tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84557211993079051882024-02-20T20:23:13.727-08:00A Treeful of ForestsThe Blog of Writer Anne Denise DupontAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-6608341634862936722015-01-03T09:51:00.001-08:002015-01-03T09:52:56.020-08:00Oh Blogger, Where Art Thou?Yes, it's been over six months since my last post. And here I sit, yet again, wondering what I have to say to anonymous people who may or may not read this. I think that's the biggest barrier for me in writing a blog: Who is my audience?<br />
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If I were a published author, the answer would be easy. I would have a group of people who were interested in my work and might come here to find out how I went about creating my story's world, or to hear me expound on the philosophy of my magic system, or any number of topics regarding my book that I would love to talk about. But, as no one has read my book yet, such posts would be meaningless.<br />
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Then there's the thought that, hey, I don't think anyone is reading this anyway, so why not just write what I want? Well, then you get into the issue of maybe someone important might one day read it and you don't want to give them the impression that you are a raving lunatic, basically talking to yourself about work that only you and a lucky few have had the pleasure of reading.<br />
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I'm sure my way of thinking about this is completely skewed (such is often the case when I try to interface with reality). For some reason, I really have trouble getting into this, though. So, hey, why even have a blog at all?<br />
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Good question.<br />
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I can tell you the reason why I thought I <u>should</u> have a blog. At some point in my creative journey, I encountered a LOT of advice that as a hoping-to-be-published writer I <u>should</u> have one as part of my "author platform." It was the thing to do, and if you didn't do it, well, you were sailing your future as a writer into treacherous waters (or more likely, the doldrums).<br />
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I have a lot of trouble with anything that comes after the words "You should..." It never fails that the people who tell you this are already doing the thing that they claim YOU should do also. Like people who eat paleo and tell you that you SHOULD eat like a caveman. Then they go about saying that coffee is okay because coffee beans grow in the wild. Well, sugarcane also grows in the wild, but apparently cavemen didn't consume that. Apparently whoever came up with the paleo diet liked his coffee black.<br />
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The whole internet is like this. People yammering away about what they think others SHOULD do. Diets, exercise programs, makeup tips, hairstyles -- ADVICE FOR WRITERS. Seriously, I think that last category probably makes up about three-fifths of the internet. Another fifth is comprised of the blogs of writers, which I am convinced are read only by other writers.<br />
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So, I don't know. Should I keep going with this? Does the internet really need another blog of an aspiring writer?<br />
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The blog did serve one hugely great purpose: It helped me find my fantastic, talented, insightful critique group (well, it helped them find me). I did not know any of these people personally prior to being contacted to join. I had maybe tweeted with one guy (the group's organizer) a couple of times and he could see that I lived in Frisco. When he was looking around for people to invite, he remembered me and came here to check to see if I knew how to string two sentences together (you can never assume anything). He said he was pleasantly surprised and genuinely enjoyed my article about Morrowind.<br />
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I was pleasantly stunned to find out anyone had read my article about Morrowind. And it led to what was probably the best thing that happened to me in 2014. The best thing to happen to my writing in...well...ever! I had almost given up finding a group when out of the blue I got the call.<br />
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So, I guess the blog is good for something. Just maybe not what I was expecting it to be good for. I guess for now I'll keep it around, since it seems to have some sort of lucky charm about it. Maybe I just need to re-evaluate what I'm doing with it.<br />
