CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

First flash for the week...and for a very long time. An Act of Kindness  A cup of water. Who’d have thought it would matter now that the battle was lost, but it did…or Shiloh hoped it did. He dared to raise his gaze enough to catch his opposite number’s eye, and froze. Not because of the commander’s familiar features, but because of the markings on her armored breastplate. “Y…your majesty?” he managed, staying on his knees, and all too aware of the firm grip on his shoulder. The look she returned was implacable. “You showed me kindness,” she replied in hard tones, “and yet you have rebelled. Tell me why I should spare you.” “Spare my men,” Shiloh said. “Their lives were forfeit if they did not take up arms.” “And forfeit if they did,” she reminded him. “They have families…” Shiloh’s voice cracked, memory bringing grief. “Their lives…” His voice shattered, and he bowed his head, unable to continue. “So do you,” she said, but he shook his head. “Not anymore,” he r...

First poem of the week. From Flight to Fight Josiah ran the drumbeat The blood beat in his veins He ran the dry and dusty ground Took to stone and rock so no tracks were found Fled the wire and fences The torture chambers, and the flensers Fled imprisonment for crimes Which he’d not committed at the time Fled from country, then from world Took to higher paths, new hope unfurled And then he ran right back again Brought rebellion, and unshackling That the hope he’d found was for all to gain.

Of the goals set for the week just gone, this is the outcome.   Achieved: 1. Recorded the next 29/28 gameplay videos for the schedule; 2. Edited the next 30/28 gameplay videos for the schedule; 3. Scheduled the 10/10 videos to accompany the novel release. Partly Achieved 1. Recorded the next 11/22 gameplay videos for the completion series; 2. Scheduled the next 25/28 gameplay videos for the schedule; 3. Edited and formatted, but did not schedule the 2 videos for the short story release; 4. Wrote 2/7 poems for Another 366 Days of Poetry. Not Achieved Did not complete the 7 pieces of flash from the main goals, and did not complete the novel from the stretch goals. Did not complete the publishing cycle for January 2026. Swapped In 1. Edited and formatted the 3 reading videos for a second upcoming short story release; 2. Began industry-accredited courses in computer coding and Spanish as part of external obligations. No doubt these will inform my writing in...

It looks crazy, but it’s called ‘taking the pressure down.’ The current goals take into account the need to publish at an accelerated schedule on both the writing and video fronts, in order to clear more writing time and prepare the way for a transition to a more sustainable and flexible work schedule in the, hopefully, not-too-distant future. In other words, I will not forever be trying to publish a month’s worth of work in a week. Having said that, I have a few more weeks to go before I can ease back. I might not, yet, be hitting all my goals, but I  am  getting closer. Without further ado, here are this week’s goals…and hopefully I’ve hit a little closer to the capability mark: Main Goals: 1.  Write 7 poems for Another 366 Days of Poetry (mixed genre, currently 33,172 words); 2.  Write 7 pieces of flash for Another 366 Days of Flash Fiction (mixed genre, currently 40,209); 3. Complete the novel, Dark God's Demise (2nd Ed.) (dark action fantasy, curre...

The Poem  Urban Rebellion  It started, this war of attrition, when the dark fae came back with a mission, To return the children of man To slavery's van And mankind refused the position   Where Did It Come From?  I got to thinking of form poetry; that's not hard since I have a form poetry title in progress, but this time I wanted to think about it from the perspective of writing in specific genres...and no sooner had I set my mind on this track, than the following ditty started to form...in the shower...where I had no pen or paper...half way through soaping up...of course. So, I wrote it in my head, revised it a couple of times, and somehow managed to hold onto it until I could back to my desk. Here you go, a limerick, written by an inhabitant of an urban fantasy setting who has lived through the return of magic and the fae, and who is living through what came next.

So, with last week's hurdles in mind, I set my aim lower this week, writing my goals down on the 22nd, but too busy trying to achieve them to post them, here. There's only a tiny bit of writing included in this week's goals as January's releases became a priority in both my writing and video sectors. Here is what they were: Main Goals: 1.  Write 7 poems for Another 366 Days of Poetry (mixed genre, currently 32,180 words) 2.  Write 7 pieces of flash for Another 366 Days of Flash Fiction (mixed genre, currently 40,209) 3. Record the next 31 videos on the schedule 4. Record the next 22 gameplay videos for the series set for completion 5. Edit the next 28 gameplay videos 6. Schedule the next 28 gameplay videos 7. Schedule the 10 Writer Reads videos required to complete the readings for the first December release 8. Schedule the 2 Writer Reads videos required for the second December release 9. Complete the formatting and publishing cycle for the three Jan...

So - Goals for December Week 2 showed I was still aiming too high...and not accounting for the possibility of losing 28 hours in the week, when I made them. Yes, to unexpected changes, new external requirements, and family health issues...but also to the fallout of mental and emotional exhaustion that followed. Go figure. I have to improve, and get better. Enough excuses. Here are the results: Main Goals:  1. Poems:   5/7 written; 2. Flash Fiction: 0/7 written; 3.  Work Submitted: 1/1 (result: reject); 4. Finish novel: novel finished (3.6k/4-10k written) ; 5. Publish  Mack 'n' Me: Blaedergil's Host:   novel published 6. Publish  Nurse:  short story published; 7. World Shift : 276/1k 8.  Confessions : 0/1k 9. Gameplay videos recorded: 20/16 10.  Gameplay videos-edited: 15/23 (9/0 video readings edited);  13/23 formatted; 15/23 scheduled; Stretch Goals:    1. Arach - not formatted; 2. The Transporter's Favor - edit com...

And speaking of getting back on the horse, I'm returning to posting work samples from different projects. This is one of last week's poems - an experimental form with an iambic pentameter base.         We Remain    We are the lost The untransitioned The ones they left behind   We are those who lived When all else died   Or were transformed Removed from human Made monsters of the mind   We are those who made it through We wish to turn back time   To turn back time To what things once were An imperfected norm   Not safe but still a sanctuary Compared to where we now have gone   In this plague world Where the dead walk Still alive and not at rest   We strive to send them back to sleep And rebuild what they have left.