Thoughts on Blogging Part 6
As January comes to an end, I am pleased that I have so far managed to maintain a daily writing schedule. I hope that I can continue in this vein throughout February. As ever the actual process of sitting and writing has proven a somewhat mixed bag so far this year. Some days the word simply spill out of me and a blog post potentially writes itself. On others, composing just three coherent paragraphs is like pulling teeth and much time is spent procrastinating and getting side tracked. But a mixture of self-discipline and a degree of pride have helped oil the creative wheels and kept the content flowing. Whether any of it is any good is for others to decided. However, it was nice to find one of my posts quoted in an article over at Massively Overpowered. It means that at least someone is reading my work and pondering upon the points therein. Writing is after all a means of communication and sharing ideas so it is rewarding to know that you’re not just yelling into the wind all the time.
As January comes to an end, I am pleased that I have so far managed to maintain a daily writing schedule. I hope that I can continue in this vein throughout February. As ever the actual process of sitting and writing has proven a somewhat mixed bag so far this year. Some days the word simply spill out of me and a blog post potentially writes itself. On others, composing just three coherent paragraphs is like pulling teeth and much time is spent procrastinating and getting side tracked. But a mixture of self-discipline and a degree of pride have helped oil the creative wheels and kept the content flowing. Whether any of it is any good is for others to decided. However, it was nice to find one of my posts quoted in an article over at Massively Overpowered. It means that at least someone is reading my work and pondering upon the points therein. Writing is after all a means of communication and sharing ideas so it is rewarding to know that you’re not just yelling into the wind all the time.
I like to write about a broad spectrum of subjects, but naturally I self-edit my posts and so some content remains unpublished. I try not to do too much politics or social issues although I’m not averse to expressing an opinion. But sometimes you have to refrain from “indulging” yourself and focus on the meat and potatoes of your writing. For me that is still movies and video games. I have no problem with constructive criticism and analysis of the things I enjoy, but I am cognisant of not perpetuating a continuously negative narrative. Hence, I endeavour to be as even handed as one can be, despite being human and therefore having personal bias. Frankly it’s just lazy writing to sit in the balcony and barrack the stage continuously. Yet as a culture, in recent years we’ve become far more focused on what we don’t like, what we’re against and what we think is beyond the pale. Actually expressing positive sentiments or extolling the virtues of something you enjoy is bizarrely frowned upon in some quarters or seen as sappy.
Moving forward into 2019, I have several ideas regarding developing further recurring themed posts. At present I use Thoughts on Blogging and Diary of a Podcaster as means to provide commentary on both mediums as well as update readers about my own endeavours in these areas. I also use the Classic Themes posts as a vehicle to explore my love of film, TV and video game music. After some thinking I’m considering writing regularly about various common tropes and archetypes that occur in movies. I also had an idea about a similar game related series of articles, where I could focus on mainstays of the industry and how certain mechanics become established. I’ve also reflected upon my need to write more about books, graphic novels, obscure TV shows from my childhood and a wealth of other topics. But all such ideas have to be realistically tempered by the time I have available and my desire to pursue other interests. All things considered, I should be able to sustain my writing schedule for the next month. But ideas for content is only half the equation. The other is motivation. That is a far more nebulous commodity. However, one positive thing to consider is that February is a shorter month than others.
A Year in Blogging
I did not manage to maintain my writing schedule this year and have not posted everyday as I would’ve liked. I have produced over two hundred and seventy posts but still feel I could have done more. Blaugust was a welcome burst of enthusiasm that I managed to sustain for September and October, but I lost momentum in the run up to Christmas. At least I know what the root cause is which puts me a step nearer to resolving it. Having written several posts in the past about “writers block” and the other perennial excuse of not having anything to write about, I seem to have squarely fallen into both those traps. At present I find that motivating myself is the key problem. If I haven’t started writing something by midday, then it more than often gets left for the day. If I intend to escape this malaise, then I shall have to establish a far stricter writing schedule for 2019 and endeavour to do my writing first thing in the morning, when I am most focused.
I did not manage to maintain my writing schedule this year and have not posted everyday as I would’ve liked. I have produced over two hundred and seventy posts but still feel I could have done more. Blaugust was a welcome burst of enthusiasm that I managed to sustain for September and October, but I lost momentum in the run up to Christmas. At least I know what the root cause is which puts me a step nearer to resolving it. Having written several posts in the past about “writers block” and the other perennial excuse of not having anything to write about, I seem to have squarely fallen into both those traps. At present I find that motivating myself is the key problem. If I haven’t started writing something by midday, then it more than often gets left for the day. If I intend to escape this malaise, then I shall have to establish a far stricter writing schedule for 2019 and endeavour to do my writing first thing in the morning, when I am most focused.
However, despite the reduction in output, I have enjoyed writing this year. I feel that my style and content continues to improve. The Blaugust writing event was a great way to discover several new blogs and it is heartening to see many of the participants are still producing regular posts. However, the ongoing decline of long-form writing is still evident online. Many still see Twitch TV and You Tube as the easiest means to establish an online presence and gain an audience. This is especially true with respect to gaming and its associated fandom. There are good streamers out there that frequently produce quality output, but it seems to become increasingly harder to find them among all the competing white noise. I still maintain that the written word is a subtler and more flexible medium for self-expression and discourse so I’ll continue to advocate for it. Perhaps further planned writing events in 2019 that encourage and nurture potential bloggers, would be beneficial.
It has also been pleasing to see a growth in website traffic over the last twelve months. Contains Moderate Peril seems to be increasing it reach globally as the stats show that a third of the traffic now comes from outside of Europe and the US. Google also brings a lot of readers to the site. The film reviews are a major contributor to this, as they are not as transient as some of the gaming posts. 2018 has once again shown that referrals via social media are not as important as one would surmise, unless you have hundreds of thousands of followers. My tweets promoting new posts do attract some traffic but not as much as a link from a fellow blogger or mainstream website such as Massively Overpowered. The statistical analysis also shows that due to the international nature of its audience, Contains Moderate Peril sees the most traffic between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM GMT.
The posts that received the most views this year are once again a rather eclectic mix. My thoughts on a proposed Silmarillion movie adaptation that I wrote back in May 2017 proved the most popular. Similarly, my short return to The Elder Scrolls Online led to two posts that have gained substantial traction. Alik’r Desert Dolmen Farming and Levelling and Gear Progression in ESO were the second and third most read posts. The fourth article which continues to garner a regular amount of traffic is a review for a fan edit of the iconic George Romero movie, Dawn of the Dead. As this version is a reconstruction of the original work print it is a subject of interest among movie fans. And the fifth most read blog post of 2018 were my initial thoughts on Update 23 for LOTRO, which I wrote when it became available on the Bullroarer Test Server. In fact, posts about The Lord of the Rings Online tend to gain traction, especially in recent months as the MMORPG has enjoyed a renaissance among both old and new players.
I’d like to thank all those who have continued to support Contains Moderate Peril over the last twelve months by reading posts and linking to my work. As a writer it is rewarding to know that one’s content is enjoyed and well received. 2018 was certainly the year that I made peace with “the death of website comments”. It seems to be something that people no longer feel disposed towards. Feedback usually comes directly from the links I post on social media, so I guess it’s not so much a loss of reader input, but merely a change in the means of providing it. I shall naturally continue to write as often as I can in 2019 and will more than likely motivate myself to ensure that January is at least well represented. I shall also continue my “Thoughts on Blogging” series of posts and continue to encourage others to do so. I also look forward to reading my fellow bloggers content over the year ahead. May they all be prolific.
The Proust Questionnaire Part 2
At the beginning of November, I started to answer the various questions set out in The Proust Questionnaire, mainly because at some level I do like the occasional insight that “internet questions” can provide. Although most of my answers are frequently tinged with a degree of levity and at times even scorn, every now and then the right question can provoke a sincere response. So here are my measured replies to the remaining interrogative enquiries, for your consideration and edification. If you do not agree with them or find yourself at odds with my mindset, please address any complaints care of the late Marcel Proust (10th July 1871 - 18th November 1922).
At the beginning of November, I started to answer the various questions set out in The Proust Questionnaire, mainly because at some level I do like the occasional insight that “internet questions” can provide. Although most of my answers are frequently tinged with a degree of levity and at times even scorn, every now and then the right question can provoke a sincere response. So here are my measured replies to the remaining interrogative enquiries, for your consideration and edification. If you do not agree with them or find yourself at odds with my mindset, please address any complaints care of the late Marcel Proust (10th July 1871 - 18th November 1922).
18). If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? This is an odd question because if implies that changing one thing about yourself is impossible and can only be discussed in the abstract. This is of course nonsense. We can change ourselves physically via exercise, or surgery, make up or even by bathing regularly. As for making emotional, philosophical or psychological change to oneself, there are equally just as many options. I have always embraced the concept of continuous self-improvement. My life is a work in progress.
19). What do you consider your greatest achievement? I raised a son who now has a family of his own. He’s a thoroughly decent human being. Far more so than I. I helped contribute to this.
20). If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? If I was a seventies comedian from the North of England, I’d probably say “a woman’s bicycle saddle”. But I’m not, so I’ll go with an incurable plague virus.
21). Where would you most like to live? Robertsbridge in East Sussex. Or Horsham in West Sussex.
22). What is your most treasured possession? Walter.
23). What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? I assume this question is supposed to be drawn from your own experience. If so, the most emotionally challenging period of my life and when I was “the most miserable” would be when I got divorced and the accompanying emotional trauma that comes with such a situation.
24). What is your favourite occupation? Interesting. Does this question mean occupation as in job or in the sense of an activity or pursuit? Either way, for me it’s writing. I’m content whenever I am sitting at my desk, typing away on my PC, expressing my thoughts. I like the clarity that writing can bring as well as constructing a measured and logical argument. I also like the banter that can be found on Twitter (if you follow the right people).
25). What is your most marked characteristic? I suspect it may be my sense of humour and my somewhat sardonic manner. The world is a very odd, incongruous and at times illogical place. The current intellectual blackout that is spreading throughout western democracies, scares the hell out of me along with the general decline of politics. Therefore, I use humour and an irreverent attitude as a coping mechanism and prism through which to view life, without being directly broken by its crushing futility and inherent unfairness. I consider humour to be an important human characteristic, as long as one has the ability to focus that humour at oneself, as well as the rest of the world. Beware those individuals who lack any sense of mirth. I believe it betrays more about their nature.
26). What do you most value in your friends? The fact that they know me and yet still stick around.
27). Who are your favourite writers? JRR Tolkien, MR James, Charles Dickens, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, Arthur C Clarke, Saki, HP Lovecraft, Roger Hargreaves, Richard Dawkins, Shirley Jackson, Nigel Kneale, Alan Moore, Arthur Conan-Doyle, HG Wells, Isaac Asimov, William Hope Hodgson, Rod Serling, Marcus Aurelius and many more.
28). Who is your hero of fiction? The Hungry Caterpillar. Also, Mr Tickle and Sam Gamgee.
29). Which historical figure do you most identify with? Robin Hood. I had to wear a stylised Robin Hood outfit in a school play when I was very young. The experience left me traumatised. I bet the real Robin Hood’s outfits were made by his mum.
30). Who are your heroes in real life? Everyday people that do “good” things without the benefit of media scrutiny or praise.
31). What are your favourite names? Xavier, Telemachus, St John (pronounced Sinjun) and Throatwobblermangrove.
