IWSG: Thanks!

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and time for members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group to share their writerly insecurities with fellow members and the world. The group was started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, one of the coolest bloggers on this side of the blogosphere. For those interested in joining the group, you can visit www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com for more information.

I almost completely forgot today was the first Wednesday of the month, which is why I am putting this post up several hours later than I normally would. Last month, I whined about wanting to make significant changes to a plot that already seemed set in stone. Since then, I have taken most of the advice I received to heart.

I am pleased to announce that the plot has started developing more naturally, now that I've loosened the reins a bit. So I'd like to use today's post to thank all those that helped nudge me in the right direction. I guess I knew what needed to be done, but I just needed to hear it from someone else. So thanks guys, for providing this writer with some much-needed support. Now, off I go to pay it forward.

NoiseTrade Books

First off, a big thank you goes out to my friend and fellow blogger, David Gaughran, who blogged about this the other day. If you are a self-published writer like myself, and don't already follow his blog, then you should seriously consider doing so. Like right now. Don't worry. I'll wait.

Back so soon? Good. On with the post then.

So what is this NoiseTrade Books I sound so excited about? Well, according to their FAQ section, it is a platform designed to help authors & publishers build their audiences by distributing free eBooks & audiobooks in exchange for reader data (email & postal code). It provides an intuitive way for writers to connect with readers outside of the more traditional channels like social media.

Here's how it works. As a writer, you sign up and upload any book you'd like to give away for free. This can be a full-length book, or some sample chapters from a full-length book. You can also specify a suggested tip amount, which the reader can elect to pay before downloading your book. As a reader, the only thing you are required to give in exchange for the free book is your email address and zip code, which is a fair trade if you ask me.

NoiseTrade has been around since 2008, but it only dealt with free music until early 2014, when the books portal was launched. At present, there are books on offer from several big name writers like Dean Koontz and Hugh Howey. And as of yesterday morning, my book, The Journey (Guardians, #1), was added to that growing number of free books. So don't hesitate to download. Heck. I'll even make it easy for you:

IWSG: Going with the Flow

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and time for members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group to share their writerly insecurities with fellow members. The group was started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can visit www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com for more information.

Last month, I took part in the 2014 Blogging from A to Z challenge, and as a result, I was unable to post as part of the group. But if I had been able to squeeze the time between work and the Challenge, I am sure my post would have gone along the same lines with what I have shared in past months, which is that I am not writing nearly as much as I should be.

So, not to risk sounding like a broken record, I'd rather spend the remainder of this post focusing on something else entirely. And that thing is knowing when to throw in the towel. As writers, it is never easy accepting any kind of defeat. It could be something as simple as having to rewrite a scene, or something more substantial, like having to bring down the axe on a story that just isn't working.

For years now, I've been working on a particular story that has undergone more changes than Michael Jackson's nose. The present form of the story bears little resemblance to the one I originally set out to write. And I feel that the fact that I am still trying to marry these two disparate stories into one is seriously holding it back. It's high time I let loose and just allow the story go where it wants to go, rather than where I think it needs to be by the end of everything.

I guess my problem boils down to the fact that I tend to get quite rigid with my outlines. I've never been a pantsers. I prefer the structure that a well-thought-out outline brings to a story. But the very best ideas are the ones that hit you out of nowhere, while you're sitting in front of the computer and typing away. So I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to learn how to go with the flow by tapping into such bursts of inspiration more often.

What about you? Are you a pantsers or a plotter, or perhaps somewhere in between?

Reflections on the 2014 A-Z Challenge

Hey, fellow 2014 Blogging from A to Z participants. It looks like we've made it to the end of yet another one. I've just earned my third straight survivor's badge (woo hoo), which I promise to wear proudly. And as has become customary after every Challenge, participants are expected to write a reflections posts, where they get to sound off about their experiences.

For those of you who missed it, my theme for this year was video game franchises. My decision to participate was made at the very last minute, so as you can imagine, I never did get to write any of my posts beforehand. What I did get to do though was delve deep into memories from my childhood, revisiting some of the video games that have helped shape me into the person that I am today.

Unfortunately, unlike previous years, I was unable to visit as many blogs as I would have loved to. I barely got enough free time from work to write and put each day's post up. To make matters worse, I also experienced an issue with my custom domain. As a result, my blog was inaccessible for the better part of the Challenge. I've since then sorted out said issue, and my special thanks go out to J. Lenni Dorner for going the extra mile to bring it to my attention.

