Archive for "Editorials"
DargonZine 33-3 Editorial
Artists. When inspiration strikes, we create. We suckle from the teats of the muse. That is the classical, almost too-artistic view of our work ethic. But what is inspiration? Who is the muse? A goddess, a lover, or a demon? Does it take the form of a sudden, burning passion to move and create, or the slow, gentle pressure of a germinating idea? I think it is all of those things, and more. So how does ...
DargonZine 33-2 Editorial
As consumers of media in the twenty-first century, we often view a topic as an arc. We see a beginning, a middle, and an end. Often there is a theme to all the narrative, a concept or meaning in the story. We read or listen or watch as locations are explored, characters developed, issues discovered and overcome, and we get a feeling of satisfaction as resolution is achieved. We live vicariously, taking meaning and purpose from the stories we consume. ...
DargonZine 33-1 Editorial
This is the first "issue" of Dargonzine in a while that will contain just one story. In fact, it does not even contain one story; it actually contains just one chapter of a story. This is an effort to streamline and simplify the publishing process for Dargonzine and move to follow the trends in the publishing world towards simplification and ease of access for authors, readers, and publishers. Dargon has always had an editor, someone who curated and created the publication. ...
DargonZine 32-1 Editorial
Dargon is Doooooooooomed!! Sorry, I just had to get that out. We only published two issues last year. That's pretty bad. But things aren't as dark as they seem. It happens, every once in a while, that someone comes along and says “We’re doomed.” We’re doomed if we don’t start making games. We’re doomed if we don’t add cartoons. We’re doomed if we don’t create videos. Well, maybe someday we will be, but we’re not doomed yet. This year, we are celebrating the ...
Dargonzine 31-2 Editorial
It’s Summit Time!! Yep! That’s right, my favorite time of year, even if we don’t hold the Summit as annually as we would like. Sometimes it’s hard getting even just a few of us together. But here it is again, when several of the still-intrepid, not-quite-as-young-as-we-used-to-be authors of the Dargon Project convene, en masse, on a singular location to talk Dargon, socialize, play games, explore the region, potentially learn something new, and generally waste time while we pretend to write. And sometimes we get a lot of ...
Dargonzine 31-1 Editorial
One of the advantages of writing fiction in a medieval setting is the ability to know and understand all the technology in as much detail as you need. A quick Google search can reveal the secrets of making daub and wattle, or how to shoot a heading with an astrolab, or how to rig a sail, allowing the writer to use as much, or as little, technological detail in their writing as they desire. After all, the so-called "Dark Ages" ...
Dargonzine 30-3 Editorial
Charleston, South Carolina, in November. Magical. That’s all I can say. It’s not just the incredible history, or the ghost tours, or the food and drink, or the people – who are wonderful and happy to see you – it’s the atmosphere. There’s a palpable … something … here. Maybe it’s the fact that the city is over 300 years old (which might not impress our foreign readers, but for Americans … this place is ...
Dargonzine 30-2 Editorial
Well, it’s that time of year again – we just had our (sort of) annual Summit, which means I generally come back and write an editorial about the Summit. It’s easy, because I’ve got material ready at hand to discuss. The downfall is, it’s almost always the same: “I loved Summit, it was so great, it was awesome seeing everyone again and I got writing done!” Well … it’s true. I do love Summit. The ...
Dargonzine 30-1 Editorial
Some folks say that variety is the spice of life, and if so, then it’s a variety of beliefs that create the spice of drama. After all, if everyone believed the same things, then everyone would get along, mostly, and there would be less conflict. And without conflict, there is no story to tell. Conflict isn’t just saying A versus B, however – in literature, you have to build believability behind the conflict, and put into perspective ...
Dargonzine 29-2 Editorial
Writing is challenging. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and certainly not one to go into expecting an immediate level of satisfaction. I can pump out one thousand words a day, but do I feel good about them? Am I satisfied with the quality of the work I've done? Will I ever be? It's as much a battle of writing words on a page as it is of one's ego, because even ...