Monday, November 16, 2015

The Battletech Kickstarter and Other Things.....

(Yes I know this is from MechWarrior on-line, but it's a good looking piece, isn't it? I wish I could do that.....)

Well, the Battletech Kickstarter was a smashing success -- smashing as in a company of Atlases smashing through an enemy's defensive line and stomping everything in sight. It hit every monetary and backer mission Harebrained Schemes put up, and even now, it's over $3 million raised.... Congrats, Harebrained on running an engaging and savvy campaign. You knew your audience and knew exactly what they wanted and you gave it to them.

As for me.... well, Battletech writing has taken a back seat to my original writing and NaWriNoMo. I need to make time, but I was bogged down with those things, and NaWriNoMo is winning that fight at the moment.

But all is not lost. One of my stories is in the pipeline -- I'm waiting for the Continuity Hooligans to work the story over and me to make changes. Also, I just pitched for another Battletech project, so if that goes my way, I can start working on that.

Well, that's all for now, just a brief update. More is on the horizon...

Later!

Craig

Monday, October 12, 2015

More Photos of My Battletech Collection


As promised (or threatened), and in keeping with the Harebrained's current Backer Mission weekly mission, I decided on taking another round of photos of my Battletech collection. I received good feedback with the first round and that wasn't all of my collection. So, I took a few more and here they are!

The picture above is the one I mentioned in my previous post -- my physical Battletech reference center. The bottom two shelves are almost Battletech or related to Battletech. The only rulebook I'm currently missing in physical form is Strategic Operations, which I hope to pick up someday. The blue and white binders on the bottom shelf hold the original House Davion handbook (Blue binder) and TRO:3026 (White binder). The  Black binder has some of my home-grown Battlemech designs. The top shelf has my TROs, while the one below that has the first four Battlecorps anthologies and the New Battletech Novel, Embers of War.

A few of the older books are only a few more readthroughs from being in binders themselves. So, this picture is going to be a lot different this time next year.....

Now, probably my most unusual piece of Battletech memorabilia. An actual, honest-to- goodness rejection letter for Battlecorps.

These days, all submissions are sent via email to a single Email address. But in the early days, submissions were actual sent via real mail. And rejections were also sent the same way. At the time, I was just starting out, mailing stories and hoping to be noticed.

This is before Jason Schmitzer assumed the role of Battlecorps editor -- the letter is from some guy named Loren Coleman (The one that doesn't hunt Bigfoots -- or is that Bigfeet?).  So, why hang onto it?

In part, pride --- there's a hand-written note from Loren (I'm assuming it's Loren's handwriting), explaining why the story I sent in was rejected and encouraging me to continue writing. I also keep it pinned to my corkboard as a reminder that I'm only as good as my last story. Twenty-plus Battlecorps stories later, it still reminds me that I'm not a perfect writer.

 I've been to a few conventions in my time, but this was one of the few tangible pieces evidence that I've played the game. The con was 20 years ago, and I don't remember much about it beyond having a great time.

I've been to two Origins, both times before it settled in Columbus, Ohio. I've never been to Gencon, but hope to do so one day. It's just a matter of having enough money that isn't earmarked for bills in the same place at the same time. Maybe one day....

I showed a photo of the BattleteMech blueprints in my previous post, so here's another one -- the poster that came with the Battltech ID stat cards. I still have the cards --- they're in a binder on a shelf, safe from harm. (I think....)

As a Battlecorps writer, I find that having Battletech memorabilia in sight of my writing space helps keep me in the Battletech mindset. My physical references are a couple of feet away, a rejection letter in view to remind me that I can still write bad stories, and the MechWarrior minis watching me as I write.

I do have an electronic database of Battletech products, and sometimes it's quicker to look it up in a pdf than in physical form. But sometimes, it's more useful to hold a sourcebook in my hands, or a MechWarrior mini. Brainstoring ideas is like that --- reading through a sourcebook, or holding a mini to generate ideas for stories or scenes.

I put it down to age and the fact I'm old-fashioned....

Here's another poster I have, rolled up in the closet, held open by my Battlecorps print anthologies. Yes, the Warhammer is unseen, but the poster is pre-unseen/reseen/newseen and was the cover of the original Fourth Successor War Atlas (vol. 1 -- and I do have both physical volumes)

While it looks like we're finally getting new images for the unseens, I will still call the Robotech models by their Battletech names. Chalk another thing up to old age....
Here is another shot from my "trophy hall" showing a couple of my other battlecorps story covers.

Why have a trophy hall? It's a reminder of what I've accomplished so far. Some might think it's an ego stroke (One of the reasons why I keep the rejection letter mentioned above tacked to my corkboard -- to counter the ego when it gets overblown.) It reminds me every time I go through the hall about what I've done so far.

I only have about half the Battlecorps story covers up, and nothing on the sourcebook projects, Space is a limiting factor, as it's a small hall and there's four doorways leaving to and from the hallway, limiting wall space.

I've finally have the process work out about how to do the formatting and how to display them, but the project at the moment is a low priority. It's going to take both time and money to really do it up right -- and there's a lot that can go up. If I ever get a chance and get it done, I'll take pictures and post there here.


And my last photo -- a shot of my gaming stuff in general. You can see the Battletech and Battleforce boxes, the Battlech boards  on the right, and there's a few more Battletech posters upper center-left.

There are a number of games there -- Star Fleet Battles, Renegade Legion, D&D (1st edition, I think), and Star Wars RPG. The white books are my collection of Ospray Military books (Mostly the Campaign series) and a small collection of Doc Savage and The Shadow novels. The binders have assorted stuff, some home-made, some not.

So, that's about it. I doubt there's much left that I haven't taken a picture of relating to Battletech, so this should be it. If you haven't taken photos of your stuff, do so, and tweet it, using the hashtag #myBTstuff.

Take care,

Craig

Thursday, October 8, 2015

A few photos of my Battletech stuff


For the second weekly "Bonus Backer Missions" for the Battletech Kickstarter, Harebrain schemes wants BT fans to tweet photos of their Battletech collection (using the hashtag, #myBTstuff). As someone who is a writer and fan of the gaming universe, I have a large collection of Battletech stuff. So, I took a few photos and here is some of my collection.

The above picture is some of the smaller stuff I have, a few faction dice some pins I've collected at conventions, and three custom-made buttons I've had for.....maybe 20-25 years? A long time in any case.

