Seeking help with your writing can be a difficult task – especially if you’re an introvert. And, as I’ve seen, it’s something many people might struggle with. Thus, I’ll try to share my tips.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Tomas
Favorite quotes from my 2019 reads
With some delay, I’ve decided to look back at the books I’ve read in 2019 and the favorite lines from those books.
Continue readingAre author newsletters overrated?
One of the advices for (aspiring) authors I’ve seen is that one should have a newsletter. It’s also one of the advice I’m really skeptical about. Let’s have a look at them, shall we?
Continue readingBook review: Found in Amber
The sequel to the Sci-Fi romance Lost in Amber (my review) had came out a while ago but I only got to it now. The sequel builds not only on the SF part of the plot but also on the lighthearted writing with many quips and funny moments even when things get dire.
Continue readingFantasy: high elf technology
The high elves have, compared to the forest-dwelling variants, approach to what would be a major luxury – due to their magical skills. In this post, I’ll share my thoughts about how to achieve much with magic instead of present-day technology.
Continue reading2019 wrap-up, 2020 plans
With a year coming to an end, it’s time to look both back and forward. Let’s see how I did with my 2019 plans and what I’d like to manage in 2020.
Continue readingBook review: Daybreak
So, after another month-long gap, I got to read the fourth – and final – book in Shae Ford’s Fate’s forsaken series.
Continue readingWriting: understanding fantasy combat with strategy games
There are different ways to research stuff for writing. In the recent months, I’ve realized there are things I can take from playing turn-based strategy games into writing fantasy combat.
Continue readingDecember hiking: what season is it?!?
December had me go on two hikes so far – and as I doubt I’ll go on another one before the year’s end, it’s the time for the monthly wrap-up.
The first hike took place on 7th. After the warm November, the weather cooled down a bit – enough that it was freezing even in the lowalds during the night and early morning. And it started to snow overnight, at least in the hills, so it looked like winter might be coming early.
We were dropped off in a small village near the CZ-SK-PL border tripoint – and the frosty roads covered by a thin layer of fresh snow were a nasty trap. I fell 200 meters since start, earning myself a lightly scratched knee. I was not the only one. After adjusting my walk style for the weather meant it remained at only one fall, at least.
Anyway, this was a return after 18,5 years. What was once a poor path between fields had since became an asphalt road – great for cyclists in summer but, in this weather, a treacherous slip-and-slide. And there’s a massive bridge on the Slovakian side which might be eyesore on usual days but it just kinda fit the ever-present gray for this time.
When we got farther from the village and were freed from the smooth surface of a frozen-over road, we were bothered by a cold wind until we finally reached the woods.
But, at the very end, we got a bit of sunlight at least.
The other hike was on 19th – and there was no sign of winter anymore.
13°C. In December.
What. The. Hell?
Yes, it was around 2°C during the morning but the moment the sun rose, it went up a lot. Even the first hill had me drop my hat, my gloves, and my jacket – and I still felt hot.
In the morning, it was quite cold once I returned to the dark side of a hill – because it took a while to disperse the lingering cold. And there were remains of mist around.
The hike itself was almost a loop around the hills surrounding the town – not that interesting by itself, it was something I improvised on the spot the evening before as I found out there was a direct train added a week ago and I wanted something close (because of the short days) – and this was a place I knew but took it from a different side and used different trails for most of the time.
I took it mostly as a symbolic epilogue, more because I felt my body needed a good outdoor stretching than wanting to go somewhere, less so when I walked 300km more in 2019 than in 2018. And the unusually hot weather matched the whole year.
As I am writing this, I am thinking about what (if any) goals should I give myself for hiking in 2020, more so when it seems seasons don’t seem to apply anymore – but I presume I’ll make a post about my 2020 goals in a week or two.
For now, I’m closing this post as the temperature is still too high for late December (5-10°C) and the rain is drumming on my window, which is definitely not the typical holiday spirit.
So, see you next time – and I hope the weather is better match for the season where you are.
Writing: learning from Warcraft’s mistakes?
I won’t deny that several aspects of Warcraft universe were an inspiration for my writing – but there are also parts of the story that don’t work so well… in this post, I’ll share how my experience with this game series affected my writing – and how it might in the future.
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Tomas - the wandering dreamer 
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