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Blaugust 2024: Join the Adventure of Blogging

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Greetings, fellow adventurers! After a hiatus since 2019, I’m back and ready to dive into the excitement of Blaugust 2024. For those who are new here, Blaugust is an annual blogging event where participants challenge themselves to post regularly throughout August, fostering creativity and community.

What is Blaugust?

Blaugust, now in its 11th year, is an incredible opportunity for bloggers to come together, share their stories, and support each other. The event was started by Belghast, a veteran blogger and community builder. Over the years, Blaugust has evolved into a cornerstone event for the blogging community, encouraging both new and seasoned bloggers to challenge themselves, connect with others, and share their unique voices.

Huge Milestones in Blaugust History:

  • 2014: The inaugural Blaugust begins, encouraging bloggers to post daily throughout the month.
  • 2015: Introduction of the Blaugust Prep Week, helping participants get ready for the month-long challenge.
  • 2017: Expansion to include various creative mediums, welcoming vloggers, podcasters, and streamers.
  • 2019: The event incorporates mentorship, pairing experienced bloggers with newcomers to foster growth and support.
  • 2023: Blaugust celebrates a decade of community, creativity, and blogging.

My Personal Goals for Blaugust 2024

1. Reconnect with the Community: Blaugust is more than just a blogging challenge; it’s a vibrant community. I aim to reconnect with old friends and make new ones, fostering a sense of camaraderie and support.

2. Share Personal Stories: Over the past few years, I’ve embarked on numerous adventures, both big and small. From exploring new realms in gaming to discovering hidden gems in my own backyard, I have plenty of tales to tell.

3. Experiment with New Content: This year, I’m excited to diversify my content. Expect posts ranging from deep dives into my favorite fantasy books and games to personal reflections and creative writing experiments.

4. Stay Consistent: One of the biggest challenges of Blaugust is maintaining a steady posting schedule. My goal is to post every day, or as close to it as possible, keeping the content fresh and engaging.

What to Expect This Month

Weekly Themes: Each week of Blaugust has a unique theme, designed to inspire and guide our posts. From welcoming new participants to sharing tips on staying motivated, there’s something for everyone.

Collaborations: I’m looking forward to collaborating with other bloggers, sharing the blogging journey together, and maybe even doing a few joint projects. It’s all about building a supportive and inspiring network.

How to Join Blaugust 2024

If you’re interested in joining the adventure, signing up is easy! Visit the Blaugust Sign-Up Page to register and become part of this amazing community. Whether you’re a seasoned blogger or just starting, Blaugust is a fantastic way to challenge yourself, improve your writing, and become part of a wonderful community.

So, grab your quills, dust off your keyboards, and let’s embark on this epic journey together. Here’s to a month of creativity, connection, and fun!

See you in the comments, fellow adventurers!

Lost in Space Season 2 – Announcement & Official Trailer

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We won’t have to wait much longer for Netflix’s Lost in Space Season 2 as it was just announced at New York’s Comic-Con it’s coming to the streaming service on December 24th, 2019.  Netflix also released the first trailer for season 2 shown below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdwBMPKUV3E

It feels like ages have passed since I finished watching that last episode of Season 1 thinking I can’t wait for Season 2 but that wait is coming to a close very fast.  Season 2 is going to take place seven months after the events of Season 1 wrapping up, and this season is going to have some major plots to work through.  Everyone is a bit older, hopefully wiser, and somewhat battle-scarred from the previous tasks they went through.  So I’m sure we are going to see some of the coming of age drama and the kids taking on a bit more of a grown-up roll.

Netflix also revealed a new cast member is joining the crew for Season 2 which is JJ Field playing the character of Ben Adler, the “Chief of Advanced Systems and Artificial Intelligence”.  This new character seems to have a big tie into the overall larger plot of the story unfolding as a clip shown during the panel had Alder telling the Robinsons of another AI, called Scarecrow which will tie the story together from the mysteries the Robinsons uncovered in Season 1.

lost-in-space-season-2-will-mom.jpgNetflix wasn’t shy about showing new things coming to the show as they also previewed a clip of the Robinsons turning the Jupiter into a “Space Sailboat” to cross a sea on one of the planets they’ve landed on.  It looks like Season 2 will see the Robinsons exploring multiple planets in the five-planet system they discovered at the end of Season 1, and also find out more details about the origins of the mysterious Robot and where it truly came from.   I’m sure throughout the 10 episodes of Season 2 we will see more surprises and mysteries that the Robinsons will have to uncover and of course get themselves out of those tricky situations they are oh so good at.

