Currently most of my websites are inaccessible, and those that are working are not always working properly – either being slow, not loading correctly, not loading images etc
It is a right pain 
Problem is with an upstream source with my provider – and though they are working on it, it has been like this for over a day. *sigh*
Rapidly closing in on the halfway mark of the year.
After making a good start to the month last week, this week sort of fell apart rapidly after getting sidetracked a bit. Only managed around 5K words in the last week, so have fallen well behind the 2K a day mark.
I have finished the rough drafts of all the stories for the next volume of Pure Escapism, and have started the rewrites and revisions on them.
Also have an idea bubbling around for what to do for the rest of the month once I’ve finished that. More on that later.
Blizzard have revealed the last of their previews of the upcoming druid form skin upgrades, this being for the night elf cat form.
I admit to being biased towards the Horde, but I think Taurens got the better of both bear AND cat in the new skin upgrades. The elf cats just don’t seem to have the same impact as the Tauren ones. Saw one elf druid player say they were a bit too much Hello Kitty for his liking.
But judge for yourself.
I was woken in the very early hours of the morning by the pitter-patter of gentle rain on the roof. As a kid I used to love just lying in bed dozing, listening to rain on the roof. I woke this morning oddly relaxed and mellow, so I guess the association between the rain and those feelings as a kid are still there.
Hopefully that will stand me in good stead for today’s writing efforts.
Seems I passed 1000 hits yesterday without noticing it.
Of course if you take away the hits relating to the new WOW Druid skins and the post on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and there goes a third of the hits. Heh.
Some sad news emerging that David Eddings, author of the Belgariad and other series has died, age 77.
While you couldn’t accuse his books of being great ‘literature’, they were entertaining and a guilty pleasure of mine and certainly helped broaden my mind that there was more fantasy out there besides Tolkien and C.S. Lewis when I discovered him in my early teenage years.
Blizzard have unveiled the new skins for the Tauren Druid cat forms – and they are a vast, vast improvement over what they were. Not that that was hard.
The new skins make the cats look dangerous now, as well as their Tauren heritage showing amongst that of the great cat. The guild may have a hard time getting me to shift out of cat now…
The companion for the Eleventh Doctor in the next seasons of Doctor Who starting next year has been announced and it is…drumroll…Karen Gillian.
Who? I’d never heard of her, but she is a relative newcomer to the game, so that is hardly surprising.
Steven Moffat spoke highly of her in the BBC press release announcing her appointment though.
Seems they are going for a ‘younger’ look to the next Doctor – sort of reminds me of a clip from Stargate from episode 200 (though I doubt it will end up like that parody.)
As a writer, one of the things I really want to accomplish is to be able to give characters stirring, inspiring speeches – the kind tvtropes refers to as the Rousing Speech. The kind that can turn the tide of a battle or just make you sit back and go ‘wow’.
There is a bit of a one that makes an appearance in The Bronze Man, but as I’m still learning the craft it isn’t up to level of some of the ones that inspire me. In time perhaps.
One of the best ones for me is the Rooftop Scene in Bladerunner, given by Roy Batty. It is made even more memorial as the lines came from the actor, Rutger Hauer, who felt the lines in the script were lacking. Not your typical rousing speech, but one that really works.
Shakespeare was of course a master of the written word, and he can not go without a mention. There are many to choose from, including the stirring Band of Brothers speech from Henry V.
Elizabeth I in reality gave one such speech at Tilbury in 1588, before the defeat of the Spanish Armada. It may seem a little dated to us, but certainly fits the bill.
And then there is Tolkien. Lord of the Rings seems packed with them. From Sam, to Aragorn, to Gandalf, to Theoden.
Sam’s speech at the end of the Two Towers.
Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gate.
Theoden’s Speech at Helm’s Deep
Theoden’s speech at Pelennor Fields – in the book this is actually Eomer’s speech, but it was given to Theoden in the movie.
Any others that you find inspiration from?
An update on yesterdays post – the Night Elf druid bear form skins are now available for view. All I can say is once more I’m glad I’m a Tauren and not an elf.
Cat forms are coming next week – look forward to seeing how much they have improved the Tauren cat form.
Mist and Shadows 