32). What is it that you most dislike? A lack of critical thinking. Emotive beliefs and the politics of “feelings”. And people with poor personal hygiene. Wash your clothes and bathe regularly.
33). What is your greatest regret? Leaving my finger prints at the crime scene.
34). How would you like to die? What a stupid question. In my sleep of course and not being torn to pieces by a pack of rabid animals or having my nuts bitten of by a Laplander.
35). What is your motto? Pecuniam vertemus which translates as “Take the money and run”.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 5
This week, a rather high profile sub-reddit associated with the Star Trek Online community, changed its status to “private” as a means of protesting against the state of the game and the way developers Cryptic are handling things. That matter was surprisingly resolved within 24 hours after an olive branch was extended from the STO community manager on reddit. However, it is not the protest itself nor the state of the game that I wish to focus upon, but the importance of /r/stobuilds as a shared community resource. A lot of STO players enjoy optimising their builds and tweaking their loadout and this site it the place to go to share such information. There is also a group of hardcore players that dig deep into the games data and comprehensively crunch number and generate useful information. Hence if a resource such as this was taken offline for longer period of time, it would have a tangible impact upon players and the wider community.
This week, a rather high profile sub-reddit associated with the Star Trek Online community, changed its status to “private” as a means of protesting against the state of the game and the way developers Cryptic are handling things. That matter was surprisingly resolved within 24 hours after an olive branch was extended from the STO community manager on reddit. However, it is not the protest itself nor the state of the game that I wish to focus upon, but the importance of /r/stobuilds as a shared community resource. A lot of STO players enjoy optimising their builds and tweaking their loadout and this site it the place to go to share such information. There is also a group of hardcore players that dig deep into the games data and comprehensively crunch number and generate useful information. Hence if a resource such as this was taken offline for longer period of time, it would have a tangible impact upon players and the wider community.
Now not every fansite, blog or player run resource are of a comparable size and significance, but I would cogently argue that they all contribute to their respective communities in essentially the same manner. They’re sharing information, enthusiasm and support for the things that they love and are entertaining and communicating with others. A fellow blogger who wrote a popular MMO fansite, once told me that they considered their writing as a public service in a way. I do not think the remark was a reflection of their vanity. It simply showed that they enjoyed participating in a wider community and sharing what they knew. However, they also remarked that once you find yourself in a position where your work becomes important to the wider community, you can become a “prisoner of your own success”. This then raises the spectre of “obligation” over writing for pleasure. If you’re creating guides for an MMO or data mining the latest patch, then you can end up in this position.
I have a plethora of websites and blogs, bookmarked in my web browser. Most are run by fans and despite the fact they are amateur publications, many are of an extremely high standard. In fact, they often put the professionals to shame. Such blogs are often done by sole individuals, busy couples or over stretched collectives who are passionate about their subject. A lot of people benefit from the hard work that they put in. The recent LOTRO renaissance has highlighted for me just how many great fan-based resources still exist, but it has also reminded me of how many blogs and podcast have retired of “faded” over the years. The absence of some are still sorely missed. Expressing yourself through written words is more labour intensive than producing content for other platforms. It is less ephemeral due to the thought and consideration that good writing takes. In some respects, the bloggers surrounding certain games are a microcosm of the of the wider community.
There’s been a lot of talk of late regarding preserving video games history. It is indeed an interesting proposition because it is in historical terms such a relatively recent phenomenon. However, if you wish to preserve games per se, as we currently do with other art forms such as movies, music and books, then surely preserving their associated impact on popular culture is equally as important? Fifty years from now when it can be safely assumed that World of Warcraft should have run its course, having access to the myriad of websites and fan resources that evolved around the MMO will be key to understanding the popularity of the game itself. Surely, such a concept logically extends to blogging around any aspect of popular culture? Naturally not every site or blog is destined to be of paramount historical importance, but all contribute in their own unique way to bigger community picture. Consider that next time you write, and it may help motivate you. Or it may do the opposite.
Searching Content on Contains Moderate Peril
If you are a WordPress user, there are a multitude of plugins that you can apply to your blog to tweak and customise it. The only downside of this is that every time WordPress upgrade their software, all your plugins subsequently need to be updated. Many plugins are written by third parties and therefore you do not have guaranteed long-term support. Plugins can also be exploited, which is why I ultimately decided to stop using WordPress for my website. I made the transition to Squarespace for my hosting needs in August 2015 and have never looked back since then. However, I have been using the same template for three years now and I was pondering recently whether it was time to change it. Yet a change of this kind is bound to have knock-on effects and could potentially end up creating more problems than it solves. So rather than go off half cocked, I decided to do some research to see if I could improve the functionality of my blog.
If you are a WordPress user, there are a multitude of plugins that you can apply to your blog to tweak and customise it. The only downside of this is that every time WordPress upgrade their software, all your plugins subsequently need to be updated. Many plugins are written by third parties and therefore you do not have guaranteed long-term support. Plugins can also be exploited, which is why I ultimately decided to stop using WordPress for my website. I made the transition to Squarespace for my hosting needs in August 2015 and have never looked back since then. However, I have been using the same template for three years now and I was pondering recently whether it was time to change it. Yet a change of this kind is bound to have knock-on effects and could potentially end up creating more problems than it solves. So rather than go off half cocked, I decided to do some research to see if I could improve the functionality of my blog.
After taking an in-depth look at my blog stats, both via Squarespace and Google Analytics, it’s clear that a third of readers are using their phones to access Contains Moderate Peril. Fortunately, the template I’m currently using is mobile friendly and I’m pleased with its performance. For PC users the blog is functional, despite lacking is certain interactive elements such as sidebars, blog rolls and social media links. All posts are clear and easy to read. As I think that content is by far the most important aspect of any blog, as long as it is accessible and easy to navigate then the current template is doings its job. I also consider it important to provide readers with links to similar material to that which they are already reading. Hence, all articles have a list related posts at the bottom of the body of text. This is invaluable for building an audience and exposing readers to more of your work. I find it most rewarding when I look at my blog stats and see that someone has read an article about LOTRO and then perused further content of a similar theme.
However, there is one limitation to these “summary blocks” as Squarespace calls them. They only display a maximum of 28 links to previously posted content. Subsequently as more content is added to Contains Moderate Peril, older material is gradually excluded from the “summary blocks”. Yet there is an obvious and convenient workaround. All posts are indexed by categories displayed at the page footer. If you click on any category it will then list all other posts associated with it. Hence clicking on “movies” will list all posts in that category. The site shows twenty posts at a time and readers can then access the next twenty by clicking on “older”, again at the bottom of the page. You can search by author in the same fashion. There is also a calendar on the Post Archive page (which you can access via the top menu) which lists all posts for the month. The month can be adjusted, and so readers can comprehensively see all posts that have been published since Contains Moderate Peril migrated to Squarespace. There is also a search facility for the entire site, again found on the top menu.
Ultimately, all the changes I have made to the website template are to the backend. Minor changes to SEO, key words and indexing will hopefully improve performance and allow readers to find further material if they so wish. It will be interesting to see if this post has an impact upon traffic and the way the site is used. As I’ve said in such events as The Newbie Blogger Initiative and Blaugust, writers or bloggers shouldn’t be driven by purely stats and website traffic. But if you are publicly publishing your work it is logical to make it as accessible to you readers as possible and to ensure they can search it effectively. Promotion of content via social media is one way of doing this but having an online presence that is easy and intuitive to use is also essential. Not all posts are time specific and there may be occasions when you specifically want your audience to find older content that is still pertinent. Therefore, if you aren’t already using a “related posts” or a post archive facility on your blog then you are doing yourself and more importantly your readers a disservice.
The Proust Questionnaire Part 1
The Proust Questionnaire was popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering the questions, an individual provides an insight into his or her true nature. Whether that is true is debatable, but I do find the internets fondness for Q&A sessions, curiously fascinating. And as this very questionnaire has been recently resurrected by Vanity Fair magazine and has also been utilised on the Ricky Gervais is Deadly Sirius podcast, I though I’d jump on the same bandwagon, as I’m behind in my writing and this is an easy post. As there are thirty-five questions, I thought I’d tackle them over two days. So, without further ado, here are my considered and measured thought on the first seventeen.
The Proust Questionnaire was popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering the questions, an individual provides an insight into his or her true nature. Whether that is true is debatable, but I do find the internets fondness for Q&A sessions, curiously fascinating. And as this very questionnaire has been recently resurrected by Vanity Fair magazine and has also been utilised on the Ricky Gervais is Deadly Sirius podcast, I though I’d jump on the same bandwagon, as I’m behind in my writing and this is an easy post. As there are thirty-five questions, I thought I’d tackle them over two days. So, without further ado, here are my considered and measured thought on the first seventeen.
1). What is your idea of perfect happiness? I find that I am at my happiest when I am in a tranquil environment. Noise, crowds and any place or activity that has the potential to generate anger of bellicose behaviour are the bane of modern-day life. Give me a quiet, calming location, that is warm and pleasant, and I quickly feel relaxed and thereby better disposed to others. Populate such a place with those who I care about and whose company I enjoy, and it becomes even better. Adding Gin, Pimm’s or a quality red wine doesn’t do any harm either.
2). What is your greatest fear? Putting aside pain which I think is a red herring when tackling this question, for me my greatest fear is losing the capacity to think, reason and martial my thoughts. Senility, Alzheimer's disease and generally any form of mental decay terrify me. These are cruel conditions both for those who suffer from them and their families. To be afflicted in such a way and to slip into a mental decline, only to have occasional moment of lucidity, sends my blood cold.
3). What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? If I make someone a promise, then I’ll keep it. If I take onboard a project that involves others, I will do my part because I have an obligation that I need to honour. Yet, I don’t always maintain this standard if the only person involved is myself. I’ll let things slide if I’m the only one affected.
4). What is the trait you most deplore in others? I’m tempted to say existing in the first place, but that is a little misanthropic. So, on reflection I’ll go with wilful ignorance. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing something. I am poor at languages and there are lots of gaps in my academic knowledge. But if something comes to my attention that I don’t know about, I’ll research it. We live in an age where it has never been so easy to look something up. Yet so many people choose not to. And others even appear to revel in their ignorance. Thinking means having to read, analyse, consider and then make a decision. All things that many do not want to do at present. Every day is a chance at self-improvement, why choose to do the opposite?
5). Which living person do you most admire? This is a tough question. It’s hard to single out just one man or woman, because there are many who worthy of praise. So here are a few just off the top of my head in no order of preference. Ennio Morricone, because his music profoundly moves me, and he bring beauty into a dark world. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, not so much because of his politics, but mainly because of his dedication. He fights for what is just possibly at the expense of his own happiness. I couldn’t do that. The world needs people like this. I may even go so far as also citing Queen Elizabeth II. I’m not a major royalist but I think she is a unique individual. One that really has spent her life serving the nation. The wealth is a merely a trapping. She is about duty to the country. And man, she has had to put up with some appalling visiting heads of state over the years, on top of a never-ending succession of utterly shite Prime Ministers.
6). What is your greatest extravagance? A signed picture of Peter Cushing. Cost a fortune. But it’s the Cushmeister. Say no more.
7). What is your current state of mind? Relaxed. I have arranged to take a brief 36-hour respite from my caring duties. I have tinkered with my PC today, eaten far too many Pork Loins and am now on the Guinness. The world is nicely on the other side of the front door and I’m listening to Anthony Newley. A cold caller phoned earlier by I told them to fuck right off. Take pleasure in the simple things, I say.