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For one thing, I'm thinking that the huge elaborate posts of worlds that I deem worthy of visiting may need a retool. For one thing, I don't come across that many worlds that I honestly do feel are worth visiting. Shocking, I know! But that was one of the main reasons I started writing in the first place. I found myself slogging through book after book that did not interest me in the least, but felt an obligation to finish. Not anymore! Now if I am not hooked by at least page 100, I'm looking elsewhere. And looking, and looking, and looking...<br />
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It got to the point where I felt it would actually be more efficient (and more entertaining) to try and create my own story than keep up this constant, often fruitless, search. And it was, and is.<br />
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It's not that I think these books are terrible or that I think I'm the only person in the world who knows how to write a proper story. I'm just VERY picky about what really appeals to me. So, I was thinking of maybe sharing a few books that caused me to cut my visit to their worlds short and why. I do NOT want to be negative about other people's work. But I think that ultimately it might be more interesting to talk about than a lengthy gush about why I loved a certain world.<br />
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Plus, I will have a lot more material. For every one book that I love and finish to the last page, there are probably twenty that get abandoned. Maybe I could think of it as my contribution to the plethora of advice to writers. Perhaps something I say might resonate and steer an aspiring writer away from certain things that might cause a discerning reader's interest to wane.<br />
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Maybe if I start now there will be some books I like in twenty years!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-91740241902984508002014-05-25T10:21:00.000-07:002015-01-03T10:00:23.581-08:00Reflections On My 6-Month Twitter Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I think back on when I first opened my Twitter account back in November 2013, and reflect on my attitude about it at that time, it went something like this:<br />
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<i>You mean I've spent three years writing the epic novel that has captivated me heart and soul beyond all reason, given up nearly everything in my life, spent hundreds of dollars and thousands of hours learning the craft of writing, and now you're telling me it's all meaningless because I don't have 3000 Twitter followers???</i></blockquote>
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This was in response to an article I read in Writer's Digest Magazine, something to the effect of "What Do Agents Look For In A Potential New Client?" I don't know which agent said it, but it went something like this:<br />
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<i>I'd never take a look at a new author who had less than 3000 Twitter followers.</i></blockquote>
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Disgusted, I tossed the magazine to the floor, stomped on it, cried, told my husband all was lost, researched if it was possible to actually purchase Twitter followers <i>(it is, but knowing what I know now I'd never do that in a million years!). </i><br />
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In short, I freaked. This was mainly due to the many years I'd spent mingling around the people that I knew in my own "circle" (actually, more of a dented, bent polygon) of family, friends, clients and co-workers. My experiences with others of the human race had given me the impression that I was not particularly a "people" person. I've never felt reviled by people or repulsed by them, but I've never felt like I would have any hope of winning a popularity contest either, which was what the goal of 3000 Twitter followers sounded like to me.<br />
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To make it all even more tragically ironic, I'd kind of given up on popularity, and was in a good place about it. For years I had tried to be what I thought the world wanted of me: rich, successful, popular. Though I'd managed along pretty well, I wouldn't say I was winning any awards on any of those fronts. Plus, I felt uninspired by what I was doing. Nothing ever really fit right or even seemed particularly interesting to me in the "normal" world. Still, I soldiered on, unable to imagine doing it my way, going it alone.<br />
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I'd always known that I was really a creative type–an artist, if you will–and had gotten the impression that artists were loners. That had always been a scary thought for me, looming up over my shoulder. Like if I ever became who I really was, I'd end up like Emily Dickinson, sitting alone, lovelorn, corresponding with the outside world only through letters.<br />
