Product Release: “Project Infinite Hole” for Paranoia

Project Infinite Hole

Available in print now! I was part of the writing team on this massive Paranoia sourcebox, and now you can experience our R&D gadgets, NPCs, weapons, armor, GM advice, and multiple adventures (including one and a half by me!).

From the Mongoose Publishing product page:

Troubleshooters! Do you like weird, risky experiments? (Yes!) Do you like testing devices that could leave behind a smoking crater if you use it wrong? (Uh, yes?) Do you like taking the blame for design mistakes, production errors, structural damage and enough deaths that genocide-ish is now a term? (Can I say anything other than yes? Ah, that laser pistol answered my question. Very yes!)

Project Infinite Hole brings the wonder, broken laws of physics and lapse safety standards of Research & Design back to Paranoia! Instead of simply sending Troubleshooters to their much-deserved deaths, you can also send experimental devices with them that help their much-deserved deaths happen more often! Inside, you will find:

The Happy Testing Catalogue: New Paranoia GMs will see 40 new experimental devices such as Fluffy Safety Armour and the Jaws of Death. Experienced Paranoia GMs will see many splendid ways to make players weep. With joy? Sure, why not.  

The GM R&D Service Book: Several fine articles explaining how to use R&D in your missions that definitely are not filler so we could charge more for this sourcebox. Need an NPC? Here they are! Need a Research & Design room? We got those! Need a way to help Troubleshooters survive? Sorry, fresh out.

The R&D Mission Book: But what about those lazy GMs who want the work done for them? If they can put the imitation cheese-powdered snacks down long enough, they will find two full missions that start the Project Infinite Hole campaign! Oh, and there’s a black hole destroying all you know and love (In the missions, not this sourcebox. Apparently, governments frown on selling singularities in cardboard boxes.)

The R&D Deck: You want cards? Tough, here are 120 of ‘em, ready to be handed out to players who think they’re all clever. Watch their faces go from devilish glee to abject fright as they realise how the device can backfire. Literally.

R&D stands for many things: Rebar & Dust, Radiation & Debacles or even Rannygazoo & Deprehend. (What? Famous Game Designers have good vocabularies.) But mostly, it stands for one of the most infamous Alpha Complex service groups: Research & Design. With this sourcebox, GMs have everything needed to bring R&D back into the Troubleshooters’ lives. Yes, they will be grateful – or they get to test the Angry Beebots again.

Paranoia: Project Infinite Hole is available now in print or PDF.

Gen Con 2017: Writer’s Life: Develop Your Writing Process

This is the second seminar I attended at Gen Con 50. The panelists were stellar and offered a lot of sound advice. Let’s go!

The panelists were (from left to right) Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Matt Forbeck, Karen Bovenmyer, and John Helfers. Karen was the moderator, and did a superb job at organizing and introducing the topics.

Matt Forbeck mentioned that this is his 36th Gen Con; his first was Gen Con 15. He got started writing in the game industry, and is now a full-time freelancer. Matt is currently contracted for four D&D-branded choose-your-own-adventure style books. (This excited Larry Dixon greatly, as did most of the other work Matt mentioned he’d done, such as the Marvel Encyclopedia.)

Larry Dixon said that he used to do 28 conventions per year. He has been a falconer and a race car driver, in addition to working on 60+ RPGs. Larry also worked on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. He said he loves teaching writers.

Mercedes Lackey: “I do this for a living–my mortgage is my muse.” Also, “I don’t have time to fart around.”

Larry backed her up, saying that full-time writers have to work quickly and efficiently. He said his process is “laziness,” because “I wanna go screw around. Fallout HAS to be played.” (He mentioned that Mercedes–who he calls Misty–is currently playing Fallout: New Vegas.)

Matt said that he can’t play or read anything anymore without having to “pull it apart” and analyze it critically.

Matt writes outlines for everything, writing 2-3 sentences per chapter. Matt takes 1-3 days to write an outline. He says he can write 5,000-8,000 words per day if he has a plan. However, he stresses the need to leave room for discovery, because that’s the fun of writing. And says that if you write too much in your outline, it’s hard to throw it away when you feel the need to change the plan. Matt likes to re-outline after a bit of writing, updating the outline with changes that have emerged.

Mercedes writes a skeleton outline:

  1. Premise
  2. Expand to a one-paragraph synopsis
  3. Expand to a five-page skinny outline
  4. Expand to a 40-page outline

Lately Mercedes just does the skinny outline. When she starts work for the day, she first revises yesterday, then writes new words. After she makes changes, she checks for continuity, from the start of the manuscript.

Mercedes added, “I always miss my deadline.”

