List of Home Bying Expenses

Off my usual topics, I am currently going through the process of home buying. If you're looking into buying a place to live, here is a list of expenses that you should probably be ready for:

• Inspection - You'll probably need about $300 to get an inspection on any property you make an offer on. If you seriously look at more than one home, make sure you've got enough to cover multiple inspections.
• Earnest Money - This is money that you pay to show a seller that you are really interested in buying their home. Usually you'll want at least $1,000. This usually goes toward buying the home, but you'll need to have it on hand.
• Appraisal fee - You'll need to have the home professionally appraised. This is also about $300.
• Closing Costs - This may be anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000. Good news though, sellers may be willing to pay this, or you can cover it with your loan.
• Moving costs - There's absolutely no way for me to estimate this for you, but with moving trucks, etc. you may want about $500 to $1000.

Total costs: $5,100 - 8,600

This is how much money it will cost you to get through the home buying process, so make sure you're saving up for it. And if your seller does cover closing costs, then you'll have a bit of extra cash on hand. It's a win-win.

Other possible costs to think about. I can't estimate these because they'll be different for everyone:

• Furniture (need a new couch anyone?)
• Appliances (The fridge isn't included?)
• Repairs - just in case the house isn't completely ready to move into.

Do you know of any costs I'm missing? Share them below. Otherwise, share this post with anyone that may be thinking of buying a home.

Momentum

There's more to it, but Newton's first law of motion is this: An object in motion tends to stay in motion. An object at rest tends to stay at rest.

You've might have heard about this law. You've probably seen it in action, and you've definitely taken part in it. I'll turn to Wikipedia for a simple example.

"For example, a heavy truck moving rapidly has a large momentum—it takes a large or prolonged force to get the truck up to this speed, and it takes a large or prolonged force to bring it to a stop afterwards. If the truck were lighter, or moving more slowly, then it would have less momentum." (Momentum - Wikipedia)

 Now for application to writing, or any long project really. When I'm writing, I often get frustrated by interruptions. I stop what I'm doing. I disengage my brain from writing, and then I deal with whatever caused me to stop. Then I'm stuck and I can't seem to start writing again. I look back at the screen or page (Sometimes I write by hand. Maybe I'll tell you why sometime), and...nothing.

The screen hasn't changed. The cursor still blinks away merrily, mocking my attempt to find new words. I could have even been in the middle of a sentence, maybe I knew exactly what I was going to write. But now my mind is blank. It's as if the words dried up in my mind  like a gooey plop of pooled ink at the end of a pen. My thoughts are all blocked up, walled away beyond my reach.

It sometimes takes me up to 30 minutes just to get writing again. It's frustrating. It's common. But it's not what I'm going to talk about. I'm talking about momentum on a larger scale.

What makes it difficult to finish a book when you've written 10, 20, or even 50 pages? Is it more difficult if you take a long break from writing? For some people it is.

Brandon Sanderson, a bestselling author and host of writing podcast Writing Excuses, talks about it here, here, here, here, and even here.

When you start writing, you will often be excited about your project. You'll have ideas about your story, character, conflict, or world. Something sparks your interest so much that you just have to start writing. You're book is like that heavy truck. You break past the natural resistance of the dreadful blank page and you write something.

As long as you can keep writing, day after day, then you will keep moving forward. Your mind is working on the story in the background, you come up with ideas in the shower, at the dinner table, sitting on the toilet, driving the car...practically anywhere.

But then something stops you. Like that truck that's moving forward, it takes a lot of energy to stop you. Sometimes we call it writer's block (I'll talk about that another time). Sometimes it's a plot hole that you didn't anticipate, a broken character, a negative comment by someone you thought supported you. Sometimes it's real life duties. But whatever it is, if you can't work through it, your momentum is gone. Sometimes it hits you like a brick wall. Your energy is sapped. All the energy that you had moving you forward is gone.

Now, I'm not saying this to discourage you. But I do want you to know that it's real. When you stop writing. When your brain stops working on your story in the background. When you turn your attention to something else for a few days. That's when your momentum will work against you. And that's when you have to realize that it's okay. It might take a few days or weeks to work back into your book. It might take your mind twisting and turning in the background while you feel stumped. It might take writing 100 pages of absolute drivel. But it's possible. If you turn back to what originally sparked you, or if you can find a new spark, then you can pick up that momentum again.

