Category: Blogs!

07/20/2023 The History Nerd Wanders

Having arrived in Richmond, Virginia, we decided to spend the first day indulging my nerdy heart in an area of pure history.

It was very badly needed to keep me from worrying about the kids back home. Thankfully, they were behaving well enough, but still!

Concerned Swift is concerned.

I have to note the irony of a former adventurer being already done with the large number of people nearby, but I would remind everyone that those days are years and years behind me.

Small town ‘kid’ is slightly overwhelmed.

This city has so many points of history attached to it that I was a bit emotional, I must admit. For everyone who has not delved into United States History, Richmond was the capital city of the Confederacy. When multiple states decided to secede from the Union (because their economy was tied to the abuse of Black slaves to farm their crops and serve their houses, don’t let anyone tell you different), Richmond was chosen to be their focal point of trade, policy, and culture.

That didn’t end well for the Confederacy or the city of Richmond. When it was captured, it had been set fire and mostly destroyed. But in the centuries since, it’s been rebuilt and now is a fiercely progressive town (again, don’t let the grumblers tell you otherwise) that made even this weirdo feel welcome.

Not even two hours since arriving, we went straight to the park surrounding the State Capitol Building.

I had to smile at seeing this. We’re still fighting, Barbara.
This is a quote that’s been with me for years, and I was happy to see it on a monument.
Hello, old friend. Thank you for the stories.

We wandered wide and far in the city, but now that it’s late in the evening, I’m exhausted but will get at least one writing sprint done.

Stay safe out there, readers!

-JB Swift

07/19/2023 Virginia Bound

It’s been over 20 years but I’m off to see Richmond, Virginia again. Last time I was here, I was 15 years old and part of my high school’s JROTC program, heading for Norfolk. We were about to endure a week of US Marine Corps training, but our teacher, USMC Colonel Martin (Ret) asked that we stop in Richmond for the history.

I’m looking forward to wandering that city again.

Should be both nostalgic and shocking from all of the changes. I’ll find out soon enough.

Stay safe out there, readers!

-JB Swift

07/17/2023 Surprisingly Pretty Weather and Story Updates

We got a tiny reprieve during the late afternoon as a small front rolled over the sky, bringing a mildly cold breeze along with it.

My knee wasn’t happy about the sudden change in air pressure, but hey, you take what comforts you can get in the heat advisory days.

Slowly whittling away at chapter 4, but it’s starting to hit me in the doubts. It’s the perfect moment to dive into explaining exactly what the Peregrine is for the story (without spoiling plot relevant details), but there’s the concern that using this chunk to front-load the information might cause disinterest. I’ll need to ask a beta reader to go over it and see if it’s too boring.

Another 530 words down, at least! Progress!

Stay safe out there, readers.

-JB Swift

07/16/2023 Sunday Chores and Lazy Dogs

The session last night was epic, and I’m somewhat proud of myself for planning it out the way I had. I’ll be going over the notes and working it into a story format, but the party was just excellent with their choices and abilities.

I’m getting spoiled by having competent players.

But it’s Sunday, and I need to do my house-spouse duties.

Don’t mean I don’t have to wear the hat, though.

Lot of chores need doing before I can justify a writing sprint, but thanks to the doctor prescribing medications for the sinus infections, I can actually function without saying “existence is pain!” like any other Meeseek.

Of course, I also get an audience while I try to clean the house.

So unhelpful, but dammit they’re adorable.

Stay safe out there, readers. Gonna try for a writing sprint this evening.

-JB Swift

07/15/2023 GameNight Contingencies! Plus a Story Distraction.

We had to reschedule the Star Wars RPG session to tonight, as attendance proved to be a problem. I have a feeling that the summer is proving to be exhausting for everyone, not just this government-issued letter monkey.

Just in case this occurs tonight, I have a contingency plan!