Of course, I have my novel collection. It's almost complete, but I can't find a couple of them for some reason, ones I know I had at one time. There's another ten or so BT novels on the shelf above, but they're outnumbered by my Doc Savage and Doctor Who novels. I also have the first four Battlecorps anthologies and the new Battletech novel Embers of War on another shelf, one that is closer to me than these are.

I also have two shelves' worth of source and rule books shelved right next to the computer, but the pictures for them didn't turn out so great, so for now, I'll leave them out of the photo spread.
I have these hanging up in my room. The middle one is the original BattleMaster, with the Loki on the left and the Vulture on the right. At the extreme left, you can just see the Thor blueprint.

I should have them in frames, but we had a lamanator, and that was cheaper and the time. Wouldn't had done it  today, but this was a long, LONG time ago, when the game was maybe a third of it's age. I have the rest of the blueprints in my closet -- the lack of wall space is the only reason why they are not up.

This is my own "trophy hall", displaying the title pages of some of the stories I've done for Battlecorps, except for the one in the upper left-hand corner. That's one of my two issues of Battletechnology Issue #21, special to me because it contains mine and my late friend, Rob Madson's, first real contribution to the Battletech Universe (The SurbanMech design in Issue #18 was also ours, but it was only a design). The Rattlesnake 'Mech, the story Snakedance, and the scenario, Snake, Rattle and Roll.


I've never played MechWarrior ClickTech game, but I did collect the figures, and put the BattleMechs from the boosters I bought on display. I have about 40-50 of them on display.

The large Axman in the back there is the only thing I ever bought that's connected from the Battletech cartoon series. I still have everything except for one of the soft "missiles" for the left launcher. It still works, but it stays up there most of the time, keeping Grimlock there from chowing down on the other 'Mechs.... :)
The second part of my figures collection is on my computer table, just about the monitor I'm using right now. I really didn't know the stats for any of these until I saw them in the Dark-Age TROs. Every so often, when I'm writing, I take one of the pieces and play around with it , seeing if I can gleam something about it that I can put into a story.

I also have other things I have't taken photos of. Maybe if the mood strikes me, I'll haul out the camera again and take a few more pictures.  This isn't my entire collection of BT stuff. Sadly, most of the stuff I've gotten in the last few years has been PDF files and writer copies of products I've written for, and the last non-paper product I bought was the minis inside the older starter set several years ago. But while my collection is nowhere near Randall's or Jordan's, it's still a good collection.

So, if you have some BT stuff, take a picture of it and tweet it, using #myBTstuff and #Battletech. I plan to do the same thing when I finish this blog post -- I'll tweet it.

Well, back to work and keep funding the kickstarter, if you can!

Later!

Craig

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Update on the Battletech Kickstarter and my writings



As I write this, the Battletech Kickstarter has passed $1.4 Million with over 20,000 backers with thirty-one days left to go. All I can say is will done Harebrain!

Personally, I'm surprised at the number of people who have already supported the kickstarter. Battletech has been around for over thirty years, and a lot of people think it's a dead game. Folks, it isn't and this kickstarter result is proof of that.

Another Battlecorps writer and myself were discussing this and, to be honest, we're a little disappointed that the only author involved in the kickstarter is Michael Stackpole. But then again, this is Michael Stackpole were talking about -- the author of the two most important Battletech trilogies in the Battletech Universe (Warrior and Children of Kerensky), and has written best-selling Star Wars novels! While I may have twenty-plus Batlecorps stories, I'm (very) small potatoes. Thanks to the "Backer Mission" system Harebrain has with the kick starter, Stackpole will write two original Battletech E-novellas If enough backer missions are completed, he could write as many as four, or if a certain level is reached, a full Battletech novel will replace the four novellas.

Which means I have to keep at it. My current Battlecorps projects are two stories I need to finish rewriting/revising. I also need to finish first draft of several other stories, and see what story ideas I can gleam for the latest round of Battletech products. And that doesn't include my other writing.

So, keep going Harebrain and I'll do the same!

Craig

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Battletech Kickstarter --- High and Low



https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech/description 

The last thirty hours have been both a high and a low for me. The Kickstarter for Battletech is underway and I am both happy and sad about it.

I've been watching Harebrain's kickstarter for their Battletech game with interest for about a month, then when it started at 1 p.m. yesterday, I was there. I watched it for most of the day as it reached the minimum of $250,000 in less than an hour, and $1,000,000 in less than twenty-five hours. As I write this, the total is nearly $1.1 million, with over 16,000 backers, and a number of "Backer Missions" already completed, enough to get two novellas from BT's best-known author, Michael Stackpole, play against the ELH in the now- reached solo campaign, and a Twitch sessions with the people behind the Kickstarter. It has already been a success, and there's still 34 days to go.

I can't wait for this game. The concept art looks fantastic and the people behind it are no strangers to the Battletech Universe --- in fact one of them, Jordan Weisman, created Battletech! I am glad enough people still love this game to put their own money into it --- two people actually pledged $10,000 to the project! I look at the perks and I see so much stuff I would like to have -- the $275 level would be the sweet spot for me. This will be a great game and I have been doing all I can to forward this kickstarter.

Everything except back it myself. And that's where the low comes in.

The reason is simple; my finances will not withstand the contribution. Not at the moment, at least. I still have 34 days to find some money and maybe contribute at a modest level, so it isn't impossible. I would need more than a few breaks to go my way though for that sweet spot I mentioned above. Note that this isn't an appeal for funds; this isn't something (as much as I hate saying this) that is necessary for life to continue. If I can get the funds together, I can contribute enough to get a copy of the game, and that will be enough. We'll see.

But for now, I will do everything that I can to make this kickstarter successful, and hopefully, the table top game will benefit from the computer game's coat-tails. Near the end, my fiances should be enough to kick in a few bucks, and hopefully, we'll have a good game in a year or so.

Later!

Craig

Monday, September 28, 2015

Quiet time....


It's been quiet here at Casa Reed the last week or so. The non-BT novel I was writing has been turned over to my co-author, and I'm waiting for him to finish up his part of the writing. I'm looking at an original novel, and a few other non-BT irons in the fire.

A few may have notice that my contribution to the HONOR BOUND anthology was published. A Warrior's Fear was actually easier to write than most of my stories. It happens sometimes that the plot, characters and action falls into place without the use of a hammer. Other times, I've resorted to a hammer. sledgehammer and more than once, high explosives, in order to get the story and characters into line. But A Warrior's Fear, once I had the time and place, fell into place with no problems.