Another time I'll talk about ways to avoid momentum killers, but right now I just want to say that if you do stop, and if you do feel like it's impossible to start again. It's not. You've got a book gestating inside you. Some births are more difficult than others. But ask any mother if it's worth it. The answer, of course, is yes.

Do I want the result?

Three anecdotes:

1. When I was younger, I told my mother (numerous times I'm sure) something like this: "I just don't like doing dishes." You can exchange "dishes" with any other chore and I probably said it.

2. Here's another situation. When I was training to be in the US Air Force (I never made it), I had to do push-ups. I got to the point where I could regularly pump out 60 or more in a minute. Every time I did so, I got to 25/30 push ups and it was hard. I always thought, "Huh. This isn't fun anymore."

3. One summer a while back I started a small business venture making chain mail. I made ties, bracelets, necklaces, and other stuff. About halfway through the summer I thought, "This is hard. I don't really want to do this anymore."

Now how are these stories related? In each situation I came up to something hard. In each instance I had a choice. I could push forward and do it despite the fact that I "didn't want to." Or I could quit.

So, what do you want to do? Here's an idea. Forget the concept, "I don't want to do it." Erase the question, "Do I want to do it?" from your mind. Replace it with, "Do I want the result?"

For cleaning, my mom said, "I don't like doing dishes either, but I do like having a clean kitchen." I now clean my dishes.

For push ups, I said, "I don't like feeling tired, but I do like being healthy." I kept doing push ups.

For the chain mail business I said, "I don't like spending this time away from my family making chain mail creations that I'll never see again. I don't like my time and effort being undervalued so that I have to lower my prices so far that I don't make enough money to make it worth my time. And I don't really want to be a business owner."

I quit the business.

The cool part about all of these situations is that I am ultimately in control of what I do with my time. I get to choose how to spend my time. I use the word "spend" here on purpose. We usually associate that word with money. Our money doesn't spend itself. We choose what to spend it on. We don't just give someone our money. We spend our money to get something in return. Even if we're giving to charity, we're giving up our money for a cause that we believe in.

Don't ask, "Do I want to do this?" Instead ask, "Do I want the result of this action?"

And then you get to spend your time to purchase whatever result you want. (Of course, just like with real money, the cost is commensurate with the purchase.)

So, how does this relate to writing?

When you start writing a story, you will probably come up to some point where the shine comes off. The great idea you had won't feel so great anymore. It will be too hard to find time to write. You'll sit down to write and it will just be hard to come up with anything good.

Ask the question, "Do I want the result of writing today?" "Do I want a book?" "Do I want to be a published author?" "Do I want to make a living at this?" "Do I want my story to live?" "Do I want other people to fall in love with my world and the characters I've imagined?" "Do I want to succeed at writing?"

If the answer is yes, then write. Make yourself do it. Make yourself push through the hard part.

If the answer is no, then good news. You don't have to.

You are the master of your life. There is always a choice.

Do you want to watch YouTube for an hour? Don't ask that. Ask, "If I sit down for an hour to watch You Tube, how will I feel? Do I want that feeling?"

And guess what. Sometimes the answer will be yes! You'll get to choose where you want to end up in life. You'll get to choose if you feel sick because you ate so much of your favorite food. You'll get to choose if you feel proud of the story you just sweat blood over. And if you really put in the time, you'll get to choose that other people will like what you've written, revised, and rewritten. Because you know what you want. And that's where you're going to spend your time.

(Author's Note: This is a motivational analogy meant only for good. If you have evil goals, don't listen to this advice. If you have evil goals, then just give up on them now.)

A Stand Alone Novel With Sequel Potential

In one of my favorite writing podcasts, Writing Excuses, they often have Q & A sessions. In one of their episodes there were a few questions about writing endings, series, and in particular the question came up, "How do you write a stand-alone ending with sequel potential?"

There are really two questions here.

1. How do you write a stand alone story?

Writing a good stand-alone story is not the same as writing the first novel in a series. A stand-alone story requires a satisfying ending that resolves all of the important questions in the plot. Your story should not require a sequel to complete it. You are not writing the first part of a series. You are writing a stand-alone novel. You are not writing The Fellowship Of The Ring, you are writing The Hobbit.