8). What do you consider the most overrated virtue? I believe this refers to the twelve virtues attributed to Aristotle, rather than those found in the MMO The Lord of the Rings Online. All of those classical virtues were fairly sound, so I don’t feel the need to pick on one. Using a more contemporary yardstick, being humble is considered a virtuous thing to be. Sadly, it often manifests itself in the form of the humble brag, which is quite the opposite. Plus, virtues are a poison chalice these days. Make a principled stand and you’ll be accused of virtue signalling, which is a pejoratives term.
9). On what occasion do you lie? I like any other human being living in western civilisation, skirt around the truth, make factually incorrect statements and lie by omission on a daily basis. You cannot have a society that runs smoothly if everyone was 100% truthful all the time. Emotions and the truth are a bit like oil and water. So, lying has become a fundamental part of human interaction, although it is governed by a lot of rules. For example, it is okay to lie to children. “There is a Santa Claus”. “Oh, that’s a lovely picture”. And my personal favourite, “you can be anything you want to be”. As an adult we also lie as a social nicety. “No, of course you don’t look like a sack of shit tied up in the middle with a dead tape worm” etc. But there are lines in the societal sand. Lying in grown-up situations around issues of relationships, arson, murder and cannibalism are definite non-starters.
10). What do you most dislike about your appearance? At the age of nearly fifty-one I am beginning to lose that bloom of youth and my saturnine good looks are slowly fading. Plus, I’m not too keen on my eyes. It’s not the colour that concerns me but that old adage about the eyes being the windows of the soul. The realities of the modern world and the fact that life is mostly a bleak and futile experience, akin to picking at a scab, is reflected in my brown eyes. This frequently causes people to recoil and pets to defecate in flowerbeds. It’s not a good look for family photos either.
11). Which living person do you most despise? I don’t think it is healthy or wise to be consumed with abject hate for a person or thing. You can righteously disdain an individual or a course of action, but it helps if you maintain a sense of proportion. That said, there is no shortage of odious lickspittles and shit chiselling fuck monkeys in our world today. They are usually self obsessed, thin skinned, ignorant and devoid of empathy. It’s hard not to want to stove in their skull with a tent mallet. If you asked me this question when I was nine, I would have said Colin Robertson, without missing a beat, as he broke my eagle eye Action Man on purpose. The git.
12). What is the quality you most like in a man? A well developed and nuanced sense of humour. I like raconteurs and people who view the absurdities of the world through the prism of wit. I find that humour helps me no end, especially in my duties as a carer to two elderly people. If I didn’t laugh at what I encounter every day, I weep uncontrollably. I also like people who don’t try and dodge buying a round of drinks when it’s their turn.
13). What is the quality you most like in a woman? Why should this be any different to the quality I most like in men? Unless we’re going down the road of sexual qualities, to which I say keep your nose out of my peccadilloes (not to be confused with hands of my Armadillo). I guess this is just a legacy question from an age when the cultural divide between the sexes was more pronounced and entrenched.
14). Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Nebulous”, on “mature reflection” and “go piss up a rope, fuck stick”. I am also obsessed with obscure pop culture references, usually taken from my most formative years. Therefore, I’ll frequently drivel on about stuff from seventies and eighties TV, music and movies. For example, I often plagiarise a line from a classic Derek and Clive sketch, regarding “a bird on Mrs Coltart’s roof”.
15). What or who is the greatest love of your life? Mrs P, obviously. If we’re talking about “love” in so far as a passion for an activity, then it is writing and maybe podcasting. There was a about a three-year period when Contains Moderate Peril got a little traction and writing every day was a joy and recording the weekly podcast with Brian and guests was an absolute hoot. Good times.
16). When and where were you happiest? This question implies that I have some how peaked in the happiness stakes and that it’s now just a slow and painful decline into misery and despair, while listening to Lacrimosa by Zbigniew Preisner really loudly. Fuck this question. I live in the moment and there has been happiness throughout my life, as there will be in the years to come. That said, my granddaughters really make me happy as they are so young, loving and unspoilt by life.
17). Which talent would you most like to have? I’d like to be able to play the Baliset like Gurney Halleck.
To be continued.
Analysing Blaugust
There is a blog post over at the Greedy Goblin, where Gevlon crunches the numbers to see how many bloggers are still writing a month and a half on from Blaugust. Needless to say, I am not surprised by his results. Writing events such as Blaugust and before that, The Newbie Blogger Initiative, have always had a high attrition rate. I know lots of good writers who cannot sustain a regular writing schedule due to their work commitments. This is especially true of those with families. Then there are those bloggers who simply run out of stamina. Posting regular content is hard and requires focus and discipline. Producing in-depth and longform posts with any regularity is even harder. So, Gevlon’s summary merely proves what many of us new in advance. But I guess you'd find the exactly the same results if you were analysing the aftermath of an event that encouraged podcasting, live streaming or posting videos of You Tube. Creating content of any kind takes time and effort. The better the quality of that material, the more time it takes. Hence some will cease their efforts.
There is a blog post over at the Greedy Goblin, where Gevlon crunches the numbers to see how many bloggers are still writing a month and a half on from Blaugust. Needless to say, I am not surprised by his results. Writing events such as Blaugust and before that, The Newbie Blogger Initiative, have always had a high attrition rate. I know lots of good writers who cannot sustain a regular writing schedule due to their work commitments. This is especially true of those with families. Then there are those bloggers who simply run out of stamina. Posting regular content is hard and requires focus and discipline. Producing in-depth and longform posts with any regularity is even harder. So, Gevlon’s summary merely proves what many of us new in advance. But I guess you'd find the exactly the same results if you were analysing the aftermath of an event that encouraged podcasting, live streaming or posting videos of You Tube. Creating content of any kind takes time and effort. The better the quality of that material, the more time it takes. Hence some will cease their efforts.
Another point of note is how some of the blogs listed (such as my own) no longer exclusively focus upon gaming. I can shed some light upon this matter. There comes a point in the life of a fan where you look back through your past posts and realise you've pretty much said everything you can about that which you enjoy. I started blogging about games back in 2008 and the apple of my eye at the time was LOTRO and the MMO genre. Those halcyon days are gone and MMOs are now a specific niche, so unless a major controversy raises its head, then I don’t have that much to say about things. The gaming industry “is what it is”. It's corporate driven and focused primarily on satisfying the needs of shareholders. Hence, I am no longer surprised or appalled by poor business decisions, egregious monetisation strategies or the general indifference it habitually shows towards customers. It's like shouting at a compass for pointing north.
So regardless of the inevitable attrition rate that come with events such as Blaugust, if it leads to just a handful of new writers who stay the course and continue to post good material, then the undertaking has served its purpose. And if this event is held again next year, I believe you’ll see very similar results. Because Blaugust not only provides support and encouragement to new writers, it also offers a crash course in the realities of writing. It’s a bit like looking after someone else’s dog for a week while they’re on holiday, allowing you to realistically assess whether you really want one of your own. Furthermore, it isn’t always necessary to look at all leisure activities in terms of “success or failure”. For me, part of the appeal of events such as Blaugust, is the ongoing enjoyment of reading new posts and interacting with those who are participating. Sometimes it can be about the journey and not just the destination.
Comfy Questions
Despite having written a blog posts claiming that there’s always something to write about, even I have days when I’m lacking inspiration. Or more to the point lacking in motivation to write. And today is a prime example. I’d much rather be doing something else, but I made a promise to myself to keep the blog content flowing. However, I discovered a selection of questions that have been doing the rounds, via Marathal over at Deez Words and decided to answer them. I’m sure you know the form. They’re a selection of “touchy-feely”, non-threatening questions designed to give the reader a simple thumbnail sketch of your “personality”. So, I thought to myself, “there’s today’s blog post”. I will try my best to answer sensibly and give as relevant answers as I can, but you know me.
Despite having written a blog posts claiming that there’s always something to write about, even I have days when I’m lacking inspiration. Or more to the point lacking in motivation to write. And today is a prime example. I’d much rather be doing something else, but I made a promise to myself to keep the blog content flowing. However, I discovered a selection of questions that have been doing the rounds, via Marathal over at Deez Words and decided to answer them. I’m sure you know the form. They’re a selection of “touchy-feely”, non-threatening questions designed to give the reader a simple thumbnail sketch of your “personality”. So, I thought to myself, “there’s today’s blog post”. I will try my best to answer sensibly and give as relevant answers as I can, but you know me.
How do I drink my tea? I don’t. Yes, that’s right I’m a British guy and I don’t like or drink tea. I usually drink bog standard black filter coffee. I don’t care for the whole Starbucks culture of taking beverages and infantilising/bastardising them with caramel, halloumi and chives. I like gin and try to drink that as often as I can.
Favourite dessert? I don’t really have favourites. There are something I like more than others, naturally, but why box yourself in with a favourite. Usually I like desserts that compliment the meal that I’ve just had. For example, after a spicy meal, I like something lemony or light and creamy to cleanse the palette.
Favourite season? My first answer about “favourite” notwithstanding, I prefer the summer co’s I like being warm. The cold and wet make me cranky.
What cheers me up? Humour, wit and good conversation. An episode of Yes Minister always lifts my spirits.
Dogs or Cats? I no longer have pets. In the past I’ve had cats, but they are parasitical bastards. But they look cute, so I guess it’s a quid pro quo.
Dream holiday? For me simply having a specific period of time where I am left to my own devices is a sufficient holiday for my needs.
How many kids do you want? I have one and that is sufficient. I have done my part keeping the species going, without excessively pillaging the environment. Yay Me. He’s an adult now and has his own family now.
Favourite weather? Warm weather, with clear skies and a light breeze. About 20-25 Celsius.
What would your last meal be? Hopefully something I like
If you could spend 24 hours anywhere, any year, where would you choose? Insert some cunningly contrived, time travel scheme here, where I could set up some sort of long-term investment plan that would pay off big time now.
If I were a ghost, who or where would you haunt? Jacob Marley. See how he liked it.
What is your family ancestry? My grandfather researched our family tree extensively during his lifetime. We have traced family back to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Prior to that it’s not so clear but we have links to the Frankish kingdom and a Norman warlord.
What scares you? Wilful ignorance, the intellectual blackout that is spreading throughout western culture and the collapse of functional democratic politics and public discourse. I don’t dig spiders either.
What are you most grateful for? The baggage retrieval system they got at Heathrow. Oh, hang on, That was “worried about”. In that case I guess I’m grateful for my health. Enjoy it while you can.
Dream job? I’ve enjoyed the intellectual challenge that various jobs have provided me with over the years, but frankly I don’t like working, especially for others. I am not defined by what I do to get money. For me the dream is complete financial independence and thus not work ever again, just a life of leisure.
Do you believe in aliens? I believe the possibility that they may exist statistically.
Favourite sport? I don’t like sport, unless Mario Kart is a sport, then its Mario Kart.
How do I relax after a long day? A good meal, a fine wine, excellent company, an engaging film, a good book or video game. Any permutation of these will suffice.
If I could meet one historical figure, who would you choose and why? Again no one really. I’ve learned that meeting your heroes can be a real disappointment.
If I had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach? I would like to teach children aged about seven or so, about the realities of life. You know the sort of stuff. Point out why their painting isn’t good enough to go on the fridge or why they can’t actually be a Disney princess and how life is mainly tedium with brief moments of joy.
Describe your perfect day? Being left the fuck alone. It also helps if it involves gin, a mixed grill and some genoa cake.
Describe yourself in a sentence? Hungry.
