PRR-losophy Milestone

Today's PRR-losophy marks a special event. It is the 364th entry on my daily blog.

When I first began PRR-losophy, I didn't know whether I was able to keep thinking up a quote every day. The underlying question was "Can I be philosophical every day?" So far, the answer is "yes".

My brain is constantly thinking. From the moment I wake up, to the time that I close my eyes to sleep, I am always ruminating on a topic. Sometimes those topics run free in my mind, and a quote will just "pop into my head". Other times, I will begin the day thinking about a particular subject, and I will continue those thoughts throughout the whole day. The quote at the end of the day is a culmination of that thinking process.

Whatever the process is on any given day, be it an instant quote, or one that is formed over time, I seem to come up with something. There are days when I have three or four thoughts that could easily become quotes. I write those down, and if they evolve into something worth publishing, then I put them up on another day.

There have been times when I have been mentally drained at the end of the day, and I've had to sit down and let the day's rush sit idly by. Each time, a quote still manages to surface.

There are a few quotes that obviously do not "feel right", and could be re-written in another way. I've kept those quotes in situ, as I believe that philosophical debate stems not from the quote itself, but from what it means for the reader.

Tomorrow will mark one calendar year of PRR-losophy.

Good Game App Review

This week I was chosen as a beta tester for the Good Game app on mobile devices. I've been testing it on my Samsung Galaxy S and ASUS Transformer tf300T.

This is a review that I've posted up on the forum, and will be including in the next issue of ih-klek-tik, which I hope to have up-and-running soon:

Good Game App Review

I've been testing the Beta of the GG App for a couple of days now, and have come up with the following:

Good Points

*Bajo and Hex's chicken rating on the first page of a game review. This can save having to watch or read the review, as it's to the point.

*The ability to read a review, rather than watch it. Those of us with limited downloads per month can still enjoy similar content without being penalised.

*Layout is easy to use. Swiping the main menu at the top cuts out a number of steps that would otherwise be frustrating.

*Achievements. Chevo-hunters will drool over this. I'm not sure what is required to unlock the achievements, as this section of the app is merely eye candy.

*Profile. Like the achievements, I am unsure as to what this section is going to fully entail. Will the username be linked to the forum? What is exactly required to fill the sections named 'Reviewed', 'Playing', 'Wanted', 'Completed', 'Pile of Shame', and 'Fanboy'? As I can't test this section completely, I can only comment on the inclusion.

*Having the ability to watch a single video review, rather than a whole episode of the show. Gamers have particular tastes, and not everyone is interested in every single game that is reviewed on an episode of GG. This is a fantastic idea.

Bad Points

*Not being able to view the entire app in landscape. The main page is in portrait, but when viewing a video, it kicks over to landscape. Please include the ability to view the entire content in landscape.

*Most of the content contains reviews. Fair enough, this is what GG is famous for. However, it would be assumed that the app would extend beyond the confines of the TV show. Adding such elements as developer news, price wars, bargain hunter's corner, etc, would add depth to what is currently a shallow app.

*Load time is fairly slow on mobiles. This, of course, could be due to the processor on such a small device. The Samsung Galaxy S doesn't like kicking into the GG app quickly. My ASUS Transformer tf300T doesn't have an issue with load time. The app may need tweaking with specific models in mind.

*Blue, blue, blue, blue. Is there any chance to have the GG blue a little more subtle, and have pages with a black background with white writing, or vice versa? Seeing so much blue after a while can become, shall we say, monochromatic? Keep the GG Blue as a border or header fill, but change the content colour to something else. Maybe even take a page out of the colour scheme of this forum!

*Lack of screenshots on written reviews. Users who prefer video will get the cut scenes, but there are no such trade-offs for people who choose to read the review. Please include screenshots in the written reviews.

Other Suggestions

It would be nice to see the following on the app:

*Bajo and Hex biographies.
*Special deals for GG app users. (eg, coupons for EB Games, JB Hifi, Dick Smith, or any store that sells games/accessories)
*Points for viewing reviews, so that people who don't have time to write, can still be rewarded for using the app. The points could go towards an achievement.
*News about game-related or pop culture events, tailored to a users state. Eg, GameCon, ComicCon, Supanova.
*Giveaways. Everyone loves a freebie. Why not include a weekly competition that can only be accessed via the app? This would generate more users, thus widening the audience of GG.

Overall Thoughts

The app is an excellent idea. I often miss GG because I'm too busy playing a game. Sure, I could watch the show again on iView, but if I've got an app that can give me a general breakdown of what I've missed, I can then simply read a review, or watch a particular segment.

Kudos to ABC TV for 'getting with the times' and allowing users to connect with GG on the go.

Still Writing...

I'm slightly amazed at how I've managed to keep writing my new novel. I'm averaging a chapter a day, and I'm yet to be bored of the story. This is a good thing!

I gave one of my best friends a sneak preview, and let her read what I had written thus far. After reading fourteen chapters, she said to me, "Hurry up and write the next chapter! I want to know what happens next!" This is certainly excellent feedback, considering that I am writing a very bare novel at the moment. I'm using very little description of what characters and things look like. I'm only giving the action and the dialogue.

