Changing Course and Setting Sail

No video post this week. Instead you're getting an additional written post, you lucky blog-reader, you!

So if you've read last Friday's post, you'll know that I've been facing some difficulty with continuing The Visitors - Season One. My foray into the science-fiction/suspense field of writing was met with wide eyes and high expectations, but after about three chapters into it, only one phrase entered my mind.

I over committed.

Writing Through the Wall

Writing Through the Wall

So I've done it. I've done what I've always wanted to do. I've published a book. Not only that, but I don't have any plans to stop now. I, in fact, have three more books planned between now and the summer of 2015. Cybersaurus: The Awakening wasn't exactly a hit (in fact, very, very few people know about it, in the grand scheme of things), but I am certain that the more books I put out, the more I'll start to get noticed, and the more they may pick up steam.

I've decided shortly after finishing Cybersaurus: The Awakening that I wasn't going to visit Cybersaurus Season Two: Revolution until 2015, and that I would take quarter 4 of 2014 and quarter 1 of 2015 to pursue two other novels. Some friends of mine seemed excited for me to begin writing a suspense and horror novel, and so I set out to do just that, titled The Visitors Season One: Quarantine.

Yet it has taken me an abysmally long time to write Episode One of that season, and the entire time my mind keeps wandering back to Cybersaurus. Is this the Wall that every creative mind encounters? Or is it a general disinterest in my own work?

Vlog Post - Weekly Updates, Moving, & Future Serials

Hooray! A new Vlog post. check it out. As always, any questions, comments, concerns or criticisms, please comment below!

Writing Warm-Up: Sad Face, Lock & Bridge

Writing Session Warm-Up with Rory's Story Cubes

The time has come for me to do some more writing in my serialized fiction, and that means doing a warm-up to get the creative gears turning. I've decided to utilize my Rory's Story Cubes, recently purchased and yet to see official use, to create a basic outline for a story I may or may not write sometime in the future.

In this particular case, I've rolled three of the story cubes, and I will use those three cubes to come up with a simple outline for a potential piece of fiction.

Cybersaurus: Episode 1.5 - Kenneth

Hey readers! Here's a short written about a couple of side characters from my series Cybersaurus. Kenneth appeared in Episode One as a small role in only a single scene, and I had so much fun writing him, I decided to give him his own scene, as well as a potential, minor subplot that could develop in future shorts, or even find its way into the main series! Enjoy!

Cybersaurus: Available Now!

My newest book, Cybersaurus: The Awakening - Episode One is now available from Amazon and from the Kory Stories Bookstore! Get it today for only $0.99!

Massive Updates (plus some minor ones, too)

Hey readers!

Wow, two new posts inside of a week? What's going on!?

I've been really busy setting the groundwork for my coming serial releases, and I wanted to share the results of all that work with you, my loyal blog readers. A lot of things have changed or been added, to here, to the Round 10 Website, and to my new central author website, and I would love for you to check out any and all of them. However, for your convenience, this post breaks them up neatly so that you can skip right to the ones that interest you the most.

Lessons Learned in Self-Publishing: Part One

For those of you who only keep up with my blog and don't pay much attention to anything else I do (and why you only keep up with my semi-hardly-regular blog, I have no idea), Elephants in the Living Room part II, and the Complete Edition of Elephants, have both come out. And, if you follow my Facebook page, you know that my next book, an all new series, will be releasing early in June this year. On top of that, my beta reader notes came back for the Round 10 Core Rules, meaning the printed edition will become available soon enough.

So, I've been fairly busy. But that's not the point of this post.

The Candle Which Burns Twice As Bright...

Another play has come up in my area. Not only am I interested in auditioning, but it is a musical, which is part of my bucket list. It only seems natural that I should audition for it, right? I mean, I've hit up every audition that has been available since last April, so why stop now.

Unfortunately, I'm not as excited for this audition as I would've originally expected. So much so to the point that I am not even 100% certain if I will audition for it. While I have no doubts that it would be an amazing experience and it would be truly exciting and engaging, and I would meet new wonderful people and get the chance to work with others I already know and love within the local theater community, I can't help but wonder if I'm filling my plate too full already.

Start the Year with some (more) Self Assessment

Well here we are; 2014. Eight years after I graduated from high school, almost nine years since I started working at Target, and going on twenty two years of living in Brainerd. When I look at things like that, it's easy to get a little disheartened. However, with the way things have been going lately, I feel much more inclined to believe that they will only go upwards from here on out.