I did get some good news though -- but until Jason announces it, I'm going to stay quiet. But it's about part of an ambition I've had for several years.

I'll add another question from the thread here: "Ask a Battletech Writer --- Round 2"   I'm always open to new questions!




The Question is in light blue, the answers are in orange;

Avarice wrote:
As a print reader, I'm wondering if you guys will keep publishing anthologies and hopefully larger arcs. Something about flipping pages never gets old; that analog feel is just... right? I feel detached reading from a screen, even on a TV, and I don't need a tablet in my life (smartphone suits me just fine).

As a teen, I dove into the novels and enjoyed the pulp feel that the setting had -and saw the writing mature along the way as more authors became involved and a changing of the guard transpired. Things became a little grim for me during Dark Age, and it felt like the Jihad arc was a puzzle I had to piece through but a novel in its own way -treating half the entries of the news/snippets as unreliable narrators in perspective.

Are there going to be novels that flesh out the Jihad and the Republic Period, especially the bit where Fortress Republic cracks open and Devlin Stone emerges on a Death Ride?

So much potential out there, from the ELH/Goliath Scorpion Exodus, how the Taurians reconciled, or the sundered FWL.

Loved how Reunification War, LoT, and Klondike were fleshed out and I guess the Succession Wars are on the table next, but a Historical on the Fall of the Republic would be awesome too if you guys had the rights to the Dark Age stuff(?) The NAIS Atlas volumes and Historical: Brush Wars were my favorite books till Total Chaos came about to give things a tactical feel and sum up the Jihad period.

P.S. Thanks for the memories. I was angry at a lot of the developments as I first read long (reader attachment), but accept that heroism cannot exist without equivalent or greater evil/challenges and that empires, good or bad, rise and fall. Can't be a good story without tragedy and setbacks.


My Answer:

Thank you for your words...

Most of what you mention above is above my level of involvement. I want novels and long-form fiction, but that has to be decided at the company level, where I have no knowledge or input. While I don't know any details, I think there are roadblocks to novels happening, but as to what those roadblocks are and how long to overcome them, I have no clue.

If it was up to me (and it isn't), I would publish a series of Jihad novels, a novel series covering the Amaris Civil War, and a few set during the the Successor wars. What happens after 3145 I have no idea, nor do I know how the fiction for that is going to run. As of right now, we can write up to 3145, but no farther.

Novellas are a possibility, but Jason Schmitzer will only chose the best. And as hard as he is with short stories, novellas have to be flawless for him to buy it. Still if a story is good enough, he will buy it, regardless of what era it is in.

Hope that helps,

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Another Q and A session -- Part 1



I've been busy with a couple of non-BT projects, but they are done for now, so I though a brief post with some of the Questions that people have asked me in this thread here: "Ask a Battletech Writer --- Round 2"   I'm always open to new questions!


Monday, August 17, 2015

Embers of War is in My Hands


With great thanks to Phillip Lee, I now have a copy of the Battletech Novel, Embers of War by Jason Schmitzer.

The first new novel in what, five, six years? It's been sitting on my desk, enticing me to start reading it. I haven't started yet, but this is a step forward, one that is long overdue. I had a first draft of a Non-Battletech novel to finish, and with Embers sitting there, I managed to hammer out the last couple of chapter and set it aside.

I am not privy to the reasons why there was such a delay, That was something, as the saying goes, "Above my pay scale." But now they have started again, and the first four have been announced. Embers is the first, followed in no order that I know of by Loren L. Coleman, Victor Milan, and Michael A. Stackpole. As expected, Catalyst is bring out the big guns to get the novels off on the right foot.

I have two reasons I am glad to hold Embers in my hands and look at the cover. The first is as a reader. I still have (almost) all the Roc Battletech books, including The Sword and the Dagger. I still read through them when I want my Battletech fix and don't want to write it myself. I have the last half of the MechWarrior novel series, as most of the ones before The Scorpion Jar were disappointing.

My second reason is purely selfish; I want to write a Battletech novel. I want to see my name on the cover of a Battletech novel, to see the word I wrote on the page, staring back at me, and know my efforts were good enough to be. It has always been an ambition of mine, before I ever submitted to Battlecorps. And now I am in a position to be able to pitch a novel idea or two. This is my chance, and I've already started the process. Will I succeed? I have no idea. There's a X number of novel slots and a Y number of authors pitching for those slots. Those with Battletech novel experience have an advantage, one I need to overcome with great novel ideas.

Note that doesn't mean I will be given a novel to write; I still have to prove to the novel editor that I deserve the chance to write a novel. That's no different then every story I send to Jason Schmitzer for him to either buy or reject. In either case, I have to prove myself every time.

Well, no review here for Embers. I will start reading it tomorrow, because if I start now, I'll go until I'm done, and it's midnight here as I write this. But I am so looking forward to reading this. . . .

Craig

Friday, July 24, 2015

The Announcement from Catalyst Games Lab


Well, Catalyst Games Lab finally made the announcement that everyone's been waiting for., You can read the entire announcement here: http://bg.battletech.com/news/news-and-announcements/drop-pod-sequence-initiatedthree-two-one/

Now, for my thoughts:

The Interstellar Operations rulebook has been, along with the recently released; Housebook: House Kurita, has been the company's Moby Dick, refusing to be cornered and harpooned for years. Even after parts were taken out to be included in a new product  the book is still around 400 pages of all sorts of things. Things like era weapons and equipment, rules for building Tripod, Quad-Vees, LAMs, Primatives, and Super-heavy 'Mechs. There are also rules for Nukes, bioweapons, and Chemical weapons too, for those who want them. And there is Strategic BattleForce, an expansion of the BattleForce game system from Strategic Operations, and the rules for a strategic game called Inner Sphere at War.

All in all, it gives any BT fan another layer that they can play with.. It's in Beta, which means you can buy the PDF for $10, look for any problems and report them to the company via the special thread on the official forum.

BTW, the rest of what was to go into Interstellar Operations has been moved to a new product, Campaign Companion, listed Here: http://bg.battletech.com/books/upcoming-releases/, (9th item down)

The next big news: The Iconic BattleMechs that were known collectively as the Unseens are being reimaged. The announcement page has a couple of pictures of the reimaged Warhammer, and them image at the top of this post  has the reimaged Griffin and Marauder. I expect that Catalyst will release the other images, which I've seen refereed to as "Newseen" once their look has been finalized.

