ITHAKA: THE TAPESTRY

March 18, 2014 by Roland Clarke

The concept of “Ithaka: The Tapestry” was devised with my wife and gaming partner. My wife contributed her knowledge as an experienced gamer and beta tester, while I brought my expertise as an author, photographer and film producer.

Our extensive contact with gaming company Prinaka in Bangalore, India, will ensure that the concept is progressed. Prinaka are the publishers of the fantasy-SciFi MMORPG “Gossamer Steel”.

The game is a remediation of Constantine P. Cavafy’s poem “Ithaca”, which itself echoes “The Odyssey” one of the two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. While the poem addresses the goals that the reader sets in their own life, the focus of the game ‘narrative’ is on the more archetypal aspects of this “marvellous journey”. However the player also chooses to embark on a quest, with their avatar, or character. The gaming medium allows the player to weave anew, creating the tapestry of their character’s quest, and echoing a form of art that dates back to Hellenistic Greece.

GENRE: “Ithaka: The Tapestry” is envisaged as a single player, role-playing game. However, it would have the potential to evolve into an MMORPG, once established.

CHARACTER CREATION: In the beginning, the player has to create a character of either gender and with a customised appearance. There are no races or classes, and all this new characters abilities derive from their initial Stats. Following in the tradition of “Dungeons & Dragons”, and most recently seen in “Neverwinter”, the player rolls, and maybe re-rolls, a computer dice to establish their six basic stats for Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA).

GAMEWORLD: However rolling to prepare just for combat might be unwise, even though the character starts in a game world that resembles Ancient Greece just after The Trojan War. The player emerges on a dock in a burning city. The three options presented are: (i) to scavenge in the ruins for anything of use, from valuables to weapons; or (ii) to set sail for new adventures and perhaps encounter “the Laestrygones, the Cyclopes, the frothing Poseidon” and other foes; or (iii) to “linger in Phoenician markets so that you may acquire the finest goods”, perhaps opening up trade routes or unlocking knowledge.

NARRATIVE: As Cavafy says of the monsters, you will not encounter them “as long as you don’t carry them within you, as long as your soul refuses to set them in your path”. However, if the player is foolish enough to choose the wrong abilities – stats – for their character, or embark on the wrong ship, then those monsters may well arise. But in fact there is no such thing as a wrong choice as all decisions lead to a journey on which you will gain “so much wisdom and experience” as Cavafy says. And this journey will lead to Ithaka, or death.

But the choice is the player’s. You can adapt your approach at each stage, as long as your character has the abilities. And your decisions will affect how the narrative unfolds, reflecting your own style of play. For instance, choosing to accept stats that enhance Dexterity increases ‘Cunning’, the ability that Odysseus was renowned for. This valuable trait could be used to trick some of the monsters or ensure a better deal with merchants.

Furthermore, a character with an enhanced ‘stat’ will have other quest choices unlocked as they progress, therefore ensuring that their journey is unique. “Star Wars: The Old Republic” has demonstrated the potential for player decisions to change the narrative. For instance, when some NPCs are spared, they still want to silence you. Even survivors can want to avenge their comrades. Talk your way out of that scenario. Personal digressions from the narrow path enhance the narrative, growing organically.

QUESTS: The path that your character treads will be paved with quests that enlarge on the events and places mentioned in Cavafy’s poem from “the Laestrygones” to “an Egyptian city” and beyond. Success will yield rewards including experience, gold and more important, ‘points’ that can be allocated to individual stats, either compensating for weak ones or strengthening ones already developed.

Your character can continue down a path of pure exploration, or one of martial adventure, or they could even settle down as a renowned culinary master, or into a life of academia taking quests to find rare artefacts or scrolls. But cooking delicacies or trying to “to learn, and learn more, from those who know”, doesn’t guarantee a peaceful life, because your stats are still at work weaving your destiny in the shadows.

Raiders may come and torch your home, or fire ravage your ancient library in Alexandria. Collecting herbs, artefacts or rare metals can unleash hostile gatherers, as in “Age of Conan”, where the foes materialise beside you and match your level. The crafter still needs his sword as much as the warrior needs his wits and charisma. You need to have been “enriched by all you’ve obtained along the way”, if you are to reach Ithaka and escape death. In the journey is the learning, as many wise people have said.