I am a published author. I am an independent game designer. While neither have been 'successful' from a sales standpoint, at least they're out there. I am a wellspring of ideas, and I find myself having to pull back the reigns when cataloging my aspirations for future projects. I want to start working on all of them right now, and I want to see them all through to fruition. If only I had a team of me's.

What is a Writer who doesn't Write?

Wow, browsing the Vlog posts is an interesting pass-time. It's like a facial hair gallery. Anyways, it's been a while since I made a text post, so here's my attempt at channeling my inner writer. Who, as you may well know, I am trying to bring out again.

My focus for my future has changed, yet again. This blog was started to help follow my drive for teaching and becoming an English teacher. However, with certain circumstances these last couple of months, mainly my financial situation, the educational hoops, jobs changing, family emergencies, theater productions and closing in on Round 10's final stages of production, my drive and desire to teach has been curbed in light of what is more readily viewed as 'real life'.

Summer Resolution

You know, I should just do away with my proposed blogging schedule. I'm not sticking to it at all.

Anywho...

I went on another late-night walk a few days ago, before this bout of rain and wind hit central Minnesota. I actually left my headphones at home, for once, to allow myself time to really think, rather than drowning out my thoughts with music.

I realized that, as is my norm around this time of year, I was becoming quite restless. Desires and drives were building up in me, causing my satisfaction to dip and my lamentations to rise. I saw time as something slipping away from me, as days wasted and relationships waning, and there was little I could do to reverse any of it. I wanted to call people and talk to people for no reason other than to do it. I wanted to play my drum outside again. I wanted to go on a road trip. I wanted to turn my life on its head, make decisions before I had time to think about them, and live my life, even if only for a short while, on the edge of my seat.

Sitting back and thinking about it all now, I feel that it isn't so much that I want to shake my life up with some random event or some big decision. Lord knows big changes are coming soon enough, anyway. Rather, I want to ensure that I feel good about how I spend my time overall. And the one way for me to feel good about my time, hands down beyond any doubt, is to spend it with people I care about, friends and family.

And so that is my "Summer Resolution." Consider it an expansion to my New Years Resolution (which was to be a better friend, brother, uncle and son, for anybody keeping count). For this summer, I am making it my goal to create more memories, take more pictures and do more with other people.
So if you're reading this and you know me personally, hold me to it. I've been known to hit stretches of complacency, times where I'm content just sitting at home doing next to nothing, and then I always regret those times later. I want to limit those times as much as possible this year, and again, if you know me personally, I want to be with YOU more this summer.

Now to get back to work on Round 10...

Changing the Game

Things have been moving at a very definite pace for me these last couple of weeks. I made some big decisions, the nature of which I can't really get into yet, but that will be changing the course of my life for at least the next year or two. It's both exciting and frightening, but I know that these are decisions that had to be made, considering my future goals and my current direction.

On a smaller scale, I made a tough choice about my personal belongings today, selling a good number of old video games for past - and current - generation systems. They were simply sitting on the shelves or in drawers, collecting dust and not seeing any use, and since I had to spend extra money on phone repairs and dropped some more cash into Round 10 (necessary cash, that is), I've been a little tight on funds.

But creativity is one of my strengths, and being creative with how I spend my money is a skill I've been tempering since January, thanks in no small part to the guidance of my sister. And it's something I'm going to have to get better at, looking at the road ahead.

I am nothing if not a work in progress.

The Illusion of Progress

This past Sunday was an interesting day for me. It started off with me visiting my parents briefly, I vented some of my frustrations and discussed upcoming events with them, and then headed into town to pick up groceries. I returned to the apartment, started my laundry, and sat down to work on my research paper for my Interpersonal Communication class. It promptly started snowing, and heavily, outside, and I knew that I was confined to the apartment for the remainder of the day.

I finished the paper within about an hour, spent some time talking with my roommate about our summer plans, graduation, and other topics, and then sat in front of my computer to work on Round 10.

And I sat there, and stared at it, yet couldn't bring myself to type anything out. Nothing was coming to me. Here I was, the whole evening ahead of me, a mountain of time that could allow me to make tons of progress on Round 10, and all I could do was stare at the document blankly.

