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Herbert Nowell Posts

J is for Jordan Peterson

Each of those characters embodies one or more things I want to talk about. A shortlist of those things could include gender roles and their relationship to sexual dimorphism in humanity, Orthodox Christianity, immigration, the Southwestern United States, the for purpose in life, my fears of aging, my fears of retiring, atonement and forgiveness, and a personal sense of moral worth or lack thereof.

I is for Independence

Queen Takes Knight remains 80% finished. By the time I was writing it, I had started to drift away from the S&M world. As I gained distance, the passion for writing the first good F/m erotica or porn faded. The novel itself was less erotica; it had never really been porn and more a detective novel with three graphic sex scenes that advanced the plot. The graphic details could be cut without losing the story.

G is for Genre

It also has allowed me to understand why I haven’t liked a Hugo winner in over a decade, but reread books like The Coming of the Horseclans and The Man Who Never Missed. While fantasy and science-fiction reality genre, they are action novels in terms of content. Not everything I love is action, but a good deal of it is.

E is for Editing

I have wondered if this is a mistake. I have considered experimenting with retyping in my process. Could marking up a written manuscript and, instead of doing the edits in your word processor or text editor of choice, typing it fresh from the beginning serve as a useful step in language polishing?

Groundhog Day Resolutions Review, 2021-04-04

It might not seem like it, but this is actually my best resolution progress in years. I have made two reflections in a row. This indicates mindfulness and commitment I did not have in 2020 or 2019. That alone is a positive step. I think at this rate the two new identities will be firmly in place by 12/12. The big question is will writing be refreshed and move forward towards my “retire to a final career of writing fiction on 2026/05/10” goal.

C is for Creativity

That was a few days ago. This city discussion in Dael Kingsmill’s video on witches is in D&D prompted the comments. At the time I was once again reminded of how average my game soon to me. I generally do not think of myself as a creative person yet I want to move on to a final career in a very creative feel.

B is for Blogging

Writing a blog twice a week on gaming taught me a lot about getting out of my way and letting the words flow. Writing blog posts about gaming and storytelling have helped me find my voice. I already reject style choices in ProWriting Aid and Grammarly because “that’s not how I say things.”

Random Campaign Idea: His Majesty’s Secret Service

As you know, the usurpers of authority in these United States, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, have continued to act as warlords in the east of our fair country. As a result, lawlessness reigns in Texas and Louisiana, and, most heinous of all, the conman who tried to ruin the Emperor himself, William T. Sherman, a Lieutenant of Lincoln, is remaking himself as a butcher in Georgia. The Emperor has determined the time is ripe to end the war not with arms, but with well-placed words and actions. As of today, you are all commissioned as the first agents of His Majesty’s Secret Service. Within the hour you will get your orders to various parts of the Realm, with instructions on whom to contact to re-establish Imperial Order in key locations from Boston to New Orleans. Once secure, you will join forces to arrest Lincoln, Davis, and their associations, most especially Sherman, and return them to San Francisco to receive the Emperor’s justice.

The Atari Punk Modular

That got me thinking, I could build almost everything in that video with items I had on hand. The only limitation was I did not have enough 100K potentiometers for the Baby 8 sequencer. I might not have exact resister or capacitor values, although I doubt that, but even if I don’t have the right ones you can get close. A quick order to Amazon could solve the potentiometer problem. Thus was the “Atari Punk Modular” born.

What is an RPG Character

I’m not saying I’m any kind of hardcore roleplayer. On the classic “Real Men, Real Roleplayers, Real Loonies, Real Munchkins” categorization, I’m probably half Real Man and half Real Loonie. What I will say is that the model of that wonderful parody and its descendants doesn’t stray too far from how I’ve seen nearly every style of roleplaying I’ve encountered in over 40 years of the hobby.

In Like a Lion

Having to write every day, about something, just to get a blog post, might be what I need to break the damn. I have a longer, more traditional blog post in first draft for tomorrow. Wednesday, of course, will be my Groundhog Day resolutions update. Beyond that, there isn’t a plan beyond having at least a few hundred words about something up every day at 6 pm here in Georgia.

Modular Project Update

First of all, I have decided to go with the Eurorack format. The biggest reason is if I’d like to add professional modules, Eurorack is where the action is. There are Eurorack versions of the classic Wiard 300 series modules. Maths is one of the most talked-about modules out there. With some power conversions, the PAiA 9700 series can be used. This was the principal factor in pointing me towards Eurorack.

I Bought a Book

Powell’s had the chance to show the protesters what the real signal would be like. They could have spent the labor to put up a display and invited Ngo to sign books. They could have accepted the cost of the broken window and the free publicity of protests. They could have risked the inevitable arson attempt. They could have been everything independent booksellers claim to be.

