Lots of Games for Cheap

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Quirkworthy

One of the heartening things that this year’s many and varied calamities has brought up has been a series of generous offers from creators in a wide variety of media. The latest one I’ve stumbled across is gaming related, which is why I mention it here.

Over on itch.io, they’re offering over 740 projects for a minimum donation of $5. As this is provided by a total of over 500 different indie creators, there should be something to suit most tastes somewhere in the mix.

Note that itch.io is a funny place, full of weird and wonderful creations by a myriad of talented indie creators. It began with digital projects, and that’s still what the bulk of them are. However, increasingly you also see tabletop RPG and the occasional tabletop game. There are a dozen or more of these in this bundle.

I’ve not got anything on itch.io myself (yet), so I’ve no personal investment. This post is really just a public service announcement. Thought that I should just put this out there. After all, it’s always better to find out before the timer runs down.

And yes, there is a timer. About 7 days and 17 hours let on this generous offer as I type.

Just click the banner to see what I’m on about:

itchio offer banner

 

Posted in Random Thoughts | 4 Comments

How is Gaming Weathering the Storm?

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Quirkworthy

When I worked for Games Workshop, the bosses used to say that the toy and game industry was especially robust when it came to surviving recessions; last in, first out. So what about pandemics?

With most bricks and mortar game stores only now reopening after weeks of closure, and even online stores having issues with absent staff, needing to reorganise for safe working, and supply chain hold ups, it’s not been easy.

Many publishers are suffering from a wholesale cancellation of conventions. The sales they would make are often critical to the cashflows of smaller companies. This loss of face time with their audience has also meant a lack of exposure for many new titles, and the consequent loss of sales even online. After all, people can’t buy what they don’t know about. Expanding your marketing spend elsewhere is fine in principle, but is much less of a known benefit, and that’s assuming you have the cash to do so.

Happily, so far I’ve heard of many troubles, plenty of job losses, much tightening of belts, but few closures within the industry. Most companies have adapted rather than simply choosing to bunker up, and they’ve used their ingenuity to work round the problem. We’re seeing online versions of official conventions as well as many impromptu gatherings. Gamers are finding ways to game even if they cannot meet their usual groups in person. And that’s a very good thing both for the sanity of the individual gamers, and the publishers who need folk to have a reason to buy the new shiny.

Then there’s Kickstarter.

Before the pandemic, their tabletop games section usually had about 310 projects running at any one time. This number is slightly seasonal, and wanders about a bit natively, but 310 is a good rule of thumb. As the pandemic hit, and uncertainty among creators rose, so the number of new projects dropped precipitously. Within a couple of weeks it had dropped by a third (the lowest I saw it was 203). Kickstarter reported a similar % drop in revenue.

As Kickstarter apparently had little or no cash reserves to fall back on, they were forced to let about 40% of their staff go. That was pretty grim, and happened very quickly. Luckily, having just unionised, the staff got what look on paper to be reasonable deals (considering the circumstances), and I suspect that many of them will be hired back when the good times come again.

They are coming back, right?

Probably.

Since that low of 203, the numbers have steadily picked up, and last week they briefly topped 300 again. It’s not back to where it was, but I’d say it’s running about 90%, which ain’t bad, and is within the noise of the normal variability. Of course, we know that it’s not normal, but on pure numbers it’s not alarming in the way it was.

Of course, we aren’t out of the woods yet. Not by some distance.

According to the medical professionals, we are almost certain to have a second wave of this virus. We know what’s coming, and we know what to do, but like the first time, politicians are unlikely to actually do that, and many more people will die.

It also means that any nascent recovery in any sector is likely to get punched in the face.

So, what to do?

Well, if you’re a gamer, it all depends on your financial security. Over 40 million Americans have been made unemployed as a direct result of the pandemic. There are similar problems in other countries. If this is you, then buying new games is the least of your worries. You’ll want to play what you can from what you already have (or try some of the many excellent free PnP offerings online). Play is good for your emotional wellbeing, and I’ve been unemployed enough times to know that you’ll want the boost.

