Tag Archives: Doctor Who

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Why the Doctor Shouldn’t be a Woman

A female Fifth Doctor from Gen-Con 2014. (FYI: I'm not against women cosplaying the Doctor. It's cute). (Photo by Nathan Marchand)
A female Fifth Doctor from Gen-Con 2014. (FYI: I’m not against women cosplaying the Doctor. It’s cute).
(Photo by Nathan Marchand)

My apologies, fair readers, for neglecting to blog last week and for posting this one late. I was busy last week, what with the holidays and giving a science fiction presentation last week at the Roanoke Library. Perhaps I’ll post two blogs this week to make up for it.

I’d originally intended to write about something else, but with the brewing, well, brouhaha over this topic, I felt I should say something. If you’re not a Whovian (fan of Doctor Who), feel free to skip this post. It’s one of my favorite franchises, so I felt I should give my thoughts on the matter.

Recently, some fans have been clamoring for a female Doctor. At the risk of sounding sexist and/or misogynistic (FYI: I am neither), this is a bad idea. Here my reasons why.

1) It’s motivated by political correctness

No matter what showrunner Steven Moffat or anyone else says, the big reason this is getting pushed is because of political correctness. The Doctor has been male all his life. Making him a woman is nothing more than an attempt to placate an outspoken minority of women (and possibly feminists?) who, apparently, think they need to be represented by the character. It’s stupid, perhaps even insulting. It assumes women can’t enjoy a good story unless it features a female character(s). The Hobbit films made the same mistake adding a lady elf to the cast who wasn’t in the book because they thought it’d attract a female audience. The truth is that a good story can and should be enjoyed by everyone regardless of the characters’ ethnicity, age, and/or gender. Making the Doctor a woman because it might appeal to a female audience is shortsighted.

2) Gender is not interchangeable

I could be wrong on this, but I wonder if making the Doctor female is at least partially inspired by this modern notion that men and women aren’t that different (other than their “plumbing”). This idea is, in general, false. The differences between men and women go beyond reproductive organs and hormones. There are huge differences emotionally, mentally, and psychologically. Men and women think differently. Gender and sexuality isn’t some tabula rasa (“blank slate”). Much, if not most, of it is innate. There seem to be exceptions because of the corruption of sin. God created mankind male and female (Genesis 1:27). (I realize I’m talking about fictional aliens here, but its born out of ideas related to humans). To suddenly switch that is an insult to both genders.

3) Ruins the “romantic” appeal

I was chewed out a bit in a Facebook group for saying this, but I know this is true. One of the appeals of Doctor Who (particularly the new series) is that it’s a romantic fantasy. A handsome and mysterious man who comes to young women and offers to take them on fantastical adventures. While not every Companion falls in love with the Doctor (precious few don’t on the new series), this appeals to men because they want to be the man who leads the adventure, and women want to be taken on adventures. By making the Doctor a woman, this dynamic is ruined. Either she asks (or drags) men on adventures, which won’t appeal to a male audience, or she’ll ask other women to join her, effectively making the show a “chick flick,” thereby alienating the male audience. This sounds harsh, but it’s reality.

4) It’d alienate old-school fans

Doctor Who has been around for over 50 years. Like it or not, that means the franchise has built traditions, and those aren’t easily broken. One of those is the Doctor being male. By changing that, many, if not most, longtime fans who’ve been watching since the days of Tom Baker (or longer) will abandon the series. It wouldn’t be the show they loved. It’s hard enough keeping people on board after the Doctor regenerates—adding a gender swap would be killer.

5) More backlash if and when “she” regenerates back into a man

The flipside of the issue would be the backlash that would probably come if and when the hypothetical female Doctor regenerated back into a man. You can bet accusations of sexism would get thrown around. Feminists would probably say something about the show going back to its “chauvinist roots.” If this was being done because the female Doctor wasn’t well-received and, much like what happened with Colin Baker in the 1980s, she was being quickly replaced, this controversy would kill the show.

6) Female versions are usually either new characters or reboots

Gender swaps have been done before with traditionally male characters, but in most of those cases those were either brand new separate characters or part of a reboot. For example, in the mid-2000s, Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, seemed to die at the end of “Avengers Disassembled,” a tragic storyline published by Marvel Comics. A young woman who had admired Barton then took up his name/mantle and became a superheroine in his honor. Or when SyFy rebooted  Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck was a woman. The former worked well and the latter, while weird, also worked for most people. But since the 12 (or 13, depending on how you look at it) incarnations of the Doctor are technically the same person, it wouldn’t get a pass. Now, if the Doctor passed on his name to a worthy Time Lady as his dying act, I think fans could support that. (Sidenote: Ever seen a traditionally female character becomes a man?)