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I'd decided I just had to accept that I was going to be a loner and get on with it. In my mind, I was making a sacrifice in order to create something beautiful and meaningful. The more I got into that mindset, the more I liked it. Especially when creating epic fantasy, it helps immensely to be able to disconnect from the real world. Gone went the meaningless arguments with my family about the pros and cons of Obamacare. Gone went the nightly news; the morning scroll through Facebook; the updates about Sally's Farmville achievements and the announcement that Jimbo was now mayor of Foursquare.<br />
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I thought that getting off the merry-go-round was a price that I was paying because <i>I didn't belong on it</i>. I wrote in solitude because I thought it was the only thing the world was willing to let me do.<br />
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I wrote three books over a period of three blissful years in which I was completely creative every day, unencumbered by petty thoughts of comparison to other people's successes, the number of Facebook friends I had accumulated, or whether or not my hairstyle was in vogue–all the while thinking I had really struck upon my essence and what was to be my contribution to the world.<br />
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Then I emerged from my cocoon and found that my personal catharsis was meaningless without that essential key ingredient: <i>popularity</i>. <br />
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Almost defiantly, I logged in and made a Twitter account. It all looked like gibberish for the first month or so. I had no idea of what any of the #hashtags and @accountnames meant and how they related to my general wellbeing. It felt like that scene in The Matrix, where Neo is sitting there staring at the screen full of binary code, stoically parsing it all with his mega-technical superbrain. Only mine was not that megatechnical or super. I was just confused. I hated it!<br />
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Time went on and I signed up to attend a writer's conference where there would be agents and editors circulating among the crowd. It was suggested that you could look these people up on Twitter to get an idea of what they were like and which ones you might want to meet. Finally, I had a goal! Finally I began to understand!<br />
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<u>Flash forward to today, 6 months later --</u><br />
<br />
Today I logged in to find that I now have 500 (!!!) Twitter followers! And even more amazing than that is the fact that I quit even counting back at around 99. Because over time I have grown to truly and deeply love Twitter. I love hearing so many other people's perspectives on things and talking to people I've never met before. Through exposure to a much vaster ocean of people, I've come to understand that my own early experiences with the dented polygonish cluster who surrounded me on a daily basis was not in any way representative of the whole of mankind. Hallelujah!<br />
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I'm just saying all this to say this: If you feel like you don't fit in, or for some mysterious reason not very many people really dig you, it could be because you just <u><b>simply do not know enough people yet</b></u>. There are gobs and gobs and megagobs of people who are crazy and weird and gorgeously unique, <i>just like you are!</i><br />
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Twitter helped me realize this.<br />
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I will be eternally grateful to that little blue bird. <br />
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<i>If you feel like giving it a try, I'm always happy to meet new tweeps! </i><br />
<i>Follow me here: <a href="https://twitter.com/ad_dupont">https://twitter.com/ad_dupont</a></i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-90469060538318130512014-05-05T16:38:00.002-07:002015-01-03T10:07:31.462-08:00My First Writers' ConferenceThis past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the esteemed <a href="http://dfwcon.org/" target="_blank">DFW Writers' Conference</a>, where I listened, learned and talked more than I probably have in the last ten years. Whew, what a workout for this typically quiet gal who works from the comfort of home! But I have to say it was definitely worth the effort. Here is a rundown of my conference highlights:<br />
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<b>Donald Maass' Workshop: Writing 21st Century Fiction</b><br />
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This was a 4-hour class on Friday with one of the VIPs of the publishing world, super-agent Donald Maass. He's an extraordinary speaker, sharing with us his observations about what separates good novels from great ones. Maass told us that the "holy grail" in publishing was a story that combined the excitement of genre novels with the beautiful writing and bigger meaning of literary works. I found this to be very encouraging, as this has always been my aim in my own writing.<br />