 

Stephen King’s IT – Chapter 2 Review

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We’re back with more of the creepy clown Pennywise and the Losers Club kids who are now all grown up.  IT chapter 2 feels a bit disconnected to me with issues bringing the story to a solid close at certain points, but still has that creepy make you jump factor. Overall it has solid performances from the actors, but by no means out does it’s 2017 hit of chapter one.

With the constant flashbacks throughout the film, it gives a very broken feeling to the overall story and doesn’t have a smooth transition like chapter one.  The first half of IT chapter two rushes a bit as it introduces all the adults of the Losers Club.  Yes, all the kids are now adults, and they have come back to kill Pennywise once and for all!

rev-1-it2-12373r-high-res-jpeg_618304_20190906105210After you get introduced to all the adults of the Losers Club, the speed of the overall story slow down a ton and you get a flashback of the young Losers Club in a clubhouse scene that wasn’t part of the first film.  The young actors may only play smaller supporting roles in chapter two, but just like the first film, they did an absolutely amazing job!  Even though chapter two focuses on the adult Losers Club, the characters to me just didn’t have the same impact that the kids did in the previous film.

All of the adult Losers Club, however, did have a natural chemistry on screen together that didn’t feel manufactured from a script.  They all had a genuine affection for one another, just like they had all been friends for most of their lives.  Each of the adults has their own unique fears they are still facing having survived the onslaught of horror from the first film.  I just wish the story would have been pulled together in a more seamless way instead of so sporadic as it jumps around way too much between the flashbacks, and I think drops a lot of the meat of the story.

A lot of the film does focus on the adults splitting up on a mission to go find items from their childhood that they need to take on Pennywise.  This is where we begin to see a lot of flashbacks from their childhood, which bring new scenes from that summer they met Pennywise in the first film.  IT chapter two has a long runtime of almost three hours and it can feel like a three-hour film at times as well.

maxresdefault (1)IT chapter two had a ton more CGI than the first film did which was disappointing as it didn’t feel as nostalgic as the first film did.  The CGI wasn’t the best either and really pulled away from the enjoyment of such an epic horror classic. On the plus side, the film had some truly amazing scary moments that made up for some of the sporadic plots.

Overall I really enjoyed the film but was also disappointed as I was wanting more of that feeling we got with IT chapter one.  Even with the great performances from all the adult and teen actors, the overall story and use of flashbacks, and the fact they just never seemed to really find a good footing to land the plane took too much away to give this story it’s epic finale it deserved.

All Things Geekery Podcast S3E12 – Shaping A Cinematic Universe (Podcasting for Blaugust)

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In this episode: We are going to discuss the top genres of the cinematic universe that have shaped our lives from childhood through adulthood.  We will start off discussing the wonders and magic of the Sword and Sorcery genre. Moving into the folklores and myths we will talk about the Fantasy genre. Finally. We will wrap up the episode by discussing lasers, space travel, and aliens as part of the Sci-Fi genre. 

Click to Listen: S312 – Shaping A Cinematic Universe

Show Notes

Sword and Sorcery Genre

  • Definition: Sword and sorcery is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural
  • Top 3 Films
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      • Krull
        • Is a fantasy swashbuckler which follows a journey of Prince Colwyn and his group of outlaws on the planet Krull to save future queen Princess Lyssa from the Beast and his constantly teleporting Black Fortress.
      • The Dragonslayer
        • Is a medieval fantasy set in a fictional kingdom that follows a young wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon 
      • Conan the Barbarian / Conan the Destroyer
        • Is based on stories by Robert E. Howard, a writer of the 1930s, about the adventures of Conan in the fictional world of Hyboria
    • Victus
      • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
        • The film has the same title as the video game and is primarily based on it. Elements from Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, the two other titles from the Sands of Time trilogy of the Prince of Persia video game franchise, are also incorporated. 
      • Clash of the Titans
        • Perseus – Son of Zeus
      • Warcraft
        • (The film portrays the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs and takes place in a variety of locations established in the video game series) Draenor, the homeworld of the orcs, is being torn apart by a mysterious force known as fel magic. Gul’dan, a powerful orc warlock, unites the orc clans and forms the Horde, and creates a portal to the world of Azeroth. 

