Remind Yourself; April 25 2022

I desperately miss running games.

A while back, I got into Dungeons and Dragons in a big way, purchasing the official rulebook and several of the expansion books. I have an impressive dice collection, in my humble opinion. I also ran games without the use of dice, applying ‘Rule of Cool’ or whatever seemed like a logical and in-character solution from my players to solve whatever obstacles I threw their way.

It’s been a long while since I’ve run one of these games. But today, my friends approached me and let me know they miss my games too, and wow that’s an amazing feeling? Plus, it got me thinking about the forms of storytelling I love.

Games like this are such a fascinating form of telling a story. When done right, they’re a collaborative effort that culminates in emotional highs and lows you simply aren’t capable of producing on your own – as authors, we’re so rarely taken completely off guard, nor do we get that buzz of anticipation of seeing a big plot event play out for your audience in real time.

It’s just wonderful to know my stories can be, and are, enjoyed, even in a different style.

On the unhappier side of things, life piles on more stressors without victories to balance it out. Plenty of rejections on the work front, and legal pursuits involve a lot of attempts at gaslighting me. I’m lucky that I have a support network and evidence to remind me what the truth is.

Time has us questioning. Doubting. If you were ever convinced your work was worthwhile, good enough to be read around the world, write that down! Give yourself proof to look back on when rejection and naysayers have you losing conviction.

Now here’s some story:

Now what… Where could they go? With the moon on the rise, they’d need shelter. Food, if there wound up being enough light to see by once they were done finding a safe spot.

They picked themselves up, wringing out the bottom of the shift. Every rock tucked within blades of grass dug into the soles of their bare feet, eliciting a wince, but they charged on into the woods in the hopes of finding a trail.