It might be useful to think of the opposite of a stand alone story. In the TV show, The Flash, each episode has a story. Many of the episodes are linked together, but they always (especially early episodes in the series) wrap up with the bad guy being defeated by The Flash. The problem is presented, explored, and then resolved. They start out as stand-alone, or episodic stories. They have an ending. But as the episodes go on, you start to have story elements that tie between two or more episodes. Captain Cold doesn't get caught, and so we know there is more story. Not just because a bad guy is on the loose, but because we see a scene showing Captain Cold getting a new partner to fight The Flash. "Hook" scenes like this clue the audience in to the fact that there is more to the story.

If Captain Cold had just gotten away, we could have accepted that as the end of the story. Untidy endings are pretty compelling sometimes. But because we see Captain Cold planning to fight The Flash, we know that it's not really the end.

Books that are a part of a series use "hooks" like this to carry the reader through multiple plot arcs. Sometimes the overarching story actually plays out over more than one book. The Fellowship Of The Ring ended with the fellowship reaching the river where Boromir dies. It was a satisfying end to their flight from the shire and across/under the mountains, but we knew the story wasn't over. They hadn't completed their quest. It's a good book, but it wasn't stand-alone.

So, to create a stand-alone, you need to be ready to tell your whole story. Don't get caught up in writing clues about future books or adventures. If you do have something you plan on using later, make sure that it doesn't make the reader expect another book. If the emperor is going to be resurrected, let the heroes be satisfied that they defeated him. You can hint toward a "magic stone" that has the power to restore life, but don't say, "As soon as the emperor dies, his second in command will just bring him back to life." If you do, the reader will know that there is more to this particular story. A stand-alone is not afraid to end. Think of a movie rather than a TV show.

2. How do you create sequel potential?

Now this is where the answer gets fun. Short answer: make your world big enough to have more than one story.

Long answer, well as Delia Sherman says in the episode, any good story has sequel potential. Let's consider some types of sequels. Necessary Sequels - These are the sequels that are required to complete the plot arc of the first book. This is the book that someone picks up knowing before hand that they are getting into a series. A reader must be ready to commit to this story, and they can't pick it up in the middle because they'd be totally lost no matter how good the writing is.

• Perpetual Sequels - I stopped watching Arrow, and countless other american style TV shows because they never reached a satisfying ending. They aren't planning on ending until the ratings drop. LOST had this problem. These stories avoid answering any question completely. Instead they keep stringing you along by "showing" not "telling" and make you think that every situation is important. Soap Operas also use this technique. Most modern TV dramas do as well.
• Episodic Sequels - These are sequels that include the same main characters, and events from one book/episode will carry over into the next. But the reader won't need to know the first story at all to enjoy the second. Star Trek: The Next Generation is a great example of this storytelling method. They didn't have the luxury of knowing that their audience would buy whole seasons on VHS, DVD, and then watch them all on Netflix. Every episode had to be enough to attract a new fan who could pick up that episode and then start watching from there.
• World Based Sequels - These are sequels that take place in the same world, but don't necessarily include the same characters. If you liked Star Trek: The Next Generation, chances are that you gave Deep Space Nine and Voyager a shot.

Next, let's look at some of the reasons people will want to read another book.

• Character - Let's face it, if you get to know a character, and you like them, you'll probably want to read about them again.
• World - If you have created a great world, then people will want to read more about it. Think of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
• Relationships - This is similar to characters, but if you have a relationship that your readers want to see more of, they'll ask for another book even if there isn't one planned.
• Persistent Conflict - If there is a bigger conflict that your story takes place in, then your readers will want to find out more. If your character's parents died mysteriously as part of their backstory, readers will want to find out about that, but since it's backstory they won't expect it to be resolved in the first novel.

Here are some other tools you can use.

• Job - If your character has a job that will present opportunities for drama/conflict, then readers will probably be willing to check out another book. Superheroes have villains. Doctors always have new patients. Detectives will have new crimes to solve.
• Backstory - Give your character a backstory that is unresolved.
• Conflict - create a persistent conflict. Your character has an arch enemy who he puts in jail (e.g. the joker) or who flies off in a space ship (e.g. Darth Vader). Your hero saves the day for one town, but the bandits are now one town over.
• Exploration - This could fall into the Job category, but Dr. Who is a time traveling explorer. He has great episodic stories, but we always know he's going to explore something new next time.

Be careful not to make your first story dependent on future story arcs. Don't set "hooks", but give Easter Eggs. When a reader reads your second novel, you want them to be glad they read the first, but the first book has to be solid on its own.

In the end, any good story has sequel potential even if the sequel takes place 2,000 years later after the end of civilization. You just have to make your world big enough to hold it.