 

  • Top Honorable Mentions
    • The Beastmaster 
      • the film is about a child who is stolen from his mother’s womb by a witch. The child grows into Dar, who has the ability to communicate telepathically with animals. Dar grows up in a village, where he learns to do battle, but the village is destroyed by a race of beast-like warriors under the control of the sorcerer Maax. Dar vows revenge and travels with new friends to stop Maax from causing any more problems.
    • The Sword & The Sorcerer 
      • Is a film about a mercenary with a three-bladed sword who rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant, and a powerful sorcerer, in conquering the land
    • The Deathstalker
      • Was the first in a series of four films about the Deathstalker character and his adventures

Fantasy Genre

  • Definition: Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real-world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became literature and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, and video games. Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes, though these genres overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings of a medieval nature. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works.
  • Top 3 Films
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      • The Princess Bride
        • Is a fantasy adventure comedy film, adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel The Princess Bride, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck. The film essentially preserves the novel’s narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson
      • Ladyhawke
        • A medieval fantasy about a young thief who unwillingly gets involved with a warrior and his lady that are hunted by the Bishop of Aquila. As he comes to know about the couple’s past and secret, he finds himself determined to help them overcome the Bishop’s oppressions, both in arms and in the form of a demonic curse.
      • Excalibur
        • Is an epic historical fantasy starring that retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
    • Victus
      • MCU
      • Lord of the Rings
        • Set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth, the films follow the Hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, to ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron.
      • Harry Potter
        • The film’s chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, all of whom are students at Hogwarts. The main story arc tells Harry’s struggle against Lord Voldemort
  • Top Honorable Mentions
    • Time Bandits
      • Is the first of a “Trilogy of Imagination”, followed by Brazil, and ending with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.  All are about the “craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible.  All three films focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination: Time Bandits through the eyes of a child, Brazil through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and Munchausen through the eyes of an elderly man.
    • The Secret of NIMH
      • The film is an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s children’s novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film follows the life of a widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby, who seeks the aid of a group of former lab rats and mice in rescuing her home from destruction by a farmer’s plow. 

Sci-Fi Genre

  • Definition: It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations. 
  • Top 3 Films
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      • Predator
        • Follows a leader of an elite military rescue team on a mission to save hostages in a guerrilla-held territory in Central America.  The team is stalked by a technologically advanced alien
      • Aliens
        • The film follows Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley as she returns to the moon where her crew encountered the hostile Alien creature, this time accompanied by a unit of space marines. 
      • Star Wars
        • Star Wars was released in theaters in the United States on May 25, 1977. It earned $461 million in the U.S. and $314 million overseas, totaling $775 million. In 1989, it became one of the first films to be selected as part of the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Today, it is regarded as one of the most important films in the history of motion pictures. 
    • Victus
      • 1 – Star Wars
      • 2 – Star Trek
      • 3 – Avatar
  • Top Honorable Mentions
    • Back to the Future
    • Robocop
    • Star Trek

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

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The first trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX — which we now know is titled The Rise of Skywalker is finally here! This is the final film in the Skywalker saga which was unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration on Friday 4/12.

Episode IX will pick up years after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and the remaining rebels of the Resistance have not only survived the onslaught from the First Order, but have reinforced their ranks. They’ll once again take on Kylo Ren’s First Order, but they may also face an old enemy based off the new teaser we got to see. This new trailer shows us wreckage from the Death Star and everyone got a surprise with the ominous laugh of Emperor Palpatine!

Another surprise was Luke Skywalker’s voiceover in the teaser which says “No One’s Ever Really Gone” — perhaps this was a warning, or this may have been to comfort Rey with something she was going through at the time. From the trailer, this movie seems to be about the new generation and what path is ahead of them. Are they getting ready to face the greatest evil the universe has ever seen? Are they ready, and will they be prepared for casualties, loss, emotions, and a final stand?

Will We See Luke Once More?

We all saw Luke pass at the end of The Last Jedi, but death in the Star Wars universe isn’t always the final end.  With this new trailer, we don’t see Luke, but we did get to hear him speaking. What did Luke mean when he said “No One’s Ever Really Gone” and will we get to see a Skywalker force ghost appearance in the new film? One can hope for sure, but it does bring up a lot of questions as to what Luke knew before he passed and what about Rey? Could the title Rise of the Skywalker actually be referring to Rey? Was Kylo Ren lying about Rey’s parents; if he was lying, it could mean Rey is part of the actual Skywalker family.

Has Emperor Palpatine Returned?

The only thing we have to go on here is the evil laugh we heard at the end of the trailer, which leaves almost unlimited room for speculation. As we all know Emperor Palpatine was killed at the end of Return of the Jedi, or was he? We never actually saw a dead body after Vader thew him down the reactor in the Death Star. Even if they did show us a body, I don’t think that truly means he was dead. All the films have established that anyone powerful enough in the Force could come back as a force ghost to speak with the living.

