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General

A pirate captain's log

A blog by Elena in General

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Elena's Blog

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Wrong characters for the ongoing story

I guess each RPG - which is a collectively written story - gets sometimes the misfit. But while we encourage the misfit as a character in various ship crews, as a personality interesting to explore in the interaction with other characters, we don't encourage the lone wolf in a creative endeavour based on collectivities (ship crews). Yes, the odd one or two might happen, as secondary characters, forging their paths among the collectives - but they are rare sights. (Exactly how women sailors

June 27, 2014

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Writing alone

I have been writing since I learnt to write. I remember being praised and having my compositions and poems featured on the wall gazette in second-third grade, and when I was about 13 I discovered at a general cleaning a notebook where I wrote a story in the first grade, about a witch who flew over a man and turned him into a rabbit. Two or three consistent paragraphs were a lot for a 7 years old... I started writing longer stories since 12. My first one, 2 notebooks long, was a Western one..

August 20, 2014

2

Writing - related musings

I think my frustration with missed opportunities, to which my brain returns and returns, is based on the fact that people do write for different reasons. There are people like me, who write because they have a story to tell. The story is there, in their brain, it is turning its wheels and writing itself, bits and pieces, while waiting in the station or riding a bus/ subway to or from work, or in bed before going to sleep. Bits and pieces scribbled on a paper while in a boring meeting or wai

August 27, 2014

0

Roleplay Write a novel instead!

One hears it so often from RPG partners - "If you don't like it, go write a novel (or fanfiction) instead!" But is this really the solution, instead of talking with the writing partners and finding by negotiation and compromise a solution matching everyone's writing needs, halfway? Writing a novel? Been there, done that (in my mother tongue) - several novel-length stories. (The list is somewhere here, in this blog, but given that it doesn't allow me to past links in words anymore, I give up sea

August 20, 2015

3

What's the appeal of pirate women?

What can they do what pirate men can't? I honestly can't understand their appeal (and I have 2 pirate men). I am honestly exasperated. Pirate women existed, indeed. But they were damn rare, and not exactly in command position. Yes, you'll say Grace O'Malley, Sayida Al Hurra and Ching Shih But even they were more pirate ship owners than captains, and they had captains to actually command the ship. Pirate men were plenty. Some ships allowed no women aboard, others had 2-3 w

August 27, 2014

2

writing The world is functioning upside down

It is nothing new that the world is functioning upside down in various aspects of life. Why not in the writing realm too? 😢 As you know already, and as you can see from the blog image, I have published three novels up to now. Two others and a short stories anthology will follow soon, almost certainly all three to appear this year. I published with small indie presses, because this is what I have the possibility in the current book market conditions. Many writers more seasoned than me

May 17, 2018

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Talking to the walls

I am desperate. I don't know what to do anymore. It feels like talking to the walls... and I wonder what I have done so wrong in my childhood in order to deserve this at mature age. I wish that, as so many parenting books exist, how to make a stubborn child obey, eat or take medicine, it should also exist books how to take care of old parents. How to make a stubborn 89 years old eat, or take the medicines according to the posted schedule (and to my phone calls, because I never let it only to the

November 27, 2018

4

Somebody has to do it

It seems that people have interest in writing only certain characters, or only certain aspects of the characters' lives, while a story implies writing several character types in several circumstances which make sense for their lives. E.g. a Navy officer has in the story not only the role to charm ladies at a party, but mainly to take part in battles or to lead work scenes as well... to show only a few aspects. He should interact also with his superiors, with allied officers, he can l

February 15, 2016

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Religion

I understand that not all the characters are religious. However, if a religion is mentioned in a character's bio, one should use it at least a little - even if it means to highlight that he has evolved and doesn't believe anymore, and that his current beliefs aren't the same with the ones he was taught in childhood. Not to have it written in the bio, then act as if it was never mentioned. Why bother then to mention it in the first place? This is twice as valid when it is about somebo

May 13, 2015

0

Relationships

I think in a RPG, like in any story worth telling, the characters have friends, enemies, siblings, sometimes parents or children, workmates, sometimes a love interest/ fiancee/ spouse. And all these do flesh out the characters, allowing the reader to see different aspects of their personalities. Even the one who saves the world (depending on setting), can't do it alone, he still needs friends and workmates in order to accomplish it. (And enemies to attempt to hinder his endeavour). But

August 18, 2014

0

Rebellious inspiration

If I believed in Muse, like many people do and I don't, I would say that I have a rebellious, non-conformist muse now. Or, well, for the sake of this blog, I might still toy with this idea and imagine a mist-bodied muse enveloping me and luring me to adventures which are or not good for me... but they are definitely good for the story! Actually, I have never believed in anything else than creativity and writing skills - which sometimes are drained when the mind is preoccupied with something

August 18, 2014

0

Pieces of wisdom from another site

I wrote them on pictures and kept them as motivational posters. And it doesn't matter that one mentions a site, since said site closed in 2013: Everyone has high and low moments. These help for the low moments.