SPATIAL DIMENSIONS: As the game journey is single-player the world map will be made up of zones. Each zone can be explored and the challenges/quests there faced to acquire experience, knowledge and valuables. When the game evolves into multi-player, some of the quests will be Instances restricted to either just the player or their party, depending on the quest’s value to the player.

DESTINY & CLIMAX: On the journey there will be setbacks, but if you recognise what your character needs to be a whole person, there should be few loose ends, or threads, before the player faces the final challenge.

Cavafy writes, “If you find Ithaca wanting, it’s not that she’s deceived you.” But your character does reach Ithaka in the footsteps of Odysseus and like that cunning hero you are faced with deception. With Odysseus out of the way, unscrupulous men want to marry his wife Penelope and take his wealth. But Penelope had been keeping them at bay by weaving a tapestry, saying once she was finished that she would marry one of the suitors. Penelope weaved during the day, but secretly undid her work at night, still faithful to her husband. However her cunning has been exposed and the suitors are threatening to destroy her world.

What will you do? You have perfected your abilities and now have the ultimate choice, dictated by all your previous adventures. Will you, like Odysseus, kill all the suitors? Or is there another way to punish them and still earn respect? And how do you reward the dutiful Penelope, and her son Telemachus?

How will Odysseus respond to your decision when he returns? Will you have to face the hero of the Odyssey? Has your Tapestry been woven into his?

REFERENCES:

Excellent article on “Ithaca” and link to Sean Connery reading, with music by Vangelis:

http://ninaalvarez.net/2008/08/09/poem-video-of-the-day-ithaca/

Extract from “The Odyssey” re Wily Penelope: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa103100b.htm

Tapestry reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry

Game Guide: The Complete Guide to Game Development, Art & Design – David McCarthy, Ste Curran and Simon Bryan. www.ilex-press.com

Translation of “Ithaca” used: Stratis Haviaras http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=286&cat=1

Forty Days & Forty Nights without Internet

March 5, 2014 by Roland Clarke

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Could you survive without your internet connection for 40 days and 40 nights? What about your phone?

Okay, it’s not like living without food or water or shelter as too many people do in this unjust world. But for those of us that have been pampered by modern technology it’s a big ask. One that BT aka British Telecom seems to feel is reasonable, or do they mean excusable. My multiple sclerosis disability has little if no bearing.

As I type this, on Saturday February 22^nd, we will be sans broadband and sans phone from Friday February 28^th to Thursday April 10^th.

The outlook is bleak. The meaning stark and troubling. The portents are… okay I’m exaggerating but I’m still worried. Whinge warning.

Imagine no emails, or rather over 50 a day piling up in my AOL inbox = 200 plus by the time we get back online. Forget about sending out review copies of ‘Spiral of Hooves’ or promoting the novel. Surfing social media like Facebook and Twitter will be abandoned, as will any appearances in the cyber-world.

“Get a dongle”, I hear you shout in mass cacophony, and I know that you are right. With a dongle, and a signal, we can check our emails at least. If the charges are not too massive we can do a little more… others do from their iPods, Androids etcetera, from all kinds of locations, including Internet cafes. But going out to find the right place is not the same as working from our new office in our new home, where the desktops will be, with all the software. At least I don’t have to be online to create using Scrivener… just to back the work up on Dropbox or OneDrive.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

In fact blog posts, either mine or anyone else’s are a non-starter. This one will have to be posted in advance, set for public consumption on Wednesday March 5^th as part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Whether anything will appear in April is a prediction that I cannot make… the crystal ball is dim. I’m meant to be taking part in the 2014 A to Z Challenge in April, but it could be hard.

If I find time in the midst of packing, I might attempt to write the first ten posts – A to J – and schedule them to appear on time. At least I know the theme – the World of Gossamer Steel.

With that reference I know that my alter-egos will suffer too. No gaming for 40 nights is almost worse than no surfing. How will I live if my avatar is unable to stop monsters pouring through Rifts or perverting Good in Middle Earth? The Sith Empire will conquer the galaxy in my absence and Conan will be deposed.

