You haven’t been forgotten; I’ve been quiet while I worked on a new plan. Basically, it’s going to include a lot of what I was aiming to do before, but in a completely different order. Some stuff has had to move years down the line. I’m still working on gesamtkunstwerk, but you won’t see those first. It’s a shame in some ways, but it’s what needs to happen. In general, the whole plan is not what I’d choose if I had me druthers, but it’s what needs to happen so I can pay my bills. Same as everyone else.

The first new thing you’ll see from me is a Patreon channel. Several people have suggested I use my decades of experience to do this, and having done some research, I think I can provide something worthwhile. In fact, the more I’ve dug into it, the more exciting it feels like it could be. To nobody’s surprise, this will focus on game design theory and practice, with notable sidelines into Kickstarter and best practice for that. I’ll have more on the details in a few days, and it’ll go live soon after that.

Planning isn’t all I’ve been up to though. On the game design front, I’ve put down all the multi-player stuff for pragmatic reasons and focussed on solo projects that I can playtest. I’ve also been writing a novella, which has been fun, and that has spawned an idea for a comic too. I was working on some art for that last night to test the style I had in my head. Intriguing notion, though I’ve never worked on a comic before. Not one that’s been published anyway. It’s unlikely to turn up soon, but I might carry on tinkering to see what images I can come up with. It’s a funny one – sprang into my mind’s eye fully formed. Not often that happens, so I’m inclined to lean into it a bit to see where it goes. That’s only a short window in each day though, so it won’t happen fast. I’ve mostly scheduled practical and immediate work: playing with comics or anything else is only for a defined playtime slot. Need to keep the brain agile and entertained, but can’t let it splurge everywhere and eat up the whole day.

Playing about on things that don’t have to be part of any income-generating projects is part of my plan. You might want to consider putting an hour or two aside each day for that yourself. Plan some free time to play when you can create without boundaries of deadline or requirement. There are many benefits. Your brain needs that freedom, at least some of the time, and it’ll make you smarter and more imaginative in your “real” work too. Not to mention that it’s both energising and relaxing at the same time. For me, that hour passes faster than every other, which is a good sign.

Do you have a structured play time in your day?