And the last item on this list I want to talk about tonight......

The first new physical Battletech Novel in years!

We finally get to have novel-length fiction again. This one is by Jason Schmitzer, but the announced novels to this point include Loren Coleman's complete Shadows of Faith, Victor Milan's Case White, and a trio of Kell Hound Novellas by Micheal Stackpole, two of which have never been published before.

So, it appears the novels will pick up where they left off, the end of the Fed-Com War and the start of the Jihad. I plan to start pitching for a novel as soon as I finish working on the non-BT I am currently writing. I have several novel ideas which I hope I can bring to you the action of the Jihad in a way the Jihad sourcebooks couldn't.

Writing a Battletech novel is going to be a challenge, and its one I'm looking forward to.

There are also going to be new PDF product lines coming out, just check the coming products page from above and I hope you enjoy the new stuff as much as I will!

Later!

Craig

Monday, July 20, 2015

Writing for TROs


Above is the cover for the TRO3150, which was released for sale in PDF today, and hopefully will be at Gencon in physical form. It's a sequel of sorts to TRO3145, and has mostly designs from the 3145 mini-TROs that didn't make it into the 3145 edition, with some new material.

This makes the fourth physical TRO in a row in this I've contributed a couple of entries to. (I claim credit for a couple of the designs mentioned in the TRO3085 "Old is the New New" section) Unlike most of the source-books, the writer's efforts are scattered through the book, with no one writer dominating a section. When the call goes out for pitches, the pitch includes the list of units for that TRO. Writers submit a list of designs they want to write up, and the Production developer chooses who writes what.

Writing for a TRO is different than other source-books. First, you have a vary hard word count limit for each entry. Second, three groups contribute to each entry, each having to match up to the other two. The teams are supervised by either Herb or a production developer to make all three groups mesh.

The first group are the designers. Writers do not design the entries. Instead of small group designs the game stats for each entry, translating in many cases these last two TROs,  MWDA stats to Battletech stats. They decide what equipment goes where. If there's a need to stat out a variant, they will do it. They also have a hand in giving each design a design quirk.

Second are the artists, and their designs have to follow the stats laid out by the design team. SO if a design has a large laser in the right arm, the artist has to make sure they draw a large barrel on that arm to match the design stats. They have to a aware of the design quirks and if possible, include at as part of the illustration.

Writers write the fluff -- everything else that isn't game stats or illustration. As writers, we have guidelines we must follow about the tone and content. We get some notes from the design team about year produced, where it's produced, who has the design, and other notes like that. From them, the writers created the overview, capabilities, deployments, variants (if any), and notable units/pilots. Writers also get input into design quirks.

Now for the print version of TRO3145 and TRO3150, new material, usually new notable units, replaces some of the fluff the writers wrote in addition to other changes and additions. They are written by someone else, and we writers have no say over what is added or taken away.

So, that's a glimpse into how a TRO is put together in my experience. When you read through it, remember it took a lot of people to put each one together.

Later!

Craig

Friday, July 17, 2015

Update


Well, not much is happening at the moment with the Battletech writing, as most of my efforts have been thrown behind getting this non-BT novel done. That's about two-thirds done.

But there is some things going on with my Battletech writing. My story for the HONOR BOUND anthology should be published in the next couple of weeks. I have submitted another story for a second anthology Jason put the call out for. Let's see if he accepts it for the anthology. When I'm not working on the novel I mentioned above, I'm rewriting a story that had some negative feedback from the writer's group. Hopefully, this will make it a much stronger story.

I have yet to hear back about a third story I submitted to Battlecorps, hopefully I'll get an answer before the end of the month. I have not heard anything about the annual Battlecorps print anthology. And no one has asked if I'm interested in writing for the (re)new Battletech Novel line (For the record, I am interested, but not until after I finish this other novel).

So, it's summer.

Talk to you later!

Craig

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Anthologies


According to Randall Bills, Battletech's Line Developer (And chief game creator, and chief bottle washer....) the above image is the cover of the first new Battletech novel in several years. (He posted this to Catalyst's Tumbler Page, so it's already public!) But I still don't know anything about these new novels.....

So, let me talk about something I do know something about --- Battlecorps anthologies. I have written stories for several Battletech anthologies and hope to continue doing so. Battlecorps anthologies come in two different 'flavors' --- Print and Thematic.

Print anthologies consists of stories drawn from the Battlecorps website for a particular year. Volume 1: The Corps consists of the best stories from the first year of the Website's existence, Volume 2: First Strike has stories from the second year of the Website, and so on. In addition, there is a new story written just for the anthology that isn't from the website. None of my stories have made it in any of the print anthologies, but I'm hoping this year I will see one of my stories in the print anthologies.

Thematic anthologies are different. For one, all the stories are commissioned by Jason for the anthology --- We pitch story ideas and Jason chooses which ones he want to see. Second, there is theme for the anthology. For example, the currently running Honor Code anthology's theme is the Draconis Combine --- the stories had to have the Combine as a major part of the story. Other than that. we were free to use any event or set it in any time. Most of the time, an anthology is tied to a sourcebook coming out, sometimes for another reason.

But the theme is what ties all the stories together. It can be an event (Operation Rat,  Klondike) a group (Honor Code) or a period of time (Like this new anthology). We generally have free reign to write whatever we want, as long as we use the theme as the central part of the story.

Now, just because I send in a completed story, on time doesn't mean it'll be accepted for the anthology. Jason may not include it in the anthology, but still buy it anyway for the website. It's up to me to give him what he wants and hope he's satisfied with it.

As I said above, I have written stories for several anthologies. Salvage was written for the Operation Rat anthology. Family Ties was written for the Klondike anthology, The Blood of Man was a part of the Jihad Hot Spots: Terra anthology, and My Father's Sword was written for the Onslaught anthology. Another one was written for an anthology that never got off the ground, but was published.

What's the difference between writing an anthology and writing a normal story? The biggest difference is time. A regular submission you can write some, leave for a few days, come back, work on it a little more, lit it sit for a week, and so on. In the anthology submission, there is are deadlines: the first is for pitches, the second for the actual story. This Anthology has about a four-week window from announcement to sending in the finished story. So, it's a tight window to create, plot and write a short story.