7) Difficult to write (and cast?) well

I’m not saying a female Doctor wouldn’t have the Doctor’s trademark quirks and witticisms, but I’d argue the usual challenges faced with recasting the Doctor—age, appearance, costume, etc.—would be worse and judged more harshly. If a young actress is cast, will that alienate older fans? Should she dress and/or act sexy? Some fans already object to how some the female Companions have been eye candy, so you can bet there’d be an uproar if the same happened with a female Doctor. Her every word and action would be scrutinized. (This isn’t to say there aren’t any actresses out there who play the part, though).

8) Need more nonviolent male heroes

As someone pointed out on the Fans For Christ Facebook page, one of the things that makes the Doctor great is he is an nonviolent hero. Most other famous fictional heroes—James Bond, Superman, Aragorn, etc.—distinguish themselves in battle. They aren’t bad characters, but the Doctor differentiates himself from them by using his intelligence and wits to save the day. This is a great thing for boys to see and admire so as to remember that not everything can be solved through violence.

9) Oversteps the limits of regeneration

While the concept of regeneration has been around since the First Doctor, the rules surrounding it have been murky. Except for a few throwaway lines implying a gender swap was possible through it, it never happened until this season when it was learned the villainous Master had become a woman (I argue this is open to interpretation). Regardless, I say a gender swap is beyond what regeneration can do. It makes sense that things like hair color, eye color, and body build can change because that’s still using the basic building blocks available. Swapping genders means adding whole new organs, glands, and hormones. In other words, it’s going from a renovation to a complete teardown and rebuilding. That’s ridiculous, even for Doctor Who.

10) Lesbianism (or Bisexuality)

As said, a staple of the new series has been Companions falling in love with the Doctor (to date only one hasn’t). If the Doctor becomes a woman, would she still have her old attractions, or would they switch too? Doctor Who is a family show, and despite Britain having a liberal definition of what constitutes such a program, I doubt a lesbian or bisexual Doctor would be deemed acceptable. Yes, there have been oblique pro-gay lines in the series sometimes, but most of those go over kids’ heads. And yes, there was Captain Jack, but even he wasn’t allowed to go full-throttle homosexual on Doctor Who (that was saved for Torchwood, which was an adult show). Again, it’s asking for trouble.

These are purely my opinions. You are welcome to disagree. If you’re a Whovian, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject, whether you agree with me or not. Please leave comments so we can discuss it.

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The Obligatory Gen-Con 2014 Blog

It’s been a week since Gen-Con 2014 ended, and as usual, I miss it. Not only does Gen-Con have a great Authors’ Avenue where I can sell books and a great Writers’ Symposium where I can attend seminars, it’s one of the few places I can be an unbridled nerd and nobody judges me.

If you follow me on Facebook (and if you don’t, you should), you saw my almost up-to-the-minute updates while my brother Jarod and I were at the four-day convention. There’s a lot I could write about, but for now I’ll focus on a few highlights not mentioned in those posts. UPDATE: More photos from Gen-Con have been posted on my Facebook page!

Want to see photographs from the convention? I recommend checking out my Facebook page. Until I figure out how the new photo gallery plug-in I downloaded works, that’s where I’ll be posting photos from signings and such. Sorry.

First, here are the fans/readers I met while I was at the con, both new and old.

