Blaugust 2023: Lessons Learned
This is the last week of Blaugust 2023: Festival of Blogging and it is customary at this point to reflect on the event and one’s own contribution to it. For me, the stand out aspect of this year is the number of people participating and the diversity of blogs. I find it most reassuring that so many people have chosen to express themselves online and share their thoughts and insights. It has also been most gratifying to see so many people join the Discord server. There have been a lot of interesting and enjoyable discussions over the last few weeks. I hope that the support and resources available have proven useful for new and returning bloggers and that the event has been beneficial for them. I always find that Blaugust is good for bolstering my enthusiasm for writing and getting me back in the proverbial saddle.
This is the last week of Blaugust 2023: Festival of Blogging and it is customary at this point to reflect on the event and one’s own contribution to it. For me, the stand out aspect of this year is the number of people participating and the diversity of blogs. I find it most reassuring that so many people have chosen to express themselves online and share their thoughts and insights. It has also been most gratifying to see so many people join the Discord server. There have been a lot of interesting and enjoyable discussions over the last few weeks. I hope that the support and resources available have proven useful for new and returning bloggers and that the event has been beneficial for them. I always find that Blaugust is good for bolstering my enthusiasm for writing and getting me back in the proverbial saddle.
September is now on the horizon and in many ways it offers the hardest challenge of all for new bloggers or those that have recently returned. That being to keep blogging and to find some sort of routine or schedule that is appropriate. Sadly, some bloggerss will become increasingly intermittent in their output and a few will go into a hiatus. Such is the nature of blogging. Not everyone has a work/life balance that can sustain it and it is also fair to say that some will discover that as a hobby, blogging simply isn’t for them. But that is part of what Blaugust is about. It is an opportunity to work out and explore one’s own relationship with writing. What approach works for you and what motivates you to write or produce the material that you do. It is about being realistic and honest with yourself.
I have found, once again, that Blaugust has provided the impetus to encourage me to write every day. I think this just comes down to being in the company of like minded individuals, who are all trying to do the same. The event also provides a tremendous sense of satisfaction in seeing a series of posts build up over the course of the month. And it is nice to engage with those who leave comments. What I would like to do in the months ahead is see if I can increase the readership, which has naturally declined during the period I have not been writing. I am hoping that regularly blogging about Starfield will prove an enjoyable experience and of potential interest to readers. In the meantime I need to revisit the Blaugust Achievement list and determine which ones I can claim. To everyone else who participated, well done. I hope you’ve had a successful Blaugust.
Blaugust 2023: Staying Motivated
I have participated in Blaugust numerous times over the years and also in several other similar events. I have therefore written about the subject of “staying motivated” quite a few times already and as a result it is quite hard to come up with a new angle on the problem and not to sound like a scratched record. I also appreciate that my rather hardline and fundamentalist message of “stop complaining and just write, no excuses” may not necessarily resonate or inspire everyone. We all have to tackle this problem in our own unique way. So today, I’ve decided to adopt a more conciliatory stance and offer five straight forward and practical points that may help the aspiring blogger to keep on writing in the weeks ahead.
“Gonna fly now, flying high now” and other motivational stuff
I have participated in Blaugust numerous times over the years and also in several other similar events. I have therefore written about the subject of “staying motivated” quite a few times already and as a result it is quite hard to come up with a new angle on the problem and not to sound like a scratched record. I also appreciate that my rather hardline and fundamentalist message of “stop complaining and just write, no excuses” may not necessarily resonate or inspire everyone. We all have to tackle this problem in our own unique way. So today, I’ve decided to adopt a more conciliatory stance and offer five straight forward and practical points that may help the aspiring blogger to keep on writing in the weeks ahead.
Focus on your own blog and not what others are doing. It is natural to look to other blogs for ideas and inspiration. Ideas for both templates and posts are shared and this is how popular formats and styles become established. However, other people’s blogs can also be a distraction. Especially if you feel that they are gaining a degree of success and yours isn’t quite getting the same sort of traction. Just like obsessing over website traffic and stats, worrying too much about what others are doing is problematic. It can sow the seeds of discontent and undermine your output. Which is why it is important to stay focused upon your own writing. There comes a point where you must draw a line under tweaking your blog’s design and apply your energies to writing. A fancy looking blog without any regular content is redundant.