This has been seen throughout the Star Wars films with multiple Jedi who have returned to speak to Luke throughout the series to pass on wisdom, or offer some type of guidance. Could we now see Luke doing the same to Rey as Yoda once did for Luke?

What about Kylo’s Helmet?

While we don’t see Kylo wearing his helm in the trailer, we do see the helmet being fixed by someone. It’s clearly not Kylo himself repairing the helm due to the fuzzy hand we see. Who is this strange figure that seems to be caring for Kylo’s helm?

Wreckage Of A Death Star?

During the trailer we see our heroes come upon a huge chunk of what looks to be a destroyed Death Star in the ocean of a strange planet.

The Death Star.

There were two Death Stars that we know about from the films, and even more from all of the books. One was blown up in deep space, and the other was destroyed near the forest moon of Endor. Could this be a third Death Star that we never saw in the films….or from what I personally think….this is actually wreckage on Endor itself. We’ve never actually seen Endor in the movies, so we don’t have a way to visually compare the planet from the trailer to the canonical Endor. We also know that The Force Awakens almost featured a scene where Rey traveled to Endor to learn about Jedi history but that never made it to the final film.

We will have to wait until Christmas to finally see what surprises the Star Wars universe holds for the Skywalkers…..and their final story in the film series.

Writing Something a Bit Different – Stranger Things Season 2

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BlaugustRebornLogo2018Hello again fellow bloggers!

I can’t believe we are almost wrapping up with our first week of Blaugust already.  Today’s post is a bit off from my normal advice type write up as I just felt like doing something different.

This post may not be completely directed towards making a better blog, or writing in a more creative way….but it’s about something I love and have a passion for and that’s great quality Sci-Fi / Horror that sucks you into the show!

My best advice for you all is if you want to write about something then jump in and do it.  Don’t worry about whether you think someone will read it or not, because I can almost guarantee you someone out there will enjoy it.  Stepping out and writing something you enjoy and are passionate about makes a world of difference as the readers pick up on that.

I meant to do a review of this show months ago when it came out, and completely forgot about it……so here is my review of Stranger Things Season 2!  If you have never seen the show then you are missing out!

Stranger Things Season 2 Trailer

 

With the Sci-Fi / Horror genre it is already a tough market and the first season of Stranger Things did it beautifully.  Click here to see my review on Stranger Things season one.  Even though season one was a massive success it doesn’t guarantee that the writers can reproduce that for future seasons.  With excellence and a massive crowd following comes the pressure and expectation to deliver something not only equal but surpass what you did the previous year.

With all the perfect that season one was, it was hard to believe that season two could ever live up to that standard or even come close to being better.  Stranger Things Season 2 had so many things working against it, including some saying that the ambiguous ending in season one was the perfect place to end the show.

The Duffer brothers had a huge task ahead of them and they chose to ignore all the naysayers and jumped right in and started working hard.  They have an insane universe they have built and one that the fans can’t get enough of and that is what make this show so good.  Stranger Things Season 2 was an absolute hit with the fans as it continues to build upon the rich story, incredible cast and expands the world of Hawkins into an epic great of it’s time.

What has made this show a success so far and why do the mix of kids they have playing these parts work so well?  It’s extremely rare for a series like this, especially one dealing with kids, to dive deep into the mental aspect of what going through a traumatic event really looks like.  The Duffer brothers do this so well though as from a shows standpoint it would just be easier to pretend like the events with the Demogorgon, Eleven’s disappearance, and Barb’s lack of justice didn’t happen; forgetting all of those essential stories would have been simpler, but not nearly as compelling.

The writers did an amazing job of adding a ton of depth to the story and characters this season.  Right from the beginning, we know that there’s something not quite right with Will…one of the main characters, who was stuck in another dimension for most of Season one. His classmates call him “zombie boy,” since they all believed he was dead and now he is just the weird kid that got lost in the woods. For a kid who went through what Will did, this isn’t an easy thing to hear or live every day at school now.

All the boys are back in season two again with a lot more screen time which is always great as we get to learn a lot more about each of them this season.  Dustin is still my favorite character out of the crazy boy club and a close second is Mike’s character.  Though Mike this season is really struggling with Eleven’s disappearance and the actor does a great job of showing the mental wear and tear it’s causing him.