Second difference is the story length. Usually, a word count is given (In the case of this new anthology, 4,000-7,000 words). Now, Jason's not going to get angry if the story's a little longer than that, but it's usually best to try and keep the word count as close to the solicitation as possible.  For the Jihad Hot Spots: Terra anthology, we had a 12,000 word limit, which is why The Blood of Man is my longest story.

As it stands right now, I've completed the first draft of the story. Now, I'm letting it sit for a couple of days, then I plan to go back and do some cleaning up and editing. It's a little longer than Jason wants, so I need to see if there's anywhere I can trim it without losing any of the story.

I need to get back to writing!

Later!

Craig

Sunday, June 28, 2015

It's Quiet....A Little Too Quiet.......

(Another new piece of art for Interstellar Operations. Art is owned by Catalyst Games Lab, but it's still pretty neat!)

So, I'm 1600 words into a new Battlecorps story, and it's going well. the Characters are coming to life, the situation is coming along nicely, and I think it'll be finished in a week or two....

 But it's going a little too well......

Sometimes I have to fight stories in order to get them written. Sometimes, idea after idea roll off the fingers and what's supposed to be a short story suddenly has enough plot for a Novella. Other times, characters take on a larger role than you intended. And sometimes the story goes rocketing off the rails and into deep space. More often than not, I have to pull back and find out what I did wrong. Sometimes, it's cutting back to the point where the story goes off the rails and going from there. Other times, it's not as easy.

I generally have only one or two drafts of the story lying around on my hard drive, and maybe a file with the extra stuff from the working draft there, to used later on in the story, or for another story entirely. But there are times when I three, four, or five drafts of the story, twisting this way and that and I have to hammer it back into shape.

Two Battlecorps stories come to mind when I think about stories I have to hammer back into shape because they refused to fall into place. One was The Promise, which constantly refused to come into being. It took several drafts and hard thought to bring around. The second was Thirteen, which I first called Wolfsjager, then bounced between the two titles and plot for over a month, trying to find the story. I have a couple unfinished stories with the same problem I need to wrestle with, but this new one is going well, which makes me suspicious.

Maybe it will go smoothly, the story will write itself and maybe something unexpected will pop out and derail the story's train of thought. I've written enough to hope for the former, and expect the latter. Every writer has those periods when the story don't come into focus, and sometimes the best ways are to either power though it, or set it aside and work on something else. I done it both ways and had some success.

Well, off to bed -- this non-Battletech novel won't write itself and I need to ride the Battlecorps story as far as I can take it,. If it goes all the way to the end, I will be a happy writer. If not, I'll have to break out the power tool......

Later!!

Craig

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Rewrites --- BLEH!

(Art is from the upcoming Interstellar Operations rule book, and is the property of Catalyst Games Lab. But isn't this neat?)

When I'm not working on my second non-Battletech novel, I have been working on rewriting a story that went through the workshop and was battered around a bit. So, I've been tearing the story apart, and rewriting large chunks of it. I've learned a few things from these sort of rewrites;

First, I hate them. I realize long ago that I am not a "one take" writer, one who gets the story down perfect first time.  I need to get the story down on paper, then go back and rewrite. But when someone other than me points out things I couldn't see I really hate doing it. But it has to be done --- if you don't want to rewrite, then you will never make it as an author. So, I do them....

Second, I need a thick skin. Any author who wants to write professionally has to develop one. Reading criticism is subjective, but with the workgroup, it's also honest criticism which I can't dismiss out of hand. I have to take it seriously. Now, I may accept it or reject it, but I must at least look at it and decide how much of it to take. I am taking a lot of it this time around.

Third, Rewriting allows me the chance to make the story better. Guided by the criticism, I can add here, cut there, trim this conversation, add a scene. The challenge is going to be keeping it the same length. Right now, it's 500 words longer than the one I sent to the workgroup, so if it's still over my target length, I need to go back and trim it some more.

Rewriting isn't a skill that can be learned other than doing it. and successful writers will do it all the time. I don't have to like it, I have to do it.

Later!

Craig


Monday, June 8, 2015

There Will be Battletech Novels!


I'm not letting the cat out of the bag --- it's been mentioned several times on the official forums and backed by people in the know. There's been no official announcement, but it looks like we're going to be getting Battletech novels!

Before anyone asks for any details -- I don't have any. The reveal was a much as a surprise to me as to any one else. And me asking around behind the scenes has not produced any details -- everyone is as tight-lipped as an ISF agent at a Black Dragon Convention. Even if I could, I can't tell you anything because I don't know anything. I am as much in the dark as everyone else.

No, I have not been asked to write a novel. My guess -- and only my guess, with no facts to back it up --- they would be looking for proven names to get the new series up and running. And despite the number of stories I've written for Battlecorps, I'm not a name author.

So, what does this mean? It means that I have a new challenge ---  prove to the Powers That Be that when they start looking for other authors, I'm worth a shot. That means more stories, maybe longer stories, maybe novellas. It's an opportunity, and I need to make the most of it. Need to write more and faster. I pitched for a slot in a BC anthology this morning and have several stories I need to work on. That means working more on this non-BT novel so I can clear it off my board.ASAP.

It also means I need to stay off the Internet more.....

So, here's my shot and I need to take it. Follow me as I try to grab the brass ring.

Later!

Craig


Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Honor Code: Stories of the Draconis Combine Anthology



The final House Book, House Book: House Kurita has finally been published in both PDF and hard copy (Anyone going to Origins will be able to buy a copy --- that where the picture above is from). To celebrate the publication of the final House Book, Jason Schmitzer, Battlecorps' editor, has commissioned an anthology of Combine-centric stories. Below is a quote from the announcement:
Honor Code: Stories of the Draconis Combine is a group of stories that all celebrate those central themes of honor, dignity and duty that epitomize the realm of House Kurita.
There are nine stories in the anthology, all by veteran Battlecorps writers (including yours truly). The list isn't in any order, so I have no idea when my story (or any other beyond the first two) will be published. The stories are:

“The Face of the Enemy.” by Philip A. Lee (Already Published) 
“Broken Brotherhood.” by Chris Hussey (Soon to be Published)
“Harvest of Deception,” by Kevin Killiany
“A Moment of Honesty” by Jason Hansa
“Karma” by Chris Hartford
“Risk of Honor” by David G. Martin
“A Warrior’s Fear” by Craig A. Reed, Jr.
“Lady of Steel” by Alan Brundage
“Family Honor” by Dylan Birtolo

I assume that once all the stories have been published on Battlecorps, they'll be bundled together and put out on Amazon for purchase. When I find out when, I'll let you know.

