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April 19, 2015
“The key to eternal happiness is low overhead and no debt.” —Lynda Barry There are many reasons why I was able to become a full-time author when I did. I wrote a good book. (Or at least I think I did, though a few kind souls seem to agree.) I’ve worked hard, worked smart, learned a lot, and sacrificed. Being laid off certainly had something to do with it. But if I had to point to one reason, and one that’s replicable by anyone, it’s this: low...
April 12, 2015
“There is a very interesting debate raging at the moment about the nature of sin, for example.” “And what do they think? Against it, are they?” “It’s not as simple as that. It’s not a black and white issue. There are so many shades of gray.” “Nope.” “Pardon?” “There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.” “It’s...
March 12, 2015
Terry Pratchett died today at the age of 66. I owe Sir Terry an incalculable debt of gratitude. He’s one of the authors I thanked in my very first book. He’s the author I most compare my style to—though mine is but a shadow of his, for now at least. He’s one of the people who has most informed my worldview, especially on the power of stories. He’s the author I’ve bought the most, read the most, and reread the most, which is something I rarely...
March 1, 2015
Keep Moving Forward – Manly Guys Doing Manly Things I never felt I was especially good at being a kid. I wasn’t temperamentally suited to it, I think, until I discovered alcohol, after which college worked reasonably well. But even then, I’ve always preferred to be an adult, and I’ve always preferred the person I am now to the person I was then. That’s because I’m always trying to improve myself, so the current me always leaves the old me in the...
January 29, 2015
So, funny story. A few months before I published Wage Slave Rebellion, I got laid off from my job. I’m sorry for not mentioning it until now. It’s not out of shame, nor a desire to keep parts of my life private. I do intend to keep some elements of my life private, but such a key detail isn’t among them. As for shame, do you really think someone who wrote a book called Wage Slave Rebellion—and those italics were for emphasis—was happy with his job? Possibly,...
January 22, 2015
We’re often told as children that, if we are to work as a cashier at a fast food restaurant, we should be the best damn cashier at a fast food restaurant we can possibly be; if we are to be a janitor, we should be the best damn janitor; if we are to mow lawns, we should be the best lawn mower we can be. I was never able to do that. It rings so hallow, wanting us to put forth so much...
November 2, 2014
“Just about everything worth doing is worth doing because it’s important and because the odds are against you. If they weren’t, then anyone could do it, so don’t bother.” —Seth Godin In our stories, we venerate the heroes who triumph in the face of great odds. But what we don’t always realize is that they’re not heroes because they won. They’re heroes because they tried. You won’t achieve greatness if you’re the same as everyone else. It takes doing the hard work...
October 28, 2014
When I was younger, I played a lot of MMOs—that’s in no small part why Log Horizon appeals to me so much. One of the central features of MMOs is that there’s no set way to win—each player decides for themselves what their goal will be. So I grew used to setting my own win conditions from early on. For specific projects, defining what victory means to you is a valuable skill. Try being part of a large corporate project where success is...
October 1, 2014
How remarkable it is, to get lost, with no way to find yourself but to ask for directions, or stumble across the answer yourself. During the first of two trips, I landed in Amsterdam at 06:30 local time, having been in a plane for 10 hours and gotten 15 minutes of sleep. I proceeded to head into the city, and promptly got lost. It was wonderful. Overseas my phone is only good for taking notes, and though I had a map, half the...
March 13, 2014
For a long time I considered myself a realist. My parents were pragmatic people, and I took pride in being the same. While others were illogical, I aimed to be realistic. I focused on what mattered. Until one day, after a long journey, I realized the problem with realism. Do you want to know what a realist is, really? A realist is a cynic who doesn’t want to admit it. There’s a famous quote, of which I’m sure you’ve heard....