I find resumes to be bland so I made an interactive resume that shows a little bit of my writing style and personality. Click the link below to check it out.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Poolhardy
Near the end of January, I entered a short story writing competition. There were about 3 or 4 rounds where people were given a random genre, subject, and character trait then given about 2 weeks to write a short story. Mine had to be a spy genre involving buried treasure and a swimming pool service technician. Sadly I didn't make the next round but feel like it was a good exercise for me and also got some good feedback.
Rather than show the story that I submitted, I'd like to instead show a small snippet that I enjoyed writing but eventually had to cut out due to page limitations. A little background in case it might be confusing. Special agents Ethan and Booker are trying to bust a guy for being involved with the theft of gold bars. In order to get close enough to plant bugs around his house, they come up with a plan to sabotage his outdoor pool.
From the backside of the estate, Ethan, dressed in all black, dropped down from the wall. After making sure there was no one around, he removed his backpack to pull out a pair of night vision goggles. He whispered, "I'm on the estate grounds."
Rather than show the story that I submitted, I'd like to instead show a small snippet that I enjoyed writing but eventually had to cut out due to page limitations. A little background in case it might be confusing. Special agents Ethan and Booker are trying to bust a guy for being involved with the theft of gold bars. In order to get close enough to plant bugs around his house, they come up with a plan to sabotage his outdoor pool.
From the backside of the estate, Ethan, dressed in all black, dropped down from the wall. After making sure there was no one around, he removed his backpack to pull out a pair of night vision goggles. He whispered, "I'm on the estate grounds."
Booker's voice transmitted through Ethan's earpiece. "Do you have a visual on the pool?"
Ethan put on the goggles and switched them on. He winced at the overwhelming brightness of green that seared into his eyes. They took a moment to adjust before he could comprehend the pool on the other side of the vast lawn.
"Yeah," said Ethan.
"How far is it?"
"Like a stone's throw away? Give or take?" said Ethan, while he walked down to the pool.
"How far is it?"
"Like a stone's throw away? Give or take?" said Ethan, while he walked down to the pool.
"How many meters?
"Meters?"
"Yes," Booker replied.
"Why meters?"
The earpiece crackled at what Ethan assumed to be a sigh from Booker. "I want to be accurate in our report. 'A stone’s throw' is kind of a broad measurement."
"No," said Ethan. "I mean why are you using the metric system?
"The majority of the world uses the metric system," said Booker. "I figured it’ll make our report more universal."
"Booker. We’re an American agency. Why should our American, usually confidential, reports have anything besides the American standard units of measurement?"
Ethan's earpiece was completely silent for a moment before Booker replied back. "How many feet are you from the pool?"
"Well zero, now"
"Well zero, now"
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Random Paragraph - Broken Spirit
I was having a conversation with a friend about whether or not he read something I was working on in which he replied by saying he didn't. Me being the over dramatic man that I am, jokingly stated that maybe I should just quit writing. His response was as followed:
"Day 459: I have finally broken his spirit"
This inspired me to write this:
I watched at a distance as he tore the pages out of the very book I saw him hold so close to his side when I first met him. The once sacred hardback that was filled with "precious snippets of his soul" was laying on the floor like a hollowed out carcass. The spine left naked and exposed save for a few remaining shreds of paper that writhed in the wind. Images of vultures flocking to the aftermath only to sniff the remains and retreat in disgust resulted in a smile to blossom upon my face.
"Day 459: I have finally broken his spirit"
This inspired me to write this:
I watched at a distance as he tore the pages out of the very book I saw him hold so close to his side when I first met him. The once sacred hardback that was filled with "precious snippets of his soul" was laying on the floor like a hollowed out carcass. The spine left naked and exposed save for a few remaining shreds of paper that writhed in the wind. Images of vultures flocking to the aftermath only to sniff the remains and retreat in disgust resulted in a smile to blossom upon my face.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Perry and Archie Illustrated by OverlordJC
I've been browsing DeviantArt pages for inspiration and saw one of the artists I particularly liked was offering to do commissions. I kept wondering how Perry and Archie would look with his art style so I contacted him. Long story short, here is how they turned out.
