What goes on, everybody? I hope you’re all doing well.
One month down already for 2023. Eleven more to go.
For what I usually take to be a fairly bland and passable month, January actually yielded loads for me to do this year, especially in regard to completing writing work. Really, the past month has, more or less, left me feeling like Ultron in the first act of Avengers: Age of Ultron:
The highlight of the month for me was my participation in the first round of the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition for 2023. For this first round, in which over 5,000 writers participated, we were each placed in one of almost 200 different groups. We all had one week, from the 21st to the 28th, to write a 2,500-word story with a chosen genre, subject, and character; these items changed based on the group you were in. I had to write a crime caper, with the subject being “mixed-use” (liked a mixed-use property or something) and the character being an “officeholder.”
Considering the stipulations and that this was the first writing contest I had ever participated in, I’m actually really proud of what I managed to come up with. Not to mention, it was an interesting and exciting experience that really tested my creative skills. I won’t spoil what I wrote, as I intend to share the story after the results are released in April. I’m either going to post it on my site or try submitting it to a magazine, whichever seems more reasonable at the time. Either way, I’m glad I was able to participate, and I’m hopeful about getting into the next round.
Before the competition started, though, I made it a point to finish “Soul Survivor.” And, at long last, I can confirm that this labor of love, which has been brewing for the past year, at least, is finally done! I am beyond proud of this story and definitely consider it my best work to date. I’m also endlessly thankful to the large handful of people that helped me mold it into what it is now. Next comes the task of getting it published by a magazine. I’ll hopefully have more to share about that endeavor sooner rather than later.
Thanks to some daily writing prompts and Friday writing workshops that I’ve been doing lately, I also found the motivation to get back to working on my novel during the past month. It’s been a while since I’ve properly touched upon it, given all the other things I’ve been working on or been busy with, so it’s felt rejuvenating to dive back into that project. I’m actually hopeful that I might have a draft for it done by the end of the year. Guess we’ll find out.
January also delivered the beginnings of two television gems in The Last of Us and the second season of The Legend of Vox Machina, both of which have blown me right out of the water.
As of the posting of this blog, the first four episodes of The Last of Us have been absolutely beautiful, each one charged with raw emotion and some splendid production value. It’s easily one of the most faithful adaptations of a video game to date, and perhaps one of the best adaptations, period, that I’ve ever seen. I’ve enjoyed it all so far, and I’m hopeful that the rest of the season will be just as strong.
And as a big D&D and Critical Role fan, I knew I’d love the second season of Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina, but goddamn, I did not expect it to be this good! Season two of this show dwarfs season one, and it’s not even over yet. I knew it would be entertaining and enjoyable, especially for D&D nerds, but the storytelling and character work on display in season two are truly next level, and I’m really excited to see how the rest of it pans out.
It's not often that I get to talk video games, but thankfully, January also dropped what will probably be one of the best games of the year. Anyone who knows me well knows that Dead Space is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and I’m elated to say that the Dead Space remake, released on January 27, is a perfect glow-up of the classic game from 2008. Aside from it just looking amazing and being endlessly entertaining, nerve-wracking, and spooky, it’s also insanely refreshing to just play a game on release day that’s actually completed for a change. My fellow gamers will likely know what I’m talking about.
To top all of this off, I got to attend my first concert for the year. We Came as Romans had a hell of a headliner with ERRA in support, and while I love both bands, I think it’s fairly obvious which one I mostly attended for:
But overall, this show served as a wonderful bonus to an already splendid month.
For as great as January was, though, we’re already a few days into February, and I’ve got a good feeling about this month coming up. Not that I necessarily have things to look forward to, other than some shows and the anticipated completion of the next Blood Sisters story (which will be done by the end of the month), but things just seem mostly positive on my end for the time being, so I’m doing my best to preserve that.
I know not everyone can necessarily say the same, especially during this time of year; seasonal depression is very much a thing, after all. I know how hard it can be sometimes, so for what it’s worth, I really do hope you’ve all been able to find something that at least makes you smile lately. I imagine you’ve earned it.
On that note, though, I’m going to get back to work on other things. Need to keep busy, after all. So, until next time, peace!