Who makes me laugh the most? Witty and amusing, intelligent people. Raconteurs (not people who “think” they’re raconteurs).
What super power would you choose? The one that allows me to be left the fuck alone.
Favourite animal? The edible kind.
What is your biggest accomplishment? I’ve raised a child and they didn’t die.
Writing and Time
Fellow blogger Sandrian recently asked on the Blaugust Discord server, “how do people find the time. I've been nothing but exhausted for the past three weeks and barely remember to post stuff for Blaugust”. It’s a common question asked by people coming to grips with regular content creation. After a decade plus of writing in some shape or form, I believe I have two possible answers. The first and short response is a quote by the great Montgomery Scott, “if something's important, you'll make the time”. The second is a more detailed breakdown of my daily schedule and how I integrate my writing process into it. Perhaps aspects of my approach to writing will be of use to others, however I will once again state that there is no “one size fits all” approach to any sort of content creation. You have to find what is best for you and then build upon it. There is no magic solution and however you undertake your writing, podcasting or streaming, it takes discipline and a degree of self-sacrifice if you wish to persevere.
"Time, time, time see what's become of me. While I looked around for my possibilities".
Fellow blogger Sandrian recently asked on the Blaugust Discord server, “how do people find the time. I've been nothing but exhausted for the past three weeks and barely remember to post stuff for Blaugust”. It’s a common question asked by people coming to grips with regular content creation. After a decade plus of writing in some shape or form, I believe I have two possible answers. The first and short response is a quote by the great Montgomery Scott, “if something's important, you'll make the time”. The second is a more detailed breakdown of my daily schedule and how I integrate my writing process into it. Perhaps aspects of my approach to writing will be of use to others, however I will once again state that there is no “one size fits all” approach to any sort of content creation. You have to find what is best for you and then build upon it. There is no magic solution and however you undertake your writing, podcasting or streaming, it takes discipline and a degree of self-sacrifice if you wish to persevere.
To begin with, I have demands on my time like everyone else. I retired from work to become a carer to both my parents who are disabled. However, both have clearly structured days and routines, so although I am kept busy, I have a very clear idea how my time will be spent at the beginning of each week. I am mainly occupied between the hours of 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM during week days. This affords me time in the morning and the evening to write. I live with my significant other who also took early retirement and is now a lady of leisure. We spend time together each evening and regularly have days out, but we also pursue individual interests. My son is an adult with a family of his own so childcare is no longer an issue, although we do regularly babysit our twin granddaughters. Overall, my life is busy but tends to be well organised. I’m also a “night owl” and will stay up late, getting by quite well with just five hours of sleep. Hence, there are distinct windows of opportunity each day to write, both in the morning and at night.
"hello computer".
Because of the subjects that I write about, at least half of my weekly content is planned in advance. I have an ongoing “to do list” of movies and TV shows which I methodically work through. I take notes as I watch and use these to structure reviews or analysis. Most of the long form “think pieces” that I write about popular culture and gaming are planned ahead of writing and developed over several writing sessions. The other half of my writing is driven by what I read. I will often riff off a talking point in the gaming news or give my perspective on an ongoing debacle or controversy. I keep a spreadsheet on my Windows “start list” where I frequently jot down ideas. If I’m out and about and something worth writing about pops into my head, I’ll use the voice recorder on my phone to collate my thoughts. I also have word installed on my Samsung S8, and have frequently written bullet points for a blog post, while sitting in a hospital waiting room with one of my parents. Again, “if something's important, you'll make the time”.
There are twenty-four hours in a day. If you want to write, then you can always set an alarm and get up an hour early. Or you can skip a superfluous TV show that you watch mainly because you don’t want to get off the couch. Time can be found, if you choose to do so. But that can lead into another potential problem. After creating that window of opportunity and finding yourself in front of your PC, you have to motivate yourself to write. I prefer writing in the morning when I’m feeling enthused and energetic. It is demonstrably harder to do so later at night after a gruelling day. And this is where mental discipline raises it’s head. You have to consciously decided to ignore all distractions (such as cat videos on You Tube) and focus on getting your content out of your head and into a coherent written form. Now if you feel that this is all a little too heavy and you only want to write just for fun, then cool. If the shit fits, wear it as they say. But you’ll soon find that your output will become infrequent and that in itself can kill your motivation further. If you want to pursue a more rigorous writing schedule, then you have to knuckle down and just do it.
Mr T. Insert something pithy, hip and motivational here.
Once you start writing, get as much down as you can in the time that you have. Do not edit as you go, as that really slows you down. Just concentrate in getting the thrust of you post written and worry about spelling, grammar and coherency later. If you find that the writing is “flowing” and that your plan is coming together in such a way it would make Hannibal Smith happy, then capitalise on the experience. If you can get two or more posts written, then do so and bank them. Building up a stockpile of blog posts is great insurance policy for those days when everything you touch turns to shit. Plus, it’s highly likely that you’ll have a holiday at some point during the year, or social engagements that will keep you out all night, so having material in reserve is a real boon. Another point to remember is that every blog post doesn’t have to be an epic. Brevity can be good. Three paragraphs that are on point are far better than six that are vague and flatulent.
Ultimately, how you blog and what you blog about have an impact upon the length and complexity of your output. But if you diligently set aside the time, sit yourself down in a suitable writing environment and focus upon the task in hand, you will find that writing will get easier over time. Blaugust is great for providing the budding writer with a reality check about the nature of regular content creation. Many will have found the experience hard, which is why I sincerely congratulate all those who met the targets that they set themselves. What happens next is in some respects a lot harder. You now have the choice to continue to write, purely for yourselves and not because you publicly agreed to undertake a challenge. But you’ve already proven that you can. You have all the tools that you need at your disposal along with a month’s experience. If you set your mind to it, you will continue to write and integrate it into your regular life. I hope that many of those who partook in Blaugust Reborn this year will do exactly that.
Language, Style and Tone
One of the many choices that you’re presented with when you start blogging is what style to adopt. You can make a conscious decision right from the outset regarding the tone and language you intend to use, or you just “dive right in” and see what evolves over time. Blogging is a far less formal kind of writing compared to traditional mediums and therefore lends itself to a wider range of choice and means of expression. Language, style and tone certainly have an impact upon your work and are key (along with content) in creating your identity and online brand. Therefore, they have a direct bearing upon what sort of readership you may attract and cultivate. Hence it is beneficial to be aware of the significance of language, style and tone.
One of the many choices that you’re presented with when you start blogging is what style to adopt. You can make a conscious decision right from the outset regarding the tone and language you intend to use, or you just “dive right in” and see what evolves over time. Blogging is a far less formal kind of writing compared to traditional mediums and therefore lends itself to a wider range of choice and means of expression. Language, style and tone certainly have an impact upon your work and are key (along with content) in creating your identity and online brand. Therefore, they have a direct bearing upon what sort of readership you may attract and cultivate. Hence it is beneficial to be aware of the significance of language, style and tone.
So here are a few thoughts on all three of these factors. Their relevance depends on what you write about and how seriously you consider your work. Although language, style and tone are important, if you are writing light and entertaining material that is meant to be enjoyed rather than dissected, then it is not necessarily such a pressing matter. If you like to write reviews or opinion pieces and are happy to express opinions about controversial issues, then their significance and impact are greater. It is for you to decide if these three aspects of writing are important to your content creation.
Language:
Brief and concise writing using plain and simple words can be an eminently practical approach to blogging. It allows you convey your thoughts quickly and easily. If you are writing anything explanatory, then writing in this manner is ideal. Guides, walkthroughs and FAQs benefit immensely from an economy of words. But writing is not a “one size” fits all undertaking. Long, complex and even verbose writing can be appealing to certain demographics. Sometimes you can more accurately express yourself when using florid language. Brevity can be constraining and doesn’t always allow you to accurately convey your thoughts and sentiments. Hence, there are times when long form writing, written in a scholarly manner is an appropriate means to an end. The great thing about the English language is that it there are multiple words meaning the same thing, so you get to choose the ones that best serve your needs.
How you use language, naturally has a bearing on your readership. Some will prefer concise and straightforward prose. Others will seek out the opposite. Newspapers are a prime example of this, adopting the language that best suits their target audience. And let us not be naïve and fail to recognise that there’s a culture of snobbery surrounding language. It is after all a socio-political tool. Whether you like it or not your written content will be judged in part by the very words that you use, or in some instances not use. This is why some writers will spend a great deal of time editing their work to ensure that they use the right language to express their point clearly and unequivocally. Of course, you can also do the complete opposite if that is your intention.
Style:
I personally favour a conversational style with my online writing. I am sharing my thoughts which I rhetorically question and analyse. As such, I do not see the need to couch them in the formality associated with a scholarly essay or that of a broadsheet newspaper. I will make quips and jokes to lighten the tone, as well as using pop-culture references. Yet I still use conventional methodologies if I am constructing a reasoned argument. Premises and conclusions need to be established and if I’m writing a “think piece” about a subjective matter, I will try an include multiple perspectives on the subject.
Because I do enjoy “word play” and believe wholeheartedly in the old adage “you must say what you mean, or else how can you mean what you say”, I am somewhat verbose. But words are nothing to fear and if someone uses one that you’re not familiar with then there is no shame in asking for an explanation. Indeed, add it to your personal lexicon. Expanding your vocabulary is empowering. However, I fully recognise that others are far more comfortable doing the opposite. Namely, writing as they would speak among their peers. It all about finding what’s right for you and your content. A twenty-year-old and someone twice that age can both express the same point, but their choice of words will often be radically different. That is one of the pleasures of reading other peoples blogs. Not only to learn what they think, but to enjoy how they express themselves.
Tone:
In some respects, a writer’s tone is the most telling thing about themselves, their content and world view. It is the written equivalent of body language and verbal expression. Tone lets the reader know if the author is angry or amused, outraged or enthused. It also determines whether a written point is being presented for your consideration or whether it is being expressed as an unassailable “truth” or empirical fact. Tone also provides scope for an author to be frivolous, welcoming, measured or bellicose. Some writers are cognisant of tone to the extent that they can use it along with style as a way of controlling the way readers perceive them. Why state when you can imply? Ambiguity has advantages when exploring certain subjects. Again, tone is something you can choose to use within your writing. For some writers, it just inherently bleeds out into their work. It is something else that readers can use to judge the author.
Blaugust Reborn: Five Questions Answered
Back at the beginning of August, several of the bloggers participating in Blaugust Reborn 2018, provided some interesting writing prompts designed to inspire those new to creating online content. Although I don’t consider myself to be a “newbie”, having maintained a web presence since 2007, some of those prompts were very interesting. Certainly, a short list of questions posted over at Endgame Viable offered a variety of talking points too good to pass up. So, I’ve selected four of those listed and one other from Moonshine Mansion (who also had an interesting selection) and decided to explore them further in today’s post. I’ll try and be as concise as possible because each specific question could sustain an entire blog post of their own. But sometimes brevity can be a good thing, so here for your consideration are my thoughts on the following:
Back at the beginning of August, several of the bloggers participating in Blaugust Reborn 2018, provided some interesting writing prompts designed to inspire those new to creating online content. Although I don’t consider myself to be a “newbie”, having maintained a web presence since 2007, some of those prompts were very interesting. Certainly, a short list of questions posted over at Endgame Viable offered a variety of talking points too good to pass up. So, I’ve selected four of those listed and one other from Moonshine Mansion (who also had an interesting selection) and decided to explore them further in today’s post. I’ll try and be as concise as possible because each specific question could sustain an entire blog post of their own. But sometimes brevity can be a good thing, so here for your consideration are my thoughts on the following:
What do you use Twitter for? Is it a conversation platform? Is it a notification platform? Is it safe? How do you use retweets and favourites?