My first sale of the con! A gentleman named Scott Blankenship purchased "Destroyer" and "The Day After."
My first sale of the con! A gentleman named Scott Blankenship purchased “Destroyer” and “The Day After.”
Here I am with fellow kaiju fan Tom Tancredi after he purchased "Destroyer."
Here I am with fellow kaiju fan Tom Tancredi after he purchased “Destroyer.”
My first "Chidlren of the Wells" buyer! His name is Sean Steele (which sounds like the name of a hero in a book).
My first “Children of the Wells” buyer! His name is Sean Steele (which sounds like the name of a hero in a book).
I convinced my buddy Darrin Ball to buy "Destroyer" and "The Day After" since he purchased "Pandora's Box" from me a few years ago. He's still the HeroScape champ to me! ;)
I convinced my buddy Darrin Ball to buy “Destroyer” and “The Day After” since he purchased “Pandora’s Box” from me a few years ago. He’s still the HeroScape champ to me! 😉
This is Ben and Ashley Davis. I befriended them through Facebook (mostly), and they stopped by and bought "Pandora's Box." Wonderful people!
This is Ben and Ashley Davis. I befriended them through Facebook (mostly), and they stopped by and bought “Pandora’s Box.” Wonderful people!
Joe Stichmeyer (I hope I spelled that right), anotehr fellow kaiju fan, bought "Destroyer" from me and "Mammoth Monster Madness"--an anthology I contributed to--from Ed Russell.
Joe Stichmeyer (I hope I spelled that right), anotehr fellow kaiju fan, bought “Destroyer” from me and “Mammoth Monster Madness”–an anthology I contributed to–from Ed Russell.
A Rogue cosplayer named Alyssa who bought "The Day After."
A Rogue cosplayer named Alyssa who bought “The Day After.”
I met Alyssa VanderGalien (I hope I spelled that right) at the FFC/CGG worship service that morning, and she stopped by to purchase "The Day After."
I met Alyssa VanderGalien (I hope I spelled that right) at the FFC/CGG worship service that morning, and she stopped by to purchase “The Day After.”
Here I am with Patricia Gore.
Here I am with Patricia Gore.

This was Jarod’s first time at Gen-Con, though it wasn’t his first convention. He’s gone with me to several others this year as attendees. We made prints of the illustrations he’s done for my short stories and the titles cards he’s made for my YouTube show, “But I Digress…”. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, we weren’t able to sell any of these. I was shocked. Conventions seemed like the places where people would eat up his artwork. Perhaps it was because we were in the authors’ section and not the art show area. Regardless, he did manage to get a pair of commissions: one for a steampunk pin-up girl a guy wanted for a restaurant he wants to start called Pandora’s Lunchbox (he told us about it because of the title of my novel), and another for a con-goer who wanted little pictures of Wile E. Coyote and a Digimon for a Magic: The Gathering card. Jarod also drew a few random sketches during our downtime, especially when things were slow on Thursday, including Maleficent, a ballerina Dalek (no joke), and a ninja Elsa. He gave the last one to a Jedi Elsa cosplayer, who inspired the artwork.

As for my book sales, they were slow again this year. I took fewer books with me assuming I’d sell out, but I didn’t. I got a few bits of advice from my fellow writers on how to improve that:

1) Get new signs. I’ve been using Jarod’s handmade sign for three years now. It’s time I upgraded. It’ll help me look more professional.

2)  Have more books. For whatever reason, people will be more interested in buying books when they have more choices. I thought the opposite was true, but I think it would diversify my appeal and show people I’m still writing.

It didn’t help that the new books I wanted to take—Children of the Wells, Volume 1—didn’t arrive in time, so I wasn’t able to sell them until Saturday. Even so, that was a bit of tough sell since I wasn’t in that collection (but I’ll be in volume two).

However, I think my networking was much-improved this year. I talked with more of the writers there and shared my business cards with them. I think I even found a publisher interested in seeing Ninjas and Talking Trees. J Hopefully, in the coming year, that will all pay off.

As usual, while other vendors were too tired to enjoy the convention after the exhibitors’ hall closed, I was still running around with boundless energy like the Doctor. (In fact, I cosplayed as the 10th Doctor while I was there on Sunday).

I've harassed this Dalek every year, and I was excited to do so this time since I had a real costume. But his batteries were dead. He must've been so scared, he shut down. :P
I’ve harassed this Dalek every year, and I was excited to do so this time since I had a real costume. But his batteries were dead. He must’ve been so scared, he shut down. 😛

I attended many writing seminars since many of the other events I wanted to attend were sold out. (I waited to sign up since I was on the waiting list for months and wasn’t sure I’d make it to the convention). Regardless, I was still able to participate in an “Ultra Street Fighter IV” tournament Friday night and see the Five Year Mission show Saturday night. I wasn’t able to play any board games, though.

Overall, I don’t think it was quite as good of an experience as last year’s convention, but I still want to return next year. That, sadly, is uncertain since the organizers didn’t allow writers and artists an early sign up at the end of the convention like they usually do. I have no idea when tables will be available. On the bright side, I could have as many as three new titles to sell at next year’s convention if all goes as planned (more on that later).

