Ezmereth Nemrin’s Back Story, a story that Alisttair began writing back in April 2010 when the RAWR D&D campaign began, has been completed and is ready to be published.

The six part story will be published over the next week, every day at 12pm.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Easter!

When I was growing up, Easter meant one thing: chocolates around the house, hidden in small nests made of shredded newspaper.  These chocolates were often times pieces of Smarties or M&Ms, which both my sister and I gobbled up as fast as we could find them.  Sure there was talk of crucifixion and resurrection, but coloured eggs, bunnies and chocolate were really all that was on our minds.

It didn’t really help that we were living in south-west Germany at the time.  We were located but stone’s throw from the birthplace of the Easter Bunny and a short drive north of the international land of chocolate (aka Switzerland).  Oh the abundance of dark, milk, and white chocolate we saw while visiting the famous chocolate factories in the region.  Chocolate was available in any form one could imagine (bunnies, eggs, nutcrackers, etc…), and I’ve no doubt my parents looked at this day with scared anticipation when thinking of the chocolate-powered monsters us children would no doubt become by the end of the day.

But I digress from the original purpose of my post…

What I really wanted to chat about today was the site and what’s going on with it.  Things havn’t moved much recently, and that’s mostly because I’ve been travelling a lot (thankfully only to warm sunny places).  Nonetheless, I do have some Flash Imaginations and netZooms waiting in the queue, so expect those to start showing up again shortly.  I’m also working on a new article series that would be published every other week just like netZoom.  I’m still working on it a bit, so expect more news on that in the coming weeks…!

Equanimity is coming along nicely, though my travels have slowed that down a bit as well.  I’m hoping to start publishing posts sometime in the next few months, (it’s looking like late-May right now).

With regards to the Tweet I posted last week, we (Alisttair, Ingram and I) are working together to set up a new site to which DnD content will be pushed.  The site is still in its infancy stages at the moment, though I expect it to be ready to go live within the next few weeks.

We’ll be moving over all DnD content, which means that, after while, the same content will be removed from Folaji.  I do, however, expect to keep everything on the site until the move is complete, so there’s no need to panic.  There’ll be plenty of advance warning as to when the posts will be taken down from here, and if all goes to plan, it should all coincide with change of layout on this side (if that doesn’t make it apparent enough, I don’t know what would )

In the meantime, the new site needs a name, and possibly a subtitle.  Any ideas?

Now, where to start…?

First I’d like to point everyone to new updated maps that have been uploaded to the Chronicles of Netheril section of the site.  These were all provided by Ingram, and serve to compliment the weekly updates he prepares.  I do expect that this will be one of the last map updates for the Netheril adventure, the reason being the development of the new D&D adventure tool I’m working on.

The tool itself is coming along nicely, and some of you have been using the NPC page for some time now.  I’ve not heard any complaints, so I assume the page is working well and am focusing on migrating quests and locations (including maps) to the tool.  If the holiday season doesn’t keep me too bogged down, I’m expecting to have both new features up and ready in time to celebrate the arrival of 2011.  In the meantime, if you ever do find a problem with the current NPC page, be sure to let me know in a comment or by email, because if I don’t know about an issue, I can’t do anything to fix it.

In other news, Flash Imaginations are now regularly posted every Wednesday at 12pm.  I’m surprised at how many interesting pics I can take just by walking around downtown Montreal, and I’ve taken so many pictures lately that I think I may have to do something a little different in the coming weeks to get more of them on the site.  In fact, its a pretty safe bet that you’ll be seeing a Flash Imagination Contest fairly soon, so keep those eyes open.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment and discuss writing.  Specifically I wanted to talk (or write) about the short story I last mentioned in a post about 3 months ago.   The story is on its way, although it has evolved and rounded out quite a bit since a few months ago.  I believe this was caused by the decision I made to take the time and write the whole story before posting a part.  Its a lot of work, but it allows me to think things through carefully, and to rewrite certain parts of the story as I see fit.

Probably the biggest challenge I’ve faced so far regarding this project has been finding the time to write.  I spend a lot of my day at work, and when I’m not commuting between home and work, I’m walking my dog, letting her experience the urban jungle that is Montreal.  So lately I’ve been trying something new which has been working wonders: writing while I commute.

Now before you all start telling me how dangerous that is, I should mention that I take the subway to work, so its not like I’m driving down the highway at 120km/h, writing new posts as cars and trucks drive around me.  In fact, the 1-1.5 hours I would otherwise spend playing eye ping-pong with other commuters each day goes by a lot faster when I’m typing away.