I primarily use Twitter to converse and stay in touch with online friends. I like to swap news, have conversations and indulge in light-hearted banter. It also provides me with news updates from established outlets. I also use Twitter to promote my own written work. Having built up a respectable following this can have a positive impact upon my website traffic. Twitter can be safe a platform as long as you proactively police who you follow, what conversations you pursue and retweet. I use “mute” judiciously and regularly prune followers that aren’t active.
Are game reviews valuable anymore? Or are they just entertainment?
I find this a curious question as it infers that game reviews are not of value anymore. I draw upon a broad spectrum of game reviewers. Some are from established gaming websites and others are from You Tube. Those that I follow often tend to have a similar outlook upon gaming as myself and favour the similar genres as I do. Twitch also now supplements written reviews, and I’ll often watch someone playing a new title before I make up my mind to buy it. Although there have been controversies of late in some quarters, they often seem to affect reviews and reviewers that are outside of my experience. So, from my perspective, I still seek out intelligent and measured game reviews and have no difficulty finding them.
What are your favourite or most engrossing stories delivered through a game?
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt remains the benchmark for quality games writing. It was the first time that I encountered a game with a narrative as gripping and compelling as a quality novel. The dramatic scope and the emotional intelligence of many of the themes and storylines are outstanding and the game does not render complex ideas into binary outcomes. Like real life the stories are often ambiguous with outcomes that have both good and bad consequences. Another game that has quality storylines is the MMO The Lord of the Rings Online. It has always run a parallel course to Tolkien’s narrative and explored aspects of the source text that are just alluded to by the author. Since the game has now gone beyond the downfall of Sauron, it has continued to maintain a similar high standard with creatively extrapolating what is in the appendices of the original trilogy.
What are your thoughts on lockboxes? Are they necessary? Are they exploitative?
Lootboxes can be both divisive and exploitative. Yet as games are commercial undertakings with a need for monetisation one can argue that they are a necessary evil, or at very least a quick and solution. So, my attitude to lootboxes is one of ambivalence, until I find myself in a situation where their use may be required. Then it’s time to apply my own personal cost analysis to see if it is expedient to buy them. In a game such as Star Trek Online, lootboxes offer additional content. Their main selling point are ships which although varied and unique, are not significantly superior to those that can be earned elsewhere in the game. Therefore, you can play the game effectively without having to ever pay to unlock one. However, in LOTRO the other day, I needed some additional “ashes” to be able to afford a specific armour set and opening lootboxes meant that I could bypass “grinding”. I resented buying keys but not enough to go “grind” for the gear elsewhere. And that’s why these egregious items continue to remain in games. Until we as players are prepared to “go without” to uphold a principle, then publishers will continue to count their cash while laughing at our “hypocrisy”.
What gets you hyped about an upcoming game?
Precious little really. As a mature (in years at least) player of games, I’ve grown tired with the excessive marketing that accompanies major launches. Pre-orders, early access and hype culture are the ruination of gaming and have proven to seldom live up to the expectations they foster. As a result, I don’t often buy a game at launch and will often wait until the release of the “Game of the Year Edition”. That is not to say that I don’t become intrigued by certain titles when they appear on my radar, but I’ve learned to drastically temper my expectations. It’s a habit I have in most other areas of my life. But because I have a strong sense of gallows’ humour and of schadenfreude, I often get more excited by the inevitable PR disasters that frequently incur when the hype train becomes derailed. Star Wars Battlefront II being a prime example.
Opinions, Debate and Courting Controversy
This post has been sitting in “draft” for a while and for the want of Blaugust Reborn, it may well have remained there. I guess I've held fire on writing it because I've gotten somewhat tired of pissing in the wind. Because that is what speaking out on certain subjects frequently feels like these days. There is a sense of tedious inevitability that any post that expresses an opinion on social issues or any form of societal marginalisation will eventually lead to a torrent of vile, ill-informed and just plain dumb comments. It puts me in mind of that quote from Platoon "Hell is the impossibility of reason". And you'll find precious little reason on the internet. What bothers me about all this is why does it have to always be this way? Is there anything that can be done? Well I believe there is.
This post has been sitting in “draft” for a while and for the want of Blaugust Reborn, it may well have remained there. I guess I've held fire on writing it because I've gotten somewhat tired of pissing in the wind. Because that is what speaking out on certain subjects frequently feels like these days. There is a sense of tedious inevitability that any post that expresses an opinion on social issues or any form of societal marginalisation will eventually lead to a torrent of vile, ill-informed and just plain dumb comments. It puts me in mind of that quote from Platoon "Hell is the impossibility of reason". And you'll find precious little reason on the internet. What bothers me about all this is why does it have to always be this way? Is there anything that can be done? Well I believe there is.
Before I start don't go looking for a miracle cure in this post because I don’t have one. What I am suggesting is fairly basic and certainly requires lots of time. In a nutshell, just keep writing and debating. Don't throw in the towel. I know it's very tempting sometimes, hence my pissing in the wind reference. Yet if we do, then the only information that remains out there is misinformation. Therefore, we should not shy away from speaking out on difficult matters. Furthermore, we can also do a lot to minimise the resulting shit storm that will more than likely will arise. Here are few thoughts on the matter.
Research and a well-constructed argument: Debating is a skill. There is also a process to discussing and arguing a point, the same way as mathematics and grammar have rules. Unfortunately, most folk don't consider either of these points and are happy to jump in feet first. It's a shame more schools do not teach critical thinking as it is an invaluable skill that can be brought to bear on so many aspects of life. However, it is prudent to consider that logic and objectivity cannot always be imposed upon a debate. Emotions do play a part and cannot necessarily be set aside. Especially if you have first-hand experience of the very matter being debated.
I believe Tobold asked the question "There cannot be any meaningful discussion of any subject if you start out by declaring only one side of the argument as valid". That is perhaps true of some subjects, especially if you are debating a matter that hinges on subjectivity and personal taste. However, in a debate regarding a subject such as racism, I cannot logically see any argument to validate a discriminatory stance. Some questions may well be open and shut cases but not all.
Life is not simple: If you are intending to hold forth on a particular subject, it never does any harm to remember that most problems are what they are because of their complexity. Which is a bummer because contemporary society really doesn't like or "do" complex (Brexit for instance). Listen to any radio phone-in, read any internet forum or just glance through a newspaper and you'll find many of the most difficult and contentious problems the world currently faces, distilled in to some rather glib and factually questionable sound-bites. Furthermore, the public lap these up because they're easy to remember and trot out. It's far easier to spout some superficial bullshit you gleaned from the pages of a tabloid, rather than spend time researching a subject and actually having to think.
Bear this in mind when you tackle a big issue. Question whether you are in a position to make a substantive point. Seek guidance from those who know what the wider implications are, such as academics and associated experts on the matter. Invite people to consider your views and reflect upon your stance. Do not just arbitrarily hector them or be excessively judgemental. There are actually times when being blunt, forceful and even rude are justified, but it need not be your default position and standard opening gambit. Aim to be disarmingly persuasive.
Change takes time: Progress is a long and often arduous path. Entrenched social attitudes and ideologies do not change overnight. Often it is a generational thing. For example, my parents were born in the Thirties and both have specific views on social status, race, religion, politics, patriotism and that other old favourite drugs. A quarter of the world was part of the British Empire during their most formative years and this era definitely shaped their world view. They have made some changes over the years but on some matters their beliefs hold strong. No amount of arguing will ever change that. However, such views are not so endemic with my own or my son’s generation. Simply put, some of the more unsavoury views from my parents’ generation will die with them. Change doesn't always come by winning "hearts and minds".
However, as with complexity, many people these days can't be doing with "long waits". Thus, we live in a time where knee-jerk reactions and crass, ill-conceived quick fixes abound. Why should gaming (or whatever else you’re advocating or lobbying for) be any different from politics? All I can really say to the ardent campaigner or blogger with a strong social conscience, is that it really helps to cultivate some patience.
Be measured and fair: If for example, you as a gamer want to lobby the games industry with regard to the depiction of women in games, there is ultimately a requirement for you to engage with those who are either a part of the problem or who seem to be indifferent to it. It's all about winning the middle ground and generating a head of steam. This process needs to be handled with subtlety and tact. Although passion is inspiring, and anger can be power (or so The Clash said), step too far over the line and perceived militancy (whether it is real or not) will work against you. It scares people and it may even drive those you need on-board to the other "side". So, pick your battles, be firm, measured and civil.
Another thing to be considered is the use of knowledge. Some gamers (and bloggers) are not as smart as others. Some folk are smart but driven by their emotions. It can therefore be easy sometimes for the intelligent or knowledgeable party to run rings around the other. Be careful in how you "wear" your intelligence. There's being clever and then there's wanting to be seen as being clever. Crushing a person publicly through Vulcan like logic does not necessarily mean that they will immediately recant their views and embrace yours. Quite the opposite. You may have made matters worse. Just watch them dig their heels in. You can be smart and make your point without being condescending or smug. However, that can be a difficult path to tread. Like it or loathe it, dealing with people in these situations requires a degree of diplomacy.
I sure we can all think of other points to add to the list. There's also an element of finding an approach that is right for you. Then of course there is always the option to simply not create content about anything controversial or to stray in to certain areas of debate. Whether you run a website, visit forums or partake of Twitter, you are not obliged to tackle the big issues. If you want to create content that simply focuses on the things you enjoy, be it kittens, making jam or grave robbing, then by all means do so. I am merely suggesting that if you feel the need to broach more complex subjects, then you should not be deterred by the facts that it is hard to engage with some groups and that progress and effecting change takes time as well as work.
As I get older I do find that my passions have tempered over time. I do not find the need to go on that many demonstrations, nor to hold an "absolute" opinion on everything under the sun. I do tend to focus on more immediate issues that affect myself and my family (like the closure of my local A&E) rather than wider international matters. But even in my most sceptical of moments, I cannot truly advocate a total withdrawal of interaction on social issues. Because that means handing the floor over to the idiot brigade and therein lies madness. Plus, if we all did that then blogging and most other forms of online content would be a lot less interesting.
Blaugust Reborn: Event or Cause?
The Blaugust Reborn is an event, which promotes blogging and offers advice and guidance to those who have just started or who are toying with the idea of doing so. It has no agenda beyond providing encouragement and support. The advice that is offered through various veterans’ content creators collective experience, is just that, advice. It can be taken or ignored, because ultimately blogging is a very personal pastime and there really isn't a right or wrong way to do it. If doing what you do and the way that you do it brings you pleasure, then you've pretty much well nailed it. I see Blaugust Reborn as a benign undertaking. It has no agenda that I am aware of. In fact, I could argue that my involvement is a little self-serving, in so far as I hope that some great new blogs emerge from this year’s event that I can read on a regular basis. Overall, I see the Blaugust Reborn as a simple exercise in offering a helping hand. For me it's not any more complex than that.