Now, back to writing!

Craig 

Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Benefits of Writing for Battlecorps



I hadn't intended on adding another post this quickly, not after the one I posted yesterday, but in a private discussion, one of the other freelancers brought up a couple of points that I had completely missed. Below is his the majority of his post:
Craig, if you want more writers, perhaps writing more about why people should want to write, instead of all the reasons they shouldn't write?
Fact checking isn't just a reason for stories to be rejected, but support for when writers need information. Having a professional editor review your writing is a positive.
You never mention compensation. How many stories have you submitted, how long did you spend on them, what's that come out to for compensation? How does that compare to industry standards? How much work is available? Is there additional non-Battlecorps work available (sourcebooks, etc).
How many Battlecorps writers have gone on to publishing non-BattleTech writing? How helpful has writing for Battlecorps been to those writers?
When I read this, I realized he was right. I'd been focused on hard hard it is to get out Battlecorps stories, I never considered extolling the benefits of writing for Battlecorps. That shows you when my head has been, doesn't it?

All right, what does writing for Battlecorps do for you? In no particular order:

First, your stories are part of the Battletech Universe, small parts of the fabric that makes up the the most detailed fictional universe ever created. I'm not exaggerating when I say that. Every sourcebook, every story, every novel fits into a coherent, united vision of a universe. Start Trek cannot say that, neither can Star Wars (Disney is beginning to change that with Star Wars, though.) The characters the writers create are part of the Battletech Universe, as are the events depicted in the story.

Second is the chance to actually become part of the Freelancer's pool. If you can prove that you can write quality Battletech stories again and again, you will be given a chance to pitch for sourcebook writing. I have been a co-author on several sourcebooks, such as Field Manual: SLDF, Total Chaos, Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expositions, TRO: Protypes, TRO 3145, and the forthcoming TRO 3150. I also wrote most of  Field Manual 2765; DCMS. In addition to Battletech sourcebooks, I was one of the writers on the Valiant Universe Roleplaying Game, and the next Valiant RPG product, Transcendence's Edge.

Third, it can be an intermediate step from amateur to professional writer. Writing for Battlecorps forces you to hone skills that professional writers need. Skills a such as editing, communications, following instructions or suggestions, and how to act like a professional. It can be a stepping stone to a writing career --- take a look at Battletech writers who have gone on to have their own successful writing careers. Writing for Battlecorps is gaining good experience that will stay with you for a long time.

And fourth, the money. It's not enough to live on --- you still need a day job to handle the bills. But getting a check for three or four hundred dollars is an incredible feeling, and it's a way to have a second job without working 16 hour shifts. The rate can vary ($.03- $.05 a word, rounded to the nearest hundred), but it's a good (If small) chunk of change that doesn't hurt.

So, those are the reason to write for Battlecorps. I hope you will consider doing so.

Craig

Saturday, May 30, 2015

The Lack of Battlecorps Stories


I've addressed this a couple of times in the past, but I feel I need to address this again, in a calm rational manner. Mainly, the lack of Battlecops stories.

I am well-aware of the complaints -- I've answered a couple of times when the threads pop up. I am also frustrated, as a Batlecorps subscriber. I also want stories; Short stories, novellas, novels, I don't care.  But it's not as easy as some readers think, and I think it's time to sit down and explain the problems in a calm and forthright way. These aren't excuses --- I don't call for new writers to try submitting to Battlecorps out of some sadistic amusement to hear writers crying at being rejected. (I don't see any submissions outside of the ones that go through the writers' workgroup). I call for new authors to try for the simple reason: the poll of Batttletech writers is shallow. Mind you, they are good writers, writers who write great stories, but they are few.

It's not just one thing; its a number of interlocking factors. The first one is what I mentioned above: A small number of Battlecorps writers. And why is that?

A small pool of freelance Battletech writers. Most of the writing for Battletech is done by a dozen or so people, most of them freelancers. That's it. And of that group, some are good at writing the sourcebooks (The events, rules, sidebars, etc.), but can't write a story. So that's a reduction in the pool to draw from. Look though the pass couple of years of Battlcorps stories and you see the same names popping up again and again. that's because it's that small group of freelancers.

Where are the old guard -- Stackpole, Milan and the rest? Moved on to larger markets and their stories set in their own universes. Could they make guest shots? Maybe --- as far as I know, the door is still open for them to come back and write a story or two. And should there finally be Battletech novels once again, I'm sure some will come back to write those.

So, without them, there has to be new blood to take up the slack, and not may have taken up the challenge and made it through the process.

Stories are not a high priority. Before anyone take it the wrong way, what I mean is that writing for Battlecorps is not a high priority for many of the writers. If Jason Schmitzer, Battlecorps editor, received a dozen quality stories at once, I doubt you find anyone happier in the US than him. But the simple fact is that a slew of thing take a higher priority. Things such as:


  • Real-life job
  • Family 
  • Social responsibilities (Church, organized activities, meetings)
  • Health
  • Other writing (Including original writing, sourcebook writing [with deadlines])


Take my case, for example. I am writing another novel for a non Battletech series. That is my priority at this time. I have a few completed first-draft of stories, but this novel must come first. When I take a break from the novel, I work on editing the stories I've completed. But its a slow process.

Stories submitted, well, suck.  This happens to everyone -- Jason has rejected more than one of my stories over the years, and I know he's rejected stories from other established Battletech/Battlecorps writers. The main criteria to get a story accepted, in my opinion, boil down to two things:

  1. Is it a good story, with solid characters, a plot that holds together and an ending that satisfies the reader in some way?
  2. Does the story fit in the Battletech universe in style, details and tone?

If it doesn't meet both items, Jason's going to reject it. Doesn't matter who the author is, if it's a bad story, Jason's not going to accept it.

I wrote a couple of posts on this blog back in 2012, called the "Dos and Don't of  Battlecorps Writing." They are Here for Dos and Here for Don'ts  If you're interested, go look at them; they will help you with both criteria above.

Time Lag -- preparing the story to be published. So, say a story of mine is accepted today to be published on Battlecorps. I can see it on-line next week, right?

Wrong.