If you’re in a stable job and are weathering the storm fine, then there’s nothing to stop you carrying on as before. Certainly, your FLGS and the smaller publishers could definitely do with your support. I say smaller companies as I’m assuming that the biggies have deeper pockets and can survive better anyway. But all of them are likely to be hurting.

If you’re a publisher, and were thinking of using the traditional route to market to sell in bricks and mortar stores, maybe hold that thought for a while. It’s going to be months before distribution and sales are back to normal. You’ll have to spend way more time in communication with your usual channels to find out what the reality is on the ground. Maybe you can make it work. However, it’s likely to be an even steeper uphill climb than usual. Maybe you need to push online more.

If you’re a creator looking to run a Kickstarter, then my advice is to do so now. Don’t wait. Logic suggests that we are getting a second wave of this soon, and there are bound to be more disruptions. Maybe another lockdown, definitely more people sick, more people isolating, more people unemployed. Also, more people in real need of some joy, and that’s what games bring, right? So, we keep on keeping on.

However, it’s worth noting that during this virus, during this lockdown, right in the middle of this sudden loss of trade, Kickstarter also saw its biggest ever campaign. Mythic Games ran their most successful campaign too. Several other companies ran campaigns that raised over a million dollars. Clearly, there is still an audience out there.

So again, my advice to you is move now if you can. If you don’t want to go live during the uncertainties of a second wave, then it’s now, or next year.

And Kickstarter itself? It seems pretty robust. They were caught with no cash reserves, which was careless of them. Maybe they’ll learn. Even so, they reacted quickly and grasped the nettle rather than pretending they’d be OK without a rapid response. I think that shows solid leadership and a robust company. The next wave is likely to have less effect on the numbers as people have seen it before. Less fear of the unknown.

All of which means that it’s been a grim time, but us humans are resilient. Gamers want to game, and a mere pandemic won’t stop that. It has changed our landscape, and maybe it’s taken away some of our cash. What it hasn’t done is dim our desire to do what we do. And gaming is part of that.

It may be bad now.

No matter.

This too shall pass.

Posted in Kickstarter | Tagged , | 5 Comments

It’s Alive!

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Turns out all I needed was a dark castle, lots of lightning, and a crowd of peasants with pitchforks and fiery brands. Just apply the electrodes, and Voila! It’s alive! By which I mean, the Game Design Mastery Patreon is up and running. Huzzah!

GDM Patreon

I’d always planned to go live in the late evening to avoid double-charging people. In the end it crept just over midnight as I ran into a load of Discord stuff I didn’t understand. I’d not used it before and whilst it’s pretty simple when you’ve unravelled it, there are loads of things to set behind the scenes and their explanation of terms is abysmal. They clearly missed the first lesson of 101 How To Explain Stuff: always define your terms before you start. Not just true in rulebooks.

Anyway.

In the end I think it’s all linked up as it should be, which is cool. There’s a few more bits and bobs to explore on the back end as there are quite a lot of options in Patreon for linking other software. Other than that, there’s content to write! Always more of that.

If you’re interested in the idea of the Game Design Mastery project, I wrote a longer explanation of what it entails here, or you can pop straight over to the Patreon. I think it came out looking quite attractive in the end.

Posted in Game Design Mastery | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Game Design Mastery

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Every art contains a related craft.

Music is underpinned by an understanding of notation and structure as well as traditions, styles, and the ability to make the noises you desire come out of the instrument you choose.

Cooking is more than throwing random ingredients in a pan. Done well, it rests on an understanding of interrelations of flavour and texture, the chemical changes brought on by heat and cold, the interplay of differing ingredients, the signatures of regional flavours, changes in seasonality, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of root vegetables.

Visual arts of any sort, whether they be painting or film making, are all founded on an understanding of light and form, of composition and negative space, of hue and value, as well as the ability to make the mark you want with the tool you choose.

And so it is that there is a craft to learn for Game Design too.

