I Lied

Despite my better judgement, I pulled the whole fanboy/idiot/future journalist thing and toughed it out to stay up for the big Blizzard announcement.

They announced Diablo III about three seconds ago.

I'm pretty stoked about it.

Apparently they showed a short trailer and are going to show a demo here in a minute. Which is all well and good, 'cept I can't see it.

Tomorrow... Tomorrow I will hopefully see how awesome it looks.

And I'll be awake enough to enjoy it.

Hath Hell Frozen?

I had originally intended to stay up to see the streams/liveblogs of Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational. It's starting in Paris at 11:45 AM over there. Blizzard.com has been teasing fans with very mysterioius images that have been linked to Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and even Lost (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42). At the last year's invitational in Korea - the utter pantheon of StarCraft fandom - they did something similar right before announcing StarCraft II.

Apparently, Paris is big on the Diablo. Blizzard, the "Makers of Diablo and Diablo II" have been hiring. Richard A. Knaak, author of various Warcraft and Diablo novels, hinted strongly in the past that Blizzard was working on Diablo III.

The idea of finally seeing Diablo III has me extremely excited, which is why I was considering staying up to see the news break live.

Then I realized that 11:45AM in Paris is 4:45AM here.

I don't think I'm staying up.

There had better be images of demons on my computer screen when I wake up, so I can kill them. I'm going to be super disappointed if this announcement is something else.

Mega Cool!

If for some reason you needed proof that God exists and is looking out for us: Mega Man 9 is coming.

That's not the good part. In fact, that's an extremely scary thing.

The good part is that it's not one of the 50 billion Mega Man spinoffs or some crazy, "next-gen" take on the classic Mega Man formula. No, it's the classic Mega Man formula, right down to NES quality graphics.

I'm not even kidding.

The game is a slated to be a downloadable title on WiiWare (no mention of Xbox Live Arcade or PS3 versions. But this news is coming from Nintendo Power, so it's a possibility I guess), so there's a very good chance it's only gonna cost $5 or $10...

This is absolutely mind-blowing and amazing news. A lot of us "classic" gamers have discussed how cool it would be if certain companies took this approach with their classic franchises - say, if Nintendo made "Super Mario Bros. 4" a WiiWare game that was just a straight-up NES game... But I'm not sure I actually expected it to happen. Major, major props for Capcom.

Now, if you need proof that Satan exists, the same Nintendo Power issue revealed that the next Castlevania game (besides Order of Ecclesia on the DS, which looks phenomenal) would be on the Wii. Great news, right? Maybe they'd even do a 2D game like the exciting news above!!!

...but alas, the world is not always a kind place, and Castlevania Judgement on the Nintendo Wii is going to be a fighting game.

Yes. A fighting game. With characters such as Simon Belmont and Alucard.

Now, I DID want Simon in Smash Bros.... But this? This I'm not sure I can stand behind. It just strikes me as a horrible idea, and I have to wonder who came up with it.

"The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."

- Bob Marley
On stage at "Smile Jamaica" concert, when asked how he could perform when he was shot two days earlier.

Updates/Freelancing

This past week, I've been counting down the days until the newest "Alone in the Dark" game. The 5th in the series, but the bajillionth game to follow the lame and confusing "trend" of naming a new game in a series the name of the original game. You know, so new people don't feel left out! So you end up with multiple games called "Sonic the Hedgehog" (one was great and I grew up playing it. One sucks and I hated playing it!), multiple games called "Bionic Commando", and multiple games called "Alone in the Dark".

But while I'm stoked to play a new survival adventure game in the acclaimed series that essentially started that genre (even the horrible Uwe Boll movie can't tarnish that), reviews (all two of them) are only average, with some European players (the game is out over there, apparently) really disappointed with it (granted, this is the internet we're talking about). Still, these haven't diminished my desire to play the game... Not at all! But discussions about the length did... There has been made mention that the game lasts 6-10 hours, ish... Not horrible, but maybe not something I want to spend $60 on. I mean, if I did beat it in 6 hours (additional playthroughs for Achievement Points not withstanding), then that's like $10 an hour. So I'm going to wait for more reviews and/or see if there's any sweet deals for the game on it's release date next week. Maybe $10 off or something could entice me... Again.

See, ideally Atari would send ME a copy of the game for review, and I could be telling YOU whether or not it's worth the money. But alas, the folks at Atari (and several other companies) are still trying to figure out whether I'm actually a member of the press, and not just some kid wanting free games for the sake of free game.

Nintendo, on the other hand, has been super helpful so far, and the folks at Capcom are already saying, "Hey, uhhh... You want a download code for Commando 3 so you can review it for us?" Granted, I still haven't recieved said download code, but maybe they just don't want anymore less-than-stellar reviews on the net?

So anyway, since I probably won't be buying Alone in the Dark immediately, I took advantage of a sweet GameFly deal and ordered used copies of Devil May Cry 4, Burnout Paradise, and Clive Barker's Jericho for super cheap! Shhhh! Don't tell my parents I'm still spending money on games regularly! They won't understand that all three of these were cheaper than one new game, and that's totally why I bought them!