Modular in a Vacation

I would like to use the first VCO from The Preferred Circuits Handbook from Elekcronotes, but it is not a simple build. I may use the simpler All Circuits oscillator, which is similar in design but has fewer outputs. I have also considered the Look Mum No Computer oscillator, based on the CEM3440 chip. I need something tunable I can build in about three hours.

Past the Longest Night

I am not sure I am quite ready for the mosh pit, but the Masquerade is listing shows again. On March eighth they’ll be hosting Swallow the Sun, Infected Rain, and Tómarúm. I intend to be at the show and on the floor. Samples from the bands are interspersed throughout the post.

Sunday Sharing – 2020/10/04

I came close to finishing up a new story whose working title is “The Trap”. It is science fiction horror in the same broad setting as ”The Visions of Cireb”. I am working towards having enough stories set in the growing Portuguese space empire to select the best for a collection of 6–8 stories whose length is 40,000 to 60,000 words.

Defying the Gods

So, here we are, a quarter of the way through The Illiad and we have characters I can support. I know the fate of all the major characters well beyond The Illiad for those who survive. Currently, it seems only Hector, his wife and son, and Helen whose fates are undeserved.

To Try

Writing 500 words only to learn I was wrong is one of the two substantial rewards of blogging. In writing an essay on a schedule, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, in my case I am forced to clarify my thoughts. I am also forced to stop when something new enters my thoughts and decide if it is worth clarifying.

Sunday Sharing 2020-09-27

It has been a long week. I got a first draft of a new short, “Fire Flowers”, completed. It is my second Leo and Zoe story. I also started working through the first draft of “Family Sword”, a short whose first draft I finished back in April. I am considering it for inclusion in the October newsletter, so if you’re interested in free short fiction subscribe now.

Fundamentals

That is why I’m working on craft more than on getting items up and for sale. The Visions of Cireb is up. Putting it up was a huge milestone in terms of committing to the field, but now it is time to learn my craft, to learn my fundamentals.

Writing Battle Deaths

That is just a sample of Homer’s descriptive violence. If you write historical fiction or fantasy and want to upgrade your descriptions of fighting, do yourself a favor and read a good poetic translation of The Illiad if you haven’t already. I know it is improving my writing. I think it will improve yours.

An Invitation to Judgment

Twenty years ago I didn’t understand why The Sopranos was such a big deal. When my roommate became a fan of Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy I didn’t get it. Breaking Bad as a classic tragedy, the downfall of a good man due to a fatal flaw, could have been interesting as a movie or short series focused on the tragedy. When it became, like the other two, a celebration of someone who wasn’t even an anti-hero, but a likable villain, I think the potential was lost.

Sartorial Markers

I am also thinking of doing so not just for work for my employer, but when I sit down to write or do any business related to blogging. Perhaps the uniform for that should be different, but clothes for writing might be the trigger that works for me.

Atonement and Forgiveness

In the Lord’s Prayer Christians ask God to “forgive us our tresAnd forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.” It is not an injunction for blanket forgiveness, but to forgive us as we forgive others. Newhouse’s forgiveness was not an unconditional thing given without thought. It was a thoughtful thing given after atonement.

Sunday Sharing 2020/08/30

Even if you don’t read the whole book, seek out “By His Bootstraps” which may be the ur snarled time travel story. The first part of “The Year of the Jackpot”, like the parts of Heinlein’s Future History that describe the Crazy Years, hits too close to home. It did before 2020, but now it is a harder hit. “The Menace from Earth” inspired part of the background to J. Daniel Sawyer’s Hadrian’s Flight.

Impromptu Sharing

I knew the sensation from the Forgettings I had done. Forgettings are a must for an alchemist. You have room for only so many memories before the mix and start to still your sanity. Any alchemist who finds the Stone or the Exilir has to learn rituals of forgetting.

An Open Letter to Emily VanDerWerff

It seems like Matt was a good colleague and perhaps even a friend. I wish that was more valuable in your world than him never signaling something you disagreed with in public. I wish it had at least had enough value for you to bring your concerns to Matt in private instead of airing them in a way which has poisoned not only your relationship with Matt, but with the entire staff.

Faith in the Future

I would not say they cannot create, although I will say they have less faith in their ability to create than the artists and patrons who created the statues they set out to destroy. If they consider the destruction of these statues as more important than any statue they might create to counter the first they are granting the first greater power.

Assault in RPGs

She gave up the chance to answer my question, because it was sincere. I wanted to know if we were discussing assault in general terms, sexual assault broadly, or sexual assault of player characters. I asked about the last of those, figuring if it was not the case we would at least get some clarity on where the discussion was.