Becoming a Better Writer

How do we improve as writers?

As a writer you've probably gone through several cycles. At some points you were impressed, or at least liked your own writing. At others, you wondered what made you ever think you could write because of how bad your writing was.

These are natural cycles, and fortunately they mirror (to some degree) the learning process. That means you will naturally learn just by writing. But just writing isn't all that's needed.

When we learn, we need to be both humble enough to recognize our weaknesses and confident enough to use our skills. We will always be at some level between where we want to be and where we once were. If this all sounds a bit confusing, let me try to clarify.

To become a better writer, you will need at least two steps:

1. Learn writing skills.
2. Practice writing skills.

But these steps are not the kind you leave behind. You need to jump back and forth between the two, or to use an analogy, you need two legs to climb a ladder. Which is a useful analogy because one of the developmental psychology principles at work here is called scaffolding. It works because I said ladder and scaffolding uses ladders to...never mind.

When you learn writing skills, there are only certain concepts within your grasp. When your teacher in third grade said, "You should always use adverbs that end in -ly. They really help your story." She (or he) was right. For most third graders, -ly adverbs will increase their ability to express ideas. How did the boy go into the room? Sneakily. Hurriedly. Noisily. If you've ever read elementary school papers, anything to help the kids express themselves is an improvement. The 3rd grade you starts plopping -ly adverbs into every sentence possible.

Cut to a writing group 15 years later and your group members are saying things like, "Do a word search for -ly adverbs and delete them. They're terrible and you should never use them." You immediately cut -ly adverbs out of your writing vocabulary.

Cut to 5 years later and you have a new realization. Was your 3rd grade teacher wrong? No. -ly adverbs do have a place in writing. What your writing group is probably trying to say (whether they know it or not) is that -ly adverbs incompletely, though concisely, express how an action is done, but they don't draw your readers into the scene. -ly adverbs compress the action of the story into a single word. Instead of letting the reader experience the boy loudly walking into the room, you are simply conveying information. Now you are wary of using -ly adverbs, but you recognize that there are times where they are appropriate.

At each stage of your development, you took the information as you could and applied it. You were humble enough to make a change in your habits. Then you went forward and applied that change. Only after you applied that change could you even understand the next stage. You must have experience to build on.

But how do we use this knowledge?

To grow as a writer, you've got to write, then learn more about writing, then write some more, get feedback and be humble enough to recognize your weaknesses, and then write some more. Luckily, it is simple enough to break down into three continuous steps:

1. Write - Be confident in your current abilities. Write as well as you can, knowing that you're still improving but you're doing your best.
2. Get feedback - Share your writing. Listen to people who love it, hate it, don't understand it. Writing is communication. It's important to know how well your message is getting through to your audience.
3. Learn about writing - Read blogs, attend conferences, take classes, study books. There are many people in the world who are better than you. If you want to become their peers or surpass them then you need to hear what they say about writing.

It's easy to neglect one of these steps. Don't give in. Keep writing. Keep learning. Be humble, and be confident.

Moving Forward

When I was in high school, I ran on the Cross Country team. In Cross Country we ran five kilometer races (that's just over 3 miles). I guess it's not a long race compared to an ultra marathon, but 3 miles is plenty long for me.

I've found there are many comparisons that can be made between distance running and writing. Both are endurance events, both require dedication, and a little bit of insanity. Here are a few more.

Beware of the rabbits: 

At the beginning of the race, there were almost always runners who we called rabbits. Rabbits were runners who started out at a dead sprint. Sometimes they were just inexperienced runners, but sometimes they were sprinting on purpose to mess with our heads. What happens in a race, when you're competitive, is that you want to win. So when someone else is running faster than you, you might be tempted to feel bad, compare yourself to them, or even try to beat them. Don't be fooled.

Here's what always happened in the races - the inexperienced runners would try to keep up with the rabbits. The'd disappear around the first corner. And then they'd reappear on the second or third stretch, then I'd pass them.

Healthy competition can help you improve. But when you're writing, you've always got to go at your own pace. I'm sure you've met a writer (or someone working on another project) who started out strong and then just stopped. When you're writing, learn your pace. Push yourself with your goals, but beware of setting unobtainable goals that will discourage you. Don't be afraid to ignore the rabbits and write at your own pace. Just make sure you write.