Even now, as I’m writing the initial draft of this post I’m standing in a subway car, speeding towards atwater station.  Don’t believe me? Well here’s a pic of us arriving at the station:

Speeding by Atwater Station

Ok its blurry, but we were going fast, and you can’t really expect more from a cell phone camera.  My cell phone, surprisingly enough, is what I use to write on.  Although the keyboard is small, and I only use my thumbs, I find that its easier to write in this environment than any other, mostly because of lack of distractions.

Well, I’ve just reached my stop, and should get into work.  Keep an eye open for updates and contests, they’re all on the way.  And hopefully we’ll also be able to start the new year off with a new short story, written entirely while riding the Montreal subway system!

Contest Results

As some of you were aware, there was a contest going on Folaji.com for the past two weeks (if you’re not sure what contest, read about it here).  The contest officially came to a close last night at 11h59 pm, and I’d first like to start by thanking everyone who participated.  The winner, along with the prize, will be announced on none other than Folaji.com’s second birthday, and since the purpose of the contest was for you to guess what this date was, I won’t mention just yet, so as to keep it a surprise.

Rest assured that there is a winner, so keep an eye on the site to find out if you’ve won!

Netheril Updates

Chronicles of Netheril Adventurers have been busy lately, questing in and around Loudwater.  As such, we have two new updates for the D&D adventure:

• A new Weekly Update dated July 17th and prepared by Ingram, which you can read here
• An update to the Chronicles of Netheril NPC page (with new NPC pictures)

Also of note, I’m preparing a tool that will allow updates to the Chronicle of Netheril’s NPC and Quest pages to be much faster.  The tool is still being built, so I can not say much about it just yet, but rest assured more will be divulged as development of the tool approaches completion.

New Short Story

As final news for today, I’m happy to announce that within the coming few weeks, a new short story will be posted on the site.  I’m trying something different with this story, in that I want to have finished writing it before it is published.  So far this has allowed for easier story writing and planning, and will also allow for the story’s five parts to be posted at regular intervals (which is looking like its going to be once per week).

So keep an eye out for this new story, which at current estimates, should be ready sometime in early August!

And that’s all I have to say for today.  Again, thanks to everyone who participated in the contest, and expect some interesting updates in the future.  In the meantime, I have a handful of new Flash Imaginations ready to hit the site, so expect those to show up shortly.

• Halloween in Montreal – Finale Part 1 – Confession
• Halloween in Montreal – Finale Part 2 – 12:01 am

About Halloween in Montreal – **POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW** – You’ve been warned!

Now that the adventure is over, I wanted to talk a little bit about this short story, why I wrote it, where it came from, and what it means to me as a completed work.

Truth is, this story came about from two sources, one of which is my attempt at reliving childhood imagination, and the other my attempt at writing a non-fantasy work of fiction.

Childhood Imagination

One of my favourite movies is the flick Finding Neverland starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, which follows the story of J. M. Barrie (the author Peter Pan).  The movie is truly amazing, both with its heart-wrenching story, as well as its depiction of J.M Barrie’s overactive imagination. Definitely a must see movie if you havn’t already seen it.

Although I don’t wish to compare myself to Mr. Barrie, I have to admit that I saw part of myself in his character.  Specifically, I connected with the character’s ability imagine things up at any time, and his portrayed fascination with childhood imagination.  Everyone has seen children playing on the street, and there is something magical at how they can conjure up and live out epic adventures in the matter of minutes, using mere sticks and stones as great weapons to defeat the evils of their stories.

I sometimes think back at the wars and battles I fought as a child, and find myself missing that feeling.  Then there are days like Halloween day 2009, where out of nowhere, my imagination wakes up and takes me on a wild ride, the result of which, in this case, was Halloween in Montreal.

Non-Fantasy & Fist Person

Although the majority of stories on Folaji.com are currently fantasy stories (either taking place in the realm of Warcraft or the imagined lands of a Dungeons and Dragons adventure), fantasy is not my favourite genre.  In fact, if I had to choose, I would probably pick Horror (à la Steven king) or Science-Fiction (à la Frank Herbert) as my favourite story genres.  That being said, I also like to push the envelope, and Halloween in Montreal was an attempt to do just that.

