Monica Valentinelli
Take the Make Art Not War Challenge and Change Your World
Once More Into The Breach
This is going to be a ridiculous month of writing and holidays for me. By "ridiculous", I mean old contracts and zombie projects have reared their ugly heads. I'm SO ready for this, though! I did have to turn off the news and most of social media. Outside of work, I do feel a touch disconnected, but I've also noticed how many headlines have been blaring across the waves lately. That affected my focus without realizing it, and the ability to basically shut everything out to pound out massive word count is something I can't afford to lose.
Often, I'm asked how to write fast and how not to sacrifice quality. Here's the thing: writing fast comes with time and practice. Though I'm not well known for my original work, I have fifteen plus years of professional writing behind me, not including my time at uni. Working in games, where there's a high pressure to produce, can help teach you some techniques for sure. When I was working as developer for the Firefly RPG, for example, I developed and wrote well over a million words in a year. This was, in part, due to the way the back end was set up, but a common story in media/tie-in circles.
Writing fast isn't necessarily something I'd recommend for everyone and, to be clear, I don't think about it in terms of bragging rights. Some projects simply have very tight deadlines, and that leads to write-or-die. If I meet them? I get paid. If I don't, I run the risk of losing money and future work. So, if you write fast? Awesome! If you can't, that's fine, too. There's definitely more than one way to be a writer, and your mileage will vary. In the end, all that matters is whether or not you're happy with what you're doing. If you find you'd like to write faster, try outlines or writing sprints. They can help!
Hope you're all doing well. I'm definitely hanging in there! Check out my new 30 Day Make Art Not War Challenge--a perfect way to end one hell of a year.
- M
In the 12/07/2017 edition:
*|MC:TOC|*
My 2017 Publications
By Monica Valentinelli on Dec 01, 2017 05:22 pm
Hello everyone,
It’s that time of year! Today, I take a look back at what I’ve published in 2017. This year, I’ve had a busy but rewarding schedule. Let’s see how this year shook out for stories, games, and comics!
This year, my summer travel was pretty intense. Thanks to the fine and upstanding individuals at RopeCon in Helsinki, Finland, I was able to travel overseas to talk about my work and chat with fans. Plus, I was at CONvergence, GenCon, and Geek*Kon as well. I’ve already put together a tentative 2018 schedule that wraps around a few conventions I’ve never been to before, but the shows will be further apart for sure.
As luck would have it, my 2017 list of publications wound up with a stronger emphasis on gaming publications than fiction or non-fiction. That said, there’s a lot happening behind-the-scenes. My agent, Jennie Goloboy, recently announced she’s switched from Red Sofa Literary to the Donald Maass Literary Agency, and I have recently signed a new contract. I’m excited despite (what I feel) has been a lower productivity year for multiple reasons, and it’s something I am holding on to as I move forward.
Games Released in 2017
This year, role-playing game material was the bulk of my publications. Here’s a list of what was released in 2017 thus far–with the caveat that I may be missing a few short adventures.
LEGACY OF LIES, Vampire: The Masquerade Dark Ages 20th Anniversary Edition, 2017, Onyx Path Publishing/White Wolf Entertainment AB (Developer)
OVER THE EDGE, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, 2017, Wizards of the Coast
RUSTED VEINS, Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Playtest, White Wolf Entertainment AB (Consultant)
DAGGER OF SPIRAGOS, a Scarred Lands adventure for D&D 5E and Pathfinder, 2017, Nocturnal Media/Onyx Path Publishing (Developer)
DARK ERAS COMPANION, Geist: Sin Eaters “Forboding Lands”, 2017, Onyx Path Publishing/White Wolf Entertainment AB
UNKNOWN ARMIES 3rd Edition Books 1, 2, & 3, 2017, Atlas Games
Of Note
Though my releases were sparse in other forms, I did move forward on fiction and non-fiction, both behind-the-scenes and in unique ways. For fiction, I kept busy promoting Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling which launched late 2016. I also managed to kick off a serial work called Diary of an Aspiring Alchemist, which is available for free on WattPad.
In non-fiction, I self-published eBook called Make Art Not War Challenge: Rules, Essays, and 31 Creative Prompts. The latter is a continuation of this year’s blog initiative and posts linked to my Make Art Not War Challenge.
I also sold two original short stories which will debut next year, a cool bit I’m doing for a card game, and an essay to an upcoming anthology. I do have more news to announce, but for the time being I’m holding off until long after the ink is dry. There’s more to come!
If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that I’m human after all. (That realization incurs two eyebrow raises and a sip of tea!) Many thanks to friends and family for being so supportive during an interesting and turbulent year.
I’ve left comments open on this post if you’d like to share your news. Hope you’ve fared well, and your future is everything you hope it could be.
Recent Articles:
New! December’s 30 Day Challenge to Make Art Not War
MANW Check-In Week 48: November’s Progress and Finish Lines
[Recommending Reading] Writer’s Yearbook 2018
[New RPG Jumpstart Release] Legacy of Lies for V20 Dark Ages
Using Evernote to Create Project Snapshots