 

Master and Apprentice

Forget talent. Everyone starts with a lack of skill, and by dint of effort, attains some. More effort is always helpful, but this is not the smart way to learn. Merely bulling your way through is the long way round. A smarter way is by targeted and focussed learning.

When you study any art, what you are really studying is the craft that relates to it. This is absolutely necessary. The craft is what you learn.

Whether it is possible to teach someone how to be a Master, or whether this is in some way innate, is open to debate. It is, however, entirely possible to teach someone the only measurable prerequisite for being a Master: mastery of the craft.

 

Attaining Mastery vs Being a Master

Not all those who achieve mastery of a craft become a Master of their Art. However, every Master of an Art has also achieved mastery of their craft.

If you want to join the ranks of the Masters, then attaining mastery of your craft is the only sensible place to start.

Regardless of what your art made be, you need to practice the elements of your craft and polish your understanding until it is automatic and instinctual. As long as you want to stay at that level, you will need to continue that practice, because craft skills are perishable.

There are many ways to learn your chosen craft, and mastery of it will not look identical to each practitioner. Mastery does not mean that you know every possible permutation – there is always more to learn. However, there is a key distinction:

The novice needs to focus on the craft to achieve the effect they seek. Their effort is in bending their tools to their purpose as much as the purpose itself.

The Master understands the craft to the point that they no longer need to think about it. They intuit answers to puzzles, and they see each challenge as resolvable, generally in myriad ways. They are, therefore, able to rise above the struggles of how can I do this, and instead devote their time to the why and the what. What is worth doing? Why would I choose to do this rather than that?

The few people who are considered Masters of an Art have invariably mastered their craft. However, not all who perfect their craft can be called Masters. That extra step is far more elusive and not susceptible to a simple A, B, C approach. Based on researching the lives of acknowledged Masters in other arts, my belief is that it is dedication to a specific field, and the continuation of study that leads to true Mastery. That is a distant goal for most of us, though the journey itself can be very rewarding. There is much to learn for a practitioner of any level.

 

The Game Design Mastery Project (GDM)

This project aims to help game designers of all experience levels get the most out of their craft, and, with diligence and practice, to master it. It includes a series of books, a Patreon page, and my consulting work.

My hope is that GDM will enable me to help a lot more people than I can with just the consultancy work I do at the moment. I’m also looking forward to being able to focus more time on listening to what people need to know, and where they struggle. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and some stuff is second nature to me that is opaque to the novice. It’s not always easy to tell what that might be, and I’m sure I can be more effective by hearing what you have to say. Mentoring people is often illuminating for me as well, and seeing the light bulb come on makes me smile every time.

So what about each of these three elements within GDM?

 

Consultancy

To take the least widely interesting first, it is possible that the books and Patreon will kill my consultancy work. We’ll have to see. However, if there are people who still want one-on-one attention, I’ll make time to do some between the books and Patreon. I’ll set up a new contact page for that in due course. This site is overdue it’s reworking…

 

Game Design Mastery books

These are the heart of the project in many ways. Research shows that people learn better in small, focussed lessons, so rather than one monstrous volume hundreds of pages long, I’m producing a series of much smaller books, each of which will tackle a single piece of the puzzle. They will be inexpensive, and pocket sized for convenience (if you get the print version). The aim is to publish one a month. The books are split into two main threads: Theory & Practice, and Nuts & Bolts.

The Theory & Practice books cover the why and the conceptual end of the process. Nuts & Bolts is a series that looks at individual mechanics and dismantles them so you can understand where they come from and how they can best be used.

All of the books include background on the topic and discussion, as well as practical advice on how to apply the volume’s topic to your work. As humans generally retain learning more by doing than reading alone, each volume will also include at least 2 practical challenges for you to try your hand at.

The model for this is more the 1-Minute Manager series, if you know them, than a multi-part magazine. You do not have to collect them all; they aren’t numbered. Instead, you should just pick the ones that suit your style of work and interests. Each stands alone.

 

Patreon

For those who are not familiar with Patreon, it is a site where people who want to support creative individuals can sign up to pledge a certain amount of money each month to do so. In return, they get some rewards.