March 23, 2015

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Perceptions

Once I believed that there is one truth in everything, and all the other perceptions are wrong. This was how I was educated, and how my mother still believes. (But she also believes she is right in everything, when she isn't, and often what she knew isn't applicable at the current society). As I grew up and gained experience, I understood that there is no absolute truth, everything being various shades of gray. Whiter or blacker, but still gray. And that, unfortunately, everyone has

January 26, 2016

0

People are seeking only things to complain about

And so do I now. I arrived to the conclusion that some people want always what they can't have right now, and lose interest when they can have it, just to have always something to complain about. It has happened every time when I did my sort of activity check - it happens about 2 times a year on my site, and it includes ideas for further inclusion in the story in the next story months - "what would inspire you the most in order to write more consistently? What story is growing inside you an

November 18, 2014

0

Roleplay Nothing happens if you don't write

You say you like your character. OK, then maybe you know that no character development can happen unless you post regularly and get involved with him in the story. That a character grows through interaction with other characters, while doing his duty, while partying or while fighting. There can be (and are recommended to be) individual plots too. But, again, just planning them and not actually writing them doesn't count. He has to be actively part of the story if you want exciting things to happ

August 27, 2015

0

No commitment is the worst

I have learnt that nothing can be achieved without full involvement and commitment. That you reap what you sow, and the effort bears fruit. In a hobby, giving yourself without half measures brings the satisfaction of achievement, and many other subsidiary ones. But it seems most people dont know to live, to give themselves, to commit. They are lukewarm, not inspired, not excited, not invested, lacking any commitment. You cant build a house on sand; you can build it only on stone or on wood

June 27, 2014

0

My father

My father died on the fourth day of Hannukah, 3 weeks before turning 93. May God rest him in peace! He is in the photo, at his 90-th anniversary, with the granddaughter who ressembles him the most, Raluca. 93 years of life means a full, accomplished life. Three daughters from two wives, four grandsons and two granddaughters from the first two (as I can't have children), and he lived long enough to play with three grand-grandsons and two grand-granddaughters. A new gran

December 12, 2015

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Mutiny III - Death of the accursed boatswain

Mutiny Part III - Death of the accursed boatswain Elouan had seen from the rigging the dog’s attempts to save the man he hated the most, and he silently prayed to God not to let it happen. Jacque Gasquet was trying his best to swim and remain alive, hoping that somebody would throw him a rope or something. He was tired and in pain, as the Breton had strong fists and the boatswain had always been accustomed to give deadly blows, not to receive them. Not to mention the way he fell from

July 15, 2014

0

Mutiny II - death of the third lieutenant

Mutiny part II - Death of the third lieutenant On the other side of the ship, Fernand wanted to approach Patrick, who was holding the young boatswain’s mate. He had something to tell him now too, that it seemed the atmosphere changed and the young man’s protector wasn’t there anymore. The men were in commotion, ready to stand up against the bully, following the Breton’s example they had witnessed. Others were shouting the name of another boatswain’s mate they had a bone to pick with, and

July 15, 2014

0

Mutiny I - death of a young rigger

Mutiny - Part I: Death of a young rigger The boatswain, that everybody except Antoine Lemieux knew under the name of Jacques Fresne, was looking at his mate at his son, with approval. The lad was learning. He was getting better at mastering the art of being obeyed by the sailors. On his side, Jacque was barking his orders to the riggers, to work quicker and better. Claude, afraid of the man, hurried to pull a line through a block and it fell back, hitting Jacque in the face. The boatswa

July 15, 2014

0

Roleplay Love and friendship in roleplaying

I had another entry on relationships a while ago. This is a spinoff on it, based on the creative writing articles at http://www.springhole.net/writing/relationships-romance-and-shipping.htm I fully agree with the writer, and I know I have found these concepts before, in other creative writing books and articles. Some of the rules of writing romance are: 1. The characters need to communicate with each other, not only to gaze silently and sigh. To engage their love interest in meaningful convers

October 12, 2015

0

Looking for identity - half, or partly?

LOOKING FOR IDENTITY: HALF, OR PARTLY? How often have you heard or said "I'm half, or part Jewish"? You surely have heard it at least, and the wisdom of some Native American elders has something to teach you in this respect. A very touching example, which can be applied successfully to us as well, was told by a physician from Oregon, Les Tate, who discovered as an adult that he was Indian. This is his story, from which each of us has something to learn:

August 18, 2014

0

Longing for a real community

This was posted more in depth on my personal blog, where I can insert the photos how I want them to look (what here I can't manage. Probably it is possible, but I am too anti-technicus to figure out how. Last time I tried I got my whole gallery linked to a blog post.) Longing for a real community The struggle is real, and I am more and more convinced that what I am actually longing for does not exist. I wish for a dedicated community of writers – as many or a

January 25, 2017

2

Just bitching today

Yes, I would need some sweet bread to make my day sweeter. Not that I have anything particular to resent today as I do. I guess some days of this kind just happen, when everything already piled up starts hurting and mattering. I have an exam today and I haven't studied enough. No time. I have a hard day at work too... and I am just taking a little break from it now. It is rainy for several days and I feel it in my bones, in my head, in everything. And I have deadlines for my s

March 5, 2014

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It should have been...

How can one overcome frustration and regret? Yes, I know, one would say "be happy with what you have/ actually is, instead of focusing on what you don't have/ what should have been". But is it so easy? It is again tied to the frustrating missed opportunities I have been blogging about almost two years ago, to the fact that nothing happens if you don't write and to me claiming that I don't care anymore, as advised above... just that I actually do and I just pretend I do no

February 18, 2016

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