If you are interested in his other works of art, here is a link to his DevianArt page: OverlordJC
Sunday, July 3, 2016
My Thoughts on Steve Lichman - Volume 1 (Spoiler free)
I recently got a book I pledged for on Kickstarter called Steve Lichman - Volume 1. For those of you who don't have a clue on what I'm talking about, Steve Lichman is a comic about a group of role playing game fantasy based monsters who struggle more with their self confidence than the occasional dungeon crawling adventurers. The first 15 chapters of the comics can be found here, and Dave Rapoza's site.
Ecstatic to see other plights Steve and the gang were going to deal with, I blasted through the book the same night I received it. The first thing I want to say about this book is that I loved it. I enjoyed the artwork, the characters, and the foreshadowing of what's to come in future volumes. With that being said, I feel a sense of obligation to bring to light something that irked me in the book.
Although minuscule, my feeling lingered on every page like an itch I couldn't scratch. The comic is called "Steve Lichman" with his face glistening in gold on the front cover. If you read through the 15 chapters I linked earlier, he makes enough appearances and interactions with the characters enough to make me think, yeah it totally makes sense why the comic is named after him. However in the book, there is a slight alteration to the chapters around chapter 15. Instead of being about the monster that looks like a treasure chest, it is about Dracula dealing with his breakup with Britney. The chapter after that (16) is about Steve accompanying Dracula to Britney's trailer in an attempt to win her back. It was at this rearrangement of chapters where the book started to draw its focus less on Steve and more on Dracula.
It wasn't until around halfway through the book that I started to realize this transition. By then, the times Steve is actually in a panel, he is mostly just standing around while acting more as a background character. The book no longer felt like a compilation of comics about Steve and his friends dealing with D&D related situations, but Dracula's delusions of granduer. To further my point on this in a numerical way, I went back and counted the number of panels Steve and Dracula appeared. Steve appeared a total of 284 times where as Dracula appeared 374.
Taking a few steps back, it doesn't bother me so much on the amount of times Steve appeared compared to Dracula as to how inconsequential Steve started to feel in the end of his own comic. Some of his dialogue even felt like it could have been said by anyone else but it was given to him because he hasn't said anything in the last 5 panels. I could go into a lot more detail to elaborate my point, but that would mean crossing spoiler territory in the book.
Now that I'm done scratching this little itch, I once again want to clarify that I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading Volume 2. I just hope they return to the formula they had in the beginning for the characters, especially Steve in their next volume. It does look like it's going to still be mostly about Dracula since it's going to be called "Steve Lichman, Volume 2 - Dracula Gaiden: Sekushina Monsuta Ben." But you know what, if it is, that's okay since this time Dracula's name is at least in the title. Then again, it would also be hilarious if they make the next volume about someone else like Flay one of the other characters. So to the people that have read this and are just a publish button away from flooding me with hate comments, I am NOT implying that the creators, Dave Rapoza and Dan Warren, intentionally pulled a switcheroo to trick people into buying this book. I can admit that it can be my own expectations (that gestated for almost a year) are at fault for this little outburst. I give many thanks to them (all the people that pledged to make their Kickstarter a success) for providing me with a book that I know I will be re-reading time and time again.
Although minuscule, my feeling lingered on every page like an itch I couldn't scratch. The comic is called "Steve Lichman" with his face glistening in gold on the front cover. If you read through the 15 chapters I linked earlier, he makes enough appearances and interactions with the characters enough to make me think, yeah it totally makes sense why the comic is named after him. However in the book, there is a slight alteration to the chapters around chapter 15. Instead of being about the monster that looks like a treasure chest, it is about Dracula dealing with his breakup with Britney. The chapter after that (16) is about Steve accompanying Dracula to Britney's trailer in an attempt to win her back. It was at this rearrangement of chapters where the book started to draw its focus less on Steve and more on Dracula.It wasn't until around halfway through the book that I started to realize this transition. By then, the times Steve is actually in a panel, he is mostly just standing around while acting more as a background character. The book no longer felt like a compilation of comics about Steve and his friends dealing with D&D related situations, but Dracula's delusions of granduer. To further my point on this in a numerical way, I went back and counted the number of panels Steve and Dracula appeared. Steve appeared a total of 284 times where as Dracula appeared 374.