Brainstorm ideas. Keep notes somewhere practical. Be it in a physical notebook or electronically. Write down ideas, as and when they come to you. Better still, brainstorm potential writing prompts and talking points. Write them down, put them in some semblance of order and start banking ideas for the future. Write draft posts if that is your style and get the basics down first. Ideas become bullet points, bullet points become paragraphs and paragraphs can be built into a full blog post. If you have a good idea, don’t squander the opportunity. You may have an angle on a particular subject that others haven’t covered yet.
Hannibal Smith likes a plan
Plan posts. Brainstorming ideas and collating draft posts allows you to plan content in advance. Some bloggers like to write spontaneously or react to what is happening around them. But not everyone favours such an ad hoc and impromptu style. Hence planning posts in advance may well increase your chances of them completed and out the proverbial door. If fate provides you with both the time and inclination to write two posts in a day, then seize the opportunity. Some subjects may well need to be tackled in more than one post. Therefore planning an appropriate arc to accommodate a weighty subject may be the best approach. Committing to a series of posts may also provide a degree of stability that you need. It means not having to think of new material for a while which can take the pressure off.
Set achievable goals. Blogging becomes a lot easier if you are entirely honest with yourself. We all know what we can and cannot achieve with regard to writing and balancing the requirements of the rest of our life. Therefore, don’t commit publicly to writing material everyday and then fail to achieve it. You will disappoint yourself and your readers. If you can realistically post one post a week then embrace that reality and ensure that you do your best. Placing unnecessary pressure upon yourself is counterproductive, so don’t do it. Be candid about what you can produce, with the time and resources you have and then focus upon getting it done. Something is usually better than nothing when it comes to blogging.
Reward yourself. Finally, reward yourself after writing. If you have set yourself a target of three posts in a week and you achieve it, then claim whatever prize you have set for yourself. A carrot on the end of a stick is better at motivating than just a stick on its own. Gamification is often a good tool to increase productivity. So find a way to reward yourself that will actively encourage you to write. Obviously, if you fail to hit your target and still reward yourself, you’re an unconscionable hypocrite and calumniator, who will burn in perdition’s flames. But that’s blogging for you and the universally accepted code of writing. No blog post. No cakes. Or meth. Or whatever your personal indulgence is.
Creator Appreciation Week: Cool Dudes Walking Club
It's Creator Appreciation Week (August 13th – August 19th) for those participating in Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2023. What does that mean in plain English? It means I am going to write a post specifically about someone or a group of people who create content that I enjoy. Now that is not a short list. I subscribe to dozens of YouTube channels and even more blogs via Feedly. However, it is not practical to try and write about all of these. So I have had to think long and hard about selecting one creator to highlight. It’s quite a difficult choice because I enjoy a multitude of content for different reasons. However, I have chosen one which regularly keeps me entertained, has a good community associated and also offers an element of interaction which is quite unique. It is this last factor which has tipped the balance.
It's Creator Appreciation Week (August 13th – August 19th) for those participating in Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2023. What does that mean in plain English? It means I am going to write a post specifically about someone or a group of people who create content that I enjoy. Now that is not a short list. I subscribe to dozens of YouTube channels and even more blogs via Feedly. However, it is not practical to try and write about all of these. So I have had to think long and hard about selecting one creator to highlight. It’s quite a difficult choice because I enjoy a multitude of content for different reasons. However, I have chosen one which regularly keeps me entertained, has a good community associated and also offers an element of interaction which is quite unique. It is this last factor which has tipped the balance.
One of my hobbies is walking for pleasure. The UK has a culture of walking and it is often a very practical means of getting about. Then there are the obvious physical and mental health benefits. The former are obvious, the latter not immediately so. Some people do not like being alone with their thoughts or find silence or at least the absence of speech, comforting. I do. Walking affords me a time to think and reflect upon anything I choose. It also allows me to switch off if I wish to. And then there are walks in the countryside. There’s the enjoyment of planning a route and challenging yourself with the distance you walk. Walking can be a fluid situation if a route through a field is untenable, or the weather turns against you. But it is always worth it for the potential views and the opportunity to pursue other interests when out, like photography, painting or wildlife spotting.