This is the first non-science, non-fantasy, fiction story that I’ve ever written.  I’ll admit it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  The challenge was to embrace the childlike imagination I wrote about above, all the while keeping the story in the realm of “plausible possibility”.

I mean, who knew how hard it would be not to include a large Dragon, an army of Alien Warships, or Scary Ghosts in this story?  Well, for someone who’s imagination is often jumping around, it was a challenge.  By the end, however, I guess you could say I’d reached a point where I could focus my imagination to the realm of the possible, something I’d never attempted or achieved before.

This is also the first story I’ve ever written using the First Person point of view (have you noticed, we never learn the name of the hero in the story?).  Now there’s great debate out there about writing in the First Person, and I’m not looking to add to the debate other than to say that I do believe First Person point of views can be very useful in presenting a story, or part of a story, when used properly.

A known and accepted limitation of First Person writing, however, is that the reader only ever know what the central character knows, and you can not delve into other character’s thoughts.  Used in a certain way, however, this can allow the writer to create suspense and mystery, although you have to be careful not to make your story too confusing my keeping too much from your readers.

Conclusion

I’m glad I took on these two challenges and stuck to my guns, and I believe it made for an interesting story now that all is said and done.  With the final part of the story published, Halloween in Montreal now belongs to the Folaji.com archives, and was a fun ride while it lasted.  Although, just like real life, the story never really does end, and I may revisit this universe sometime in the future.

In the meantime, I have a few other projects that require my attention.

So, what did you think? Leave a comment letting me know!

Just wanted to post a quick update as to what’s going on as  I know the site has been static for the past little while.

First, I’m proud to say that the long awaited final part of “Halloween in Montreal” will be published this Friday.  The final chapter of this short story has been a tough write, what with all the answered questions and closure and what not.  That being said, its finally ready to be published, so keep an eye out for it.

Second, it looks like we’ll be treated to another DnD inspired short story from Alisttair.  As he noted on the latest RAWR post, Alisttair will be writing Ezmereth’s Story for publication on Folaji.com, a short story that will take a look at the character’s past in the world of RAWR.  I unfortunately don’t know much about Ezmereth, so all I can say right now is that I can’t wait to learn more about him… or her… or it…?

As a side note, Alisttair is also the author of War of the Soulhers: Dugar’s Story, a five part adventure that follows another one of his DnD alter egos in a ramp up to the War of the Soulhers DnD Adventure.  If you havn’t had the chance to read it yet, I encourage you to do so.

And finally, I’ve been kept busy on my end by some secret stuff.  What kind of secret stuff you ask?  Well, the kind of secret stuff that I can’t talk about, yet…  Although what I can say is that some of the secret stuff involves a new series on Folaji.com.

Alright, that’s all for now, see you guys on Friday.

In the meantime, for those of you following the RAWR adventure, Ingram was nice enough to provide an update that you can read here.

Hope it was fun!

First, the WordPress engine has been upgraded to the latest version.  This upgrade has been a long time coming, but hadn’t been applied yet due to incompatibility with certain plugins.  If you’re interested in details of the upgrade, you can view a quick video in the link below.  Its mostly back end changes that make my life easier, but hey, who doesn’t want to make my life easier, right?

WordPress 2.9 Features

Next bit of news, the Forums have been retired/removed/not there anymore.  Now this shouldn’t be a surprise as I’d explained how I planned to remove them a couple of weeks back.  I just want to say that the people at SimplePress have made a wonderful forums plugin, but when it came down too it, however, the forums were simply no longer useful for this site.

But what happened to all the cool stuff we talked about?

I did make a backup before uninstalling the plugin, so everything is still somewhere.  Also, I’ve moved the RAWR update posts to the blog, and you can now find them under the DnD Weekly Updates category (there’s also a link on the RAWR page).

Oh, and one more thing: I have another blog hidden somewhere on the web that I’ll be incorporating with Folaji.com.  I’ve been thinking about it, and although the subject matter of the other blog is not really related to this site, there’s no real reason why I can’t merge the two together and just create a different category on this site.  So, expect some different and interesting content in the coming weeks.

I will also look at ways to minimize site maintenance by removing unused plugins, and one of the pages I am most certain will be removed is the site Forum.  Although it was useful for our discussions regarding DnD, its become too much overhead to keep it up and running (and up to date), especially for something we can do using the blog’s comment feature.

So if you have anything stored in the blog that you do not want to lose, I urge you to copy/paste it now, otherwise it will go the way of the Dodo!  I’ll also keep you up to date on any further changes.