Keep Your Eyes Fixed:

Another thing about long distance races is that they're long. If I started thinking about the ending, (e.g. "I will be sooo happy when I'm finished.") then I would often find it harder to motivate myself. I'd find myself thinking more along the lines of, "It's sooo far," and I'd be tempted to give up. If, on the other hand, instead of looking at the end goal I concentrated about 50 yards in front of me, then I always knew that I could make it. Even if I'm tired I can force myself to run 50 yards.

In writing, we sometimes get caught up in wanting to be finished. Sometimes that can distract us from where we are now. I like to set checkpoints for myself. In fact, before I write I sit down and mentally prepare myself just for the scene that I'm writing. I forget the end of the story (not really) and concentrate on something I know I can write. Like many of you, I've got a full time job. I work all day and only get about 1 hour to write on weekdays. If I am always concentrating on the cool thing that will happen in chapter 34 or wishing that I could just be done, then I start to lose my nerve. Instead, I periodically check in with my end goals while focusing on the immediate scene or arc that I'm working on right now. I have confidence in my writing ability. When I get to chapter 34, I'm confident I'll be able to handle it. But right now I'm on chapter 5 and I need to write it before I can get to chapter 34. (Exception: Sometimes I actually do write chapters ahead of where I am if they are so compelling that I can't get them out of my mind. I write them, and then when I get back to that point in my regular writing, I use what I've written and adapt it to any changes I may have made along the way.) Don't look too far ahead. Be aware of your ultimate goals, but remember to keep your eyes fixed on the next thing.

Don't Give Up:

Last of all, writing is hard. There's a saying, "It takes ten years to become an overnight success." Most writers write for many years before they get published. There are exceptions, but no matter what it's a lot of work. Running a distance race it's easy to get discouraged. Your body is tired. Your muscles want to stop working. And mentally you are at your limit. Think of your writing as a master's degree. You've got to refine your talent, hone your skills, and get tons of words out on paper. Put in the work. Try to get to the end soon if you can. But don't get discouraged. Writing, like running, takes determination. Don't give up. Even if you're not going as fast as you wanted. Even if you have to stop running and walk. Keep moving forward. In the end that's the only way to finish a race or a book.

Exposition: An Introduction

I've been reading a manuscript my friend is working on. He's an experienced technical writer, but doesn't have experience writing fiction. When I gave him feedback I mentioned exposition. He had no idea what I was talking about. So I'm posting this in the hopes that I can give a basic explanation of what exposition is and perhaps give a few tips on how to avoid some common pitfalls.

What is exposition?

Exposition is information that you give to the reader so that they can take part in your story. More precisely, it is information about setting, characters, and relationships that your reader needs to understand the actions, ideas, conflicts, and events as your story moves forward.

Think of the phrase, "Once upon a time..." This phrase is a cue that the narrator will now explain where/when the story takes place, and who is involved. It may help to look at events without exposition.

Example: The man shot the gun three times.

In order to understand this sentence, we need more information. That information is called exposition. It's information that sets up the story-it sets the stage.

What is not exposition?

Although everything you share with your reader should inform them, it's not all always exposition. Dialogue is not always exposition. Descriptions are not always exposition. Events are not always exposition. Action sequences are not always exposition. Good news though. Each one of these tools can be used to make exposition more palatable.

Problems with exposition.

In many traditional models of plot, exposition comes first. Next comes rising action, which leads to the climax, and then the denouement (the resolution).

One complaint with this model is that exposition is placed at the beginning. When exposition is clumped together in one large block of text it's called an exposition dump. When exposition is poorly explained through dialogue, it's called "maid and butler".

The goal is to have a balance between telling your audience information they will need to understand the story, and actually telling the story.

Solutions

So how can you share exposition without boring your audience? Here are a few ideas:

1. Spread it out - Instead of explaining your setting, characters, and conflict all up front, share it as you tell the story. Just make sure that your reader has time to absorb the info before they need it to understand the story.
2. Dialogue - Let your characters say something (or think if your writing gets into your characters' heads). But be careful to make sure it is something the character would actually say. As a rule, you could probably avoid starting sentences with "As you know..."
3. Action Scenes - Have something exciting happen and tell the reader little details on the way.
4. Description - As you describe the scene, you can easily include details that set up the story. When you describe your characters, talk about that scar they got because they're excitable and can never turn down a good fight.

You might get the gist here that exposition can be told just about anywhere. It can also be told after the fact, depending on the type of story you're telling (e.g. a mystery where a murder takes place and then we find out who dunnit later). Just make sure that the exposition flows with the rest of the story. It should always compel the reader forward. If it doesn't, then you should find another way to let the reader know.