Anyways...

- In addition to the stuff I already do for the Daily Toreador, I'm going to try my hand at some freelance video game journalism. This would hopefully mean getting paid to write stuff for magazines and websites, like GameSpot.com if they're interested. Wish me luck, give me prayers, all that stuff. This is gonna have to be in God's hands, 'cuz while I can write, and I certainly know video games I don't know what I'm doing as far as the business end of it all goes.

- "The Awakening" will be shipped out to the Writers of the Future contest probably on Saturday. I'm... Iffy about it. I love the story, but really think it needs more time... Like 12 months, and an additional 60,000+ words, making it a novel and not a short story. But alas, I must force it out of the nest and see if it flies...

- "Time Shop" will also be shipped out on the same day (most likely), to who knows where. I haven't decided on which market I want my next rejection letter from yet. It might come down to posting all the publishers' names on a dart board and throwing knives at them, blindfolded.

- "Tobias" is back in production... Or will be once I stop being a lazy idiot and write the darn thing. Seriously, I have no one to blame but myself here... Myself and work, but that's kinda making excuses, isn't it?

- I'm about halfway through Ted Dekker's "Adam", and will probably finish it tomorrow. So far, it's absolutely INCREDIBLE. Very, very highly recommended.

I think that's all. I'm going to bed.

Encouragement

So... The prayers have been working, I think. God has been using not only friends and family, but complete strangers to tell me, "Hey, you're on the right path. Keep going."

Today at work (for those that don't know, I watch over a community pool [read: sit and read/write all day]) I had a guy who started talking to me about my life and what I intended to do as a career. When I told him, "I'm a writer," he kinda gave me a look and said, "What, like, for film?"

I said, "Yeah, a bit. I want to focus on Fantasy novels, but film and video games are definitely on the 'to do' list."

He said, "That's really awesome! I've worked in the film industry for about 20 years now... Done a bit of everything. Acting, art direction..." Before I could say, "Wow, that's awesome," and ask for advice/tips/anything, he said, "Well, keep working. It will happen for you." And before I could even thank him, he just swam away. This man whom I'd never met told me - with a bizzare sort of confidence - to keep doing what I was doing, and that if I did, it would pay off. And then, with his message delivered, he just left.

So this kinda excited me, and I got to thinking about how to revise the plot for "Tobias", changing the parts that certain people didn't really like in order to hopefully make it more marketable.

That's when the mystery guy returned, passing me as he was getting ready to leave. Unprovoked, he said, "Keep up the writing. And hey, just write what you love, and don't worry about what anybody else thinks. That's the best way to go."

This time I was able to get a somewhat shocked, "Thank you," in before he vanished, never to be seen again... At least until some other day that I might see him.

And this isn't the only instance of this happening in the past few days. Heck, the day after I posted my prayer request, I was telling another guy that I write Fantasy, and he got SUPER excited, saying that that's mainly what he reads. Talking to him was pretty awesome.

I got in my car after work that day at 9, and on the Christian radio station I keep it on they were having a discussion about success - mostly in relation to jobs and stuff - , and made a point to mention that if you're following God, he'll put what you're supposed to do with you're life, and he'll make it happen. I was just able to catch this stuff at the end of the program as they were saying it.

So God has definitely been saying, "Yeah, I'm here, don't worry," and He's been using a lot of different people for that, and I'm EXTREMELY grateful to each and every one of them.

Why I Need a PS3

Metal Gear Solid 4 is out today... And I'm dying to see how Solid Snake's adventure ends. I've always loved the MGS games for their crazy stories composed of hours and hours of cutscenes and codec dialogue. They're stories of war that intrique me far more than any Tom Clancy novel has.

And heck, they got the movie voiceover guy for their trailer, so you KNOW it's epic!

Fun With Bricks

After seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with my family today, I was driven to purchase LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures for the Xbox 360, which I've been having tons of fun with. I never played the LEGO Star Wars games (though I really want "The Complete Saga"), but I see how interesting of a concept it is. So it's little wonder that they're milking it, with LEGO Batman coming in September, which should be awesome.

But it got me thinking... What other classic film - and even game - franchises would make good adaptations to the LEGO universe? Some ideas I'm fond of:

Movies
Lego Harry Potter (Probably my personal favorite. All 7 movies/books! Make it happen!)
Lego Lord of the Rings
Lego Matrix Trilogy (2nd favorite)
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
Lego Godfather

Video Games
Lego Halo (the Apil Fools joke that was kinda a fun idea!)
Lego Grand Theft Auto
Lego Myst

...that's all I've got right now. What about you guys? Any awesome Lego game ideas?

Call for Prayer - The Plot Needs to Thicken

Hey, guys. I know I do this a fair amount, but bear with me... I do think that it's extremely important, as well as exceedingly helpful.

A sane person might wait until morning to type up a post like this, but I feel an extreme pull to do it now, at 2AM. Take that as you will.

