tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8417850843973944836.post7595399033626602629..comments2024-02-27T00:19:14.984-08:00Comments on Burning Zeppelin Experience: Dungeons and DialogMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16741134687274260833noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8417850843973944836.post-15870729181431477472008-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:002008-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:00I've had exactly the same problem. Just the other ...I've had exactly the same problem. Just the other day, the Abigail read the first chapter of <I>Rat and Starling</I> and said "Mark, that's just one big infodump."<BR/><BR/>And she's right, and it's frustrating as hell because I really <I>like</I> all that info.<BR/><BR/>I'd love to give you more detailed feedback on Heart of the Hunter, though to do that I'd need a copy to print out. I'm a visual learner literary Luddite - I can enjoy things I hear and read on computer screens, but I can only engage with them in a writerly way with a hardcopy in front of me and a pen in hand.<BR/><BR/>What I've got, though, is that I don't think the D&D homage was entirely a problem. Often, it was fun and comforting. Many of the best parts were when I could say to myself "I can totally see this happening at the gaming table - it would be one of those awesome moments we'd talk about for months." It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.<BR/><BR/>I do think you and I share a love of our settings that leads to the occasional infodump.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, with a printable copy I'd love to give you more feedback.<BR/><BR/>I'm also honored that you commented on my blog (eee!) and I hope you choose to keep reading!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8417850843973944836.post-21487452728541759682008-10-27T15:29:00.000-07:002008-10-27T15:29:00.000-07:00Thanks so much for the link and the compliment.I t...Thanks so much for the link and the compliment.<BR/><BR/>I think you are right about Heart of the Hunter not altogether hanging true; I'd be interested in knowing more about your thoughts since I am taking all of the commentary I'm getting and using that as writer's notes for the 2nd draft. <BR/><BR/>Even though it does work as a story, HotH really is a first draft of a novel, and it shows! I hope to polish it up to shine.<BR/><BR/>However, I find that many people automatically assume that, since I'm a big ol' RPG gamer, everything about the story is D&D - and I don't think that's ever going to go away. <BR/><BR/>I think that, for me, the world-creation that took place during roleplay enabled me to have such a huge world in which to place my novel. RPGs are like incubators for world creation. <BR/><BR/>The problem is that they create so much that it's impossible to expose it all in a "show, not tell" sort of story.<BR/><BR/>Many times I found myself having to back up and say, "You know what, Sam? Those 1,000 words you just wrote about the Firewherian Empire might make a great wiki entry, but they're not going to help the story move forward at all."<BR/><BR/>Going from novels to games - *that* is the true toil, I think...but that's outside the scope of your blog :)SambearPoethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03400738226725773846noreply@blogger.com