Here are a couple more links:

Brandon Sanderson Talks about Dialogue

A definition of Exposition

Wikipedia

Old Stories and Cliches

I often read criticism about a book, movie, or a game that includes a jab at ideas that we've seen before. The hero's journey arc, the love triangle, a destined hero. These are cliches, or tropes. Something in a story that has been used over and over again. If they're so bad, why do they even exist. Because once they were new. Once they worked. But here's the secret. They still do work.

A story is only derivative or cliche if you've read the same kind of story over and over again. If your favorite food is macaroni and cheese it's very possible that eating macaroni and cheese every day you'll get tired of it. Familiarity breeds contempt. But that doesn't mean that there's necessarily something wrong with macaroni and cheese. It hasn't changed. You have. The novelty has worn off, and now you can see the flaws that you missed before.

Critics are especially prone to cliche overload because their job is to watch everything under the sun and then point out what's wrong. Some critics can appreciate the fact that their tastes are going to be skewed. They realize that even though they've seen a certain theme played out, not everyone has. They can criticize the weaknesses of the work (prose, concept, execution, etc.) and still see the value the work provides especially for someone outside of the business.

Everyone's a critic. We all expose ourselves to a certain kind of story. Some of us seek out the familiar. Some of us want something different. All of us have our own preferences. And when we see something that we've seen before, it necessarily has less impact than it did the first time.

But here's what gets me. Cliches worked. They were new and novel once. The first time I saw bullet time in The Matrix, all of the right emotions fired. I thought it was cool. But most of the subsequent movies that use bullet time are less impressive...at least less impressive in the novelty factor. Sometimes I still see bullet time and I enjoy it. I realize that I'm enjoying something old in an interesting way.

Don't worry so much about avoiding cliches. Blue is a color that has been used in millions of paintings. That doesn't mean Blue is cliche. If you have an idea that someone else has used, present it in the best way you can. Explore cliches and see what made them interesting in the first place. If it was just the novelty, then you can probably skip it. But if there's any basis there that touched your imagination, then you can use it again. Tell that story your way. We're a society that thrives and celebrates novelty. But some of the best stories never die. They are repeated and retold with hundreds of small variations. Be wise about cliches, but worry about telling a a good story first.

Fates Worse Than Death

For my birthday I got a computer game called Darkest Dungeon. I've been watching this game for a while because it suggested a different approach to adventuring.

See, in most games or stories a hero or adventurer will get stronger or "level up" as they go along so the game becomes easier. It's a power fantasy. In this game, the heroes are traveling through dark dungeons (you could probably have guessed that from the title) and constantly coming face to face with their own mortality and weaknesses. While they do learn and "level up", they also have to cope with the difficulties and horrors of their situation.

These heroes become paranoid, claustrophobic, grumpy, short tempered with each other, and sometimes lose hope all together.

The idea intrigued me, but I don't think that Darkest Dungeon delivers on what I was expecting. Here's why. Though the characters get angry with each other, it doesn't really effect how they interact. Everything is done through a stress score. If one character is grumpy and muttering abusive comments to everyone around them, everyone becomes more stressed. If they get stressed enough, they get their own malady. But they don't really change interaction outside of a few lines of dialogue...and dialogue is one way that this game fails to deliver.

The characters "talk" to each other by little word bubble popping up all the time. Their snippets are great, and I think they do a lot to add to the game. But when I say dialogue, it's a misnomer. These are adventurers with starry eyed goals that get crushed every step of the way. But they aren't talking with each other. They just spout their lines about how they feel. But they never connect with each other beyond their abilities in combat. In tough situations, groups form strong bonds. They grow together, or they fight amongst themselves. Often both. If the characters had some sort of relationships, or if they talked to each other (rather than at each other), it would give the impression that these characters were more real. Here are three examples:

Example 1
Character 1 - I can't go through another door.
Character 2 is more stressed.

Example 2
Character 1 - I can't go through another door.
Character 2 - Just one more door. We'll rest in the next room.
Character 1 is less stressed.

Example 3
Character 1 - I can't go through another door.
Character 2 - Why did you come with us at all? Your constant whining is insufferable.
Character 1 and 2 are more stressed.