It’s a very flexible system that aims to replace the single rich patron that renaissance Masters like Leonardo or Michaelangelo had, with a larger number of normal folk each donating smaller amounts. It’s analogous to the difference between venture capitalists and crowd funding.

The aim of Patreon is to provide partial or complete funding to enable creative folk to write, play music, paint, sing, or whatever they do instead of panic about paying the bills every month. It is a way to enrich the world with beauty in all its forms. Yes, even that one you can’t stand.

Each creator chooses one or more levels at which a “patron” can offer support, and defines what the cost and rewards for each will be. These levels are called tiers. I’m starting with 3.

In essence, the cost of each tier reflects how much of my time I think it will take for me to deal with its rewards each month. Each tier includes everything in all tiers below.

 

Tier 1: Curious about Game Design (£2)

Firstly, you have my sincere thanks for your support. It looks trite on paper, but it’s heartfelt. Without you guys, the GDM project doesn’t work. The books may spread the project’s tentacles wide, but patrons are the project’s heart.

This tier also gains you access to a library of GDM articles. I’ve put a couple in to start with. A new one will be added each month. On top of this baseline, another article will be added each time we hit a new milestone (when the total number of patrons goes up another 25).

In addition, there is a Patron-only Discord.

Oh, and a short, weekly, informal, behind the scenes video to see what’s on my desk and what I’m up to. This is somewhat scary.

 

Tier 2: Intrigued by Game Design (£5)

On top of the Tier 1 rewards, you get another 3 things:

A second Discord channel so you can talk about…

WIP versions of the background and discussion sections of the next volume in the GDM book series. This may be one iteration of each volume; it may be more. How many depends on what works when it goes live and we start to kick them about. Either way, you get to read the rough cut before anyone else, and have input into what works, what’s missing, and what could be clearer. I look forward to the conversation.

Patrons at this tier also get to nominate topics for the monthly articles and vote on which they would like me to do. I’m happy to write on anything about GDM, so let’s make it whatever is most useful to you. I’m intrigued to see what you’ll come up with.

 

Tier 3: Absorbed by Game Design (£12)

Patrons at this level have one more Discord server to discuss the final piece of the puzzle:

WIP versions of the challenges from the next volume of the GDM book series. Every volume will have at least 2. This, more than any other element of GDM, is here to make you think. On the face of it, some of these challenges look pretty easy, but this is deceptive, and all reward a deeper pondering. They are puzzles that you can return to time and again, and which can be answered in a number of ways. They are more like zen koans than crossword puzzles because they do not have a single answer. Only by not trying can you be wrong.

 

Exciting Times

For me, GDM is a really exciting project. As those who have met me in person will attest, I love nothing more than discussing games, and I’m very hopeful that you and I will be able to build a group of like-minded individuals around the GDM concept. And yes, you’re a vital part of this. Me talking to myself just won’t be the same.

So here’s my expectation and hope: GDM will take time to build, it will be a lot of hard work, and it will be an absolute pleasure to be part of.

It starts tomorrow.

Posted in Game Design Mastery | Tagged , | 10 Comments

A Two-Pronged Assault

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Given the number of changes that outside influences have forced on everyone’s plans over the last 6 months, I have tried to come up with a new plan that will, hopefully, be more robust. While there are still many outside events and actors who could change things, these modifications should be more akin to dinosaurs evolving gradually than a dirty great rock falling out of the sky and killing them all one sunny Friday afternoon.

At the highest level, I’ve split my work into two main areas. There are a few odds and ends, admin, and whatnot which sit outside, but the bulk of my work now belongs to one or other of these two blocks:

  • Game Design Mastery.
  • My own IPs.

 

Game Design Mastery

This project aims to help game designers of all experience levels get the most out of their craft, and, with diligence and practice, to master it. It includes a series of books, the Patreon I mentioned, and a continuation of my consulting work.

Note that “mastery” does not mean that you will be a master, nor that I am one. I consider gaining a mastery of the art of game design to be a prerequisite for being considered a master, but not a guarantee. But that’s a whole other article.