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He also stressed the importance of grabbing a reader's attention and empathy for the protagonist within the first five pages. <i>Ideally, within the first page.</i> I had heard this before but never really accepted it until he acted out what a typical reader in a bookstore does before buying a book: skim the first few pages<i>.</i> Due to this advice, I'll be swapping the order of my first two scenes so I can get my protag front and center on the double.<br />
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I encountered Maass a few other times during the conference, even having the pleasure of speaking with him personally. His enthusiasm for story is infectious. The vibe I get from him is one of near-obsession with finding stories that offer <u>meaning</u>. That is one feeling that I can identify with all-too-well.<br />
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<b>Query Critique Session</b><br />
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Here, sitting around a table with several other spec-fic writers, I read a sample of my query letter aloud for agent Jennie Goloboy and editor Amanda Rutter to comment upon. I was pretty nervous about this one, since I was scheduled to pitch to Jennie later that afternoon. As it turned out, I had good reason to be nervous, because my query letter was completely off the mark. I had attempted to follow advice that it was important to keep a query letter simple, focus just on the main character and most gripping story line. In the case of my story, that happens to be a tale of unrequited love that is the impetus for the hero undertaking the quest that propels the overall story arc. My treatment of it in my query letter, however, turned out sounding to Jennie and Amanda like a romance novel! Obviously, this is going to require a trip back to the drawing board.<br />
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<b>Pitch Session with Jennie Goloboy</b><br />
<br />
After my dismal performance in the query critique session, I was pretty sure this was going to be a bust as well. However, Jennie put me at ease at once. She said she could tell that my query letter didn't exactly match my story, and wanted me to tell her a little more about the overall world. Now I was cooking with gas! It's so much easier to explain my complex, philosophically epic world verbally (hand gestures are really necessary to do it justice) than in a one-page letter format. Here, I was able to describe in better detail my world's "spiritual cosmology," which she seemed very interested in. She asked me for the first three chapters so she could examine my writing style. Now I have a whole new reason to be nervous! <br />
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<b>Punch Up Your Prose by Tex Thompson</b><br />
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Of all the events I attended that were billed as classes, this was BY FAR the one that I got the most out of. Taking the class all the way back to the ancient historical roots of the English language, Tex explained <u>why</u> certain sentences sound better than others, arming us with concepts like assonance and consonance. These are things that, as writers, we often do intuitively without realizing it. But once we actually become aware of the phenomena, we can more actively use it to emphasize certain parts of our writing. Very simple, very easy, very EFFECTIVE.<br />
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In addition to being so informative, Tex's delivery was among the most entertaining of any class I've ever attended. Normally, I have a hard time sitting still and listening to a lecture for more than 30 minutes, but was completely unfazed by the 90 minutes Tex took to illuminate us on the hidden secrets of our language. <a href="http://www.thetexfiles.com/" target="_blank">She has an equally entertaining and informative blog here.</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-34160618788383582722014-04-18T13:09:00.002-07:002014-05-25T10:31:07.295-07:00Yes, traveler...?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsqAaef_cqOBJUlh0Uc9osvlRqXxxsOFNujjzE7VSfPAVX9cTwyUxrNCOUaBDhqnMDxPg2dmMVzYoeur5PMy4iH9JCN-ZGLh4aZSKhcufx8xCJZMpupXiLPfNvZQ4jY6mUZWgcgrOeLag/s1600/NoFF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsqAaef_cqOBJUlh0Uc9osvlRqXxxsOFNujjzE7VSfPAVX9cTwyUxrNCOUaBDhqnMDxPg2dmMVzYoeur5PMy4iH9JCN-ZGLh4aZSKhcufx8xCJZMpupXiLPfNvZQ4jY6mUZWgcgrOeLag/s1600/NoFF.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sorry, muthsera, your frequent flier miles are not redeemable at the silt strider.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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When I started this blog back in November, I wasn't exactly sure what content I wanted to feature. I was pretty sure I didn't want it to be another "writer advice" blog or "author platform advice" blog or really any kind of advice. I just wanted place to curate some of my favorite fictional places. To that end, I used verbiage suggestive of travel planning, being the clever sort of person that I am :)<br />