Getting a story accepted isn't the last hurdle; it's the first. After Jason accepts a story, he sends it to a small group of fact-checkers, who check for continuity and look for problems in the story. Everything has to match seamlessly with everything else in the Battletech Universe --- 'Mechs in the wrong time period, wrong unit, wrong terminology, something impossible technology-wise, and anything else that's wrong with the story. Any problems and the story is sent back to the writer with a list of things to correct. The writer makes the corrections and sends it back in. This stage is the most dangerous for a story. I know of stories that were sunk because something vital to the story did not conform to continuity.

Next step (sometimes) is editing. Again, someone goes through the story and looks for mistakes -- this time in grammar and spelling. Sometimes the story is corrected by the editor, but major problems and the story is sent back to the writer for corrections.

Finally, it goes to the layout person, who takes the story and formats it to fit on a Battlecorps story template. They then go through and make sure the formatting is consistent before converting the file into a PDF file. Then it's ready to be published.

Each step takes time, because it's pain-staking work and like the freelance writers, it's done when the person has time to do it. So what sounds like a process that should take a couple of days takes upwards of a month or even longer. with such a small group, it's difficult to get things done quickly.


So, those are the reasons why. It isn't simple, and it isn't right, but its the truth. Catalyst Game Labs is not a monolith company with hundreds of people working in one or two buildings in one location. Instead, it's a few core employees and small groups of Freelancers (writers and artists), volunteers, and Catalyst agents scattered across the world. To most of those who work, they work for love of the game with occasional paychecks for work done. It's a hobby, a hobby they take seriously, but one they must fit into their life that has its own demands.

Writing for Battlecorps is a way to get your foot in the door, to become one of those freelancers I mentioned above. Jason is always looking for good stories and good writers. The more of those he has, the more often there'll be stories on Battlecorps. There's no group of writers outside the current freelancers Jason can consistently call on to write stories. He's managed to get a couple outside writers to write stories, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

That's where the new blood has to come in. Jason need stories, good Battletech stories to publish. Without them, it will be a slow slog for stories. I and the other Freelancers are doing the best we can, and stories are being submitted, but the more the merrier.

That;s all for now.

Craig

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Battlecorps Update and Thoughts about a Rejected Story


Well, there's only a little news on the Battlecorps front. Story #1 has been submitted, Story #2 has been sent to the workshop and I'm waiting for a little more feedback before I work on that one and Story #4 is being worked on a little bit at a time. But to be honest, most of my writing time is being spent on my second non-Battletech Outcast Ops novel, called Red Ice. In part, I want to get that written as soon as possible.

I'm working on Story #4 (Story #3 needs major work --- At least 3,000 have to be cut and scenes rewritten --- so that's being worked on last.) when I take a break from Red Ice. I need to cut @1500 out of Story #4, so I need to be thorough and painstaking. It may take me a couple of weeks to do what I need to do on it.

Anyhow, I was talking to Phil Lee, who, in addition to being a fellow Battlecorps writer and in-demand editor, also acts as Jason Schmitzer's assistant. The discussion came around to a story of mine Jason rejected.

The major problem we discussed was not that the story was a bad one, but the story had a similar theme to another story of mine that had already been recently accepted. I personally don't see the similarity in the stories, but the story was rejected. To make a long story short, he suggested rewriting the story so as to change the theme.

Now, I have to think about this; Can I rewrite this story so as to change the theme? I've done it before; taken a rejected story (A very early submission that predates Jason's time as Battlecorps editor) and rewrote it with a new theme. But I had done this only after I had a dozen stories under my belt. It can be done, but it's major surgery; the other story I rewrote had only three characters that survived from the first story to the second, and they were all renamed and personalities changed somewhat. The basic premise is the same, but more focused and a stupid plot twist at the end was removed.

I'll have to look over the story again and see if anything sparks an idea.

And that story experiment I mentioned in my last post? I'll do it after I finish both the novel and the already-written Battlecorps stories. And to add another level to the experiment, I will use the Battletech CCG cards Story Elements Deck (See http://thebattletechstate.blogspot.com/2014/01/an-experiment-in-coming-up-with-plot.html) We'll see what happens together.

That's all for now...back to writing!

Craig

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Stories status and Thoughts About a Writing Experiment


Well, I've gotten some feedback on Story #1 from the workgroup, and I'll be looking into those suggestions and making needed changes. As for Story #2, that has gone from 10,700 words down to 8,900 words, and will be cut a little more before turning it over to the workgroup, hopefully, in the next day or so. I haven't done anything with the other three stories yet, But as soon as I make the changes to #1 and upload #2, I'll start looking at those stories.

I've been batting this idea --- this experiment I mentioned in the title --- around in my head for a while. I've been thinking about blogging about a Battlecorps story I would write, from the start, from idea to final draft. detailing problems I come across in writing the story and my solutions. It wouldn't be a detailed description of the plot or the ending -- I have to leave something for you to read if/when it comes out on Battlecorps.

Instead, I would talk about how I came up with the story title, the time and place the story occurs and why I chose that time and location. I would discuss something about the characters I create for the story (I think first-time characters, so as to show my thought process in creating the character). I'd show you what goes into choosing what 'Mechs to use (if the story calls for them). In short, I want to show you the reader how I write a Battlecorps story, from start to finish.

If Jason buys it, you'll be able to read on the Battlecorps site one day. If he rejects it, depending on the story, I may serialize it on this blog, so you can see what I wrote. But I hope that if you read along, you can see what it takes to write for Battletech and try it yourself.

That's all tonight. Time to head for bed!

Later!

Craig

Monday, May 4, 2015

First Story to the Work Group and a Word About Editing


Well, the first story of the five I mentioned in my last post has been sent to the workshop for the group to look over and C&C. Story #1 went from 10,200 words down to 8,200 words, and it's a sequel to ones I already had published. I won't say anything more about the content, not even the story's name, because there's no certainty that Jason Schmitzer will buy it. If he does buy it, I will post the story's name.

Anyway, how did I cut 2,000 words from a story? The first pass I always look to snip away words --- a couple of words here, a line there, tightening dialogue and description. And after all that, I had cut the story a whole 500 words.

Five hundred words

On a shorter story, it wouldn't have mattered, but that still left me with a 9,700 word story. I was going to have to cut a lot deeper.

I've done it before -- in a previous blog post, (I have to do What?!?!) I had to cut 2,300 words out of a story before Jason would buy it. But I also knew that snips wasn't going to cut it. I had to cut at least one scene.