I’ll be posting a more detailed exploration of this project and what to expect this Sunday.

 

My Own Intellectual Properties (IPs)

I’ve worked on many fictional worlds for other companies over the years. These are ones that I’ve been working on for myself, without the need to satisfy clients or management; in fact, without the need to seek approval outside my own head. I could argue that this makes them better, but all it really does is makes them more personal. Now that may mean that I’m more invested and so produce my best work, but you’ll have to decide for yourself.

There are several of these, and all are intentionally without a deadline. The foundations of a new fictional world are worth taking time over as getting them wrong can cause all manner of troubles down the line. Getting them right and making them solid will reward you later. So that’s what I’m doing. I’ve already written some short stories and games, and made some sketches, but nothing I’m going to share till its ready.

I mention these here not to tease you for an imminent release. That’s not where they’re at in my head. I just wanted to let you know that interesting stuff is going on outside the scope of the Game Design Mastery work, and that it will turn up in due course. When it’s ready.

 

Other Stuff

I’ve also been experimenting with planning more downtime into my schedule. I’m used to working 7 days a week, so taking days off is weird. I tried doing nothing at all and just flumping about wasting the day on YouTube videos and suchlike, and all I felt was guilty for wasting a day. It wasn’t relaxing at all. So, I’m being constructive in other ways, including learning how to use some new software, which is a lot of fun.

One last thought is about this blog. In the light of this latest revision of what’s possible, it’s going to have a slight change of direction. For the time being, I’ll not try to define it. Seems best to focus on the other things that are quite constrained and leave the blog to be what fits between those spaces. That would make it more a mixed bag of whatever happened to be on my mind or desk at the time. In a way, this is more like what I think FaceBook is intended to be, but in a longer form as you know me – I like to write. That, plus I really do not get on with FB.

So, lots of stuff happening.

See you on Sunday for more on the Game Design Mastery project

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

Setting a Date

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Quirkworthy

My Patreon will go live on the 1st of June. There’s lots still to sort, and I’ve been researching best practice and advice to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. Their website is an odd mix of lots of helpful advice, and yet a strange dearth of answers to almost all the specific questions I actually have. I can’t decide whether it’s them being rubbish at answering questions, or me being weird and asking odd ones. I suspect the latter. Anyway, their customer services folk are very helpful, so I’m never puzzled for long.

I was distracted yesterday by one of the dreaded Good Ideas that won’t shut up till it’s written down. That took a surprising amount of time as it just kept unravelling and revealing more of itself. Like a tick that’s burrowed in deep, you have to get all of it out or it causes problems later, so I kept following till I got to the end. Interesting stuff though. One of those moments when it feels like you’ve hit on something that hasn’t quite been done before, but which really should be. Of course, it’s too early to have tried it on the table yet, and that sort of thing has a habit of feeling very different in reality. So, we shall see. For the moment it’s going to have to wait in line as the Patreon project and its related writing is my main focus right now.

It’s always nice to have these ideas though. I don’t think that it makes me especially clever as they are, like pretty much every idea, simply a different mix of existing ingredients, and that can be done by anyone. In fact, it almost certainly either has been (and I just don’t know it yet) or will soon be done by someone I’ve never met. I’ve had this happen a few times before. It’s not that anyone has been stealing ideas; it’s just that we are in a shared global culture and are all swimming around in the same soup of ideas and influences. There are only so many ways these things can go together and work, so it’s inevitable that more than one person will eventually hit on each magical combo. If something you watched or read or heard sparked you to think that A and B might work really nicely together if sprinkled with C, then why should it not spark the same thought in someone else? Most of the experiences that influence our thinking are shared with myriad others.

I’ve also seen this in my consultancy work when I’ve been talking to novice designers. If anyone thinks that the big game companies will steal their idea, it’s novice designers. In truth, it’s hugely unlikely (I know of zero confirmed real-world examples of this happening). Far more likely that they’ve simply come up with essentially the same combination of A, B, and C. Ideas are not in any shortage. Far from it. Why would they steal yours?