It wouldn’t be a new season of the show without some new blood added to the mix and Maxine (Sadie Sink) or Max as she calls herself in the show is just what the show needed.  She gives the boys a tussle for their money in this season and quickly becomes a part of the group.  They added a few others to the mix but Max is really the one that stood out to the most for the story and character development.  Eleven also makes her return and the Duffer brothers didn’t disappoint one bit with her entrance back to the screen. Again, the Duffer Brothers are expanding the Stranger Things universe beyond the confines of Hawkins, so expect to journey to new locations.

So what about that giant monster in the trailers….what the heck is that thing?  Yeah, it’s scary and huge and makes the season one Demogorgon look like a teddy bear. This ominous shadowy demon is the main antagonist, and let’s just say the gang has their hands full in dealing with this crazy creature. The Upside Down is alive and well here, but with a villain this big, more of Hawkins is getting pulled into the madness.

One of the great parts of this season that makes it so captivating is it’s not just physical dangers lurking around every corner.  It’s the mental aspect that draws you in that are played so well by the kids and parents….it’s all the stress points in the show that make you sit on the edge of your seat and wonder whats next.  Though this season is a massive success it also has it’s faults as well, and there are moments when the tone of the show changes abruptly which I thought hurt certain episodes.  Even though the show does have some hiccups and strange pace in places it was overall a favorite in my book. I can’t wait for season three and what the Duffer brothers are bringing to the screen.

Starting a Blog & Keeping the Momentum

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BlaugustRebornLogo2018Happy blogging day to you all!!!

First of all I just want to say what an amazing job everyone has been doing during the kickoff of Blaugust.  Great job on stepping out and participating this year as you all have been posting some crazy cool material!

This post is all about that first decision of why blog, and why should I put myself out there like that.  Between the thoughts of should I really do this, or the why would people ever read what I write, or just the question of what the heck do I write have probably popped into your head at some point and time.  Don’t worry, that is all very normal and that is exactly why Blaugust exists and why we have mentors here to help kick start that initial “Hump” phase of your blog.

We live in a digital world of almost everything now days and blogging / writing is no different.  The way we bring content to readers / viewers isn’t any different other than we have fancy technology to help us reach the world in seconds.  We live in a blogging world as just earlier this month I was looking through WordPress stats and tens of millions of posts have been made just this year around the world.  People love to blog, write, connect, and whether that be some digital form of social media, a novel they are working on, or even just setting down to have a good old cup of coffee to work on the next blog post.

Why start a blog? 

  • To share your passion of writing with the world
  • Making your name or brand visible with an online presence
  • Connecting with people through content you enjoy creating
  • Writing about games
  • Podcasting
  • Your a writer and need an outlet for telling stories

This list could go on an on, but basically the ideas are limitless as to why you can and would start a blog.

Today, just about anyone can get up and running in a few minutes using free services that make adding a post as easy as writing email. Knowing how to get your content out there is no longer a barrier — if you have something to say, saying it is easy.

Getting Started

There are several services that offer free blogs to anyone who wants one. The most popular services are WordPress.org, WordPress.com and Blogger, although a quick search in google will probably turn up a ton of other “free blog” options as well. Personally I prefer WordPress.com, mainly because it’s what I started with, but the foundation work is already built-in for you.  They offer stat tracking, built-in spam protection, a selection of really nice themes, a word processor-like text entry system (no coding necessary), and a lot more.

What to Blog About? 

Your blog is only limited by your passions — what do you have to say?  What purpose will this blog serve as?  Do you want a place to promote your writing, artwork, game play? The topics are limitless but you have to find something you are passionate about and a niche you enjoy writing about.

There are a few things you should know about writing a blog, though. While there are examples of every conceivable style of writing on blogs across the Web, there are a few qualities which blog writing tends to share:

Blogging for the most part is short: Reading on the screen isn’t as enjoyable as reading on paper, so people tend to shy away from really long pieces. 2,000 words is long for a blog post; 1,000 words is a pretty good goal, but it comes down to personal preference and what you enjoy.  I tend to get long winded at times and I write longer posts for the most part.  I’m a writer, what can I say?!?

Paragraphs tend to be shorter: Because you have to scroll a lot when reading on a screen, paragraphs tend to be shorter so a whole thought can fit in a browser window.
Important points are usually highlighted, as readers tend to skim through pieces a lot so the bold helps those keywords stand out easier.

It’s got a personal tone: Blogging tends to be a little more personal than most writing. What readers usually respond to is the writer’s unique voice, their personality as expressed through their writing.

Get the Momentum Going

Now comes the fun part! You’ve got the blog up, and you’ve got topics to write about. Getting the momentum to write on a schedule takes a bit of time and planning, but once you get it figured out….it’s pretty much smooth sailing from there on.

