As well and as long as my current story arcs are going, I always have in the back of my mind more ideas, more worlds to explore through writing. Often I feel more passionate about these new projects than I do continuing existing stories, and I think to some extent that’s a trait I share with many other artists; the excitement and intrigue of a new story, of a new piece, rather than continuing to work on or refine an existing one.
Some months ago I realized that the bulk of my stories, that the character arcs I explore, are all about individuals exploring strange, new worlds. I look at my Wasteland saga or the recently-created tales of Rogg the Orc, even my one-off ideas like Sam the professional stowaway and Haze (a personal favorite). In each of them the protagonist tries to make sense of an adventure much greater than their life had prepared them for, outsiders finding themselves in strange places. Looking back over my role-play career, I see often the same thread, which I can directly attribute to my own feelings of not-belonging, or of struggling to understand the world at large and my place within it.
I asked a few friends about whether I should explore these new stories or spend that energy editing and reworking existing tales, and each of them said that the most important thing was to write, to grow, and to enjoy what I do. I genuinely appreciate their input (else I wouldn’t have asked them) and think I’ll move forward with some of these new story arcs, which should start popping up on the site in the next week or so.
Hopefully I can make these new stories truly unique, and not just in the setting, but by actually exploring different aspects of the (in)human condition. I am very thankful for the friends and family who support my creative pursuits, and to the random internet strangers who have found their way to my blog and my creations.