And then Monday came around, and between classes, in the matter of an hour and a half, I started and finished three different sections in the rulebook, fingers hammering away faster than they had in a while. Yet I did this in the college cafeteria, rather than my own kitchen as was the case on Sunday.

I realized that the change of environment was what did it. It offered a change of pace, a change of scenery, which dramatically affected my writing. I realized that, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, that I am fearful of my own stagnation in life, and the simple change of scenery was enough to kickstart my writing juices, oil the gears in my creative mind, and get more work done than I had seen in a long time. It was an illusion of actual progress, with me fooling my creative brain with the idea that I was in a different place, at a different time in my life.

That simple illusion, that simple head fake, was enough for me to temporarily forget about the stresses of the direction and pace of my life and to focus on the task at hand - my writing.

Here's hoping I can continue to make it work.

College & Graduation

This last week has been quite a boring one for me. After the excitement of the road trip with my gaming group, and the 3:00am Dance Central party on Saturday, my activity has dropped considerably. I wake up, I go to class, I have some fun with friends at CLC, I go to work and play catch-up on my list of tasks, then I go home and either play Starcraft II or watch YouTube videos until I drift off to sleep, only to start it all over again the next day.

I suppose it's to be expected. I mean, after such an engaging weekend I should be okay with allowing myself some downtime. But at the same time, I'd rather have the excitement of the weekend carry over into my daily routines, rather than drop off completely. And then this morning I was sort of slapped in the face with a realization.

It's March. Graduation is coming up, and I have things I need to do.

In order for me to get my AA at the end of this semester, I need to have my AP transcript submitted to the college. Since the last time I took an AP test was in 2006, my transcript has gone into what the AP board calls the "Archives". Basically, for me to get those credits to the college, I need to jump through extra hoops and spend a little extra money in order for the people at CLC to go "Oh, yes you have taken all those classes."

Once that is all done, I will be all set for my AA (finally) and can start looking at my teaching degree a bit more closely.

So this morning saw a bit of a fire lit under my butt, thanks in part to my roommate and in part to a friend from my Acting class who was asking me about my plans after this semester. I printed the AP transcript release form, filled it out, and now just have to fax it and a check to the AP Board and wait for them to fax the transcript back to the college. I'm cutting it close, but that's sort of my style.

It's both exciting and frightening, being this close to my AA, on the cusp of uncharted territory (for me). The thoughts of what is happening after plague me, now. Thoughts like worrying about costs of going to an actual college, about being able to manage online classes, about if teaching is really the career I should be pursuing, and about how seriously I should be pushing forward with my book at the same time. Yet, despite all of my worrying, and despite all of my anxiety, I need to keep this momentum going. I know that once my momentum drops, it's hard to get up again, and I can't afford to put my future off any longer.

Progression

This past Thursday, February 28th, I found that my pursuit of independent publishing and game design got a bit easier. My life-long friend, Sean S., asked me how interested I would be in pursuing a partnership with him. Round 10 is coming along, and he wants to move forward in a way that would take what I am building as a brand, and explore all manner of options for it as a business. Tabletop gaming, blogging, podcasts, etc. With an enthusiastic response, I told him I would glady join forces with him to create the foundations of a game design team and company. However, I did caution him that Round 10 is, far and away, my main focus right now, with all of the work I've been pouring into it. He understood, and offered his help where it was needed, and as it fit into his schedule.

That lit a bit more of a fire in me when it came to working on the Round 10 Core Rulebook, and the following evening I sat in front of my computer for nearly five hours hammering out the statistics, values and information for tons of additional aspects to the book. It's filling up nicely, and while I still have some distance to go before it's ready to be published, it is certainly making headway. I am excited to get it out there and in the hands of those awaiting it.

I'm excited to bring my love of tabletop gaming and expand it beyond simply the Round 10 RPG System, and I know Sean is equally so. We both are of like minds, that this endeavor, this pursuit, is a way for us to feel good about how we're spending our time, to feel satisfied with a creative project that will help make the more routine days that much easier to get through. And once Round 10 gets established and off the ground, and the brand becomes something more than simply a logo and word of mouth, we'll really have some opportunities to explore our interests, and bring the games that we want to play to life.

Too Much Wasted Time

My last couple of posts have been about time management in writing, and how to better hold yourself accountable for your time. I realize that the majority of this blog has been in and around various bits of advice when it comes to pursuing your career, yet I stopped and thought about that for a minute. Here I am, unpublished, distracted and as amateur as you can get, and I'm posting advice about how to become a better writer. That's more than a bit pretentious of me.

