Last week, I introduced Lyryk Starsong, a bard I played. She helped one of our weekly players catch up to the rest of the party (he was half-level behind, and we were only 3rd level). When Lyryk introduced herself, I had a vague idea that she could be a backup character if Skrie got exceedingly … Continue reading Lyryk Starsong
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun This past weekend, I held Session Zero for a group of youngsters wanting to play Dungeons & Dragons. The age range of most of my players is 11 to 15. Needless to say, it was a little like herding cats. Session Zero is where everyone creates their characters and gets to … Continue reading Session Zero
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun For the past six months, the “tweens” of the family have been clambering for me to play Dungeons & Dragons with them. For various reasons, the timing hasn’t worked—until now. This coming weekend, I will introduce six novices to the world of the Forgotten Realms. I decided to use a pre-generated … Continue reading Introducing D&D to a New Generation
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun Today marks another milestone for this blog—this is my 1000th post since beginning this weblog on June 5, 2016. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years, but here we are. A lot has happened, not all of it ‘good.’ I began this page as a way to share my (admittedly … Continue reading Another Blogging Milestone
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun When I write to a prompt, I don’t always know what direction a short story will take. This is especially true when writing a character’s backstory. I sit back and record what’s going on most of the time. That’s what happened in this next story. I looked at a prompt before … Continue reading Finding Inspiration
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun I recently got some feedback on the first part of an old story I had posted on a writing website a few years ago. So, I went back and looked at the comments from the reader. I decided it needed a new coat of polish. I began editing the piece. Having … Continue reading Revisiting Old Writing
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun Many of the stories I write contain events or feelings from real-life experiences I’ve had throughout my life. For example, some of what my character, Aeryn Mateyus, feels on the slave ship comes directly from my experiences as a sailor while serving in the U.S. Navy. The rolling deck, the wind, … Continue reading Using Life Experiences In Your Writing
I have this thing about creating different characters and seeing how they act in various situations. The writing prompts I look at daily help a lot. Sometimes, the prompt itself brings a story forward. Other times, I need to put more thought into what to write. This story needed a little reflection, and I wanted … Continue reading Playing With Character
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun A few weeks ago, one of the daily writing prompts had me step out of my usual storytelling style. The prompt had what I considered a challenge this day, so I ran with it. Here’s the prompt: Write a story or poem where: The main character (narrator / POV character etc) … Continue reading Playing With Scenes
Meegan Redoak is a character who has lived with me since the mid-1980s. I began writing her story when I returned from my first WestPac cruise while in the US Navy in 1986. I picked my first ever computer, an Apple-IIe clone, while on liberty in South Korea. When I returned stateside, I began writing. … Continue reading Looking Back
A piece of my scattered mind.
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J.J. Shaun 