What does happen a lot is that someone will show me their amazing idea and be completely unaware that it has already been done, often more than once. Their lack of knowledge of the wider history of games is what shows here, not that they’ve stolen the idea from elsewhere as they may have no idea where to look. It’s the mirrored cultural references again, and the fact that these mechanics only go together in so many ways. Dice only land on so many different sides.

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

Moving On

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Quirkworthy

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?

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

Kickstarter’s Latest Tweaks

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Looks like Kickstarter is starting to roll out some of its recent experiments to a wider audience.

Yesterday I got a feature I’d seen mentioned on forums as being in test. That’s the pledge levels being a separately scrollable panel. Sort of useful.

Along with this has come an update of the creator box on the main page from:

Creator info old.png

To:

Creator info new.png

Not a big change, but a change nonetheless.

The most obvious difference is the addition of the thumbnail for their last campaign. That’s colourful, if nothing else. Not convinced that’s especially useful. If I want to know their backstory, I usually want to know the whole thing.

The number of campaigns that they’ve backed has disappeared from this summary though it is present if you click on it and get the expanded details. Those, by the way, look unchanged apart from the buggy rendering which currently shows some of the first page’s elements superimposed over the top of the second. I’ve tried reporting it, but unfortunately KS bug reporting also has a bug in it… sort of.

The other bit I’d not seen before is the smiley and “backer favourite” tag directly under the name. Currently everyone seems to have it, which makes it meaningless. Perhaps we’ll see an explanation from KS at some stage.

 

Posted in Kickstarter | Leave a comment

Coalescing

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Having had several plans picked apart by events, and the subsequent unavailability of people and services, I’ve been looking at other options. What’s been most helpful in this regard has been the idea of building a plan that is less structured, or perhaps just more simply structured.

I needed to come up with a plan that would be less likely to need changing yet again. The need for repeated revisions has been very disruptive and has really got in the way of thinking clearly and creatively (though I did design most of a new game yesterday, so it’s not stopped me entirely). Simple and flexible has been the aim for this new plan. I’ve also been testing it with example use cases. Inventing further apocalypses to throw at it has been an entertainment.

In between iterations, I got side-tracked reading about creativity and productivity, which has been a worthwhile distraction. Then I delved into the numbers and research around coronavirus to try and understand what’s likely to happen going forward. To sum that up: we ain’t out of the woods yet, boys and girls. Not by a long chalk. And when we get back to “normal”, that may not be quite the normal we’re used to

Anyway, suffice to say that a little more research to check some specifics and I’m expecting to be back online shortly.

Wherever you are, stay safe, and I’ll see you soon.

 

Posted in Random Thoughts | 2 Comments

Strange Days

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Well this is an unusual turn of events.

As both of you who read this may have noticed, I’ve been absent for a while, distracted by the collateral damage of the pandemic. Sorry about that.

Freelancing is not easy at the best of times and starting again is even less so. The various (suboptimal) measures that were (eventually) put in place to deal with the pandemic have basically screwed my previous plan entirely. Among other important things, too many people and companies I need to make it work are MIA for the foreseeable. So, I’ve been looking at what I can do in the shorter term to make a little money, because I still have bills and as someone who’s just gone back to freelancing, the government is providing sweet FA in terms of realistic support. This from “the party of business”. Still, they’re politicians, so you knew they were lying, right?

Anyway, I’ve been working on plan B, or C, or Z or wherever I’m up to now. Several cunning schemes have had to be abandoned as things continued to change and resources and options dwindled. In the end, I think I must expect to do everything myself and assume that few if any of the people and companies I would normally deal with behind the scenes are going to be available this year. Maybe ever. If they are, then that’s a bonus.

Exactly how this is going to pan out, I’m not sure. All of this is being done in unseemly haste and it is absolutely not the ideal situation to do creative work in. Still, let’s see what I can come up with.

For the moment, I’ll be posting in a less structured format, though I’ll aim to post something every week to keep you in the loop.

Wish me luck!

Posted in Random Thoughts | 6 Comments