Create a posting schedule: When you start your blog, look at the schedule you want to have.  Do you post daily, once a week, twice a week, etc?  This will take some time structure and getting used to setting down and just doing it.  Block some time out in your schedule to do that. Start with something easy and work your way into more frequent posting. If you find you have enough time to post more, it will be a pleasant surprise for your readers (as opposed to the disappointment of readers used to seeing you post every day when you start posting every two weeks).  Personally I post a few times a week depending on my schedule and mood.

You could take the planning of the blog to whatever extreme you like and write posts in advance.  I have a few blogging friends that build up a backlog of four to five posts in advance so they have a cushion in case their schedules get to busy.  Basically you have to find what works for you, as it all boils down to what you find comfortable and enjoyable. Make it fun, make it personal, and make it enjoyable and you will find the blogging experience to be quite an amazing journey.

Don’t let the process of blogging be something that constrains your imagination, instead let it be the freedom you enjoy while writing what you love!

Happy Writing!

Cheers,

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Blaugust Reborn – It Has Begun

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BlaugustRebornLogo2018Today officially kicks off day 1 of Blaugust Reborn my friends!

I hope you all have plenty of snacks and coffee, or whatever drink of choice you enjoy while writing as this month is going to be amazing!  It’s going to require some focus and brain power for sure….hence the snacks and drinks.

Today we are jumping in and discussing writing prompts as one of the hardest things about blogging is that some days are mentally tough, and you’ll have writers block.  It happens to the best of us and it’s just part of the journey us writers are part of.  Checkout a write up I did years ago about Writers Block and some easy tips of how to break through.

Sometimes the opposite can happen though and you have so many ideas and topics spawning in your head that you don’t know what to do with them.  Think of it like a water dam that is partially open and only letting a small portion of the water come through.  My best advice for situations like this is have a journal or some place like a back log of topics and ideas you jot down.  This will definitely help with those thought clogs and ease up some moments of frustration when those fingers don’t know what to type.

Let’s jump into those writing prompts as blogging for 31 days in a row is a challenge no matter how long you’ve been writing.  I’m hoping these prompts will help you with ideas through the month, and maybe even break some writers block you might have or experience along the way.

Here Are Nine Random Writing Prompts

  • Write about your favorite coffee you drink while writing!
  • Write about a friendship that was made from gaming and some of your favorite memories.
  • Write about a favorite book series and a character within that book series you enjoy.
  • Write about your favorite nostalgic video game and what you most enjoyed about it.
  • Share about a passion you have outside of gaming or reading / writing.  Maybe it’s cooking, or wood working, or whatever you like.  It can be whatever you are crazy passionate about.
  • Write about your favorite movies regardless of genre and what specifically about the films you enjoyed.
  • Write about why you enjoy writing.  Why are you so passionate about it and what would you say to someone new getting into writing?  More for the veteran blogger/writer but can be a fun journey to explore no matter your experience.
  • Write about the lore of a favorite video game, or book series you are passionate about.  If you are like me, then lore is your thing and you love to research and write about it.
  • Write about upcoming technology in the gaming industry, film industry, or whatever nerdy industry you enjoy.

I hope these prompts will help you get started and open up those creative sparks for this blogging journey.  Personally I have a ton of material planned out and jotted down in my journal so I don’t have to feel crunched for time.  Take the time to prep for the month and get ahead of things best you can so you don’t feel overwhelmed by trying to post every day.  It can be a daunting task, but also an amazing challenge to push yourself in an event like this.  Don’t forget to have fun while doing this challenge, and shamelessly look through all the writing prompts the events mentors are posting as you don’t have to re-create a brand new wheel every time you want to post something.  Those writing prompts are there to help us all spawn new ideas and make this journey a bit easier.

Jump in, enjoy, challenge yourself and most of all have fun!

Should I Blog & How Often Do I Post?!?

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WHOA Blogosphere, it’s the day before BLAUGUST!!!!  Who’s excited for tomorrow?  The pre-show has been amazing to see as the event hasn’t even started yet and everyone is booming ideas, posting some crazy cool stuff, and brainstorming like mad!

Here is to a PHENOMENAL month of creativity, connecting with new friends and blowing the doors off the interwebs with great content.

So….as we come down to the final hours of prep week, here is my small contribution going into the event.  It’s all about scheduling, should I blog, and how often do I post….which are all major questions for anyone who has ever stepped foot into the arena of blogging has had flash through their brain before!

