be sufficiently closed in a single novel. Too many. I’ll have a post about subplots later.The second point comes in the form of a lovely acceptance letter from UC Santa Cruz (University of California). Apparently I got in. Good news. So I have been accepted into both UCI and UCSC, both apparently good schools.
But Fate still gets one point for managing to hold me back from finishing Chapter Thirteen when I had originally intended to finish it (two weeks ago), and also for taking away any semblance of brain functionality that I had the other night. Two stories go with this:1) I got home from work Tuesday and remembered I had a short paper due for my Spanish 2 class. So I went in search for my rough draft which had teacher edits on it. Searched my car–no sign of it. Went to my bedroom, search, same. Went back to the car, nothing. Back to the room, nothing. Finally went back to the car, and there it was sitting there under another piece of paper. I felt rather stupid after that.
2) After class was over Tuesday night I headed out to my car. Sat down in the seat, turned on the car, put it in reverse, and suddenly thought I had forgotten my glasses. So I stopped the car, turned it off, and got out, locked the car. I started running and then my glasses slapped me in the face and reminded me that I hadn’t forgotten them. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling all too bright.
And of course fate has received a point for doing the worst thing it could possible do to me. During the last few weeks I’ve been bringing books into the local used book store to see what they wanted. They offer store credit when you do this. But since it is a used book store they only write it down on a paper for you, nothing more. So I have no database to go to unfortunately. Now, as you might guess, I lost that paper. I had over 30 dollars worth of used books I could have bought. But no, somehow it traveled from my wallet–inside the part where you put the money–to some unknown location. I checked every pair of pants I could find, searched my wallet four times, search my car (which I’ll try once more), searched my room and couldn’t find it, but in my room who knows where anything is, and have had no luck whatsoever. Fate has committed blasphemy against me. I am utterly in disarray now. I tried to sit down and write, but could only get a sentence out before I wanted to go looking around again. Damn you fate to the infinite reaches of hell! Now to happier things. It would be of interest to those that read WISB that I have decided after all to draw up a map of Traea. I am not a great artist, but I can draw an okay map. Traea is a massive continent mind you. And the map I am drawing only touched upon about 3/4ths of the actual landmass. I am considering a couple possibilities in the near future:
a) I will finish up the map all on my lonesome and some how scan it and post it for everyone to see. This option comes with the disclaimer that I am not an artist, am not necessarily good at mapmaking, likely have not drawn it entirely to scale, and might have screwed up here or there on certain things.
b) I will finish the map, but in the process find someone who is far better at fantasy cartography to do a more professional quality map. Now, I am leaning towards this one. I don’t know anyone who can do really good maps, whether for free or for pay, but if I can find one I will definitely consider it.
c) I will acquire one of those map programs–such as Campaign Cartographer–and attempt to do a good looking map on my own, based entirely on the one that I have drawn.

So, we’ll see where it all goes. Anyone else have something to add on the matter of making maps?

Edit: I found my store credit! Aha! Up yours fate! Apparently it was in my sister’s stuff in the other room. At some point today when she left for work it slipped out of her pile and out onto the floor. Yay! I bought books with it today! Yay!

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