May’s Challenges (by sarah)

Well for April I managed the poem challenge NaPoWriMo but failed at Scriptfrenzy as basically I didn't know what I was doing - sigh. But though I was a bit sad about my Comic book script I have learnt alot and have the beginnings of something. Next year I would have my storyboard ready and waiting rather than spending the month working on that before starting the script (apparently I'm doing this bit the wrong way round anyway but I can't write the script without the storyboard - I know I tried!).

Anyway May starts off with NaPiBoWriWee which for those of you who hate the acronymes is National Picture Book Writing Week - the challenge is to write seven picture books in seven days. This sounds scarier than writing a novel in a month to me personally but there you go!

I'm going to use the story ideas from PiBoIdMo and write the stories to go with them. I will be keeping track of this project on Orange Monster.

Of course this is only going to take up the first week of May so what else am I going to do? Well I have designated May my FiPoMo (and yes I have just made this up!) which stands for Finish Project Month. It's all very well me doing these writing challenges but if I never polish them afterwards and do something with them they are so much dross.

I have a big extensive list - most of which I wont get round to but the top priority is the Monster game followed by some book editing and publishing!

Of Monsters and Writing (by sarah)

I have managed to do the 30 + hour challenge I set myself for this month - I have spent the equivalent of an hour a day working on my Monster Inspiration game and have produced some interesting pieces of writing from the testing 🙂

I still need to type up the rules - fine tune timings a bit and find enough money to order in some timers, build the website and get some more dice but basically I think I am there with at least this phase of the game!

I would like to get some more colours of monsters up and going but as they would constitute as add ons/other games they are not urgent!

I'm afraid I slightly side tracked myself with getting to grips with the concept of Script Frenzy which is Aprils main challenge! I am foing a Comic Book script for part of the Punks story. I have been story boarding this and have about 10 pages sorted so far. For Script Frenzy I need to produce a 100 page script which I am taking to mean I need a 100 pages of comic 🙂

(Oh and there is a board game designed to go with the cards for a more involved game type of game - rather than writing exercise type thing - but that is going to be quiet complicated to pull off!)

Second Generation Prototype Testing (by sarah)

I got a my monster cards through from Moo 🙂 and have been spending an hour here and an hour there playing the game myself with my Dad or who ever's about to try and get the rules down pat!

It is being far more productive for writing than I ever thought it would be 🙂 So I think the next step is going to be getting enough money to order the timers - I have a few boxes to be getting on with and can muster dice together as well. Once I have the timers and a formal version of the rules I can start selling it. I am going to be using it at writing workshops too - but just for single person writing it works so well!

I then need to do make my website - I have permission to use the background I want and I have all ready done the graphics so it is really a matter of buckling down and getting everything in the place and linked to the correct things!

I need to do a little bit of experiment with the outer part of the packaging too 🙂 This may involve me having to print some stickers which unfortunatly will be more upfront expence :/

Still it is getting there 🙂

I am wondering if I can get all of that fitted into the 10 hours I have left to work on this challenge this month 🙂

Gaming Update (by sarah)

Yesturday I spent the day making a cute web-badge for all those who had completed WoPoWriMo and because it involved just a bit more work I decided to get the first phase of my Monster Writing Game, lock loaded and ready to go!

So after about 6 hrs of faffing I am now awaiting a Moo order to see how the second generation prototype works! They are not going to be here until like the 17th 🙁 but there is still alot more work to be done on the gaming concept.

Of course I have to make two web-sites with it - a Monster home page which I have been meaning to do for a good while now and some sort of e-shop type thing.

I have so far this month spent a grand total of 12 hours on the game 🙂 And as I'm having my very own Game Design Month I only have another 17/18 hours to go! Of course the idea is that I will have a nice working stock before November 🙂

I have also started to think about outlets for the cards (other than me at festivals!) I'm thinking Indie book shops, stationers, comic book shops and the kitsche type tourist shops. Of course this involves that whole going and asking thing which is the bit where I fail due to be shy - but think I may have some people who would be happy to help me with such things!

Of course I don't actually have any money for initial outlay - I have used money back (not profit) from Wiggly Pet sales to pay for the batch of cards that is going to arrive. I can use the cards as business cards if the game doesn't work as well which is handy (I am way to persermistic here!).

I am happy though as I now have the graphics for subsequent card packs and for the website 🙂 And these can also pretty much go straight onto t-shirts and the like.

Of course there is a board that can go with these cards which I have done some very rough designs of but it will take alot of fiddling to get things balanced and the artwork 'just so' but I will worry about that more once I have the card game up and running properlly.

Anyway better get back to doing stuff I suppose!

Game Design (by sarah)

I have decided that this month I am having my very own Game Design Month - this is really just me on my own maybe I'll set it up as something official next year but we'll have to see.

Basically thanks to WoPoWriMo I ended up making a game - it is the sort you can have add-ons too and simple or complex versions. So I am going to try and make at least the first phase of it an actuality this month.

The idea is that during this month I have to spend a minimum of 31 hours working on this game!

At the moment I have spent about 5 hrs so far sourcing things like egg/sand timers, boxes and dice!

I already had the design for the cards and need to get a move on in finalising them and getting a couple of sets printed. This will take up alot of time if I'm honest because it's all going to be faffing around with margins and the like!

Of course then there will have to be a website and the like! The most basic game will contain 20 cards, timer, two dice and a rules/games to play sheet. This will unfortunetly set you back £15 but I feel it would be a good investment - especially for writers who the games is aimed at. Hopefully it will be popular with students maybe as a drinking game or something (hoping I'm not now going to be sued or something for encouraging binge drinking) - you know the sort of fun party game that has you rolled up in hysterics 🙂

I suppose I'd best get on with it then hadn't I!