See you next year, Gen-Con!

News, Announcements

I’m Starting an American Version of ‘Doctor Who’!

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You’ve probably been wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks. Well, I’ve been a busy fanboy. I decided to utilize the connections I’ve been making in the writing world—most notably Jonathan Maberry—and you won’t believe what I managed to do. I convinced Steven Moffat, the showrunner for Doctor Who, to let me make an American version of the show!

A promotional title card for the series.

A promotional title card for the series.

First, I must say that I was honored that “the Grand Moff” took time out of his busy schedule (what with Peter Capaldi filming his first season as the Doctor) to talk to me. I told him about a Buzzfeed article (and subsequent video) published a few months back where a fan mused about the equivalent American actors who could’ve played the Doctor had the show been an American production. This inspired me. I was a longtime Whovian and had written the pilot for what I thought would be a respectful American remake of Who. The episode was entitled “Bigger on the Outside.” The episode would start in the 1960s, and the TARDIS would be a phone booth. He said he’d look it over. A few days later, he called me and said he loved the script and so did BBC. Obviously, my jaw dropped. “This might distract the fans from hating me,” he said. I immediately started talking about casting. I told him my friend Scott Klaus, an even longer-time Whovian, would be perfect, but then Moffat threw me a curveball. “You should be the American Doctor!” he says. “What?!” I blurt. He says Mr. Maberry referred him to my Facebook page, and he liked the photo of my Tenth Doctor cosplay. But what convinced him I should play the part was this photo:

"Dude, you could play Dr. Who!" (Photo by Sergio Garza)
“Dude, you could play Dr. Who!” (Photo by Sergio Garza)

He took one look at that and thought, “He can play the Doctor, too!”

I tried to tell him I wasn’t cool enough to be the Doctor, but he would hear none of it. He was already talking with executives at BBC America and the SyFy Channel about the show. “A thirteen-episode season should be enough, right?” he asked. “Um…sure…” I replied.

Looks like I finally got my big break, True Believers! The writer and star of my own science fiction TV series!

Whether it’s picked up by BBC America or SyFy, the show will premiere April 1, 2015.

As my favorite Doctor always said, “Allons-y!”

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The Importance of Art

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First, before I get my main thesis, I’d like to thank everyone at the Roanoke Public Library in Roanoke, Indiana, for having me give a lecture on fantasy writing last Thursday. It was a small crowd (stupid weather!), but it was fun. I’d love to come back, especially if you have room for one more lecturer.

Since I spent a fair amount of time preparing the lecture and I’m sure some people didn’t come but wanted to, I’m going to expand it a bit and make it into a multi-part series for my vlog, “But I Digress….” Expect the first video soon!

Anyway, as I was going to say…

A few weeks ago, I got involved in a short but heated discussion between a friend and her sister (they shall remain nameless) on Facebook. My friend had posted a photo of an angel someone made of snow. Being that we’re both Whovians (“Doctor Who” fans), I commented, “Don’t blink!” (This was a reference to the nefarious Weeping Angels). My friend then went on about how they were also the evil Snowmen from another episode, so you couldn’t look at them or blink. Her sister then commented, saying she looked at the photo and blinked and nothing happened. At first, I thought she was being sarcastic, but I realized she wasn’t. The sister then said she didn’t understand how anyone could be “obsessed” with fictional things like this when real life had more to offer. My friend, myself, and one other person tried to explain things to her. Since I came into the discussion later, I just posted this quotation from my friend “Jack”:

when_i_was_ten____by_johansrobot-d5szt4h
You wanna argue with C.S. Lewis, hmm?

When I hit adolescence, I started getting the feeling that kids my age didn’t watch things like cartoons. That was the age one “outgrew” them. We were supposed to do better things with our time…like chase the opposite sex in a hormone-crazed frenzy and read books like Twilight (how is that book more mature than cartoons?). But guess what? I kept watching the cartoons I thought were good. In secret. Yes, I was embarrassed that I enjoyed watching shows “Beast Wars,” “Spider-Man,” and “Batman: The Animated Series.” I wanted to be seen as mature and grown-up, at least in public. I spent most of teenage years living this quasi-double life. I was quite a serious lad at the time. It took college to lighten me up.