The novel is written in third person.

It is anticipated that by the end of the school holidays, I will have my first draft written. I am on the cusp of the major action/conflict occurring in the story, as well as a subplot that will give some background information.

I'm trying to follow a few rules that I've learnt from a writer's fair that I attended a month or so ago:

1. Write what you know.
2. Show, don't tell.
3. Keep the action moving.

So far I've managed to do this. The question that I will have to ask myself once the first draft is done, is how well have I followed these rules?

I have two adult critical readers lined up, as well as one teenager. They will be able to give me the feedback that I need to enhance the story further.

Only time will tell whether I have written something publish-worthy or not. I'm not even thinking about the words 'best seller' at the moment!

School Holidays = Writing Time!

I've finally done it. I've managed to start writing my first novel.

On Thursday I wrote the very first chapter of what I hope will become a successful young adult fiction novel.

Today I wrote two more chapters.

Not having any stress has certainly helped me to be more creative.

I've become so focused on writing the story that I simply have no room to create an issue of ih-klek-tik for the month of December. I've delayed the next issue until the 4th of January.

So far I can see a pattern forming; I begin the day with exercise, have a shower, and eat breakfast. Once I've gone through this ritual, I'm ready to write. Thoughts that I've had in the shower are still to the fore of my mind, which adds to the process.

I type madly for a good couple of hours, not bothering to stop to correct such trivial things as tense, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. These will be fixed after I have finished my first draft.

What matters now is simply getting the story written. It is easier to polish a first draft, than it is to write a polished draft in the first go.

Once my mind is spent of ideas, I simply stop. I go and do something else. I might spend time with my husband, watch some TV, play the Xbox, pat a cat, surf the net, go to the shops, or cook something new in the kitchen.

I cannot read directly after a stint of writing. This is similar to my long-held inner rule of not talking about an exam once I've completed it. I don't want to ruminate over possible mistakes, as I will then continue to think about them.

In the case of writing, I'll only want to go back and fix what I've done. I'm not at the editing process, and won't be for a long while!

The goal, for now, is to simply get the novel written. I have approximately four and a half weeks before I go back to work. If I can average around eight chapters a week, then I will meet my goal.

I'm excited to be in this head space. I've finally begun something that I've always wanted to do.

Today's quote from my M.C.Escher calendar sums up how I feel quite nicely:

"Any schoolboy with a little aptitude can perhaps draw better than I; but what he lacks in most cases is that tenacious desire to make it reality, that obstinate gnashing of the teeth and saying, "Although I know it can't be done, I want to do it anyway.""

Starting Anew

My idea for my first novel has long since fallen by the wayside. This is due to the perceived workload that will consist mostly of research. At the moment, I do not have the time for research to get in the way of creativity.

So, the first novel idea has been set aside. It is not known if I will get back to it any time soon.

While this may be terrible news for some of you who may be reading this blog, I am not dismayed. The reason is that I have been mentally composing a new idea of a novel - this one aimed at teenagers. I've broached the idea to a couple of people, and they like it. They've been sworn to secrecy though, as I will not be sharing the idea online.

Soon I will be able to have what I call 'free head space' to get it started.

At the moment, I am still concentrating on honing my writing skills with my e-zine, ih-klek-tik. I am in the process of uploading issue 12. This is long overdue. Moving house (again) and trying to keep up with my day job (teaching) has meant that any spare time I've had at home has been spent recharging my batteries.

I have also begun a new blog, this one is created solely for the purpose of keeping my daily thoughts in one place. These thoughts are created as images, so that they can be shared freely. Go to www.prr-losophy.blogspot.com and check it out!

Christmas is coming, which means at least a month of interruption-free writing time. I'm looking forward to this as I seek to embark on what may possibly be a successful first run at a novel for teenagers.

Two Poets

You may have noticed that my posts are now signed with 'The Other of Two'. This is because I have teamed up with a very dear friend of mine to create the blog Two Poets.

Lainie Thornton and I had a conversation a few weeks' ago about the challenges that one faces when writing poetry. Writing to a theme, writing when we don't feel like it, and attempting new styles, were a few of the issues that we had discussed. The main challenge is, of course, finding the time to write.

So, as a challenge to ourselves, and to each other, we have created Two Poets. Each week a theme will be decided by either Lainie (One of Two) or myself (The Other of Two). We will then have until midnight on the Sunday of that week to come up with a poem that addresses the theme.

We are now into our third week, and I can honestly say that I have already been stretched. Like an athlete that has a pacer running beside her, Lainie is my pacer in the world of poetry.

Take a look for yourself, and if you feel so inclined, join in!

E Liri

Something I wrote tonight.

I don't often write poems this short, or without rhyme, but it's nice to break out once in a while.

E Liri
(On behalf of L.T.)

Four fingers curled to palm,
Thumb folds them within.
Raised above in defiance.

A shake for emphasis.

Index extended,
Pointed accusations.
A hole stabbed in reticent air.

Never mind the fairies.

Thumbnail resting behind incisors,
Now flicked forward.
Literary gauntlets thrown.

Let the dance begin.

P. R. Robson
Monday, 21st February, 2011.