Update

Steve’s Update 9/17/2016

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

I’m actually getting back to these!  Awesome!

 

Work should be a bit calmer now.  We had some changes in organization and process that look to be more efficient and effective, and it’s already paying dividends in just a week.  So let’s hope you see more writing out of me (though my goal is to be writing anyway).

So from here . . .

Her Eternal Moonlight

Her Eternal Moonlight is so close to release!  I’m really enthused about this, and as we get closer it feels so much more real.  Bonnie and I just finished recording a podcast as well!

Everything seems to be in shape despite a few last minute fixes.  Thank goodness for pre-readers and early reviewers because I misspelled two Japanese names (note, next time leave Japanese to Bonnie).  It is, essentially ready, I just have to push the buttons.  Which happens in less than 2 weeks.

The followup book on another big phenomena has been pretty much confirmed as going forward.  And no, you won’t know until the start of the year.  I’m thinking after writing two or three of these, Bonnie and I ought to write a how-to-book on doing them.

Next Way With Worlds Book

Way With Worlds Book 2 is still being edited, and I sink my teeth into it next month.  It’s definitely not going to be out until February, but I can’t see it being any later than March.

The “followup” works on Way With Worlds are underway.  As usually, not spilling much here (but you can find out a bit more in my newsletter if you’re really curious).  More and more I’m thinking it may be worth releasing early, but I don’t want to stress myself.  At this rate, I’d like to actually get people’s opinions – release it early or after Book 2?

I will say after all this I may take a break from writing on Worldbuilding.  Think I’ll have said my peace for awhile.

 

Random Creativity Book

So now that I’m pretty sure I’ll be writing on randomization and creativity, I’ve got to figure out just how to do it.  I probably won’t start brainstorming it for at least another month, to be honest.  What I want to do is distill all my wisdom from Seventh Sanctum into book form (hopefully, one book).  The hardest part is figuring out where to start and then how to put it in some organized form.

The second part?  A title.

Seventh Sanctum

Trying to find time to bang out the Pizza Generator as the data is all ready, so I can do something else.  I think having it hanging over my head kind of killed the fun and I need to move to another generator.  That happens.  Maybe I’ll revisit it another time.

But we must have random pizza, because who doesn’t want kimchi and bacon pizza with havarti?  Wait, that sounds good . . .

Speaking

I’ve got a full slate coming up – be sure to check my speaking page!

Con-Volution is my next convention, and I’ll be speaking on worldbuilding and monsters on Friday!  Go, attend!

 

That’s it for me – what about you?

– Steve

Steve’s Update 9/12/2016

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

What is this? Another update? Yes, amazing.

So anyway, to give you a bigger story on my slow blogging it’s pretty much been one thing after another. Mostly work and some shuffling around duties, software releases, and more. It’s also been a bunch of other stuff going on from helping friends out to errands. I haven’t had life get this much on top of me in awhile, though the smoke appears to be clearing.

The funny thing is it all goes back to that two days of classes I had. I’m sort of wondering if losing two days was a catalyst. Plus side, I got a great certification out of it.

Now let’s get to a REAL update here.

  • Bonnie and I were interviewed about our new Sailor Moon Book on The Crystal Chronicles. Go check it out!
  • The Pizza Generator. Haven’t done a thing on it, plan to return. That was pretty low on my list, which is kind of tragic as I’ve got enough data to go with – and learned a few things about Pizza. Going to see about getting that sucker out.
  • The Next Generator. Still gonna be food, but I’m still conflicted between coffee (which would be more funny considering pretentious names of coffee types) or a real serious one on candy bars based on my analysis of candy structure. The candy bar generator would literally make candy bar ideas that would be real and you or someone could make. Oh and in other news, I am anal-retentive enough to analyze candy bar structure – are you aware that there have been multiple forms of filled/chambered candy bars?  I am now because I am weird.
  • Way With Worlds Book 2. At the editor, and it’s the same person who did the Sailor Moon book. She rocks hard so this is gonna be a great edit. I miss my other editor, but life got busy and I can damn well relate. Still looking at Q1 in 2017.
  • The Way With Worlds “extra” book(s) I keep dodging about are in the works. I’m debating if I should release “something” early as the other book is delayed. Still haven’t decided – but let’s just say you’re gonna keep seeing Way With Worlds stuff into 2107. What, you think I used ALL my material?
  • The Sailor Moon Book, Her Eternal Moonlight, still drops end of the month – and I finished the final review of the print copy after having to make two small, embarrassing, fixes (literally a missing/wrong letter). Now it’s just podcasts, blog posts, and waiting. I’m finding I like a buffer for launch incase – like say finding two small issues.
  • As for other writing, here’s more detail – I have some small books in the work with no deadline, and two large (physical) books to start in 2016. One of those will be a look at the psychology of random/procedural generation, another is a different pop-culture investigation. Neither have a set deadline, but I expect the random generation book to be done in around 12-15 months, and the pop culture one in about 15-18.

That’s it for me – what about you?

– Steve

Steve’s Update 8/23/2016

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, www.SeventhSanctum.com, and Steve’s Tumblr)

 

Wait, so where have I been?

Sorry to vanish for, well, nearly two weeks, but it got crazy.

Short form is I had a crazy 4 weeks with work, book publishing, class, and a bit of illness.  This then compounded with two more weeks of crazy brought about by exhaustion, more work, family and friend issues, and more.  The smoke is finally clearing, but my major reaction is roughly A) WTF happened, and B) Thank goodness for No Man’s Sky and Gravity Falls as a break.

So six weeks so nutty it could be a candy bar.  So what’s up?

  • Way With Worlds Book 2 is now slated for “Q1 2017.”  Getting the editing done has been a challenge – my editor herself got mobbed at work, had technical issues that mangled one of the documents, and more.  After talking, she’s going to take it easy to focus and I’m moving the editing to someone else.  On top of that the holidays are still approaching so I figured best to keep this scheduled within a given quarter – not a month.
  • The Sailor Moon Book, Her Eternal Moonlight, drops in a little over a month!
  • Though I’m insanely busy, I have made some plans for my next writing in the coming 18-24 months.  This is not to overload myself so much as focus it and avoid overloading myself.
  • The Pizza generator has data ready to go (try 100 different ingredients) so now I just need to set something up.  I may not get it done this month but hope to soon.  Not sure what food to do after that – I was considering coffee or pastry, but I also have some notes on a candy bar generator that would be descriptive enough to nearly be used as a recipe . . .
  • I’m waiting to hear what I do at Con-Volution and Kraken-Con.
  • I got accepted to speak at the PMI Silicon Valley symposium.  I’ll be speaking on how to ruin a project.  Yes, you heard that right.
  • I’ve put some of my Civic Diary activity on hold, but am resuming – and have some interesting insights on what it’s like to sign up to help a campaign in the modern age (short form, technology makes things much easier . . . and gives you a bit too many options).

That’s currently it for now.  I’ll be back on top of this, return to Civic Diary, and more in the next few weeks.

– Steve