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Well, after <a href="http://annedenisedupont.blogspot.com/2013/11/in-waning-years-of-third-era-of-tamriel.html" target="_blank">my post on Vvardenfell</a> (the fictional world of the video game, Morrowind) went live, I did what every good blogger should and tweeted about it. At that time, my Twitter account was even newer than my blog, so I probably blasted the following creatively worded tweet out to about 10 people altogether:<br />
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<i><b>A new destination for the traveling escapist is available at (link to article). </b></i></div>
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At the time I was surprised that my little exposé of Vvardenfell garnered so much attention. Almost overnight it went from maybe 15 page views (14.5 of which were probably me) to 194 page views. I remember thinking it must be a fluke, and also being kind of irritated that not one of these 194 people left me a comment!<br />
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Fast forward a few months...<br />
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I finally got the hang of Twitter enough to browse my "Notifications" and discovered that way back when I first tweeted about that post, this is what apparently happened: <br />
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Once I finally put two and two together I got a real laugh out of this. I wonder if Sundance Vacations received a lot of inquiries from their customers about vacationing in Vvardenfell? Somehow I doubt very many, but it's fun to imagine, anyway! <br />
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So anyway, I just wanted to say "thank you" to Sundance Vacations for your not-terribly-accurate-yet-entertaining SEO bot on twitter. It shone a ray of hope upon my little fledgling blog, and gave me (and probably a few of your followers) a good laugh to boot!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-46822567951376881992013-11-15T07:25:00.003-08:002013-11-20T16:33:06.688-08:00Fulfill an Ancient Prophecy in Vvardenfell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRan0ecmd9Fbuvf32UWC5XARkDsvi6Qi4iysCmy3WLBM_8yveG7lST1D3itX4fZfXToVu-RSy8AsMlldevFQDmIodjKYlvTepY65Go-hFrO0_0KIJbhYX6IyMUf8LPsYlZvlDsoOumixYi/s1600/Vvardenfell-Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRan0ecmd9Fbuvf32UWC5XARkDsvi6Qi4iysCmy3WLBM_8yveG7lST1D3itX4fZfXToVu-RSy8AsMlldevFQDmIodjKYlvTepY65Go-hFrO0_0KIJbhYX6IyMUf8LPsYlZvlDsoOumixYi/s1600/Vvardenfell-Header.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>In the waning years of the Third Era of Tamriel, a prisoner born on a certain day to uncertain parents was sent under guard, without explanation, to Morrowind, ignorant of the role he was to play in that nation's history…</i><br />
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So begins the grand adventure of the epic role-playing game, Morrowind, released in 2002 for PC and XBOX by Bethesda Softworks. I originally played the XBOX version when it was first released, and can remember, when the somewhat somber and reflective opening theme music began, and the above quote whispered its way across the screen, thinking that this was going to be a unique experience. I was absolutely right about that assessment–of all the worlds I've ever visited, Vvardenfell captured my attention and imagination for the longest period of time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1ploRJqugirbRtVOPdSfx4nD7pZgVEXuf9eLJR7S9ZKfJMk34wmYbOU_CU3epk8B47SAjWuQG73DiUuC-1JXiYx3qIFV69hkZOBdoQa7_A-Qra0UQz6SdB5gRv5OT5uEtf11jLFpEpAi/s1600/morrowind-merchant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1ploRJqugirbRtVOPdSfx4nD7pZgVEXuf9eLJR7S9ZKfJMk34wmYbOU_CU3epk8B47SAjWuQG73DiUuC-1JXiYx3qIFV69hkZOBdoQa7_A-Qra0UQz6SdB5gRv5OT5uEtf11jLFpEpAi/s1600/morrowind-merchant.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A merchant with books available for sale, or for pilfering, <br />if you've got the skill (and the nerve) to do it.</i></td></tr>
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Unlike many video games, Morrowind has a much more "literary" quality to it, due in part to the over 300 actual books that are scattered about the land and readable by the player. If you added up all the in-game books, it is said to equal the amount of content in six standard-size novels! Most of the books are found in bookstores, homes, temples and come in the form of serialized installments, so you get, for example, "The Biography of Barenziah" volumes 1-3. So if you're following the story, it's fun to come across the next volume. Kind of like it's fun to read a trilogy in real life!<br />