Taking a few steps back, it doesn't bother me so much on the amount of times Steve appeared compared to Dracula as to how inconsequential Steve started to feel in the end of his own comic. Some of his dialogue even felt like it could have been said by anyone else but it was given to him because he hasn't said anything in the last 5 panels. I could go into a lot more detail to elaborate my point, but that would mean crossing spoiler territory in the book.
Now that I'm done scratching this little itch, I once again want to clarify that I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading Volume 2. I just hope they return to the formula they had in the beginning for the characters, especially Steve in their next volume. It does look like it's going to still be mostly about Dracula since it's going to be called "Steve Lichman, Volume 2 - Dracula Gaiden: Sekushina Monsuta Ben." But you know what, if it is, that's okay since this time Dracula's name is at least in the title. Then again, it would also be hilarious if they make the next volume about someone else like Flay one of the other characters. So to the people that have read this and are just a publish button away from flooding me with hate comments, I am NOT implying that the creators, Dave Rapoza and Dan Warren, intentionally pulled a switcheroo to trick people into buying this book. I can admit that it can be my own expectations (that gestated for almost a year) are at fault for this little outburst. I give many thanks to them (all the people that pledged to make their Kickstarter a success) for providing me with a book that I know I will be re-reading time and time again.
If there is anything you are going to bother to retain in this blog it's this:
"Just so you know, this book eventually focuses more on Dracula instead of Steve. It could really use more Steve. But that's okay because it's still a great read"
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Retrieval
"Why did you choose to be a retriever?" Lahn asked through my headset. "Your records don't indicate any interest towards historical preservation."
First excavation together and he was already asking me personal questions. I pressed a button on my headset to reply, "Oh you know, the usual. Steady pay, interplanetary traveling, and great benefits." I continued browsing through the aisle for the last book on my list. "How many books do you have left?"
"One on this floor and one on yours. You?"
I hesitated before I said, "Two more for me."
My footsteps echoed throughout the desolate atrium of the Central Public Library of Seattle as I rushed over to the next aisle. Out of all the libraries I've been in, I found this one the most relaxing. The sturdy mesh-like wall of metal and glass with the beams of sunlight illuminating the interior made the library feel more like a sanctuary that protected its patrons from the clamor of a previously bustling world.
Once we were all settled in on our new home world, a lot of people were worried that our history on Earth was eventually going to be forgotten. In response, our government started a project in recovering vital books from Earth. Vital books limited to science, mathematics, and history. Specially certified individuals, retrievers, were each assigned a library to excavate. Once a month we went with an empty ship and expected to come back filled to the windshield with books. I finally found the last book on my list and put it in my pack. This would be our last haul before going back home.
I saved this one for last since it was right next to the section marked "Fiction". I hurried over to the closest aisle for fiction. My hands started to dampen with sweat. I didn't want to get caught but I wasn't going to return home empty handed.
Fiction was never on our list. Same with comic books, maps, and music. Due to the monumental cost of this project, the government considered books like fiction not worth recovering. They were all about maximizing efficiency, hence having only two people to a library in order to provide more room on the ship. Punishment for taking a book for yourself not only meant immediate termination of your job but incarceration as well.
I didn't have time to read through the blurb of every book there so I had to rely on the picture of the covers. I settled for one with an armored woman brandishing a sword at a menacing fire-breathing dragon. Just before I was able to tuck it under my shirt, a voice came from behind me, "Utilizing part of your benefits, I see."
My head swung around to find Lahn standing at the end of the aisle. A cold tingling sensation engulfed my body as the blood drained from my face.