Do you have an insanely busy schedule but love to write and throw those thoughts on a blog?  This post is going to break down four simple steps I’ve used for years which have helped me stay organized “CHAOS” and allowed me to do what I enjoy….WRITE!  For years I struggled to find time to write and get anything past a draft status at most.  Why you might ask….well I’m a family man and as much as I love writing, I love my family more!

I’m a husband, and father to ten year old triplets….yes TRIPLETS 🙂  I have two boys and a girl who stole my heart the moment I got to see them.  Ten years ago I had to figure out how to prioritize life, my writing, and “Adult” all those things that were needed from me as a husband and father as well.  Writing being one of my biggest passions I had to put a system in place that allowed me time for all of what life was calling, and time is the one thing we don’t get more of.  24 hours in a day and it’s so easy to fill all those time slots up if we aren’t careful.  OK, enough about me and more about these four steps I talked about earlier. It took quite a long time to get a system down of when I wanted to post, what content I wanted to do, and that system isn’t perfect by any means but it works for me, and I’m hoping it might help you as well.

It takes a lot of hard work to develop something creative that you love doing, even if it’s just a hobby, you wouldn’t be doing it if you didn’t love it…or I wouldn’t at least.

Hopefully these steps will help you outline some ways to condense the long hard efforts it takes to create content for a blog.

#1 Should I Blog, What Content, and How Often? 

First up is figuring out if you really want to blog and you are the only one who can answer that.  I would encourage you to experiment with it and see what might work for you.  Also, if blogging is something you want to pursue ask yourself exactly how much content you want to produce in a specific amount of of time.  Are you shooting for a daily post, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly per say.  It doesn’t matter how much you want to post or how often you post….what matters is what works for you.  Best advice I can give you on this is preset yourself a bit and plan out what you want so you give yourself enough time to research and pull material together. This will help so that you aren’t overloading the plate and playing catch up everyday.  I’ve been all over the board before….daily, weekly, etc and it was all due to my schedule and making those priorities fit together. So plan accordingly for yourself and you will have a lot more fun blogging.

#2 Categories, Categories, Categories!

Now that you know how many posts you need to write, come up with some working categories so you have a good idea of what you are going to be working with.  Pinpoint what you want to write about and keep those categories current so that multiple topics can be posted to one category.  If you only have a certain amount of posts you can publish in one month, you have to be selective on how you spend that time. That ultimately means some ideas go to the chopping block and some may get stowed away for a rainy day.

#3: Challenge The Organizational “CHAOS” Skills.

Now that you have your ideas formed and categories made, you may be wondering how on earth am I going to get all this organized and finished like I want.  It can be chaotic at times I know…. trust me I know.  I have triplets remember 😛

Organization, Organization, Organization.

Check the inventory every once in a while and see if you’ve got so much material planned you honestly can’t meet the timeline you originally had.  Don’t be afraid to cut back, and chop chop some things if needed.  A couple of key things to remember here are….

  • Research: How much time do you need for researching topics? Will it take a considerable amount of time, or is this something I’ve already got ready to go? This step can save you a ton of time and frustration if you will do it. .
  • Content and Format: Some posts are more difficult to write than others. This can be a huge frustration if not planned out well as you can spend hours getting things formatted, planned, and ready.  Do you have five posts lined up back to back that are heavy topics and take lots of research?  If so, scramble that schedule up and space those suckers out a bit.

#4 Take the Time to Review and Schedule

Take a gander at what you’ve written before you hit that submit button.  Does it play out like you want, or does it look like someone dropped a bag of scrabble letters?  It’s always nice to have things pre-planned out, but I also know that’s not always possible.  Scheduling blog posts throughout the week or whatever timeline you create is very challenging.  You put a lot of hard work into writing this content so make sure you enjoy what you’ve done.  Enjoy the process, and have fun with creating the content you are passionate about.  Once you get that down….get those posts scheduled for whenever you choose, rinse, and then repeat all four steps for next time.

I’m super stoked for the event and watching all of you blow the doors off of this years Blaugust!

Have an amazing night!

Cheers,

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The Kings of Gondor: Part Nine – A Bloodline Lost

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Welcome back fellow hobbits and people of Middle Earth! It’s been a very long time since I last wrote about the Kings of Gondor, but after a long break and much time away with family I felt it time to return and continue writing.  So, looking forward to continuing this series and many others just like it.