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Another crazily fun thing to do in Vvardenfell is steal stuff! I love to play thief-type characters, and Morrowind is definitely a game that rewards this playstyle. If you gain enough skill in sneaking, you can move around, virtually unseen, and take whatever items you need. You can also train up your security skill and become an expert at lockpicking, which will allow you access to even more precious items. There are, of course, consequences, for getting caught. But if you play your cards right, these will be negligible, and you'll be sitting pretty like Smaug on your big pile of phat loot!<br />
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Great attention is paid to continuity between what you read and hear
about, and the actual people and places you encounter in-game. For
example, you might meet someone in the game with the last name Hlaalu,
realizing you've read about their ancestors in a book somewhere, or even
paid a visit to a tomb of one of those ancestors (and possibly robbed
it!). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCiNux6GOfZmx77BTKHyWh2vsfElPxE346lutBC57rpB7YecD-EuixGdevWXOGLpFYzH0TV3Jso-xAjtqm84013WlWnz69V_ju9xWmdI7LIMN4qEqX6cH5VKNttRa65oVYH0xHzZRALor/s1600/morrowind-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCiNux6GOfZmx77BTKHyWh2vsfElPxE346lutBC57rpB7YecD-EuixGdevWXOGLpFYzH0TV3Jso-xAjtqm84013WlWnz69V_ju9xWmdI7LIMN4qEqX6cH5VKNttRa65oVYH0xHzZRALor/s320/morrowind-map.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maps this beautiful are rare in video games.<br />These days you're lucky if you get a map at all!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>The Light Side:</b></u><br />
<br />
The culture and architecture of Vvardenfell has a truly unique feel, somewhere between the traditional medieval European look and a more nomadic, or "desert" style. There are even some truly fantastic dwellings that are encountered later in the story that I will not spoil for you. Suffice to say that the weirder elements of life in Vvardenfell are elegantly and seamlessly integrated with the rest of the design and the story. Even the mode of public transportation between towns, giant, flea-like creatures called silt striders, seems perfectly natural. When you want to go somewhere, you have to plan your route, just as you would in real life. The game comes with a printed, hand-drawn map of the world (amazingly detailed, a work of art in itself), which, along with the in-game map, aids you in planning your adventures.<br />
<br />
The artists that created the world lavished attention on the textures, "painting" them by hand, rather than having a computer randomly generate them. This attention to detail shows, everywhere, especially in the fields and forests, where you'll find bright patches of all kinds of flora. These can be picked and used to create potions. <br />
<br />
Realistic day/night cycles present an ever-changing backdrop, with brilliantly colored clouds during the day and twinkling stars by night. <br />
<br />
<u><b>The Dark Side:</b></u><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<u><b>
</b></u>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYX8zHCoZOEfa9qgbg7jjuNxSKHlkMJ0rVOm3l1Zc1cpHbXzAeKBZPiy9qKXnrFzQLpSlYwXzS9myLg3Y4KQtgc4mnbbACcpA6yHAA5Nj9Vm_PT__-RlPr9s7uwiZX65uQc7-rqy3sKOO/s1600/morrowind-skeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYX8zHCoZOEfa9qgbg7jjuNxSKHlkMJ0rVOm3l1Zc1cpHbXzAeKBZPiy9qKXnrFzQLpSlYwXzS9myLg3Y4KQtgc4mnbbACcpA6yHAA5Nj9Vm_PT__-RlPr9s7uwiZX65uQc7-rqy3sKOO/s1600/morrowind-skeleton.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's always someone standing between you and your goals.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Naturally, the game is not only about wandering around admiring the scenery. There are numerous places scattered about the land where trouble can be found and gotten into. Smugglers' caves, full of loot (and angry smugglers); tombs of wealthy nobles; strange temples to even stranger gods; gloomy, underground hangouts of deranged cultists–these are only a few of the places you can go to test your mettle, and acquire the ever-important equipment you'll need on your journeys.<br />
<br />
There are also ruins scattered about, remnants of a race of people called Dwemer who disappeared, en masse, leaving their mechanical creations behind. This is one of the stories you can follow and discover more of by reading the aforementioned books.<br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>Your Role:</b></u><br />
<br />
The approach to the story makes Morrowind truly unique.
Unlike many role-playing games, your progress through the story feels
entirely natural. The quests nudge you along, almost without your even
realizing it, through the main story. Even the side quests seem to
support and complement the direction in which you are already going.