Oh wait, they’re not real and there are others to continue the struggle.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

But ordering groceries and other goods is essential. There are local shops crying out for our custom, but being disabled there are advantages in having things delivered. Maybe we can do that by dongle as well. Reminds me, have I downloaded enough books onto my Kindle?

I envisage a problem occurring when we begin ordering from a dongle – the security guys at our bank will query the purchase in their diligent way. I’m pretty sure that online banking will be tough, although not impossible. But sending money to my wife’s kids in the US will be very hard, The only consolation is that my accounts package is offline.

As a writer I have some worries but know that I can continue to scribble without the internet. In fact removing it might lead to more productive days, as well as more days exploring the real world and making useful observations. Time to bring out the parchment and quill notebook and pen. So my scribbling life will be okay, if I ignore my other insecurities…

However, for my wife there is a more real problem. All her family are in the States and staying in touch with the USA by mobile/cell phone will be extremely difficult. Her mother is elderly and poorly. She keeps falling down and she would be unable to ring. It will be very expensive phoning the States on a cell phone, even with an international service.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Ultimately life with only a cell phone becomes a major problem in an emergency. We can call for help, if there is a signal. Being disabled I feel vulnerable, but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to British Telecom; any more than it does to the British government who sees us as a drain on the system, along with other scroungers.

Whinge over. Our situation is not dire. In retrospect there are others with far greater issues. Ours are just frustrating and grrrr.

Wife says we’ll live off the land and be sending smoke signals. Maybe the pigeon can come out of retirement along with the pony. The positives outweigh the negatives. New home, bespoke design to meet our needs, fabulous location, wonderful neighbourhood. I can feel another post coming, once we have explored the immediate area and have some great pictures. Just need to find a means to post it. But here’s a taster:

22 Pant Mawr Park, Harlech, Wales

If all goes to plan, this will be my third posting of 2014 for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This is when we release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the logo and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts today are MJ Joachim, Elsie, Elizabeth Seckman, and Julie Flanders! Many thanks to all you co-hosts for your time and effort towards making all IWSG members feel welcome.

Followers to Flyers: discovering what works

January 20, 2014 by Roland Clarke

This is my contribution to the first ever Online Marketing Symposium!

One month into my debut novel release and the word success is not on my lips, yet. But I remain optimistic because there are still promotions in the pipeline. ‘Spiral of Hooves’ was released on December 9^th with an online party on Facebook, which was well attended. However, there was a slight delay, of a few hours, with the book appearing on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Since then it has been promoted to my followers and friends in a low key way on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and here. But I have not spammed cyber-space. Apologies if I have been in your faces for the last few weeks. I still need to learn the secret of keeping my followers happy. Treats?

The most useful marketing tools, so far, have been the two five star reviews that have appeared on Amazon. One has even been re-used, by the reviewer, to garner additional coverage on Facebook and an online equestrian site. There are some other reviews in the wings as the novel went out to some of my journalist friends, contacts from when I covered equestrian sports. As the novel is a thriller set against the sport of eventing, the forthcoming coverage in the sports main UK magazine, Eventing, could be key to the spring campaign. Use your contacts but don’t lose their friendship.

Cover credit: Danielle Sands

I have also sent the novel to some rider friends, including an Olympic rider, in order to get some useful quotes, and to spread the good news about the book being out. As one journalist friend said, ‘getting the word out in the lorry park will boost sales”. With that end I intend to produce some A5 flyers quoting the reviews and the name riders, and linking to my website and where to purchase a copy. Unable to hand these out at shows myself, being wheelchair-bound, I have some good friends that will get them in the right places. Despite being stumped from pressing the flesh in person, flyers might help spread the word at the grassroots. I have no previous experience of using flyers to promote books, so I will be interested to see the results for ‘Spiral of Hooves’. Later today I will check out the other blogs and see how others have fared with similar marketing techniques.

However, when I was in the film industry we used flyers quite often, although these were usually A4 glossy hand-outs that we used at film and TV conventions, including Cannes. We attracted interest, but not as much as we needed to fund a movie. Some were used for selling short films but it is hard to say how successful the leaflets were. All the sales were via a Distributor so our production company was last in line, having paid everybody else. Flyers do work for some producers and, from my observations, it was the hook plus pitch, the cover and elements like cast that were key selling points. But the flyers mustn’t have too much information. And that has to apply with book flyers as well. What are your thoughts on flyers? No better than random advertising? Destined for the recycle bin? Another useful tool in spreading the word?