That being said, in an effort to shift the focus from me providing less-than-substantiated advice to me providing a window on my own experiences, I will start posting about my own writing habits, what I'm planning to do, and why. I've already talked about my love of journaling, so consider this blog an extension of my journals, one that is open for public viewing and feedback.

I've recently come under an undeniable feeling of restlessness when it comes to my career choice and my daily habits. I attribute part of this to the fact that I recently turned 25, an age that sort of slapped me in the face, forcing me to realize that I am an adult, no doubt about it. However, I cannot help but feel that part of it is because I am working in a job, and have been working in a job, that doesn't satisfy what I want out of a career choice.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job. I work with some very wonderful people and have had incredible memories. Some lasting friends have been made in the retail world for me. Yet, as I approach my 8th year, I cannot help but consider my level of personal satisfaction with my daily work, and I am disappointed with that assessment.

I'm faced with the feeling that the last few years of my life have been far too complacent, and now I feel like I need to work that much harder in order to make up for the lost time. I recently spoke with my parents about this feeling, and my father gave me the advice "I felt the same way at your age, but I stayed in the grocery business and I feel it worked out well." To his credit it certainly did, and I'm glad he made the choices he did in his life. However, something about this restlessness tells me that it goes beyond an aging man attempting to hang onto the openness and opportunity-filled days of his youth. I feel like there is no reason why I should be allowing myself to feel this way, and that I can turn it around if only I spend the time doing so.

It's a difficult realization to come to, and even more difficult to put into action, but it is my plan to do so. It is my hope to advance my career and my interests every day until I reach the point where I am satisfied with what I am doing. When that happens, I will be able to look at other aspects of myself and my life, and what I can do to better them.

When I spoke with my mother I told her that "I'm tired of just satisfying people, and I want to start actually helping people." And that is as close to the truth about my feelings as I've ever been able to vocalize. I'm tired of working in customer service, putting my people skills and my communication talents to use with a flimsy facade of making a difference. I want to actually make a difference. I want to help people learn, realize their potential, open their minds and view the world in different ways. This is why I landed on teaching as a career, and I feel like it will be the career of choice for me as my life moves on.

The real challenge, for me especially, is to stop letting time move around me, and instead start moving with it.

Daily Habits

Whenever conversations have taken a turn towards one of my hobbies, such as writing, sketching, or even Game Mastering an RPG session, it isn't rare for people to say something along the lines of "I'm a terrible artist," or "I can't write at all," or even "I could never run an RPG." I can't help but chuckle at these statements because of how misinformed they are.

Writing, as with most hobbies, isn't something you're born with. Anybody can learn how to cook, how to sing, how to play the guitar, how to skateboard, and how to write. These are skills, and it's true, while some may be born with natural talents in these areas, anybody can learn how to do them, and to do them well.

The key, and this is where most people fail, myself included, is consistent practice.

We live in an age of instant gratification. When I was growing up, it was common to wait minutes for a webpage to load, even if it was all text. And it was what I did. I'd click the link, and sit and wait while the page slowly came into view, often reading the information as it showed up on screen. Now, if the page takes longer than ten to fifteen seconds, most people close out and try again, or look for a different page. We are accustomed to instant information, to finding what we need as fast as we can hit the 'Enter' button, yet it is my firm belief that this technology is being poorly misused. Yet that is a subject for a different blog post.

If you want to get better at something, anything, all you need to do is practice it. Work it into your routine, schedule your time around it, make time for it and hold yourself accountable to it. Whether its physical exercise, budgeting, academic preparation, or creative writing, all you need to do is be willing to devote the necessary time.

I have these skills in sketching and writing because I did them when I was young. I started as a child and kept the hobbies up throughout my prime development years, into high school, and after. Now, in my adult life, I find that I don't continue the hobbies as often as I'd like, and because of this my confidence in them has fallen. I can still sketch, but it takes me a while before I feel good about my artistic abilities to hammer out portraits and character concepts like I used to. I can write, but it takes a few days of straight fiction writing before I feel confident about my ability to tell a story.