This makes for a very satisfying visit to a fictional world, and a
feeling that you are, in fact, woven into the tapestry of the story
itself.<br />
<br />
Depending on the quality of your personality, as well as what you've achieved, the citizens of Vvardenfell react differently towards you in different situations–some hostile, some helpful. There consequences for breaking laws, as well as ways to get away with breaking laws if you're crafty enough. You'll meet many different kinds of people of varying races, and have the opportunity to join many groups and guilds, gaining assistance and experience as you aid your new group in various matters. The main story is riveting, especially if you can steel yourself not to look any of it up online. Gradually, the dawning of what is at stake begins to take shape, along with your own role in it, making for a real "page-turner" feel.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In Summary:</b></u><br />
<br />
<i>Worth Visiting Score: 10/10 </i><br />
<br />
If I could recommend one game to friends who enjoy fantasy novels, but are not avid gamers, it would be Morrowind. This is no button-mashing time waster, but an interactive fiction experience that draws you in and piques your curiosity to know more, just like a good epic fantasy should. Play it while you still can!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Technical Notes:</b></u><br />
<br />
Morrowind is an oldie-but-goodie. Though designed for the original XBOX, Morrowind still plays on an XBOX 360 just fine, though the graphics are better if you play the PC version (provided that you have a good enough video card, which you probably do, given that this game is circa 2002). There have also been many mods created by users, via the kit provided by the developer, that give you more quests, more items, and more places to explore. Some mods also improve upon the already-gorgeous graphics, making the visuals even more immersive. These would only be available for the PC version.<br />
<br />
PC: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Elder-Scrolls-III-Morrowind-Pc/dp/B0000CNUUP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384467625&sr=8-1&keywords=morrowind">http://www.amazon.com/The-Elder-Scrolls-III-Morrowind-Pc/dp/B0000CNUUP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384467625&sr=8-1&keywords=morrowind</a><br />
<br />
XBOX: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Elder-Scrolls-III-Morrowind-Xbox/dp/B00008XKZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384467688&sr=8-2&keywords=morrowind">http://www.amazon.com/The-Elder-Scrolls-III-Morrowind-Xbox/dp/B00008XKZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384467688&sr=8-2&keywords=morrowind</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Morrowind is © Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455721199307905188.post-74171986243876324362013-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:002014-01-25T12:07:19.045-08:00Arbonne, a Land Where Women Rule<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdCZCODgAZv1EPbc85MQsY-Xt2hv-cm9Lwc5TtIGdrEm-clBlFzCbBVBfV8eG307SGFKg-kCDTl70EkdiuDUU-syLX-26E_ZiuoLMPaK5MddAsUG-dk8gjjv2Z-1pBxuN7N9Hvquw7hXw/s1600/Arbonne-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdCZCODgAZv1EPbc85MQsY-Xt2hv-cm9Lwc5TtIGdrEm-clBlFzCbBVBfV8eG307SGFKg-kCDTl70EkdiuDUU-syLX-26E_ZiuoLMPaK5MddAsUG-dk8gjjv2Z-1pBxuN7N9Hvquw7hXw/s1600/Arbonne-header.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Song-Arbonne-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0451458974/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1385307184&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=a+song+for+arbonne" target="_blank"><i>A Song For Arbonne</i></a><br />
by Guy Gavriel Kay<br />
Published 1992<br />
511 Pages<br />
Historical Fantasy<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l2ytSjPBI-2dL3LhIIdpj1wh2BRNOu5KvP2w8qZvBF4To68r0bj0-2uBJUAbrDyPcgEHJi69j-_Xhr-_UR2RtwnQDF-UVBAZl21wWCtfLimKFB0Zdha8ONvBAjoZ0bV_kJPlTE9diT58/s1600/arbonne-troubadours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l2ytSjPBI-2dL3LhIIdpj1wh2BRNOu5KvP2w8qZvBF4To68r0bj0-2uBJUAbrDyPcgEHJi69j-_Xhr-_UR2RtwnQDF-UVBAZl21wWCtfLimKFB0Zdha8ONvBAjoZ0bV_kJPlTE9diT58/s1600/arbonne-troubadours.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troubadours and their singers, called joglars, <br />
are very popular throughout Arbonne.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I began this blog and named it "Worlds Worth Visiting," I intended it as a travel guide through media of all ages, past and present, for those seeking a particular and,
I fear, increasingly rare type of experience. Though it may seem
strange for someone to be "reviewing" a 21 year old book, I'm doing just