Groundhog Day: Processes

Two weeks ago, I made a post about starting my Groundhog Day resolutions planning. After looking at areas in my life to consider, I pointed out back in December I started a list of processes I might focus on this year. Today, we’ll look at that list and see where it fits in the six areas to which I had narrowed my thinking.

Slaying A Tyrant: Review

Slaying a Tyrant starts off with the titular tyrant and shows his disregard for the norms of his culture. Isn’t that the nature of a tyrant? A ruler, no matter how absolute his power, that stays within the bounds, formal or informal, placed on his power is not a tyrant. One who breaks no formal law, but who violates informal norms, often is a tyrant.

Dream Blindess

Carella wrote two supplements before moving on from Palladium. The first, Between the Shadows introduced that standard of all urban fantasy, and most fantasy, fiction and games, a dream plane. This particular version is called The Dreamscape.

Sharing Jekyll and Hyde

In the end, however, the Mr. Hyde side of Palladium on the subject of generosity hurts the company more than anyone. Sharing my conversions and materials on the web might get me feedback to make them better. People coming across those conversions and materials, however, might be inspired to buy Palladium books by those derivative works.

Engaging the World

This reward for engaging the world being baked into the system is one reason Palladium’s system, for all its warts, appeals to me. Want a super powered hero at level one, then play a Glitterboy or a Knight of the Cosmic Forge. You’ll be a big boy on most blocks, but there will still be other blocks that no matter how much you level up the crazy powers on your character sheet will not be the sole solution there.

Fourth of July

On July 4th, 1976, I was nine. The whole year had been consumed by the Bicentennial Celebration. There was the Freedom Train touring the country, though it did not pass close to me. I first saw 1776 on television that year. I would not see it again until a few years ago when I purchased it on BluRay.

The Need for Triumph

I don’t have one. I’m writing this in the older meaning of essay as a verb: “to make an attempt at; try.” I try to find a proposal here, but I find myself still trapped in Einstein’s warning. I cannot get beyond political ideas about moving money around.

Sunday Reading

The odd thing about celebrating the 75th anniversary of D-Day by doing what you did on D-Day, parachuting into Normandy, is it is easier at 97 than 22. You get to do it in day light and without people trying to kill you.

Not the Only Answer

Even with that in mind, though, I see no reason to reject the 10,000 step rule. Unlike the bad advice on carbs which lead to unstable blood sugars and encourage over eating, the 10,000 step rule doesn’t harm you. It gives you a target that can be achieved with not too much effort even if you have a desk job. Taking a walk at lunch to the Fed and back gets me over half the steps I need. It also resets me for the second half of the work day and gets me a small amount of sun. A little vitamin D creation never hurt anyone after all.

Is the State Inevitable?

Now, the state is not something you see in lobsters. The state, government, is not even something you can observe among other primates to the best of my knowledge. Yes, primate bands have an elite and a hierarchy. Chimps, at least, enforce the borders of a band’s territory. However, this is closer to human clans than the state.

Sunday Reading

I had a very hard time writing this week. I missed Thursday’s blog and would have missed Tuesday’s post if it hadn’t been for Mary Spender this week. Her Tuesday Talk this week, which I listened to on my Tuesday lunch walk got me moving.

Rules of Influence

The section on mentors is up front and shorter. The section on influences is about nine times as long as the one on mentors. One reason according to the author is not everyone gets to have an intentional mentor, but we all learn from those around us and who came before us.

No One to Teach

I was going to use this blog post to teach what I considered the most important point of the first four principles. I am always reminded of Dr. Richard Feynman’s remark about
Fermi-Dirac statistics, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t reduce it to the freshman level. That means we don’t really understand it ”. Sure, a blog post will lack the back and forth that teaching one on one to somebody which helps clarify the topic to you. Yet, the authors mention, even emphasize, that back and forth, as a key to learning by teaching.

Which Writing Guild

I tend to refer to the two categories as white collar and blue collar writers. One works at a leisurely pace that could be considered an air conditioned writer’s room. The other toils to make their 2,000 plus words per needed to keep up their multiple books per year pace.

Art or Artist

I do not believe as a reader I am culpable for the moral behavior of an author no matter how much I enjoy their work. It is not a sign of depravity to continue enjoy something I enjoyed prior to this knowledge.

Measuring the Stars

Do you “fucking love science”? I see the tag line all the time I am often. I am not alone in this. One of the questions I ask myself when I read the post having this line is, “who does the author think is the most important person in revealing the heliocentric nature of the solar system.”

Late Story Post

No story was finished during the week ending Saturday, February 10, 2018. There should be a title and word count for Saturday, February 17, 2018.