So in the first example character 2's reaction is a simple increase in stress. It's easy to calculate, and it does have a result, but as a spectator or player I'm not drawn in because the reaction is just a bunch of numbers. In the second example the character interaction shows some empathy and immediately the two characters are more human because they interacted. Example three shows a different interaction that also builds character depth, but has the negative effect the game is going for. The outcome of each example is the same. A change in character stress. The numbers can track what that mean in terms of the game. But examples 2 and 3 draw me in because the characters seem more human simply by talking to each other.

Now, dialogue and interaction would help strengthen the game. But there is one more way that this game fails to meet my expectations. The characters die all the time. You've got heroes that you're dragging through the dungeon, but you don't care too much about them because they can easily die. I found myself getting attached to a character's abilities, but the character was empty. And what compounds this weakness is that you can recruit a brand new character who looks the same, has the exact same abilities, and you can even change their name to be the same.

I didn't want the characters to die, but I didn't really care when they did. It wasn't really permanent because they could be replaced, and I didn't get attached because death was easy. No. It wasn't just easy, it was the most likely outcome.

You see, since death was so common, it meant less and less each time it happened. It didn't mean nothing, but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

What I wanted from this game was real characters who were going on this grand adventure. They would be off in search of glory, fame, love, redemption, whatever. But they'd grow and change because of the trials they faced. Not only getting better super moves, but having to cope with the suffering of life as well. If these characters persisted, then we could feel these changes with them. I'd grow more connected to each of them as the game went on. I'd really be able to see the humanity and feel the losses as they forced themselves to give up some sanity in order to achieve their goals.

You see, when telling a story, death is the end. Sure we can feel bad for characters who die, but the worst things that happen are the things that we have to live with. The choices we look back on and wish we could change. I remember playing Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery and realizing half way through that the main character was dying. She was saving the world, but every time I beat a boss she would actually lose some of her life and the game was more difficult because of that. And I loved it. I became emotionally attached to the story because I felt like I was losing something, I was losing a friend.

Another game that captures this same sense of loss is Shadow of the Colossus. You guide the main character around, finding and fighting these bosses. You get stronger as you go, but you also become aware that the character is losing himself and at the end of the game he has to sacrifice himself in order to achieve his goal (saving the life of someone he loves).

Darkest Dungeon never quite captured the same sense of connection. Not all games need to tell that story. There are plenty of reasons that it's a good game. But it didn't quite capture what I had hoped it would. We all know that death is a terrible thing. But it is an end. Real suffering comes by living with our weaknesses and still having to reach our goals. We don't know enough about what happens after death. We can't relate to it.

So the Darkest Dungeon is a good game. A really good game for what it is. But by giving us connected characters, who had to live with their weaknesses and mistakes, it could draw me in and make me care. It could be an unforgettable game.

EDIT: 2/15/2015 - Just as a note, I should say that I'm playing this game in an early access state which means that some things will change and I've been pretty impressed with the responsiveness of the developers in making those changes. I will either edit this or write another post if there are significant changes that address my own personal preferences.

Clear Communication

I was at a job interview this past week and the interviewers asked me, "What is good communication?"

I had to think about that for a minute. I don't think that I answered very well. But since I am me, I kept thinking about it and now I have an answer that I'm somewhat comfortable with.

In theory, good communication is when a clear message is sent from one person or group to another person or group and all of the obstacles are successfully navigated.

In practice, good communication requires a number of steps:

1. A message - So real communication starts when one side has a message.
2. Preparing the message - Even if it only takes half a second, we need to get the message from jumble of ideas to the medium. It's got to be a clear message.
3. Making contact - We need to make sure that whoever we're sending the message to is ready to receive our message.
4. Deliver the message - actually saying what we want the other party to hear.
5. Verify receipt - we need to make sure that the other party actually got the message.
6. Check for understanding
7. Follow up if needed

That's my own model that I've been tossing around inside my head. I'm sure there are better models. But I'm satisfied for now.

The interesting thing is how many things can go wrong at any stage in the communication process. I might not know exactly what I want to say. I might not be able to put it into words. I might not have time to get the other person's attention. They might not be able to hear. They might think they understand, but don't. I might not have time for more than a short, "Help me!"

Then there are emotions.

Good communication is useful. But exploring all the ways it can go wrong is much more interesting for our characters and stories because miscommunication happens all the time. Some times it is the speaker or writer's fault. Sometimes it's the reader or listener. Sometimes it's neither. Sometimes it's both. Sometimes it's on purpose.

That's what makes writing about people who are trying to communicate so interesting.