Take me away, I don't mind. But you'd better promise me I'll be...

Back, and about time.

Apologies for not posting recently, but things have been very stressful and temperamental recently and only now do I feel like things are settling down the the extent that I can think about my web presence  again. There's still work to be done, but there is a light at the end of this long, bleak tunnel I have been traversing.

After several weeks of the whole situation feeling very transitional and a bit weird, I'm starting to feel a bit more settled in Bristol. The last few months have been a surreal experience, what with unemployment and then relocating, etc. At times it's felt like I've been living in a bubble. It was deliberate - I have consciously kept my life in standby mode while I sort things out, so apologies for maintaining some degree of radio silence over this period - but I'm beginning to feel like the time is nearing for me to wake up and get things back on track again.

I'm sure this weekend will mark the point where I finally start to feel like I live here now, instead of being here on some odd working visit. New job is great (albeit quite busy and stressful.) New house is great, and in a few days I think I'll have everything just the way I want it. I'm waiting on a few deliveries of things, and after that I should be ready to get on with my life.

Relocating was a ball ache of epic proportions, but it's done now and the only casualty of my relocation was my PC's 5.1 set, which packed up completely after the move. Thankfully it's still under warranty so I can get it replaced. Oh, and my pride last weekend, as I stood by helplessly and watched all my well-laid plans unravel before my eyes in about three minutes flat. That was not fun.

All in all, I'm still not sure how to feel about the whole experience. In hindsight it needed to happen, for my sanity as well as my working life, but as I still don't know anyone down here I'm very much feeling that all I do with my time is sleep and go to work. It's peculiar that I should feel so isolated in a city four times the size of Chester.

But that will change in time I'm sure. In the meantime there are still things to do. Changes of address, things I need to buy.

Like additional pairs of shorts and t-shirts that are not black. Damn this hot weather...

And writing. I have done literally none at all for over two months. When I'm in the right head space I will be bombing straight into Hudson Falls with gusto.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

I have not had the greatest of times of late, and it makes the optimistic tone of my previous blog entry seem cloyingly naive. As I read it through before starting to write this one I felt almost embarrassed at myself.

Needless to say I'm not in a happy place right now. I'm certainly not doing any writing. I'm not in the right mindset and I don't think anyone would enjoy anything I wrote if I was.

I've spent my time this week trying to correct this little hiccup in my life, and as I've been doing so I've found myself bewildered at the places my mind has gone. When things calm down in the evenings and my mind is at some measure of rest, an inordinate amount of my thoughts have been settling on the Mass Effect series. For reasons that entirely escape me. Maybe because they're games portraying a character trying to maintain control of a desperately spiralling situation and I currently feel some affinity for that. I don't know.

In any case, I'm sure there's a Comfy Chair article about it in me. If I do write something about Mass Effect it'll be a challenge not to let it turn into a Jennifer Hale love fest. Mark Meer is not Commander Shepard.

But not right now. I have more pressing matters to attend to for the time being. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be feeling more ready to get stuck into some writing. I have a list of things to do a mile long. Maybe once things straighten themselves out I can give myself the kick up the arse I've probably needed for a good long while.

Optimist Prime

Feeling good about the next few months!

Now that the new website has settled down and bedded in, I'm turning my attention towards the next few writing projects.

At the moment I'm in contact with Jack Tempest regarding the art for Malice Aforethought, which I'm already starting to feel good about, and I'm ruminating on the first updates to the website. I have an addition to the Graveyard planned, which is an old idea of mine that exposes some of the serious shortcomings of my early attempts at writing. I know, I'm so brave for being willing to put this old stuff online for all to see. In addition I'm chewing over an idea which will hopefully become a piece for The Comfy Chair.

In fiction terms, the idea currently occupying the most real estate in my brain is my retool of Imagine. I want to develop this ASAP, mostly so I can have something solid to pitch at this year's batch of comic shows. That said, it's also in order to scratch that particular itch, leaving me free to soldier on with Hudson Falls.

My mind is swimming a bit at the moment. I'm assuming that it's the euphoria of actually having a creative plan of attack for a change. But it could be the residual hangover from my boozy birthday weekend. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

Fingers crossed

It's looking like the email issues with the website are sorted - It's up, live and running as it should be. Whey hey!

Your days are numbered now, Decepticreeps!

It's live, people. Some small email snafu notwithstanding, the website is now up and running. There were a few hiccups along the way, and there are still a few to sort out, but for the most part I now have a brand spanking new website for my writing and that and it looks all nice and pretty.

This page is linked on the main menu of the website, so hopefully they'll feed each other and increase their traffic a bit. And for those who have found this blog through the new site, there is a 'Home' link at the top of the side column to take you back to the main body of the site.

See how thoughtful I am? I'm lovely, me.

Anyway, enjoy your time touring the new site. I hope to have the email issues resolved this weekend, but in the meantime there are plenty of other ways to get in touch.

In Increments

Don't want to speak too soon, but it's looking good for a weekend announcement. The website issues have been sorted, which has unfortunately resulted in an email account issue that will hopefully be resolved this afternoon.

I'm recklessly soldiering on with my optimism, with nary a thought for the inevitable disappointment.

Frustration

Yeah, so the website didn't launch last weekend. It's proving to be a bit of a ballache to wait for the DNS changes to propogate, which is the only thing between me and a live website right now.

Frustrated is not the word. Imagine how churlish and moody I usually am and double it. The website is done and good to go, but nobody can see it yet because of awkward bloody internet nonsense.

Grr.

Not a happy puppy.

Comments on the launch

In preparation for the imminent arrival of the new website, I want to give a little warning - this site is brand spanking new and is in no way, shape or form to be considered finished. Its contents, as you will see this weekend, are a work in progress. There are a few pages here and there (and you'll know which ones I mean when the site launches) that are a bit sparse and uninteresting, but bear with me. I've left them there on purpose to give the site room to grow into.

Over the coming months I'll be doing my best to update the site with new material as often as I'm able, and as regularly as I can produce it. There are two areas in particular that I can work on expanding right away and this future work will fill in any gaps in the content. You'll have to keep checking back to see how well I'm doing in that regard.

In addition to seeing new things appear, you might also see things vanish. I'm still not massively clear on what sort of content is suitable for inclusion on a writer's website, so I've pretty much just written whatever I could think of and included it. I have no idea what's relevant and what would seem like vanity to a reader. It's felt a lot like walking a tightrope above a chasm of self-indulgence, and the slightest misstep would see me tumbling away into the oblivion below. I don't think I've done too badly, but when you're been so focused in on something you can sometimes lose track of the big picture.

So I'm going to need your help to work on and improve the website in the following months and naturally I'd appreciate any feedback you can think to give. If there's anything else you'd like me to include, anything you'd like to see more or less of, or anything that you think is redundant and not of interest at all, let me know and I can work on it. As time goes on and I get a better picture of what is needed the site will keep getting better.

Learning is fun.

In the meantime it might be best for my blood pressure if you consider the site a dynamic ever-changing emporium of magic and wonderment. Anything that helps conceal the truth that I don't really know what I'm doing would be handy.

As good as a rest

I've made a few changes to the the blog, mostly to bring it a little closer in looks to the imminent new website. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it all goes off without any technical issues and goes live at the weekend.

If it does these changes should lend my web presence, such as it is, a little more consistency.

Things are afoot

Nothing major, but interesting nonetheless.

A new website is incoming, hopefully in the next few weeks. Or whenever I can produce the content by. Shooting for the first week in March.

Watch this space.