John Helfers writes in 1-hour bursts, achieving about 1,500 words. When John starts the writing day, he spends about 15 minutes for revision, and then 60 minutes of ONLY writing new material.

Mercedes’s maximum word count for a day was 25,000 words in one 20-hour day. She also works on three different books at a time, each in a different point of the process, such as one she’s outlining, another she’s writing, and another in galleys. One benefit of this is when she’s getting tired of one she can switch to another.

Matt talked about having to juggle projects. He said you don’t know when one you’ve been hoping to work on will suddenly become available. Another struggle for meeting deadlines: “Life happens.”

Larry stressed that you have a system in place for communicating with everyone you’re working with. He said that “editors are there to help,” so writers should use them to do so rather than avoid contact with them when things are running behind. Editors want a good result too, he said. If you’re an inexperienced writer, they’ll already know that, so don’t think you have to hide it. Indeed, Larry said that editors talk to each other, and what’s most important to them isn’t who’s new but who’s an asshole!

Karen Bovenmyer quoted Neil Gaiman’s saying that you can make it in writing by having two of the following three:
* Great writing
* Meeting deadlines
* Being easy to work with
Matt says that only #2 and #3 are in your control.

Tricks the panelists use to get the job done:

  • Coffee (Matt)
  • Remember that what you do affects other people’s salary. People depend on you. (Larry)
  • Listen to soundtracks. (Karen)
  • …without lyrics. “I can’t fucking write to Hamilton.” (Matt)
  • Use a zero-gravity chair (Mercedes)
  • No windows (Mercedes)
  • Comfy chair (Larry)

Matt says that when writing becomes a job, you should take care to find a new hobby, something else that you do for fun.

Karen talked of the value of “thresholding.” She has specified a room where she does her writing, music that she uses for writing, and a time for writing. She also meditates for a set period before she writes.

A panelist (I forget which) mentioned that days off in nature can help recharge your writing batteries.

Larry says to trust your intuition. Matt also mentioned intuition, saying that you’ll learn to trust it more and more, and that following your intuition will help with your speed.

Larry advises considering, “How do I make this awesome?

Karen reminds us that “Fear is the mind-killer.”

The panelists concur that over time, efficiency improves.

Larry and Mercedes like to outline on road trips.

Larry pointed out that readers don’t care about the writer’s problems. All they see is the finished work.

On Editing Your Work:

  • Matt revises as he writes. He says to not be afraid to lean on the editor for some grammar and content issues. It’s what they’re there for! Don’t turn in a sloppy manuscript, of course, but you don’t have to make it perfect.
  • A panelist mentioned that writer David Brin will write a novel, lock it away, and then write it again. None of the panelists are willing to use this method.
  • Matt: “Until you show it to someone, it can suck.” He encourages us to play around with it.
  • Karen: “Do as well as you can, then send it out.”
  • Larry: If you like what you’re writing, others will too.

On Story Ideas, and Saving Abandoned Work

  • Mercedes doesn’t write down ideas. “If it’s a good idea, it’ll come back to me.”
  • Larry does, and says that some old notes are a good way to rediscover ideas that he wasn’t ready to execute at the time.
  • Karen: “I’ve sold short stories based on novels I wrote.” And, “I’ve sold homework!”
  • Larry advises that when you abandon something you’re writing, don’t throw it away. It just wasn’t ready. Karen says to keep sending it out.
  • Larry suggests you make notes, maps, and sketches of your projects, and save them. This can help when you write the sequel!

Recommended Resources:

  • Larry recommends Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder.
  • Karen recommends a YouTube series of videos by Dan Wells called “7 Point Story Structure.” (Sadly, it’s unavailable right now.)
  • Larry: Studying comedy teaches structure, and economy of words.

I’ll end this summary with my favorite line from Larry:

“Sometimes you have to take a jump. Life is an adventure. Don’t be a spectator.

NaNoWriMo 2016

National Novel Writing Month is here!

This is my fifth year participating. My first was 2004, my latest was 2010, and the only year I “won” was 2007. (I take a stab at making that one publishable now and then, but it’s still a mess.)

If you haven’t heard of NaNoWriMo, here’s the gist of it: In November, crazy people try to write a 50,000 word novel. This is short as novels go, but was chosen as an achievable target and a solid accomplishment. Participants “win” if they reach that word count; this is very much an honor system achievement, and the only prize is a sense of accomplishment. (What else do you need, really?)

I’ve spotted a few gaming industry folks who are participating this year, including Barbara Blackburn, Todd Bogenrief, Phil Brucato, and Ian Lemke. (If I missed you, please let me know!)

Back to novel writing now. If you’re participating, please let me know in the comments, and add me to your Buddy list. (Here’s a link to my author page. My ID is KeithGarrett.)

Wish me luck!