Projects on top of projects!

I'm making a lot of work for myself and should probably clear some of it off. In no particular order of importance:

1. I've planned out, and just need to write, Noctis Point. It's the new and improved psych-based story that I think will work really well. I just need a bit of discipline and actually get writing it. Go go fake NaNoWriMo time, perhaps!
2. Dungeons and Dragons! Ok, so I've got normal planning to do, and also a little bit of a special project that I can't share until after Sunday. I don't think any of the people who play actually follow this blog, which is sad times, but even if word gets back to them I don't want it spoiled. Lets just say that I should have a few days of updates on here next week that I'm queueing up now.
3. Pocket Fiction! It's going to be a real thing soon. I've actually recorded five now, but they're in varying degrees of quality and I really need to confirm which recording method works for me. I'm also trying to get hold of a royalty-free fire-in-a-fireplace video that I can set the stories to, so that people have something to look at. I'm going for that 'cosy story in front of the fireplace' feel to it, but Sue pointed out that it could easily double for 'everything you love is burning to a cinder', or words to that effect.
4. NomCake! Not sure I've ever talked about that here, but we do cakes to order. I love baking and don't do it enough. NomCake is my way of making sure I do some at least. Reasonable prices, any cake to order within reason.
5. Working with Patrice Aggs! I'm very lucky to be working on a project with awesome illustrator Patrice Aggs on a project that I don't think I can talk about yet. But it will be awesome, and you can bet I'll talk about it a bunch when it happens.
6. Work for which I get paid! Or not at the moment. But I do need to do some actual planning for next term. I've done some, it's just a matter of getting down to it.

Two of those are fairly quick to finish; NomCake's deadline is a week on Saturday, and D&D's deadline is this Sunday coming. Pocket Fiction is an ongoing project. Noctis Point is a long-term project, at least a month without much else going on. The others are open-ended, so I guess that prioritises things!

So, here's a few funny things.

I write a lot. I don't post ANY of it up on here though! The problem? I spend a lot of time planning for my job (primary school teachers write a lot more than you'd think); I spend time making resources; and, the main place my writing goes, I plan, write and resource a weekly Dungeons and Dragons episode. I can't think of a better way of describing it; something punchy, hopefully ending on a cliffhanger or twist of some sort, and something that doesn't keep my players up until all hours.

I've got a partial answer to this; I'm spending a lot of time updating the Wikia for my D&D campaign. It's kind of a sleeper project. I'm hoping that I'll be able to use it to write the sequel to Poisonroot, as a resource document for the world the characters live in. Zar is proving to be far more interesting than Lyria as a country, mainly due to its capital, and I want to make sure that Trip and Victor spend some time there. Probably Lauren and Anila as well.

The Wikia is at The One Tree Wiki and that's where a lot of my writing lies right now.

As for today? It's half term. I've got a 'week off' (not really a week off, just a week when I save up all my work until the Thursday and Friday and then do it all in one big chunk). Accordingly, I've written things. The piece after the jump is totally based off an image randomly seen for about ten seconds on the deviantArt front page of a diver finding a mermaid; the prompt for the piece was a competition by the Scribblists called 'It Broke'. My immediate thought was condoms; interestingly, my wife's first thought was a slew of emo words about broken hearts and dreams etc. Anyway, the brief was entertainingly short, only 800-1000 words. I clocked in at 998. Like a boss.

Enjoy.

"It broke."

I stared at Jenick for a moment, marvelling at his calmness. Then I really looked; his eyes were a little too focused, as if willing me to accept the lie.

"What do you mean, 'It broke'? You were eight hundred feet down, oxygen leaking out; that line didn't just break." I turned the smooth air-hose over in my hands.

"What I said. It just broke. And then I swam back up to the surface." He shrugged and turned away. "No biggie."