The Blaugust Reborn is an event, which promotes blogging and offers advice and guidance to those who have just started or who are toying with the idea of doing so. It has no agenda beyond providing encouragement and support. The advice that is offered through various veterans’ content creators collective experience, is just that, advice. It can be taken or ignored, because ultimately blogging is a very personal pastime and there really isn't a right or wrong way to do it. If doing what you do and the way that you do it brings you pleasure, then you've pretty much well nailed it. I see Blaugust Reborn as a benign undertaking. It has no agenda that I am aware of. In fact, I could argue that my involvement is a little self-serving, in so far as I hope that some great new blogs emerge from this year’s event that I can read on a regular basis. Overall, I see the Blaugust Reborn as a simple exercise in offering a helping hand. For me it's not any more complex than that.
However, may not see it in such straight forward terms. A few years ago, when the equivalent event of Blaugust Reborn was the Newbie Blogger Initiative there was criticism from some quarters of the Blogosphere, who saw the it as an organised attempt to try and stamp some sort of standard identity upon new writers. It was even labelled as some sort of Orwellian Groupthink. There was a great deal of hyperbole involved and very little clear thinking. This view stemmed from the fact that a lot of those at the time participating in the NBI had written about their indifference to GamerGate and thus there was the ubiquitous binary backlash from those who equated ambivalence with holding a contrary view. However, this matter did highlight the fact that something as simple as benign as trying to offer help and support could be misconstrued.
I think what I found curious about the pushback that happened in NBI back in 2015 was the fact that someone saw fit to label the event as a "cause". This has got me thinking whether anyone thinks that Blaugust Reborn is a cause instead of an exercise in self-help? A supportive event is optional and non-threatening. A "cause" is a much more subtle beast. It has socio-political connotations. There is usually an undercurrent of moral rectitude. Causes seek to correct something. Something that is deemed to be currently wrong, hence the ethical undertone. Events simply facilitate, whereas causes will by their very nature have those that are diametrically opposed to them. Suddenly an activity goes from being functional (and fun) to something far more partisan.
Consider something like advice on weight loss and eating healthily. In essence it is a harmless stance to take and advocate. Yet if it is promoted in an overzealous and judgemental way and treated as a cause rather than optional guidance, it suddenly becomes a political football; something that is strongly resisted and reviled in some quarters as a form of social engineering. I don't want the Blaugust Reborn to fall into this trap. I don't want it to become burdened with ideologies and dogma. I want it to be perceived for what it is; an event that offers a helping hand and facilitates the participant to blog in a manner that suits them.
The thing about Blaugust Reborn is that the advice offered can be used in whatever way the author wishes. I could be argued that Blaugust Reborn could even end up facilitating writers who produce hateful content filled with bigotry and prejudice. So far from what I’ve seen of those who have signed up to participate, that seem unlikely but it’s not impossible. However, that goes with the territory and I do not fear those who have contrary views to my own. Blaugust Reborn is just a process. What people choose to do with the information they can obtain from it is their decision. It's a bit like running a woodwork class. If someone wants to use the knowledge they’ve gained to fashion a club instead of a chair, then that is their prerogative (feel free to add your own Bobby Brown gag here).
Now I realise that Blaugust Reborn is not defined by just one person's perception of it. It runs due to the involvement of multiple people, all of which probably have a unique view of exactly what the event is and what it aims to achieve. Yet I think that its inherent simplicity adds to its appeal. Therefore, I have made the assumption that other participants do not see it as a "cause". However, I may be wrong. I've been round the block several times and in my youth been involved in politics, trade union activities and various social issues. Yes, I have supported "causes". Sadly, none of them has been without problems or remained 100% true to their roots and goals. It is just the nature of ideologies and concept, that implementing them often requires compromise. But I don’t see Blaugust Reborn falling into this category though.
Age has taught me to be both mindful and sceptical of such things as "causes". Too often they can be a Trojan Horse for something more sinister. But again, I don’t see Blaugust Reborn being like that. So, I'm asking the following question out of curiosity to all who may be involved with Blaugust Reborn to a greater or lesser degree. How do you perceive this event? Or is it simply an exercise in self-help. Do you see it as part of a wider undertaking with greater meaning? Do you consider it as a cause? If so what do you want the event to achieve beyond helping content creators? Is it an open invite to all, or would you be concerned if someone with a “radical” online presence wished to get involved? It’s certainly food for thought. Feel free to comment.
Blogging and Self-Discipline
Although blogging is great fun and a very rewarding hobby, it is also at times hard work. I don't say that to discourage you, but it is a fact that needs to be considered by all embarking upon their content creation journey. Writing per se requires a degree of self-discipline. Without it, your aspirations will remain just that. Nothing will get done, posting will become irregular and you'll readers will simply lose interest and look for material elsewhere. So, what exactly do you need to be self-disciplined about? Well if you want to write posts regularly that are engaging and of a good standard then consider the following points:
Although blogging is great fun and a very rewarding hobby, it is also at times hard work. I don't say that to discourage you, but it is a fact that needs to be considered by all embarking upon their content creation journey. Writing per se requires a degree of self-discipline. Without it, your aspirations will remain just that. Nothing will get done, posting will become irregular and you'll readers will simply lose interest and look for material elsewhere. So, what exactly do you need to be self-disciplined about? Well if you want to write posts regularly that are engaging and of a good standard then consider the following points:
- Set aside a specific time to write, that is free from distractions.
- Find an environment that is conducive to writing.
- Establish a schedule that suits you and is sustainable.
- Strike the right balance with self-criticism and editing.
- Commit to your writing. Don’t do it half-heartedly.
I would also add not rushing or writing in the "heat of the moment". It is often a mistake to go off “half-cocked”. Also ensuring that you are factually correct and have linked to any source material that you may be discussing.
Now adhering to these criteria requires commitment and adds another layer of work to the process of writing. Ignoring them is often very tempting. However, you will not produce your best material by doing so. The writer that knocks out a post at the end of a busy day, while the TV blares in the background is likely to make mistakes. The writer that pens a vitriolic reply to an article they've misread will end up with egg on their face. Plus, there is no shortage of self-appointed internet policemen who will happily write a comment of epic proportions, pointing out how you made a schoolboy error over some minor detail. Poorly conceived posts and bad argument won’t gain you any traction with readers.
It is possible to do all the above and still have immense enjoyment from blogging. None of these suggestions have to be a chore. If you can factor them into your writing process, then they will become a lot easier. Your output will certainly be better as a result. Don't beat yourself up if you deviate from them from time to time. We're all human. I have on numerous occasions done the complete opposite of what I have suggested. In fact, while I was writing this post I wasted several minutes being side tracked by You Tube videos and a Discord thread featuring pet pictures.
Exactly how much of a process you impose upon your writing is ultimately up to you. There is no one size fits all. It may take some trial and error to find a routine that suits your specific needs. But having no process whatsoever is not likely to be beneficial. Therefore, do not see self-discipline as being a burden but more of a practical tool that contributes to your overall blogging experience. Self-discipline leads to a routine and a routine is great way of polishing your writing process. Please feel free to share any ideas you may have on writing routines or how you maintain self-discipline and motivation in the comments section below.
Time For a Makeover
This is another post for Blaugust Reborn prep week, that’s primarily aimed at the returning blogger. Again, there is advice here that is relevant to those just starting out with a new blog but there’s already a ton of good advice available for them. I’m focused more upon trying to encourage those who once had a blog (and subsequently abandoned it) to dust it off and start producing content again. In my last post, I offered some advice regarding such things as writing schedules and having a basic plan as to what subjects you want to explore and goals you may wish to achieve. This time let’s consider some simple and practical aspects of your actual blog template and hosting package.
This is another post for Blaugust Reborn prep week, that’s primarily aimed at the returning blogger. Again, there is advice here that is relevant to those just starting out with a new blog but there’s already a ton of good advice available for them. I’m focused more upon trying to encourage those who once had a blog (and subsequently abandoned it) to dust it off and start producing content again. In my last post, I offered some advice regarding such things as writing schedules and having a basic plan as to what subjects you want to explore and goals you may wish to achieve. This time let’s consider some simple and practical aspects of your actual blog template and hosting package.
Adaptive and responsive web design. Although there is a difference in methodology, both adaptive and responsive design formats ultimately deliver the same results. IE Webpages that are best suited for the device viewing them. Therefore, I would urge returning bloggers check their respective blog templates to ensure that they are mobile friendly. Why is this important? Go take a look at your stats and you’ll notice that a lot of traffic is coming via phones and tablets. 38% of the traffic to Contains Moderate Peril comes from mobile devices. Having a site that optimises the presentation of content to these platforms is essential. I’m amazed when browsing the web at how many sites still have a “one size fits all” approach. They’re a pain to read and it’s not especially professional.
Your blog logo. Branding is a major subject in itself. It makes sense to establish a consistent look and feel. However, unless you are producing merchandise, business cards, or have need of a portable booth for a trade show, you do not need a fancy scalable logo. Furthermore, they cost a crap ton of money if you use a professional design company. Therefore, I would recommend that everyone go check out Fiverr.com for reasonably priced alternatives. The website is a haven for freelance artists and designers. If you hunt through the crazy people (and there are a lot), you'll find plenty of quality talent available at extremely reasonable prices. Over the years I’ve used the site for website banners, podcast logos and voiceovers. If you’re über cheap you may even see a design that you can subsequently replicate yourself.
Purge your plugins. Holy crap, WordPress has plugins for everything. If you need to know what the temperature of your butt is as you sit in your chair gaming, there's a plugin for that. It's very easy to get carried away when installing them (a bit like mods for Skyrim). However, despite the benefits they do have an impact upon your site. They can interfere with template functionality and slow loading times. If your blog takes too much time to populate a page, then readers will move on. There's a lot to be said for running a lean and mean site. There's less to back up and less scope for stuff to go wrong. So, do yourself a favour and think twice before adding that plugin that tells you how many readers called Trevor are currently logged into your site.
Keep static content up to date. Quite a lot of blogs have static pages. These usually consist of things such as "about this blog", who the "contributors" are and how to "get in touch". Fairly straightforward content but it can change over time. For example, if you expand the scope of you blog you may need to update these individual pages. Contributors can come and go or expand their resume. Readers like to know who's who. It also adds a personal touch. Don’t forget to keep your "small print" or "disclaimer" page up to date as well. Rules change constantly online and as a blogger you don't want to be breaking laws unnecessarily.
Sharing and social media. Most blogs come with some sort of facility to promote your posts via social media. However, platforms come and go quite quickly so you may wish to ensure that you include the most relevant options. This can be done by either updating your blog template, keeping your Word press install up to date, or by using an appropriate plugin (although bear in mind the above point). You may also wish to use an internal thumbnail linking service such as LinkWithin if your own template doesn’t support one. This facility adds a selection of thumbnail pictures with links to older content on your site that is relevant to the post you are publishing. A WoW article will therefore generate a selection of links to similar material. This can be invaluable for keeping readers on your site and boosting page views, if that’s what your aiming to do.
Reader comments service. I have discussed the pros and cons of reader comments before. If you do decide to allow them you may wish to use the facility that comes with your blog or use a third-party service such as Facebook or Disqus. Choose wisely. Some of these facilities can be problematic as they are located elsewhere online and can impact on your sites loading times. Should you change services at a later date you may also lose your back catalogue of comments. I personally like any system that allows you to add the URL of your own site when leaving a comment. One of the great ways of raising your profile and generating traffic to your own site is by leaving comments elsewhere. It also contributes to that sense of building a community.
If you are seriously thinking of returning to your old blog (and I sincerely hope you do), all the above can be dealt with quite simply and does not have to be an immense chore. The simpler your blog, the easier it is to maintain it, although not everyone favours such a minimalist approach. But big or small, fancy or simple, giving your blog a practical makeover ensures that it loads and runs efficiently, leaving you free to write your content. It also means that readers can just get on perusing your posts and leaving comments without impediment.