Which segues nicely into the Cool Dudes Walking Club. I would like to point out that “dude” is used in a non-gender specific way and that the club is open to all. About seven years ago I was perusing YouTube and found a channel belonging to comedian, actor and writer Marek Larwood. I was aware of his work and subscribed to his channel as it featured (among other things) a series of videos involving excursions to major tourist attractions in London. Let it suffice to say that Marek’s outlook on travel, tourists and generally navigating daily life resonated with me. As he has a keen interest in walking and started producing more related content, he eventually set up a separate YouTube channel. Thus the Cool Dudes Walking Club was born. I subsequently joined, subscribed to the new YouTube channel and became a monthly supporter.
There is a tendency these days for videos to follow a “process”. I don’t mind well made YouTube content but I don’t want the process to crowd out the passion. One of the key things about Marek Larwood’s walking videos is that they are made in an informal fashion but that doesn’t mean that they lack enthusiasm. Marek talks about his gear, gives hints and tips about walking and what he’s hoping to achieve. But it never feels like a hard sell. He also provides anecdotes and information relating to where he is walking and the sights and sounds along the way. Yet it is far from didactic or stilted. In fact the overall tone of most of his videos is the same as if you were walking with your mates. In between the clear love and excitement, there are miscellaneous grumblings about tourists or public footpaths that farmers have purposely blocked. And don’t get Marek started on pigeons. Therefore, the Cool Dudes Walking Club is not only entertaining but very relatable. That is important.
Another aspect of the Cool Dudes Walking Club that I like is the associated community. The comments on YouTube are always pleasant and informative. Often Marek will ask a question in the video such as “do you like “wild” camping? If so, what is wrong with you?” and the responses are honest and again relatable. I think the channel attracts walkers with a laid back mindset who enjoy walking in the moment, rather than those who see this outdoor pursuit as an ironman style challenge. And then there’s the photos. There are a range of Marek keyrings available as club merchandise and an open invitation to take pictures of your “mini Marek” while out walking. Pictures that are sent in feature at the end of videos and they are for me a highlight. People are very creative with their pictures and they often feature very interesting locations.
So these are a few of the reasons why I enjoy being a member of the Cool Dudes Walking Club. It is nice to be part of a community that enjoys a shared hobby, has a welcoming and genuine outlook and is fun to spend time with online. Plus it would be remiss of me not to say that I appreciate Marek’s sense of humour and broader perspective. He is also very good when it comes to extolling the virtues of his walks and their respective locations. I visited both Avebury and the Bembridge Windmill because of his videos. I also empathise with his aspiration to try and make the Cool Dudes Walking Club his primary job. I used to harbour similar hopes regarding writing and this site. Therefore it is nice to see the club membership grow and someone making progress through their own hard work.
Blaugust 2023: A Personal Introduction
The first thing that springs to mind with such a post is the song “Introduce Yourself” by Faith No More, from their 1987 album of the same name. Ah, the power of word association. I was twenty back in 1987. Young, optimistic, trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I finally joined the UK civil service the following year as it was a practical solution to an unresolved question. But I digress. My personal employment history is not the point of this post as I don’t think I am personally defined by my line of work. So what actually does define a person? Their actions? The company they keep? John Saxon’s character, Roper, in the film Enter the Dragon.said “a man's strength can be measured by his appetites. Indeed, a man's strength flows from his appetites”. But he was wearing flared trousers so I remain sceptical of such a philosophy. As for me, I like to write. Always have done.
Faith No More were a “popular beat combo” from the 80s and 90s
The first thing that springs to mind with such a post is the song “Introduce Yourself” by Faith No More, from their 1987 album of the same name. Ah, the power of word association. I was twenty back in 1987. Young, optimistic, trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I finally joined the UK civil service the following year as it was a practical solution to an unresolved question. But I digress. My personal employment history is not the point of this post as I don’t think I am personally defined by my line of work. So what actually does define a person? Their actions? The company they keep? John Saxon’s character, Roper, in the film Enter the Dragon.said “a man's strength can be measured by his appetites. Indeed, a man's strength flows from his appetites”. But he was wearing flared trousers so I remain sceptical of such a philosophy. As for me, I like to write. Always have done.
