When you start to create a novel, one of the first questions you have to ask yourself is, “Should I start by creating an outline, or just fly by the seat of my pants?”
Both of these options have their merits.As I noted in a previous blog post, creating an outline first helps to keep the plot more coherent, avoid plot holes, and stop writer’s block before it starts.
But many writers probably share the same fear I had before I started to embrace outlining: what if the outline stifles my creativity? What if I lose the spontaneity that I need to write the characters naturally, and to let the characters be themselves?
DMing, is hard. I knew this even before signing up. It’s a known fact that running a table-top rpg like Dungeons and Dragons is hard, especially when you’re only friends with maybe half of the room. When I say room, I mean a restaurant’s room we rented out.for everyone. Usually we have about four tables during our slow nights and the other week they sent out a text looking for some more DMS. I, being half asleep and at work, responded since I have been mulling it in my mind for a bit. They accepted with much exclamation. (!!)
We tried to spare the frogs, even help. But in the end they were desecrated for their insubordination.
It didn’t really set in until my two friends started to talk about it maybe an hour before at our school. (We hung out beforehand because ONE of us has class) Suddenly I was sooo nervous, looking at my highlighted and color-coordinated notes of the adventure and thinking “it’s not enough!”
It was. It was just enough.
Just casually fighting in a marsh. Damn water deities.
DMing went fine. Sure I mixed up the story a bit and had to fix it, but I write and have to do that all the time. The monsters’ attacks I messed up because I had TWO barbarians that when raging (HARD) their damage is different. Oh! And in Part two I saw a note about something they should have gotten by then, and had to very much improvise.
It all went well! I swear! The players didn’t notice and neither did the two DMs watching me. (One at my table playing and one casually checking on me) So either I was really lucky or I actually did good. I’ll believe either. Still, I can’t wait to DM again, though it will maybe twice a week on the lower count days. I’ll be happy either way.
SideNote: The soups at the restaurant is really nice. I always get one.
You can’t just turn everything to make it tighten. You think you can because… righty tighty lefty loosey.
That doesn’t always work for things like a hand towel holder that sudden rattles because it is coming off the holder. You’d think you would just tighten the damn thing by turning it multiple times till it stops turning. Duh.
If only life were so easy.
Unfortunately this doesn’t work. It also doesn’t work on one of the handles for a toilet paper roll holder. That problem too, the handle jiggles ugh, will not resolve itself by just freaking turning it a few times.
Upon closer inspection… and I won’t tell you what I was doing when I found this tip out, but apparently little gnomes inserted small screws at the base of the holders that you have to take off to access a back screw that is holding the handle and…
Sleeping in is a natural occurrence for me, but my family would sometimes look at me as I slept comfortable for, well, forever. Why get up? Well now I have a perfect reason to settle any whispering around me.
Overnights.
Yep! I got an overnight position at my local grocery store and it has been a huge improvement in my life. But what goes up must come down and by down I mean being supported by your cap’s lid as you doze off for an hour amist the shift.. Yep!
Pros? I don’t have to deal with rude customers who think they can bully us into doing what they want. Ever. I also don’t have to worry about rushing about when corporate overloads us because “you can handle it” *click*
Cons? I have done a complete 180 for my sleep cycle and have been such a ride. My eyes hurt when they closed. My temper flared when things went differently in the morning. My patience for people have shortened
My parent is a bit worried about me and have been keeping a real hard look at me. With love of course. He makes sure he sees me sleeping (because sometimes I’m too awake and stay up) and makes sure I am eating correctly. Making meals is always fun for him because then leftovers are separated into little meals for me. Ultimate assurance I have food with me, which as a food junkie I can’t complain.
Overnights, it’s really a interesting and calming. Especially when I see that there is 47 order hours set up and only 27 scheduled work hours for that day. It makes me feel better with the whole deal.
None of it seems to matter when you find that one piece that completes you, whether you like it or know it. Whether you could completely imagine yourself with them or didn’t even know about them. It’s almost like the world starts spinning a bit slower, or maybe I just made it sound slower so I could have more moments.
Lucifer: Did you?
Giovannii: 🙂 The world will never know, but it was completely worth it.