83600606The Unwise King

Earnur was the son of Earnil II. He like his father was a great warrior and became a great leader of armies before he became King.  His greatest victory was against Angmar in the Battle of Fornost, in which he defeated the Witch-king, whom he intended to slay had his steed not panicked in terror of the Witch-king’s darkness.  Earnur became King in TA 2043, and was challenged by the Witch-king of Angmar.  The King of the Ringwraiths, who then resided in Minas Morgul wanted this King of Gondor dead and gone.  Earnur, being quick to anger and wrath, would have accepted his challenge had the wise Steward Mardil Voronwe not held him back, and so the first challenge went unanswered.  Just seven years later a second challenge came, mocking Earnur, and the steward Mardil was not able to stop the King this time.  Ernur accepted the challenge, and after entering the gates of Minas Morgul with a small escort, Earnur was never heard from again.  The unwise King was thought to be dead, so his crown now rests upon his father’s tomb in the Hallows of Minas Tirith.

Prophecy_GlorfindelThe Battle of Fornost

A year prior to the battle, the armies of Angmar conquered Arthedain, the last realm of Arnor. Angmar’s armies had taken Fornost, the capital of the Dunedain, and Arvedui, the last King of Arnor, had drowned in the Ice-Bay of Forochel. A year later, a fleet of ships under King Earnur arrived in the Grey Havens and set off toward what was left of the once-great northern kingdom. With the armies of Gondor came men from Rhovanion, elves from Lindon, and the remainder of the Dunedain (among them Aranarth, the Prince of Arthedain).

The battle itself did not take place in the city of Fornost, but on the plains to the west of the city, near Lake Evendim. The armies of Angmar hurried west to meet the assault, and seeing this, the cavalry of Gondor rode north into the Hills of Evendim to wait in ambush. As the main part of the army of Gondor met the enemy in battle, the Gondor cavalry set out from the hills to strike the rear of the army of Angmar. This served as the turning point in the battle, and allowed the combined armies of the west to gain the advantage. Realizing that his forces were all but completely destroyed, the Witch-king of Angmar fled eastward. As he fled, an army led by Glorfindel came up out of the south and blocked his escape, destroying what was left of his crumbling army; the Witch-king himself was able to escape during the night and fled southward. Though the battle itself had been lost and Angmar utterly destroyed, Sauron was extremely pleased with the Witch-King’s work, for the destruction of the northern kingdoms of the Dunedain was a victory for the Dark Powers which far exceeded the loss of the Witch-King’s realm.

Glorfindel,_Elrond_and_King_Earnur_unite_against_the_Witch-King_of_AngmarA Broken Bloodline

The Line of Anarion was broken with the disappearance of Earnur, and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards beginning with Mardil Voronwe, the Steward who had tried to restrain Earnur from going to Minas Morgul to face the Witch-king. The Stewards were to rule “until the King returns” for it wasn’t sure at first whether Earnur had been killed dueling with the Witch-king or not. In addition, Earnur left without naming an heir, and while many nobles in Gondor could lay some sort of claim to the kingship, those claims were generally held in doubt, and no one wanted to risk another civil war like the one that had devastated and weakened Gondor.

The Stewards of Gondor were firstly the chief high councilors to the Kings of Gondor and then the rulers of Gondor, until the return of the rightful king (Aragorn Elessar).

First created by the powerful King Romendacil I, Steward was the traditional title of a chief counselor to the Kings of Gondor.  The Quenya name for the title is Arandur , “Servant of the King”.  The steward was was usually an elderly man not from the Royal House chosen for his wisdom and integrity, and was never permitted to go to war nor to go abroad.  During the time of the Steward Pelendur, from the famous House of Hurin, the title became hereditary, passing the station of counselor from father to son, much like the Kingship.

The House of Hurin was founded by one Hurin of Emyn Arnen, Steward to King Minardil, the twenty-fifth King of Gondor. They were of high Numenorean blood, but not descendants of Elendil in the ruling line.

After the death of King Earnur, who left no heir to the throne of Gondor, the Steward Mardil Voronwe became the first of the Ruling Stewards. Mardil was the first of the Stewards to administer Gondor, and his descendants did so for 25 generations.

The Stewards watched over the throne until it could be reclaimed by a true King of Gondor, an heir of Elendil. When asked by his son Boromir how long a time must pass before a Steward could become a King, if the King did not return, Denethor II replied, “Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty … In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice” (The Two Towers).

The Stewards never sat on the throne of the King; instead, they sat on a simple chair of black stone placed below it.

I hope you all are enjoying this series as it has been an absolute blast to write and put together!  We are nearing the end of the series but still have a lot more writing to do, so stay tuned to the site and think about following so you never miss one of my series.

You all stay awesome and I bid you a fine farewell!

Cheers,

Iogro Merrybelly