Wordsmith's Anvil

Image courtesy of me, artwork courtesy of Josh Rottkamp (81s) I think there's a certain art to writing short stories that can make them something of an enigma. I've always struggled with them. I seem to feel like I have much more to put down and flesh out than what just a few pages has to offer. They can be difficult, but at the same time... they can be quite beautiful. Anyone who has read any works by Philip K. Dick, or Ray Bradbury, you know what I'm talking about.      Sometimes a story can be told in just a few pages (or in the event of a short film, a few minutes) and being able to get something across in so short of time is pretty cool in and of itself. Below I've included one of my first short stories. This particular piece serves as a prologue of sorts to my novella, Short-Lived. Take a look. Smoke The flint made a subtle grating sound as it sparked the butane-soaked wick of Jay’s lighter. He brought the flame up to the cigarette between his lips, allowing it to...

  Image courtesy of Neocore Games Just to clarify, that final component of the title is of my own making. While it would have been an appropriate subtitle given the direction the game takes, Mordred's Time to Shine would probably take away from the overall atmosphere that Neocore was going for.    Every once in a while I come across a little gem in my gaming life that gives me some pause. They can really hit home as an incredible piece of art like Indivisible , or fully let me know why it is that they are found at the bottom of the bargain barrel like Mordheim . If you're into that game... my apologies. But there was no way of knowing that my readers would find such a thrill in something so boring.    King Arthur: Knight's Tale  is a fun romp through medieval Britannia, swinging swords and launching spells, as shown through the perspective of one of Olde English's most infamous literary villains. The Good Where this game excels is in bringing about an ...

I promised my woman I would never take up the sword again, so now I must do what I can with the tools I’m allotted. One of those tools is the quill, so if I can put this story down while I still remember it then perhaps that old saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword” might be true. I should probably begin with the first time I ever met William. William, Duke of Normandy, as most knew him back then, or William the Bastard to some. It was before he was ever “The Conqueror.” It was summer, in the year of our Lord 1064, and I was housecarl to Harold Godwinson. In short, I was a warrior enlisted in Harold’s Wessex household. My captain at the time, a burly man named Charles, had requested for a couple men and I to go with him and Harold on a short fishing trip. We left Bosham, Harold’s home if his heart lay anywhere, and almost as soon as we were in the Channel a storm began tossing us about. We had an expert pilot for Harold’s vessel, a one-armed man named Erik I believe, b...