My thanks also go out to the various A to Z Challenge co-hosts, and of course to all those who visited my blog or left me a comment. Even those who weren't all that into video games. Our little interactions were what made pushing through the Challenge worthwhile.

Z is for Zuma

Developer: PopCap Games
Notable Releases: Zuma, Zuma Deluxe, Zuma's Revenge

We've reached the end of another Blogging from A to Z challenge. Over the course of the past 26 days or so, I have been blogging my way through the alphabet, along with more than a thousand other participants. My theme for 2014 has been video game franchises.

Since I started the challenge with a casual game series, I think it is only fitting that I end it on a similar note. And as far as casual games go, things don't really get any more so than with Zuma, a tile-matching puzzle game developed by PopCap Games.

Originally released in 2003, the game involved controlling a frog idol mounted on a spinning disc, who could spit out colored balls. Each level featured a different path into which a string of balls were constantly fed by an off-stage conveyor belt. The objective was to eliminate all the balls, by chaining together three or more balls of the same color, before the balls reached the skull at the end of path.

Zuma's simple but fast-paced gameplay would eventually propel it to win the 2004 Game of the Year award from RealArcade. An enhanced version, known as Zuma Deluxe, was released shortly thereafter. But the game didn't receive a proper sequel until 2009, when Zuma's Revenge was released. It retained the previous games' core mechanic, but introduced a bunch of new power ups and boss battles.

In 2010, PopCap released Zuma Blitz on Facebook, the only version of the game to feature competitive and cooperative multiplayer.

Y is for Yoshi

Developers: Nintendo, Game Freak
Notable Releases: Yoshi, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Even though the 2014 Blogging from A to Z Challenge is close to an end, it is never too late to squeeze in another Nintendo mascot. After all, we can never have too many of those. And here is one that also shares the same universe with Mario, and as such, has made appearances in many of his games and spinoffs.

Yoshi was first introduced in the 1990 Super Nintendo game, Super Mario World. He is a green dinosaur with an affinity for apples. From the moment he was hatched from his egg, he assumed the role of sidekick to both Mario and Luigi. They could ride on his back, and he could swallow certain enemies whole, or stomp on them with his boots. He was as much an integral part of the game as other new mechanics like the flying cape.

Following his debut on the Super Nintendo, Yoshi's next appearance was on the NES and Game Boy, where he was the titular star of Yoshi, a puzzle game of the falling blocks variety. It was released in 1992 and developed by Game Freak. It was followed by another puzzle game called Yoshi's Cookies, this time of the tile matching variety, which was developed by Bullet-Proof Software and also released in 1992.

But Yoshi is perhaps best known as the star of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a prequel to Super Mario World which was released in 1995 on the Super Nintendo. The game had a unique art style that helped distinguish it from other Mario games, and an equally unique take on platforming; Yoshi must protect Baby Mario by carrying him safely across each stage. The game was well received by critics and was also considered a commercial success.

X is for Xena: Warrior Princess

Developers: Vivendi Universal, Saffire
Notable Releases: Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena: Warrior Princess - The Talisman of Fate, Xena: Warrior Princess (PlayStation 2)

Movie and television tie-ins are nothing new in the video games industry. In fact, some of the most successful video games are based on material from other entertainment mediums. One reason for that is the fact that these games get to benefit from a preexisting fan base. But more often than not, these tie-ins tend to be nothing more than fan service, the Xena: Warrior Princess tie-ins being a perfect example.

Xena: Warrior Princess was released in 1999, for the Sony PlayStation. It was a third-person action-adventure game, with a story revolving around Xena's quest to save her companion, Gabrielle, who at the start of the game was kidnapped by the evil sorceress Kalabrax. The game featured hack-and-slash gameplay, as well as her trademark chakram, a Frisbee-like, long-range weapon, which could also be used to trigger switches within the environment.

A second tie-in, called Xena: Warrior Princess - The Talisman of Fate, was also released in 1999, for the Nintendo 64. It was a 3D fighting game that featured characters from the TV show. The story behind the game involves a tournament that must be held to decide which character can lay claim to the titular Talisman. Its fighting mechanics were fairly basic, but noteworthy for supporting matches between four simultaneous players.

Additional Xena: Warrior Princess tie-ins were also developed for the Game Boy Color and PlayStation 2, which were released in 2001 and 2006 respectively. But like the two aforementioned games, neither one managed to please anyone outside its target audience, namely die-hard fans of the show.