"Lahn, I-"
"Fiction, huh?" He gestured to the book in my still clenched hand. "You don't strike me as an avid reader type. You looking to sell that?"
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Being caught in the act, I hoped honesty would sway Lahn to simply tell me to put the book back. "No no. It's for my little sister. She..." I recollected my composure, "...she really likes stories of women fighting dragons for some reason. They usually help her sleep."
"So you're risking incarceration for a bedtime story?"
"Yes," I admitted. "For my sister, this story is far more valuable than any of these government issued books. Our mother was amazing at telling stories. My sister's day wasn't complete without one. After our mom died, my sister...well...its been really hard on her." I looked down at the book in my hand. "I'm terrible at telling stories but I knew where I could get plenty of good ones."
Lahn gave me a look I had difficulty reading. "I guess there's only one thing to do." He reached into his pack and, to my surprise, pulled out a book with musical notes on its cover. Sheet music. I looked back at Lahn's face to find a smirk across it. First excavation together and it already looked like we were going to get along just fine.
First excavation together and he was already asking me personal questions. I pressed a button on my headset to reply, "Oh you know, the usual. Steady pay, interplanetary traveling, and great benefits." I continued browsing through the aisle for the last book on my list. "How many books do you have left?"
"One on this floor and one on yours. You?"
I hesitated before I said, "Two more for me."
My footsteps echoed throughout the desolate atrium of the Central Public Library of Seattle as I rushed over to the next aisle. Out of all the libraries I've been in, I found this one the most relaxing. The sturdy mesh-like wall of metal and glass with the beams of sunlight illuminating the interior made the library feel more like a sanctuary that protected its patrons from the clamor of a previously bustling world.
Once we were all settled in on our new home world, a lot of people were worried that our history on Earth was eventually going to be forgotten. In response, our government started a project in recovering vital books from Earth. Vital books limited to science, mathematics, and history. Specially certified individuals, retrievers, were each assigned a library to excavate. Once a month we went with an empty ship and expected to come back filled to the windshield with books. I finally found the last book on my list and put it in my pack. This would be our last haul before going back home.
I saved this one for last since it was right next to the section marked "Fiction". I hurried over to the closest aisle for fiction. My hands started to dampen with sweat. I didn't want to get caught but I wasn't going to return home empty handed.
Fiction was never on our list. Same with comic books, maps, and music. Due to the monumental cost of this project, the government considered books like fiction not worth recovering. They were all about maximizing efficiency, hence having only two people to a library in order to provide more room on the ship. Punishment for taking a book for yourself not only meant immediate termination of your job but incarceration as well.
I didn't have time to read through the blurb of every book there so I had to rely on the picture of the covers. I settled for one with an armored woman brandishing a sword at a menacing fire-breathing dragon. Just before I was able to tuck it under my shirt, a voice came from behind me, "Utilizing part of your benefits, I see."
My head swung around to find Lahn standing at the end of the aisle. A cold tingling sensation engulfed my body as the blood drained from my face.
"Lahn, I-"
"Fiction, huh?" He gestured to the book in my still clenched hand. "You don't strike me as an avid reader type. You looking to sell that?"
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Being caught in the act, I hoped honesty would sway Lahn to simply tell me to put the book back. "No no. It's for my little sister. She..." I recollected my composure, "...she really likes stories of women fighting dragons for some reason. They usually help her sleep."
"So you're risking incarceration for a bedtime story?"
"Yes," I admitted. "For my sister, this story is far more valuable than any of these government issued books. Our mother was amazing at telling stories. My sister's day wasn't complete without one. After our mom died, my sister...well...its been really hard on her." I looked down at the book in my hand. "I'm terrible at telling stories but I knew where I could get plenty of good ones."
Lahn gave me a look I had difficulty reading. "I guess there's only one thing to do." He reached into his pack and, to my surprise, pulled out a book with musical notes on its cover. Sheet music. I looked back at Lahn's face to find a smirk across it. First excavation together and it already looked like we were going to get along just fine.
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