Turn your desire into action and start writing daily. Keep a journal, and carry it with you at all times. I know how this sounds, and I know that a lot of us who aspire to be writers think "keeping a journal is amateur stuff, I'm ready for more than that." I know this because I thought this way just a mere year ago. However, I have since decided to take my own advice, and it has done wonders for my ability to get my thoughts out on paper. It has made me a better literary communicator and a better verbal communicator. There really is no downside to having a daily journal.

Writing also requires an acceleration period. This period varies in time from one person to the next, but generally you can expect it to be around thirty minutes. You can't sit down and expect to start writing your novel right away, and you can't expect every session to be equally effective, at least not at first. Having a daily journal, and writing in it for at least thirty minutes prior to working on your manuscript, is the perfect way to get your creative gears turning, to kick-start the part of your brain that works on literary communication, taking abstract thoughts and turning them into words on a page.

The same goes with any skill you put into practice. Instead of jumping right into your workout, stretch for a short while beforehand. Instead of starting your piece of artwork right after you get done with your work shift, instead sketch a few scrap drawings in a notebook. We want everything we do to be perfect the first time, yet that is not realistic. In fact, that frame of mind is a hindrance to achieving our true potential as artists. Recognize that consistent, scheduled practice is necessary to becoming better at something, and then go out and schedule that practice.

Keeping in Contact

It's been said that life isn't so much about what you know, but rather who you know. As I work towards self-publishing my first book, I'm finding this to be increasingly true.

Seeking to get anywhere in the world of writing requires many different tools that you need to be ready and willing to utilize, many different skills you need to hone, in order to get anywhere. Or, at least, so I've been learning. There is determination to finish your work, there is discipline to hold yourself to a schedule or timeline, and there is properly leveraging the skills and abilities of others to assist you. Despite how it sounds, self-publishing is not something you can do on your own. At least not easily.

Expand your circle. Meet people with similar interests. Go to writing clubs, visit online forums and chat rooms, and reconnect with old friends who shared your passion. It is important to have a good list of people who enjoy writing, who enjoy reading, and who enjoy other aspects of the publishing process. The more people you know, and the more willing you are to ask for help, the easier your road will become.

When I started work on the Round 10 Core Rulebook, I expected to write the manuscript, send it in for publication, and start watching the 'Download' counter tick ever upwards. I was incredibly wrong, and I didn't realize it until I was filling out the submission form for rpgnow.com and got to the 'Cover Art' field. I had no cover art. The first thing that anyone would see about my book, and it was blank.

I realized I still had some work to do.

A lot has happened between then and now. It's been almost a year, the book has gone through three different versions, getting more and more in-depth with what it includes every time. I have seven of eleven illustrations finished, and the other four are close behind. The cover is fully designed and finished, ready to grace the front of the manuscript. The sections are being reorganized into a more readable and user-friendly format, and I'm able to begin diverting some of my attention to my next book. All thanks to my wonderful allies on this long trip.

Despite seeking self-publication, the list of people assisting me grows by the week. Taking a quick look at my credits page, I see I have over 15 people credited, including illustrator, tyopgraphic artist, layout designer, logo designer, editors, and most importantly, my play-testers. And while my book is swiftly approaching the date when it will be ready for publication, I know that I still have a lot of work ahead of me, and I won't be doing it all alone.

Welcome

Hello folks! Welcome to the very first post of my new blog, Experience Points.

First of all, a bit about myself: My name is Nicholas Kory, I'm a 25 year-old aspiring writer/teacher who is returning to college to finish my teaching degree. I am also working full time in retail, as well as attempting to self-publish my first book on tabletop role-playing. Between these endeavors, in my spare time I try to cultivate multiple friendships and remain a relevant and positive member of all of my social networks.

This blog will follow my pursuit of my career, both as a teacher and as a writer, and will help to serve as a collection of my plans, thoughts, motivations, pitfalls and epiphanies that I am sure to face as I move steadily forward towards those goals. I will share what I have learned, what I am learning, and what I hope to learn in the future. The posts in this blog will serve as benchmarks in my road, a permanent record of where I've been and where I am going. Hence the blog's title.

It is my humble goal to update this blog on a weekly basis, at the very least. However, it may not be out of the realm of possibility to see more frequent updates, depending upon my schedule and the necessity of me to get these thoughts down.

I hope that those of you who take the time to read my posts will find them to be enlightening, entertaining, or thought-provoking to some degree. I feel as if a new chapter in my life is starting as I close in on the goals I have set for myself, and I am excited to share this chapter with all of those who are willing to listen.