I have written several posts in the past extolling the virtues of blogging. It serves a different purpose to other forms of content creation, affording a very personal means of communicating and expressing yourself. It is also invaluable for collating your thoughts and processing the world around you. It has a very cathartic quality and certainly will provide a form of self therapy if that is what you’re seeking. I also think there is a political dimension to writing. Too often these days we are encouraged to immerse ourselves in the trivial or get angry about bogus problems and false narratives. Writing is a means to see beyond such spurious things. To escape the confines of the boundaries set by others. It also challenges the status quo by sharing your own thoughts and opinions with others. And if that all sounds a little too pretentious or highfalutin for you, it’s also good fun.
Carl Sagan was a clever fellow
That’s the pitch out of the way, let’s talk about other things I like doing. I am a man of a certain age (55) and I enjoy traditional comforts, such as good food and wine. I don’t obsess over food and its associated cultural baggage, as in the modern idiom. I just like a “spot of lunch” and welcome meals from both ends of the culinary spectrum. I like reading and learning stuff. By that I mean proper stuff, not crazy bullshit posted on YouTube by some whack job. I recently finished The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan which was most illuminating. I try to read at least one book a month and nowadays tend to favour non-fiction over fiction, although I’m partial to some William Hope Hodgson. I am a big fan of cinema and watch films from all countries and all periods of time. It is an artform I take seriously and I cannot survive on a diet of superhero movies. I also like to walk for pleasure and regularly blog about my various day trips and holidays. I’m also a very political animal but am not affiliated to any specific party or ideology.
I have retired early, after a traumatic six years caring for my sick parents. I have plenty to keep myself occupied and seldom find myself at a loose end. It is my ambition now to ride out the remaining years of my life with the minimum amount of hassle and bullshit. I keep my expectations low and as a result I enjoy the simple pleasures in life, such as an unexpected sandwich and a chance encounter with a friendly cat at a bus stop. I laugh a lot as it is free and makes me feel slightly better about all the terrible things I see, that I’m powerless to change. All of the worst people I’ve encountered in life have lacked a sense of humour. I try hard not to hate things and people as such feeling tend to have a detrimental effect on everything. However, I agree with what Doctor M’Benga said recently in an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. “There are some things in this world that don’t deserve forgiveness”. I also think that there’s only one correct way to put the toilet paper on the holder. The Spanish Inquisition burned people for less.
Doctor M’Benga is possibly the most interesting character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
So that’s me. Well some of me at least. I don’t consider myself a complicated individual. But I like to think I have some depth to me. I hope you are enjoying Blaugust, especially if you’re one of the new people who signed up at the start of the month. I sincerely hope you find support, inspiration and camaraderie within the Blaugust community and that you also find your niche. There’s a lot of experience out there to draw upon and hopefully a lot of positive affirmation coming your way. If I can offer just one piece of advice to anyone who is grappling with blogging at the present, it is that if you keep doing something, learn from your mistakes and just persevere then you will get better at it. Unless you are the UK government but that’s another story.
A Month in Gaming
Here we are again with another summary of my gaming activities in recent months. Or in this case since last September. It’s been a while but I’ve been on a blogging hiatus until recently. However, I’ve kept myself busy gaming wise and often I find the hunt for news video games, just as entertaining as I do playing them. Perhaps that could be a future blog post. Back to the matter in hand. Gaming wise, pretty much all things related to the MMORPG genre are currently on the back burner. I’ll give specifics later but I am taking a break from these for the present. I am currently looking at trying games outside my usual comfort zone and also trying to test whether you can or cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, the answer appears to be yes you can. Enough summation, on to the specifics.
Here we are again with another summary of my gaming activities in recent months. Or in this case since last September. It’s been a while but I’ve been on a blogging hiatus until recently. However, I’ve kept myself busy gaming wise and often I find the hunt for news video games, just as entertaining as I do playing them. Perhaps that could be a future blog post. Back to the matter in hand. Gaming wise, pretty much all things related to the MMORPG genre are currently on the back burner. I’ll give specifics later but I am taking a break from these for the present. I am currently looking at trying games outside my usual comfort zone and also trying to test whether you can or cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, the answer appears to be yes you can. Enough summation, on to the specifics.