For links to other participating Blogs and information on the first ever Online Marketing Symposium! please visit here.

Two Futures: Facts or Fiction

January 18, 2014 by Roland Clarke

Morfa Harlech © Copyright Ian Capper

What is the best way forward for this blog?

Ever since I wrote my post Eight Headless Chickens I have been wondering what the most important next step is.

The clear priority has to be our move to Wales, and – Beware Cliché – fingers & toes crossed, that is proceeding smoothly thanks to my wife and special friends, but no thanks to immediate family. By the end of February, I should be blogging from a new desk with a view of Harlech, the sea and mountains in Snowdonia.

But even with the inspiring view what will I blog about?

I have two, or is it three futures that are churning around in my mind.

Facts: the simplest way forward. I continue posting my usual observations on my experience of the writing process, interspersed with thoughts on issues of the day. As a relative newcomer to writing, at least in getting published, I feel unable to offer great insights on good writing techniques. There are far better sites/blogs for that, some in my Links.
Fiction: tasters of my writing. Should my blog become a means to release short fiction strategically over time? Since the start of the year, I have been working on short stories and now have seven at various stages. They are loosely connected, in that they are set in the same world, one akin to the game Gossamer Steel, so that is their collective title.
Dual carriageway: a mix of both Facts and Fiction. So when a story was written and edited it would be available, and when I was inspired to supply concrete Facts that would be the post.

Which do I choose, 1, 2, or 3? What would you the readers of this Blog prefer? Why do you tune in here to what I write?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Of course life is never simple, especially here at Writing Wings where there are challenges.

There is another element, a Newsletter. It’s an option that I have given serious thought to. The factual blog would continue to share my thoughts and experiences as a writer, and as a retiree with MS. The tasters of my fictional worlds would continue, whether as interviews or as extracts.

However, for those of you that sign up to my Gossamer Wings Newsletter there would be treats: the tasters would become short stories for free. In that way you could see how the Gossamer Steel universe evolved. I would also be extremely grateful for your comments and feedback, as they would contribute to the ongoing story, providing an invaluable asset in developing the world.

As part of the ongoing creation, I am using Aeon Timeline to construct a Chronology into which the short stories fit. In the same universe, I also have two novellas that I intend to self-publish and release later this year so everyone can experience the world of Gossamer Steel.

Should newsletter subscribers benefit with the novellas in some way? Is having a pre-taste of the world enough? There would be other news and fictional snippets in the newsletter as well.

What about a life of crime? Have I abandoned my criminals and their victims? Never. As well as a stand-alone psychological thriller, there is the cyber-crime novel, ‘Wyrm Bait’. This is the first of a series that has the gaming world of Gossamer Steel as its background.

Plus there is the sequel to ‘Spiral of Hooves’ that I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2013. ‘Tortuous Terrain’ the second part of the Chasseur series has to have a future as well. The reviews on Amazon and elsewhere have been five star, so I have a lot of positive thoughts looking ahead.

So what do you feel is my future? Please, gaze not into your crystal ball but into the past at what you enjoyed. What do you want next?

Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui)

* * * * *

On Monday I will be taking part in an exciting blogfest and sharing my experiences, so far, on marketing. Do I dare mention my past in the film industry?

What Works…

The first ever “Online Marketing Symposium!“

A blogfest with information you can use.

The event happens on Monday January 20, 2014.

http://www.yolandarenee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/marketing-what-works.html

Baiting The Bull

January 3, 2014 by Roland Clarke

Setting New Year Resolutions is a bad idea, and I’m entitled to say that after six decades filled with failed attempts. That is also the motivation not to make that mistake this year, so no resolutions. I promise.

On January 1^st 2013 I wrote a post entitled How hard are the Three Rs. It was an attempt to look ahead at my plans and resolutions for 2013, and to reflect on 2012. I admit that even though I achieved a few of the goals – publication, an editor, new readers, and maxing two MMORPG characters – I failed at the harder tasks, like writing 100k in 100 days and getting more drafts revised.