Now I make no secret that I enjoy cartoons, comic books, and other “childish” forms of entertainment. Seriously, look at my video collection:

Yeah, I am such an overgrown boy. :P
Yeah, I am such an overgrown boy. 😛

Part of that is the nostalgia craze that’s been going on for over a decade, which has made these things more acceptable. But there are still those who would look at this and say, “These shouldn’t be on a grown man’s shelf.” They’d cite 1 Corinthian 13:11 as evidence that such a person was immature.

But here’s the truth: only children worry about being perceived as grown-up. Many children at one point or another wished they were adults. They worry about what people will think of them if they “act childish.” With age, however, comes the attitude that what people think doesn’t matter, and the wisdom that true maturity comes from how one treats others and his responsibilities.

Yes, people read comics, watch “Doctor Who,” and play video games as an escape. They’re called “escapist entertainment” for a reason. It’s a stress relief because life is often hard. The problem is when one lets it become an addiction, a source of one’s self-worth. I’ve seen this happen. It’s sad. But anything, no matter how good it is, can become an addiction. There’s a difference between someone who has an occasional sip of wine and an alcoholic.

There’s also something to be said about cultivating an imagination. People who are imaginative see things like nobody else. They invent, they create. Ideas are their playthings. Without people like them, we wouldn’t have technology, culture, and philosophies. Heck, I keep hearing stories about how much of the tech seen in “Star Trek” and its spin-offs keeps inspiring real gadgets!

Capt. Kirk inspired your cell phone. Capt. Picard inspired your iPad. You owe them. :P
Capt. Kirk inspired your cell phone. Capt. Picard inspired your iPad. You owe them. 😛

Art enriches our lives. It illustrates truths. It provides a lens that puts life into perspective. It expresses things we might have trouble articulating (hence why most couples have a favorite love song). We see ourselves in all our beauty and ugliness. It gives us ideals to strive for. It expresses our deepest longings.

In other words, it helps us figure out life. And life then in turn enriches art. The two need each other like a husband needs a wife, and vice versa. Without it, there would be no color to life. We would be robots.

Most importantly, art is an expression of being God’s image bearers. God created the universe. It isn’t purely functional. It’s full of color and wonder and adventure. I drove through Pennsylvania and Maryland a few months ago and was blown away by the rolling hills, mountains, and multicolored leaves. I grew up in house that was constantly surrounded by mischievous animals. And need I mention the wonder of the night sky? God is an artist.

Think about that next time you want to criticize someone for being an “out-of-touch child” just because he made his own lightsaber.

Vlog, Review

But I Digress…, Episode 19: A Review of ‘Day of the Doctor’

“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand

In case you didn’t know, I’m a Whovian (“Doctor Who” fan). I wanted to review the franchise’s 50th anniversary special, but I was so busy, I was barely able to watch it and didn’t have time to review it myself. So, I invited a special guest to review it for me–and he was interrupted by some unexpected arrivals! Special thanks to my friends Sarah Kilduff and Anthony Gangemi.

Merry Christmas, True Believers!

Please subscribe, share, and comment!

Video, Commercial

But I Digress…, Episode 19 Teaser Trailer

Here’s a homespun “trailer” for my next vlog. I don’t normally do this, but it’s a review for a major event in fandom and I had a fun idea for a preview, so I made it. I even tried recording a voiceover for teh first time.

Featuring the music from the “Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor” teaser trailer music, composed by Murray Gold.

Special thanks to the Whovians and celebrities I met at Gen-Con 2012 and 2013, who you see in those photo montage. I hope none of you mind me using those pictures.

If you’d like to see the trailer I parodied, watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hRy2N2CMhQ

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A Big Name at a Small Convention

My apologies, True Believers! I wanted to get a blog posted Wednesday so I could start a new posting schedule. Better late than never!

Last weekend, I traveled to Maryland to meet my friend Sarah “Serenity” Kilduff. She invited me to go with her to her local library’s “mini-comic-con” that Friday in Aberdeen. After a harrowing drive the previous day (mental note: don’t ever drive that far again in one day!), the two of us put on our cosplay outfits–I was the 10th Doctor and she was the coolest-looking TARDIS I’ve ever seen–and headed to the library.

Sarah in her awesome TARDIS dress (right) and me as the 10th Doctor (left). "Alons-y!"
Sarah in her awesome TARDIS dress (right) and me as the 10th Doctor (left). “Alons-y!”