I broke the adventure down into three separate side-quests, allowing the players to choose which aspect of the adventure they want to go through. This works out when we have, say, a Pilot who is unable to use their ship until everyone is finished with the ground mission, so they stick with the ground forces, or a droid designed for stealth operations unable to do so because everyone picks the noisiest methods to finish a mission.

This is what I normally do when I see players saying they might not be able to attend the Main Arc sessions, but still want to be involved somehow. After the session tonight, I’ll be going to those players who could not attend and give them the chance to go about their own side-quest.

It should be fun! I’ve been planning this out for months.

Along with that, I’ve been giving some thought to finishing the novella that a player asked me to write up. He rarely gets to play, but put a ton of work into the design and background. I think after I finish Chapter 4 in “Peregrine: Rising”, I’ll set up a couple weeks to knock that out.

Stay safe out there, readers!

-JB Swift

07/14/2023 Ides of July and Annual Sickness

My physician keeps telling me that I need to do things that will help me stay “regular”.

This is a double-layered joke between us, as my physician (also my Uncle) knows that there is no such thing as “regular” about me, while at the same time that I can be pretty reliable on getting sick at certain points of the year.

The middle of July is one of those times.

Went to bed last night with the normal grogginess brought on by over-exhaustion but felt the slight congestion that was the first warning sign. Woke up this morning with my sinuses acting like they were actually sledgehammers just under my eyes.

Yup, it’s that time of year again.

But I was also stubborn today and took simple over-the-counter medications in an attempt to slow the process while I walked 22 miles over a 12-hour shift. I again forgot that I was not in my early 20’s. I’m paying for that now, so it’s looking like I’ll be making a visit to an Urgent Care in the morning to find out just how badly I’ve pushed my physical limits.

Don’t think I’ll have a writing sprint this evening. The nighttime meds are kicking in, so it’s about to get really loopy over here. Think I’ll just watch a movie on the couch (IE fall asleep on the couch some ten minutes from now).

Stay safe out there, readers.

-JB Swift

07/13/2023 Off-Day Exhaustions, but the Goldens are Here

Folks, I made the mistake of believing I could mow four acres of land on a day off in the Louisiana heat advisory day. I’m all kinds of tired.

I did manage to have one writing sprint done today, so another 500 words will be added to the tally.

Casey and Joseph, I think, had the right idea of how to spend a day off.

Little bro always crowds Casey, and Casey never complains.

Stay safe out there, readers. I need sleep.

-JB Swift

07/12/2023 Plotting, Chapter Work, and Resisting Distractions (Plus Casey!)

During the evenings, when I sit down and ready for writing, I set my priorities and chores. I’ll go over the campaign plots and make minor adjustments to work in the suggestions from players, look ahead for the next session (Players: sessions are available, so send them requests!) or fill out the calendar a bit, write a little in the Sidewinder Stories, and then I hunker down into the work-in-progress (WIP), “Peregrine: Rising”.

Once we get to the last one, it’s a struggle. Not just from exhaustion, but from distracting bits of other stories floating about in this attic I call a brain.

The Interstellar Tall Tales always looks interesting, and the Shadowrun story is downright fun. But neither are in the priority list at the moment.

So of course, I get distracted by reading them over again, until I realize what I’m doing and say out loud, “Dammit boy, get back to work!”

This will be an ongoing process until I finish the story. I know.

While I go about this fun day-to-day, I present Casey!

Stay safe out there, readers.

-JB Swift

07/11/2023 Writing Progress and Penelope

As much as I complain about how physically demanding my profession can be, I forget that I am always slightly bewildered after a long stint at writing.

But after a morning of whittling away at the story and fixing errors, I’ve finished Chapter 3 for “Peregrine Rising”!

Of course, I looked up from the mental fog to see that Penelope is also enjoying the day off.

Quit taking the dog bed, dammit.

I’ll make ready for Chapter 4 after handling a few chores around the house. That one’s gonna be a bit lore-heavy, so I’ll need to think on how to approach it without boring everyone.

Stay safe out there, readers. Try to relax as much as the cat.

-JB Swift