LOTRO Update 34: Before the Shadow. Let me state for the record that I still consider The Lord of the Rings Online to be a robust and entertaining realisation of Middle-earth. It has kept me entertained since late 2008. If you are new to the game there is a ton of content, a huge amount of lore references and a supportive and friendly community. But the last update had very little to offer veteran players. The new content was aimed at level 1 to 32 players. So apart from a new story, nothing much of note was added to the game for those with level cap characters and that is pretty much why I’m tired of this game. All it ever offers is “more of the same”.
Due to changes within EG7, I suspect a lot of the promised updates like the graphics overhauls and the console version will never be carried out and LOTRO is fated to remain essentially as it is. No major new systems or gameplay mechanics will be added. Just variations on existing content. For me that is no longer sufficient to hold my interest. Hence I played through some of Update 34: Before the Shadow when it was released last November but after a few days I just stopped logging in. I didn’t feel especially upset. In fact it felt like the right response. When you’re done, you’re done.
Red Dead Redemption 2. I returned to this RPG in January and picked up exactly where I left off in 2020. The plot was still familiar to me so it really was a seamless continuation. I played through the main story and was amazed at what a compelling experience it was. As I’ve already written a blog post about this remarkable game I won’t repeat myself too much but I consider this to be one of the best video games ever. Great game play, a compelling narrative and a feeling of immense satisfaction when you reach the end. It also keeps you thinking and reflecting upon it for days afterwards. As all great art does.
Hogwarts Legacy. Controversy aside, I really enjoyed this game. It offered everything I personally wanted from a Hogwarts themed video game. I was surprised at the quality of some of the companion side quests, especially the Sebastian Sallow story arc. I will happily return to the game if further DLC is released and I may at a future date play through the entire thing again with a new character. If they are in another house there are some unique storylines. In the meantime, the only content left to me to do is some completionist, busy work, so for the present I’ve finished with this title. It did provide over 70 hours of entertainment.
Sniper Elite 5. Nowadays, most games have a relatively short life cycle. One year is usual, so I was quite surprised to discover that Sniper Elite 5 was to get a second season pass with another “years worth” of content. New maps, new weapons, new cosmetic skins. Some may argue it’s all a bit thin but I just fundamentally like the concept behind this game. Slow, measured and tactical driven gameplay for those who want it. For those who like to run and gun, that is still an option. This fifth iteration of the game has really refined the sniping mechanics and the weapons customisation means you really can create a loadout that suits your need and style. I like the stealthy approach and setting booby traps and the game excels at this. Invasion mode where another player can gatecrash your game and hunt you down, still keeps me on my toes. I’ll happily play for another year.
Star Trek Online. What I like about this MMORPG is that you know exactly where you stand with it. You can complain about the monetisation, the ground combat and “lack of diplomatic missions” but the game doesn’t lie to you about its nature. STO is the gaming embodiment of a quid pro quo. If you grind a new event, you get a reward. If you grind all the events scheduled throughout the year, you get a bigger reward. There’s always something to do in this game. If you have time to kill, then you can play through all story arcs on all factions. There’s a lot. Alternatively, if you just have 30 minutes of gaming time, why not do the latest Task Force Operation? This is why STO is always in my gaming rotation.
Warzone 2.0 DMZ. I ended up buying a new graphics card because of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, when it was released last November. The latest iteration of the franchise also saw the release of a new version of Warzone, its free multiplayer counterpart. I’m simply not a good enough player to get the most out of the battle royale mode but the new DMZ variant, which is an extraction shooter, is damn compelling. Yes the game is flawed at present and a lot of the community are sociopathic but occasionally you get a game that hits the spot perfectly. You find a good squad, play in a coordinated fashion and gain some phat loot. And any fool that crosses your path, gets wrecked. You then exfil in the helicopter, under the cover of smoke, back in time for corn flakes. These are the days when gaming is good.
The Hunter: Call of the Wild. Finally, I bought this hunting game after watching a “let’s play” video on YouTube and am happy to report that it is a very interesting alternative take on the "first person shooter" genre. The game is slow, methodical and surprisingly immersive. It rewards patience. I didn’t think this genre would have any appeal for me but it is certainly holding my interest at present. It also has a substantial playerbase and community on reddit who are happy to share tips and information. I wasn’t expecting any of this which is an added bonus.