W is for The Walking Dead

Developer: Telltale Games
Notable Releases: The Walking Dead: Season One, The Walking Dead: 400 Days, The Walking Dead: Season Two

As earlier promised at the end of my Indiana Jones post, I'll once again be touching upon the graphic adventure genre, or more importantly, its recent renaissance. At the very heart of that renaissance is Telltale Games, an independent game developer started in 2004 by former employees of LucasArts.

Over the last couple of years, Telltale Games have managed to create a number of successful, episodic, graphic adventure games based on licensed properties. These include Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, and most recently, The Wolf Among Us (which was based on the DC Comics series, Fables). But their biggest success yet was their take on the Robert Kirkman comic book series, The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: Season One was released in 2012, over a period of several months. It consisted of five episodes, each one telling the story of a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse. Players controlled Lee Everett, a college professor who was recently convicted for the murder of his wife. The shit hits the proverbial fan on the very day he was meant to be incarcerated, and he barely manages to escape following a car accident on his way to prison.

Lee seeks refuge in a nearby house, where he discovers Clementine, a young girl who is all by herself. He saves her from her babysitter, who'd been turned into a zombie, and from that moment on takes it upon himself to protect Clementine, seeing in her a final chance at redemption. The two of them develop a father-and-daughter-like relationship over the course of the season, a bond which was tested to its limits during the heart-wrenching climax of the final episode.

The Walking Dead is noted for being story-driven, a story that is further shaped by the player's choices. Throughout the game, the player is faced with a number of watershed moments, like in the very first episode where you must decide which of your new-found companions to save or leave behind. And your choices carry through each subsequent episode, affecting the way you are treated by your fellow survivors.

It was these things (and much more) that ensured that The Walking Dead was both critically acclaimed and a huge commercial success. It won over 90 Game of the Year awards, and was recognized as one of the game industry's indie success stories.

The Walking Dead: Season Two is currently in full swing, with Episode 1 released in December, 2013, and Episode 2 released in March, 2014. This time around, players take control of Clementine, guiding her through an adventure that already promises to be every bit of an emotional roller coaster as the one experienced in the first season.

V is for Virtua Cop

Developer: Sega
Notable Releases: Virtua Cop, Virtua Cop 2, Virtua Cop 3

Quick fingers are a requisite for success in many games. But nowhere is that requirement more pronounced than in light gun shooters. And while the genre might have lost its mass appeal in recent years, it did manage to produce a number of noteworthy games during its heyday. One of those games is Virtua Cop, the first in a series of on-rail shooters about police officers in the line of fire.

Virtua Cop was released for arcades in 1994, and subsequently ported onto the Sega Saturn in 1995, and the PC in 1997. The objective of the game was to shoot all on-screen enemies as quickly as possible, without shooting any civilians. It was noted for being the first game of its kind to make use of 3D polygonal graphics, and is also credited for inspiring the N64 game, GoldenEye 007.

Virtua Cop 2 was released in 1995, with ports for the Sega Saturn, PC and Dreamcast following in 1996, 1997 and 2000 respectively. It introduced a third female character, but retained the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor. A bundle of the first two games, known as Virtua Cop: Elite Edition, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002.

Virtua Cop 3 was released in 2003. It is the only game in the series that wasn't ported onto the PC or consoles; an Xbox port was in development, but was eventually cancelled.

U is for Unreal

Developer: Epic Games
Notable Releases: Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, Unreal Tournament 3

The Unreal Engine is one of the most widely used video game engines today. It has powered a number of high-profile games over the years, including Deus Ex, BioShock, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and of course the eponymous series of first-person shooters, Unreal.

The first game in the series was released in 1998. At the time, it was undoubtedly one of the most graphically advanced games, even though its moment in the sun was eclipsed by Half-Life. The series would eventually hit its stride with the release of Unreal Tournament in 1999. Unlike the first game, Unreal Tournament focused solely on multiplayer, putting it in direct competition with Quake III: Arena.

Unreal Tournament proved to be the better of the two games, receiving rave reviews and numerous Game of the Year awards. Its success was no doubt responsible for the direction the entire franchise took, with Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Tournament 2004 serving as follow-up titles. The first game eventually received a true sequel, Unreal II: Awakening, which was developed by Legend Entertainment.

The latest installment in the franchise is Unreal Tournament 3, which was released in 2007, while the latest version of the engine, Unreal Engine 4, was unveiled during the 2012 Game Developers Conference.