that with <i>A Song For Arbonne</i>, because it is such a great example of a world worth visiting: a brilliantly crafted setting, complex characters, a sense of epic grandeur and a story that completely immerses the reader from beginning to end. It is a romantic novel (though not in any way a "romance novel") that, though set in a fictional world, is strongly influenced by the traditions of courtly love, and the troubadour culture of the middle ages.<br />
<br />
In <i>A Song for Arbonne</i>, the land of "woman-ruled" Arbonne is so beautiful and idyllic that it becomes like a character–one for whom I felt great sympathy. On more than one occasion, I felt my heart in my throat, wondering what was to become of her. It's not so much that I'm a fangirl for courtly love tales, but that Kay peeled back the curtain and revealed the heart of what is genuinely beautiful about a world that would value such ideals.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOecgeyhlH719o3cYH0h-Qvcn7QWksBwbRF83sAUvsYoZ2aSMbXEr8_VnNXXLKn8Vo7wy10NLrX8bqOcYfN9uKdiLViX7T_9a8ukdlxBrIzZXY44COMMCp_-RtFDr5mwC04UCLhTpM8f3/s1600/arbonne-women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOecgeyhlH719o3cYH0h-Qvcn7QWksBwbRF83sAUvsYoZ2aSMbXEr8_VnNXXLKn8Vo7wy10NLrX8bqOcYfN9uKdiLViX7T_9a8ukdlxBrIzZXY44COMMCp_-RtFDr5mwC04UCLhTpM8f3/s1600/arbonne-women.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women rule in Arbonne, a condition which<br />
<strike>their neighbors</strike> the he-man-woman-haters club<br />
to the north find intolerable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Arbonne is a world of subtle magic and intrigue, with great emphasis on culture and history. The story is told from the perspective of a male mercenary from a neighboring country where women are treated like dirt. This perspective throws the observations he makes about Arbonne into even sharper relief, giving Arbonne an even shinier, brighter quality than it might have had if it had been described by a native of Arbonne. We truly feel like we are "visitors in an unholy (or holy) land" when viewing Arbonne through Blaise's eyes. His journey of understanding, and ultimately appreciating this more feminine world coincides with a war brought down upon the Arbonnais by his own people.<br />
<br />
The writing style matches the theme: very descriptive, romantic, almost poetic. This author can put together some of the longest sentences that I've ever read, but they all seem to work and did not cause any speedbumps for me in the progress of the story. This is a special talent, making description not only feel relevant, but also evocative. It also did not feel like over-description. I would call it "pleasantly over-the-top", just like the Arbonnais themselves.<br />
<br />
<u><b>A Song For Arbonne might appeal to you if you enjoyed…</b></u><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345350499" target="_blank"><i>The Mists of Avalon</i>, by Marion Zimmer Bradley </a><br />
I think Arbonne would appeal to Avalon fans not only for the beautifully crafted world, researched with painstaking attention to detail, but also for the theme of the sacred feminine, threatened by an emerging patriarchal dominance. Really, any fan of Arthurian legend will probably enjoy it, for the inspired feeling of high culture that Arbonne reflects. It reminded me of Camelot in many ways.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553593714/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385306673&sr=1-2&keywords=game+of+thrones" target="_blank"><i>A Song of Ice and Fire</i>, by George R.R. Martin</a><br />
Though it is a much "softer" type of story than G.R.R. Martin's <i>Song of Ice and Fire</i> series (aka <i>Game of Thrones</i> on HBO), I think it might appeal to readers with similar sensibilities. There is a great deal of interpersonal and "courtly" intrigue here, but more attention is paid to the inner landscape of the characters. Though there are some notable villains, the heroes are just as interesting. There is a strong sense of hope and honor among certain people you meet in the story. Though I have enjoyed the <i>Song of Ice and Fire</i>, I find it depressing at times, and grow numb periodically from the endless violence. Arbonne, though not entirely free of violence, is a much lovelier and livelier place in general, where I ultimately felt more invested in the outcome of the story.<br />
<br />
<br />
_______________________________<br />
<br />
Personally, I enjoyed my stay in Arbonne immensely, and give it a Worth Visiting Score of 8/10, unfortunately knocking off two points only because I felt like it ended rather abruptly and left me wondering about Blaise and the other characters I had come to love. Oddly, it ended with the thoughts and reflections of a completely new character, one that I did not care about as much. Perhaps a sequel might be in order? I, for one, would certainly book passage for a return voyage!<br />
<br />
<i><b>Have you been to Arbonne? What were your impressions of this romantic land?</b></i><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06660410061511945057noreply@blogger.com0