 

We had a great time, and I hung out with several people the whole afternoon, most notably Anthony, who was dressed as the 11th Doctor.

That, however, is just the set-up.

The “mini-con” (not to be confused the Transformers faction of the same name) was capped off with a lecture by author Jonathan Maberry. Admittedly, I’d never heard of him nor read his books, but I was interested in hearing him as a fellow writer.

My gosh, this guy has connections! He met Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson as a kid. He’s friends with just about every horror author out there. He’s written comics and screenplays. He even said he once had dinner with Neil Gaiman and talked to Steven Moffat, the showrunner for Doctor Who, on the phone! “Talk about geeking out!” he said.

His story was fascinating. He started as nonfiction writer on martial arts. Then he tried his hand at compiling an encyclopedia for vampire and monster mythology he heard from his grandmother as a kid. He sort of stumbled into writing fiction, doing it at first just to stretch himself as a writer. Now he does that full time. He has friends in the scientific community, too. They constantly feed him story ideas based on their research–like cloning neanderthals. (Seriously, he says that’s being worked on).

He’s quite prolific, so I asked him how long he writes everyday. He said 10 hours! He goes for about 3,000-4,000 hours a day. But he always makes sure to take weekends off for his family. Still, I was blown away. My days are split between writing, chores, and a part-time job. It makes me want to re-evaluate my priorities. Perhaps even make some changes to my lifestyle.

After hearing all this, I couldn’t resist giving him copies of my books (yes, I take them with me everywhere) and since he was a Whovian, I got a picture with him and Anthony. A photo background with with zombies are there, so we took the photo there.

This is what happens when these three meet! Anthony the 11th Doctor (left), Mr. Maberry (middle) and me (right) running from zombies.
This is what happens when these three meet! Anthony the 11th Doctor (left), Mr. Maberry (middle) and me (right) running from zombies.

I re-learned an important lesson from him: network, network, network. Knowing the right people is just as important–if not more so–than writing talent in this business. But its important to know people outside the writing field, too. They can help with research or give one story ideas. It reminded me to make as many friends and connections everywhere I go. I never know when it’ll pay off later.

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Distractions, Distractions, Dis–Oh, ‘Doctor Who’!

distraction (1)I really need to update more often on here. Heck, I took a writing seminar at Gen-Con where I was reminded that if I want to be successful as a writer in the digital age, I need not only maintain a blog but update on a regular basis. I’ve been trying to do that more often, usually writing about things besides, well, writing, but life has a way of interfering with my best laid plans.

But it’s not just that. It’s me. Dr. Hensley, my English professor from TUFW,  would be disappointed with my time management. What’s weird is it seemed easier to be disciplined back then. Maybe it was because there were fewer distractions–or at least fewer readily accessible distractions. Regardless, I’ve been taking on more and more writing projects than I originally expected. Remember my last vlog of 2012 where I mentioned what my big projects were gonna be for this year?  Well, it’s at least double that now. I’ve taken on a co-writing a nerdy devotional with a friend; making an updated version of Destroyer; writing short stories for a pair of collections; writing a script for a fanfilm I’d like to produce; and I’m still trying to keep up with my aforementioned projects!

If it was just because I’m trying to do too much, I’d say it was a good problem to have. But that’s not the only reason. I’m somewhat unique among writers in that I’m an extrovert. I like being social. I’ll usually respond to friends asking me to hang out. Or I’ll jump on Facebook and “hang out” there. Lately, I’ve been showing my brother Jarod the new Doctor Who show. He’s hooked–and so am I to showing it to him. Or I let my hobbies, like video games, sap my time.

Meanwhile I’m still have a part-time job and I want to go back to the gym.

Procrastination is a fiend!

Then I stop and realize I haven’t gotten nearly as much done as I wanted to. This bugs me. I like feeling accomplished everyday. The problem is I let myself feel accomplished doing things like earning trophies on my Playstation 3 games. It needs to come from getting a minimum 1,000 words written everyday (and that excludes blog posts like this!).

So, first, let me apologize for my poor time management. I still need to get photos from Gen-Con posted on here, dangit!

Second, you have my permission to harp on me to get stuff done. You’d be surprised what pressure from fans can accomplish. Also, if you have any advice for overcoming distractions and/or procrastination, please share them with me.