When Blogging Turns Bad
There’s currently a ton of useful advice coming out of the Blagust Reborn Prep Week. Most of which is specifically aimed at those who are blogging or creating content for the first time. However, I want to touch on a subject that some may think is a little inappropriate to raise at this point in the proceedings. Especially in light of the fact that Blagust Reborn is supposed to be about nurturing and not discouraging. But I believe that there’s a lesson to be learned from the tale I’m about to tell. I think it would be wiser for new writers, podcasters and streamers to be cognisant of it now rather than stumble into it three of four years down the road. Because a percentage of those who start content creation this August will continue to do so and find some measure of success with it. Success is a relative term but irrespective of that it can come with its own set of problems.
There’s currently a ton of useful advice coming out of the Blagust Reborn Prep Week. Most of which is specifically aimed at those who are blogging or creating content for the first time. However, I want to touch on a subject that some may think is a little inappropriate to raise at this point in the proceedings. Especially in light of the fact that Blagust Reborn is supposed to be about nurturing and not discouraging. But I believe that there’s a lesson to be learned from the tale I’m about to tell. I think it would be wiser for new writers, podcasters and streamers to be cognisant of it now rather than stumble into it three of four years down the road. Because a percentage of those who start content creation this August will continue to do so and find some measure of success with it. Success is a relative term but irrespective of that it can come with its own set of problems.
I've been writing all my life. It's something I always enjoyed, especially at school. There used to be a time when I use to write particularly lurid fiction. I remember Mr Deacon, an US exchange teacher who worked at my senior school for a while, telling me to tone it down. But he also gave me a lot of encouragement and it stuck with me. Writing is like many other things in life is an ongoing process of self-improvement and refinement. And as I've gotten older, I've found great comfort in being able to express my thoughts clearly through written words. I love a well-conceived, clear and logical argument. I eschew bluster, hyperbole and showboating. The former is a thing of skill and beauty. The latter is the province of the tabloid hacks, snake-oil salesman and politicians. Such is the power of words and writing. Although my abilities confine me to the realms of blogging and the odd piece of freelance writing, expressing myself through writing is both a joy and an invaluable means of personal therapy.
I'm not one for twenty-twenty hindsight but if I knew what I know now etc. and could have my proverbial time again, I'd would've liked to have made a career of writing in some shape or form. That's not to say that I perceive myself as a frustrated writer because I'm not. I'm just saying that writing is a career path that I would have liked to have pursued. At fifty, and in light of my current circumstances, that is not an immediate option. However, writing online has provided a good alternative. Hence, I've been blogging in one way or another for over a decade. I do so mainly for myself, but I won't lie about the fact that it’s nice to have an audience. Furthermore, that audience has grown over the years. For most of that time, I have chosen to write on a daily basis so as you can imagine, a sizeable body of work has accrued as a result of that. That output has had a tangible impact upon such things as page ranking and gaining traffic. Over half of the daily traffic for Contains Moderate Peril comes from older content found via a Google search. The movie reviews are especially good for this.
However, writing regularly is challenging. It requires commitment, organisation and a degree of self-sacrifice. When I was self-employed, I was able to dedicate time to content creation that others could not accommodate within the rigours of a nine to five job and a family life. Now as carer, although I have a busy schedule, there is still time for writing, although it is not always at an optimal time. But producing content is still hard work and the risk of burnout and fatigue is a real risk. I've also written in the past about the sense of obligation a writer develops toward their audience. Rightly or wrongly I think writers sometimes misconstrue the schedule they have chosen for themselves as a yolk imposed upon them by others. It is patently not the case but when stressed it’s odd how one’s perspective can be skewed. Despite advising others to write whatever and however they wish to, I struggle to do this myself. I find myself always leaning towards lengthy posts and like to ensure that they are coherent and as well structured as they can be. Overall my persistence and output has been well received and between 2014 and 2015, Contains Moderate Peril gained sufficient traffic to have to move to an alternative hosting package that could cope with the traffic.
Of late, I’ve had to juggle my writing output due to changes in my life. There have been gaps on days when I’ve been busy with my parent’s care. As a result, I’ve done some long and serious thinking about my current writing habits and where the entire Contains Moderate Peril thing is going. I feel that I've created this little bespoke brand over the years and I need to figure what I should do next with it. It certainly needs some thought because at present it just isn't working out the way I want it to and at times find myself feeling frustrated my own creation. This is a ludicrous and erroneous outlook but it's a hard feeling to shake. So, I'm going to try and rethink my writing habits and long-term goals. I may also decide to focus on specifics subjects and stop some content. I may overhaul the site. I may create a completely new one if the fancy takes me. Podcasting is a tougher subject altogether, but I still have aspirations here as well. Blaugust Reborn is my chance to ponder on all these points and work out a strategy. Perhaps documenting this process may prove beneficial to myself and others.
I guess the overall point of this post is that there is scope for blogging, like any other pastime or leisure activity to grow and start filling that strange twilight zone between a hobby and a job. As I said earlier, it's important to have focus and fortitude, but you also need to listen to your feelings. Especially when they start to become negative. Do not allow yourself to lapse into a state of blogging by obligation or writing under duress. Stay focused about what it is that you want to achieve and then stick with it. If things don't work out, then change them. Every post does not have to be a Pulitzer prize winner. You are supposed to be expressing yourself rather than continuously competing with yourself. But most of all, don’t allow burnout to reach that critical mass that ends with you rage quitting and deleting your blog. I’ve been there and done that and it doesn’t solve the problem as well as you’d think. So work hard and enjoy your content creation but don’t let it get the better of you. After all, the tail does not wag the dog.
Dust Off Your Old Blog
It’s an old and all too familiar story. At some point, you thought “I know, let’s start a blog. I can write about the things that I enjoy and share my passion for river widening with others”. So you promptly went and opened up a free WordPress or Google Blogger account and jumped in feet first, without any semblance of a plan because who needs a plan, right? Then you quickly discovered that the witty epistles you hoped to write regularly were harder to produce than rocking horse droppings and finding time to write was proving hard; what with all the football on TV and the weekly meetings of the glee club. Plus, it also became apparent that something had gone horribly wrong with the internet and the CIA was obviously blocking your site content, because the army of fans you so righteously deserved had failed to manifest themselves. So you decided to pack it all in and instead try your hand at live streaming, because blogging is as good as dead (because Tobold said so) and you look really good in front of a camera (just remember to move the clothes horse out of shot first).
It’s an old and all too familiar story. At some point, you thought “I know, let’s start a blog. I can write about the things that I enjoy and share my passion for river widening with others”. So you promptly went and opened up a free WordPress or Google Blogger account and jumped in feet first, without any semblance of a plan because who needs a plan, right? Then you quickly discovered that the witty epistles you hoped to write regularly were harder to produce than rocking horse droppings and finding time to write was proving hard; what with all the football on TV and the weekly meetings of the glee club. Plus, it also became apparent that something had gone horribly wrong with the internet and the CIA was obviously blocking your site content, because the army of fans you so righteously deserved had failed to manifest themselves. So you decided to pack it all in and instead try your hand at live streaming, because blogging is as good as dead (because Tobold said so) and you look really good in front of a camera (just remember to move the clothes horse out of shot first).
Blaugust Reborn presents a perfect opportunity for lapsed bloggers to return to the fold and resume writing for the greater glory or humanity. Or at least for their own enjoyment and may be to be part of a wider community who have similar passions. As you are now older and wiser (because you are, aren’t you?) you realise that writing on a regular basis requires a degree of organisation and preparation. But the good news is that if you ensure that a few basic steps are in place, then you can embark of a blogging journey that should prove very enjoyable and rewarding. Now the following advice is mainly aimed at those who have previously blogged and have subsequently abandoned their respective sites. But the guidance here is also applicable to totally new bloggers. However, there is a lot more detailed information currently being collated over at the Blaugust Reborn Discord server that you may want to check out first if you are thinking of blogging, podcasting or creating content for the first time. I’m writing today to try and specifically coax those wayward ex-bloggers back online. Here are some ideas to consider.
Dust off your old blog. It is very tempting for returning bloggers to think to themselves “I don’t want to continue writing on my old site for [insert tortuous reason here]. I’d much rather start a new one”. The problem with this tactic is that you’ll then agonise over a witty, pithy blog name, what platform you should use and designing a slick logo. You’ll get bogged down with potentially unnecessary logistics, rather than applying yourself to writing. Joking aside, some people can sort all the above out really quickly, but for many budding writers (and I include myself in this group), if you provide us with any opportunity to procrastinate, then will take it and revel in it. For a large percentage of returning bloggers, it best not to invest too much time into the aesthetics and administrative aspects of your blog. Remember, you may ultimately not wish to or be able to sustain a writing schedule, so don’t waste time and money on new resources. Log into your old site, give it a bit of a spring clean and then get ready for the next stage.
Have some sort of plan. I like plans. So does Hannibal Smith. Having carried the can for major projects in the past that had substantial budgets, I’m a fully paid up exponent of the belt and braces school of thought. So I always tend to have a list of potential blog post ideas on the go. Some days I read what topics are doing the rounds on the various gaming websites. Other days I’ll just riff off something a fellow blogger has posted. Now everyone is different and not everyone likes or desires that level or organisation. That’s fine. Writing from the hip can be very effective when you’re fired up. But on those slow news days when the blogosphere is quietly turning over you may find your powder dry. So it doesn’t hurt to have a few ideas on standby. If you’re tackling a weightier subject or deciding to drop a major think piece than ensure you have done sufficient research. Some folk like to start with bullet points that they then flesh out into relevant paragraphs. There are lots of options and it’s down to you to find what’s right for you. Just bear in mind that it often helps to have thought about what your going to write before you do so.
Something is better than nothing. It’s your blog, so write as much or as little as you want. More to the point, write what you feel is enough. If you can make your point or collate your thoughts in one paragraph, then fair enough. Don’t feel obliged to bulk out your posts to some nebulous preconceived size. Filler stands out a mile and there’s nothing worse than “people who give vent to their loquacity by extraneous bombastic circumlocution” to quote Monty Python and highlight my point. Microblogging is a thing and it can work well. A quick post about how a boss fight went in an MMO last night can connect just as well with readers as a detailed analysis of the fight mechanics themselves. Don’t feel obliged to try and be Harper Lee, Suetonius or Roger Hargreaves. Your blog is about you and is your presence online. It therefore follows suite that it is done in a manner which pleases you. Readers who like 2,000-word, in-depth think pieces also like screenshots and posts about cosmetic items. It should also be noted that sometimes it is the most trivial and disposable posts that you make which prove to be the most popular. After a decade plus of writing online my most read post (which is no longer available) was a review of Top Cat: The Movie.
Write when you can and because you want to. In the past I have maintained a daily writing schedule and been happy to do so. However, my personal circumstances have changed over time and I’ve finally realised that not posting to my blog every day is not a personal failing or a crime against humanity. Therefore, do not impose an unrealistic writing regime upon yourself. Pick a time which is good for you and affords you the chance to think and martial your thoughts. Do not write because you feel obliged too. This will make you feel resentful about blogging and will often result in inferior work. Yes, there is an element of self-discipline when it comes to writing and there are times when you may have to shut the door and focus on the task in hand, but it should never be an insufferable burden. If you are in a suitably motivated state of mind, and writing in a comfortable environment conducive to writing, then you’re far more likely to produce material that you’re proud of and that will chime with readers. For those who choose to join the Blaugust Reborn Discord server, you’ll find an invaluable source of support and encouragement there to keep you motivated and thus writing.