Therefore for 2014 I have a very simple To Do List, with one item: write or edit a few words each day. In that way the ‘bait for the bull’ is less overt, and I might even get something finished, be it a novel like Wyrm Bait or a short story.

Back in December I made the rash decision to do 100k in 100 days again. My total last January-April was 15,411 and in the summer I improved that by writing 32k in 100 days. What was I thinking? Not a good idea. I knew that it was impossible with all the preparation for our move at the end of February/early March.

Perhaps, having written over 50k in November for NaNoWriMo, I had a false sense of my capabilities. At least then I had a clear outline for ‘Tortuous Terrain’, and I knew my characters plus the ending. Yes, the first draft of ‘Tortuous Terrain’ has joined the queue, and one day it will be revised.

A short story set in the fantasy world eluded to in Wyrm Bait did inspire 1,530 words over the first two days of January. But even with this post I will be behind on the challenge. And I haven’t even missed a day through ill-health.

However, I signed up for My 500 Words: A Writing Challenge, which is more manageable, especially if I can count the same words for both challenges. But maybe I am misinterpreting the rules since my 1,500 word story was written over two days, so I cannot carry the surplus forward… or even future shortfalls. Does that mean that I fail again?

Unless I waffle on for another 107 words.

Therefore I will end by saying that, although I will do one or two more Spiral of Hooves interviews, I am considering changing what I blog about. Since the future priority has to be getting another novel published, and Wyrm Bait is the most evolved, I will blog more about the fantasy, cyber-crime and gaming elements that I am researching for short stories being written against the same background. Short stories are going to have to be part of my future. I may even revise some really old manuscripts.

Or do you have any better suggestions?

Which of my post have you enjoyed most?

Should I take more photos and write less?

Or do you want to taste more fiction?

Life Throws Curve Balls

December 4, 2013 by Roland Clarke

A foggy evening 01 (Photo credit: AnneCN)

This was meant to be my first attempt at an Insecure blog having failed to do one on the first Wednesday in October or November – sorry IWSG.

Damn those curve balls, whether they be my health (MS), stress, or moving plans. They keep on coming, so I keep trying to knock them away. This is another attempt, although I should be doing my tax return.

Starting on a positive note, I managed to write 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo in November, and a week later I had typed the last word ~ ‘forever’. This was only a 60k rough first draft of ‘Tortuous Terrain’, but at least it’s something to work on. With a lot of revision, editing, and critique, I should be able to produce a fitting sequel to ‘Spiral of Hooves’, my first published novel, coming shortly from Spectacle Publishing Media Group.

However, my 2013 NaNo effort will have to join the queue behind four other novels needing revision, although it might jump the queue a bit if the demand is there, and if other efforts are deemed unworthy of revision. And that is where I am in a quandary, and where I am Insecure. Where do I go from here? What do I tackle next? How can I improve my editing process, which with ‘Spiral of Hooves’ took at least a decade?

I look at the speed of others when it comes to producing finished books, and I marvel… and I shudder. Most of my Facebook writing friends are completing a book a year, sometimes as many as five. Some are even producing short stories as well. Although my health is a drawback, I am retired with more time, supposedly, than many of my colleagues.

What do I give up doing? Linking with the digital world, by checking emails and social media? Learning my craft, by reading other blogs? My only escape, gaming?

Or do I set tighter deadlines? Or do I chill out and tell myself that at sixty I still have time? Or maybe I must accept that in the next life I will start trying to be a writer earlier.

It’s not straightforward when I find it easier plotting a new novel, even writing that first draft, than editing. I even have a sequel to the sequel churning around in my head… ever since I read a blog about writing a series, which suggested that one write the first and have the synopsis of Book 2 and of 3 in the wings. Great when I have two series in the pipeline ~ the Chasseur series (Spiral of Hooves++) and the Gossamer Steel series (Wyrm Bait++).

The solution is out there somewhere, but for now I will stop being a lone wolf howling at the moon, and stop baring my soul here so I can go edit ‘Wyrm Bait’, the next novel crying out for an audience. It’s already had at least two drafts, several critiques, and a professional edit.

Time to get the red pens out.

Is that the best solution? Or have I dismissed a better one above?