Critical Hits

No News Isn't Good News, It's Just Dull

by Dave Smith
Nov 08,2004

No News Isn't Good News, It's Just Dull

Here I am again, far past deadline and with not much to say, or least not much that will take more than a few words. It's been a fairly busy month by my standards, which is honestly part of the reason this column is so damned late- I simply forgot about it until Thee Ed sent a gentle nudge of an email in my direction.

The basics: I've moved, and now inhabit an apartment I could've sworn I'd never live in again. Circumstances dictated the move, but now that I've got bookshelves, a bed, and a broadband connection, it's actually pretty pleasant here. I've been sending more query letters about Critical Hits to literary agents, receiving the standard mix of "thanks but no thanks" and "submission received, please hold your breath for a few weeks" responses. Axis Mundi Sum continues to gather dust in a warehouse somewhere, much to the chagrin of myself and my publisher. I have people to drink with regularly on the weekends, and I finally buckled and got a cell phone. I haven't gamed since the Call of Cthulhu session mentioned in my last column, which is a shame, but I have started playing a goofy, addictive little online game called The Kingdom Of Loathing. Finally, I've been writing.

Right now I've got two ideas simmering in my head for my next novel. One of them is something I've been thinking about a lot for the past couple of years, but haven't found a way to put on paper to my liking. The other idea is much more recent, but like the first one, its viability on paper has yet to be proven. That said, I've dreamed up the bones of a plot, in addition to several elements that I think could turn out really well, at least by my unsophisticated standards. I'm excited about it, despite not having had the discipline (or free time on weekends) to really get cracking on this project.

Because I'm a hack who, instead of saying anything of substance, coughs up stale cigarette smoke, I'm going to leave you all with a list of things that are more inspiring than myself. Check 'em out if you know what's good for you.

-William Gibson
(http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com)
Loved by future-tech nerds and not-as-snobby literary types alike, William Gibson has started blogging again. Good stuff, as always.

-Neal Stephenson's Slashdot Q&A
(http://interviews.slashdot.org/interviews...)
Just read it.

-Hunter S. Thompson
(http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...)
Barking about politics again, Dr. Thompson proves here that he hasn't totally been addled by thirty years of drugs and his own gonzo mythology. I particularly enjoy his description of Houston, which is pretty damned accurate, and the fact that he says he'd rather vote for Nixon than Bush. That's one hell of a heavy statement.

-Yog-Sothoth.com
(http://www.yog-sothoth.com/)
Nifty CoC news.

-Revland
(http://www.johntynes.com)
John Tynes, co-creator of the nigh-perfect Delta Green material for Call of Cthulhu, muses on many things, mainly game design, food, and movies, and does it well.

-Axis Mundi Sum
(http://www.axismundisum.com)
Some idiot wrote this novel about weirdoes and the things they do when exposed to firearms, drugs, lucid dreams, brainwashing and authorial intervention. You should check it out.

That's all, folks. Catch you next month, when I won't let myself be ambushed by a deadline, or at least no more so than usual. May your dice roll well, enjoy your Halloween, and take it easy.

Dave Smith
dave at axismundisum dot com