I could add another half a dozen or so additional points to this list of advice for returning bloggers, but I believe the above are possibly the most essential. To summarise rekindle your old site, plan a few posts or jot down some ideas of where you want to go with your writing. Then write what you can and post whenever it is convenient. A happy and motivated blogger is in prime position to become an established and regular blogger. I should also point out that although the above advice references a gaming related blog, it is just as relevant to those writing about Etruscan pottery or the birds that gather on Mrs Coletart’s roof. The essential principles espoused here are also pertinent to podcasting, You Tubing (is that even a proper phrase? Answers on a postcard please) or any other form of online content creation really. Taking those initial steps back do not have to be as difficult and daunting as some would have you believe.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 4
Spending time in the company of others who have similar interests and passions can be an invaluable shot in the arm and a great source of motivation. For example, I recently joined a Facebook group associated with The Evolution of Horror Podcast. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to pick over the bones of a movie such as The Wicker Man and explore its finer points. You don’t have to adjust your level of conversation for fear of boring people, or dial back your enthusiasm due to concerns of being labelled a nerd or fanboy. Finding these online havens where you feel comfortable are invaluable, regardless of whether your passion is sport, knitting, Lepidoptery or Phrenology. Remember this point. I shall be returning to it shortly.
Spending time in the company of others who have similar interests and passions can be an invaluable shot in the arm and a great source of motivation. For example, I recently joined a Facebook group associated with The Evolution of Horror Podcast. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to pick over the bones of a movie such as The Wicker Man and explore its finer points. You don’t have to adjust your level of conversation for fear of boring people, or dial back your enthusiasm due to concerns of being labelled a nerd or fanboy. Finding these online havens where you feel comfortable are invaluable, regardless of whether your passion is sport, knitting, Lepidoptery or Phrenology. Remember this point. I shall be returning to it shortly.
Those who are familiar with my writing, will know that I’m a firm advocate of blogging, podcasting and other forms of online content creation. Such undertakings touch upon so many positive things. Learning new skills, personal improvement, sharing ideas, building communities and making friends. Content creation can also bring a degree of self-discipline, provide a means to navigate the complexities of day-to-day life, as well as help rationalise and collate one thoughts and opinions. However, despite all these advantageous aspects, sometimes just taking the first step on some new project can be a major obstacle. Similarly, it is very common for bloggers, streamers and the like to run out of momentum after an initial burst of spontaneity and motivation. I should know, as I’m really struggling with my writing schedule at present.
We’ll here’s some good news. Returning to my initial point, it appears that someone has grasped the nettle and decided to run an event to help bring together and motivate new and existing online content creators. Belghast from Tales of the Aggronaut will be running Blaugust Reborn throughout the month of August. An event that encompasses all the best aspects of the Newbie Blogger Initiative and his own Blaugust writing festival. The aims of this event are simple; to encourage people to take that first step into online content creation, nurture them, as well as share resources, pass on advice and welcome people in an existing community, thus reinvigorating it. Some veteran bloggers will be acting as mentors. Others (such as myself) will be creating bespoke material and supporting things via this blog. There’s also the obligatory Discord channel which allows participants to stay in touch and access useful links and material. Throughout the month there’ll be creative prompts and activities.
I am very pleased that an event of this kind has returned and am happy to be part of it. I’m hoping I can round up a few folks and may be record a bespoke podcast of some kind. But most of all, I’m looking forward to reading new blog posts and watching new streamers. There’s nothing more catching than enthusiasm and watching someone do something that they thought was going to be so hard, only to find out that it was actually not so bad and even fun. I also think that it is especially important in these troubling times to keep the art of writing alive. Furthermore, this forthcoming Blaugust Reborn event has broadened its scope and isn’t limiting itself to merely encouraging game related content. The skills required to create online material remain the same, irrespective of what you are a fan of. So why not take the plunge and join in with Blaugust Reborn? See you over at the Discord server.
Improving My Work and Gaming Environment
Back in September 2015 when I was living in a flat, I wrote a blog post about my personal work space. I touched upon the subject again in June 2016, as part of the Newbie Blogger Initiative, in a further post about the importance of a good writing environment. The reason I mention this is because today, I finally got around to replacing my old “fun size” desk with a newer, larger model. It’s nothing special, just something I saw on Amazon, that suited my requirements and more importantly budget. However, it provides a wider work surface, allowing me to write free hand (I still make notes in this way) as well as type via the keyboard. The desk also came with a matching monitor stand which raises my screen to a more suitable height, as well as a handy file shelf which allows me to stow pens, my phone and pending correspondence. It also provides a home for Pliny (the Raven). Not bad for £47.99 including delivery.
Back in September 2015 when I was living in a flat, I wrote a blog post about my personal work space. I touched upon the subject again in June 2016, as part of the Newbie Blogger Initiative, in a further post about the importance of a good writing environment. The reason I mention this is because today, I finally got around to replacing my old “fun size” desk with a newer, larger model. It’s nothing special, just something I saw on Amazon, that suited my requirements and more importantly budget. However, it provides a wider work surface, allowing me to write free hand (I still make notes in this way) as well as type via the keyboard. The desk also came with a matching monitor stand which raises my screen to a more suitable height, as well as a handy file shelf which allows me to stow pens, my phone and pending correspondence. It also provides a home for Pliny (the Raven). Not bad for £47.99 including delivery.
My “office” is the spare bedroom of our two-bedroom bungalow. My granddaughter’s cots that I have shared the room with for the last two years have been replaced with a single bed. This has freed up valuable space and provides an alternative place for me to sleep if I am working late into the night and I don’t want to disturb “Mrs. Peril”. She often turns in at a far more respectable hour. Because our main bedroom is right next door to the office, I have started using my gaming headset as an alternative to speakers after a certain time of night. It has been quite a revelation, highlighting the complexity of audio design in contemporary gaming. Friday the 13th: The Game is especially atmospheric, and the soundscape really enhances gameplay. Also, because of my new desk and its facility for cable management, I’ve now permanently attached my Xbox gamepad to my PC for convenience.
While discussing the subject of personal work and gaming environments with friends on Discord, it became very clear how people like to embellish such spaces with personal knick-knacks and trophies. I think that it’s very important to “humanise” what is to all intents and purposes a very functional space. Having trivial items that delight us nearby can be very uplifting and a reminder of the things that we enjoy and inspire us. This can be very useful if you’re labouring over a blog post or article and it isn’t proving as easy to write as you’d imagined. Plus, this personalisation process is another means for us to express ourselves and assert our identity, if you want to get all deep about it. In the meantime, I shall look into the practicality of setting up my desktop microphone or possibly integrating a webcam into my set up. Perhaps rather than return to podcasting, it’s time to move on to streaming of some kind? It’s curious how a minor change in your work and gaming environment can precipitate such a stream of thought and facilitate new ambitions.
Thoughts on Blogging Part 3
I read a post over at Tobold’s Blog recently that got me thinking about blogging, popularity, and the ebb and flow of our passions. The reason being is that Tobold, like many other long-term bloggers, has seen a decline in his audience over recent years. He certainly wasn’t carping about it, just simply observing the correlation between reducing your written output, the decline in popularity of his original subject matter and the number of visitors coming to his site. He also made a keen observation that blogging is not necessarily “where it’s at” with regard to cultivating an audience. If you are producing content specifically to grow and maintain a following, then You Tube and Twitch are better platforms for that. Especially if your content is part of the wider gaming scene. For better or for worse, I now associate gaming commentary with visual mediums rather than blogging. Yes, there is still long from criticism being produced but it’s aimed at a niche gaming audience. One that I would guess is older.
I read a post over at Tobold’s Blog recently that got me thinking about blogging, popularity, and the ebb and flow of our passions. The reason being is that Tobold, like many other long-term bloggers, has seen a decline in his audience over recent years. He certainly wasn’t carping about it, just simply observing the correlation between reducing your written output, the decline in popularity of his original subject matter and the number of visitors coming to his site. He also made a keen observation that blogging is not necessarily “where it’s at” with regard to cultivating an audience. If you are producing content specifically to grow and maintain a following, then You Tube and Twitch are better platforms for that. Especially if your content is part of the wider gaming scene. For better or for worse, I now associate gaming commentary with visual mediums rather than blogging. Yes, there is still long from criticism being produced but it’s aimed at a niche gaming audience. One that I would guess is older.
Even when blogging was the medium of choice within the gaming community, it was far from a homogenous platform. There was (and remains to this day) a wide spectrum of output. Those pursuing an in-depth analysis of gaming did so and developed their audiences accordingly. Those who pursued a more “populist” approach to their content did so and likewise found success or failure. Like today with streaming, bloggers were free back in its heyday to either treat their work as a hobby done for its own pleasure or intellectual reward, or as a means to seek the fickle finger of internet fame and grow a readership as well as a line of revenue. Let us not forget that a decade ago adblockers were a merely a vague nightmare for marketing departments and that clicks, and advertising links were the key to financial success. However, whatever path you pursued as a gaming blogger during this time, it was quite an interconnected community. Events such as the Newbie Blogger Initiative of 2012 further reinforced this.
As for the fifteen minutes of fame that Tobold alludes to in his post, I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Contains Moderate Peril achieved that. However, traffic increased to the point in 2014 where a conventional hosted WordPress package was not up to the job and I had to look for a more robust solution. Fortunately, I managed to secure sponsorship from Host1Plus which I consider to be an acknowledgment of the site’s internet “reach”. Certainly 2014-15 were good years and it was during that time that I started finding myself on various emailing lists from PR and marketing companies. Because the scope of the blog has never been exclusively about gaming, I also received invites for movies screening and other material. Certainly, having a podcast linked to the blogs activities helped find a wider audience. Posting regular content was another reason for the growth in readership.
A lot has happened in the world of blogging since I started in 2007. Alternative platforms have emerged that have a “different” barrier to entry. As ever, visual mediums are more accessible to wider audiences and thus You Tube and Twitch have become venues for the latest internet Gold Rush. As for Contains Moderate Peril, well a variety of factors have impacted upon the sites online presence. I had to relocate the blog due to technical reasons and then there were a series of issues that interrupted content creation. By mid-2016 the blog had lost 75% of its traffic. However, I returned to regular posting in 2017 and the site has seen a steady increase in visits each month since then. Gaming as a topic only constitutes about 45% of the material I write about at present and only certain subjects and games seem to gain traction. However, movie reviews and analysis seem to be attracting a lot of traffic and an audience who are happy to read lengthy articles.
I’m not a big fan of “what if” scenarios and “if I could do it all again” flights of fancy. I have in the past harboured ambitions to write professionally but the practical realities of life meant it made better economic sense to stick with the proverbial day job. I have now retired and have become a carer, but the odd thing is because of the very structured and routine nature of that task, I now have specific designated times to write which I didn’t in the past. Hence the regular content and the site growth. Ironically, I am now being offered and undertaking paid work. In a perfect world I would have liked to have done this years ago but c’est la vie. The wheel has also turned full circle for many of my writing peers are dusting off their blogs and sharing their thoughts once again online. Hence, I think game blogging will always have a place and will attract those that seek the potential depth and intimacy of written content. It may not present the same opportunities that some seek from Twitch and You Tube, but that’s also why it doesn’t share exactly the same failings.