I really need prayer in regards to my writing. Specifically, I need help with:

1) Drive. While this is what I want to do with my life more than anything, more often than not it's really, REALLY hard to push myself to write every day, which leaves absolutely nothing done and helps nobody.

2) Creativity. God has given me the skills I need to make my goals happen... And they improve with each passing day. However, there are still a lot of times where I look at something I've written and said, "No, this sucks." Almost to my relief, a few of my test readers have agreed with me (without saying those words) and reaffirmed my belief that bits and pieces of "Tobias" really need work. This thing can't just be good, it has to be great if it's to stand ANY chance of doing what I want it to do. At the moment, it could be better. I need help getting where I'm going.

3) Luck/Being in the right place at the right time. Authors - even the skilled ones - in this industry can't just walk into Random House and say, "Hey, I've got a book trilogy. How many copies can you get into Barnes & Noble?" It's a lot tougher than that. And while I (somehow) have no doubt in my mind that it'll happen for me at some point...

3) Time/Speed. ...I'm having this voice in the back of my head lately telling me that sooner is going to be rather than later for this stuff. I don't exactly know the specifics - I'm no psychic or god - but I think that God is trying to tell me something... And I really feel like there are people out there that need my help, and that this whole bestselling-fantasy-novels-then-speeches-and-Christian-books-akin-to-Lewis plan is the best (if not only) way for me to get to them.

Now, I know that God isn't a fool... He'll get me where I need to be, without breaking a sweat. But I'm only human, and I could use some help. I have no doubt at all that prayer works - if it didn't, heck, I might not even be here now. And in the past when I've asked people to pray for me about this - be them family, friends, pastors, etc. - I've been MUCH more productive.

So I could use some of that now.

I know, somehow, that this is what I'm supposed to do. And I have no doubt at all that God has been starting to position and prepare me for it over my first year of college. For example:

- Meeting Stephen Graham Jones. Getting to sit down and talk to an author - one nominated for the Bram Stoker award no less - and having him give me tips (as well as lots of encouragement) was a pretty awesome thing for me.

- Getting the job at the Daily Toreador. I hadn't seeked out the position too much (much to my mother's grief), so God was forced to shove the "Help Wanted" ad down my throat. I had never written for a paper or anything really like it before, so I didn't have a clue what I was doing. The thought of writing a column (for which I knew none of the details. Heck, I'd barely read the DT) actually scared me a bit. So I just said, "God, if you want me to do this, give me the job, and I'll trust you. If not, just have them turn me down."

After a literal 5 minute meeting in which editor-in-chief Michelle Cassidy talked to me and glanced and the writing sample I'd brought, she offered me a job on the spot.

That would've been enough for most, but God had to be all like, "Nu-uh, dude! You 'aint done yet!" and so after only one semester of writing for the DT, departing opinions editor Britney Drumm offered me the job as her replacement. Something that terrified me (and still does, a bit), but I didn't see it entirely as a coincidence. So after some prayer, I accepted. God, I hope I don't screw that one up.

- Having an English teacher that was actually competent. That was pretty nice. What's more, she seems to have a graciously large amount of faith in my chances of making it in the literary world (she's a published poet, so she has at least some experience). As with Dr. Jones, Michelle, and Britney, that confidence really help me.

So yeah, if you guys could keep me in your thoughts and prayers for awhile, that'd be HUGE. I'm of course willing to return the favor (though I hope most of you know that I'd do it anyway), and would be extremely grateful... I've got a lot of projects planned and in progress: "Tobias", plus the rest of the Talebearer Trilogy, several short stories, and another project I'll talk about later (if things go well), all while working a lot this summer and then working at the DT when school starts again.

At least in my opinion, this kinda stuff beats partying and lollygagging any day of the week.

So thanks, guys. I hope I'll be able to share the fruits of all this labor with each and every one of you very soon. More importantly, though, I hope to be sharing the idea that it was God that put me on Letterman to talk about my book and the overall power of storytelling. There are a lot of things that I think far too few people hear, and this is my contribution to try to change that. Help wanted, as it's far from an easy task.

God bless you, every one.

- Britton

Atlanta Nights

When I was looking up information on joining Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. I stumbled upon this masterpiece of a tale, in which a team of talented science fiction and fantasy authors get together to pen the worst novel they possibly can, and then get it accepted for publication by a seemingly shady publishing house.

Mission accomplished. The book was picked up. Even though chapter 34 was written by a text generator. Even though some characters die, then mysteriously show up again later without explination or thought. Even though characters idly change race, gender, and motivation.

We "Young Inklings" (that is, my buddies and me who pretend to be C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) have read many a bad short story and "novel"... Atlanta Nights sounds like a unique piece that I should totally buy for our collection.

My favorite bit from this guys' review:

"But the book’s moment of true genius comes, not when one of the characters wakes up and realizes that all of the foregoing chapters were a dream, but when that happens AND THEN THE BOOK CONTINUES ANYWAY."

Now that's a plot twist...