I knew which scene had to be cut. It was more a character scene than anything else, to show how far the character was willing to go to complete his mission. But I realized that despite how much I liked the scene, it was wrong for the story --- it had only an indirect connection with the main events, a character that appeared nowhere else in the story, and it might not pass the Continuity Hooligans. Which leads to the lesson I learned, that all writers must face; You must cut that which doesn't move the story forward.

And when it came down to it, it didn't move the story along as much as other scenes did. So it went -- all 1,500 words of it. I suddenly had a 8,200-word story, and a second pass made a few more changes without altering the word count. And that's what went to the workgroup.

I never throw a scene away -- it gets saved off into it's own file, on the off chance I can put it into another story. Maybe there is a story in the future that can use such a scene like the one I cut. There's no telling where my writing will take me.

That's all for now --- Check out my ask a writer thread over the Battletech main forum (Want to ask a Battletech Writer something? ---- Round 2!) if you have a question you want to ask me.

Later!

Craig

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

April Update


I tend to write Battlecorps stories in batches, and now is no different. I've five first draft stories I need to go back over and rewrite before turning them over to the workgroup for some C&C. And that brings up something that is common with all writers: Perfection is the enemy of good.

What do I mean? I mean that the first step in writing is sitting down and writing! Words have to be on the page before any story can flow.

The second step in writing is Rewriting is almost as important as writing! It doesn't matter that the story isn't perfect --- very few authors can write a perfect first draft. I'm not one of those authors.

What do I mean. Let's glance at the stories I finished first drafts for;

Story #1 - Length: 10,200 words. First thing I have to do with this story is cut at least 1,500 words from it. I also have to work out minor continuity problems, and maybe cut an entire scene for length and pace.

Story #2 -- 10,700 words. Similar to Story #1 -- cut a minimum of 2,000 words, look at scenes that need to be removed or rewritten.

Story #3 -- 11,300 words. This is going to be the tough one, and the one I will do last. 2,500 -- 3,000 words need to be cut and I need to rewrite several scenes to support a twist I added late in the story.

Story #4 -- 10,000 words. 1,500 words to be cut and strengthen some scenes.

Story #5 --- 9,200 words. Need to trim 500-1000 words.

You will note that all the stories are on the long side -- four out of the five are over 10,000 words, too long for Battlecorps. I prefer doing that, because it makes me go back and read over each sentence, looking to see what I can cut, rewrite, or modify to lose words. If I need to, I'll cut characters, scenes, simplify the story, or the actions sequences to got those words. At the same time, it allows me to read these stories with fresh eyes (It'll be weeks or months between the time I finish them and I reread them again)

Of the five, two (and a half) stories are sequels to stories I had already published, two are in eras and places I've never written in. One story is Star League era, thee are Jihad era, and the last one is set post-Jihad. I'm not going into details about the stories, or even their titles, right now, but if any of them do get publish, I'll let you know!

Now, I have no idea how many, if any, Jason Schmitzer will accept for Battlecorps publication. There is no promise from him, despite my track record. I have said this before: I have to prove that I can write for Battletech every single story, and if he doesn't like the story, he will not buy it.

In addition, there is something in the works I hope you will be seeing soon. I can't tell you any more than that right now.

So, that's what I'm doing this week, hope you're also pursuing your writing dreams.

Craig

Monday, April 20, 2015

Writing update, opening a new Q&A thread, and the importance of Battletech Fiction


Well, the first draft of the fourth story for Battlecorps is (sorta) done. That one I need to go back and do a major rewrite on as it's too long and the plot meanders a bit. Working on the fifth story now and hopefully have that done this weekend.

And since I haven't done it in a while, I'm going to open a new thread on the main Battletech Forumn  so people can ask any questions about writing for Battletech. So, if you have a question, you can ask either here or in the thread.

And here is the thread: Re: Want to ask a Battletech Writer something? ---- Round 2!

And now for the meat of the post; The importance of Battletech fiction.

For thirty years, an important part of the Battletech universe has been the fiction.  Sourcebook fiction, Battlecorps short stories, or novels, each has help create a living, breathing universe that has a consistent and documented history of all over a thousand years. I am a strong believer that it is the fiction helps draws in new players, or at the very least, gets people's attention when they're looking for a military sci-fi that's a little different from the norm.

And make no mistake; Battletech fiction is unique out there in a gaming universe, because it all fits together and it's all canon. Star Trek cannot say that about their novels, and Star Wars just jettisoned their EU line of novels from the field of Canon. Trying to figure out Doctor Who's canon is impossible, by its very nature of time travel. From what I have seen of it (and I could be wrong), Warhammer 40,000 is a mostly static universe, with many stories, but no actual advancement in the timeline. With Battletech, all the stories form part of a large cohesive mosaic covering hundreds of light-years in distance and a thousand years in time. Large one, small ones, personal stories, all have their place. Novel paints bigger pictures, while short stories fill in cracks and small holes and sourcebook fiction gives the grunt-eye view of an event.

While I hope someday we will see Battletech novels again, I don't know when that will be. I don't know why there aren't new novels, only that its not from a lack of interest from the PTB (Powers That Be). So, it's up to the Battlecorps short stories and sourcebook fiction that has to carry the weight of showing the Universe where giant walking tanks rule the battlefield. I know people want longer fiction; I'm one of them, but until the PTB say, "Let's wrote novels!" we can't do anything about it.

So, here I am, writing as may short stories as I can, trying to get them done and submitted in a timely matter. Battlecorps is always looking for writers and I cannot say that enough. It's a good first step if you want to freelance for Catalyst Games Lab.

Well, that's all for now, I'll look at starting up the AToW Characters of the week again. Feed back is always welcomed.

Craig

Monday, April 13, 2015

Sorry about that.....





I haven't blogged in a while, but I've been working on a few writing projects, one major. Non-Battletech novel, which is now out --- See my announcement here: African Firestorm is a Go!

With that out of the way, I'm back to writing for Battlecorps. So far, I have three completed first drafts for Battlecorps done, and trying to finish a fourth and maybe a fifth. Once they are done, I'll go back through and cut the first drafts by at least 10%, then send them to the workshop to be looked over. After that, I'll be sending them into Jason Schmitzer for his consideration.

On a personal level, for those people who complain that there aren't enough Battlecorps stories, the reason is simple; there are not a lot of Battlecorps writers. There are no stories being held back, Jason's not hoarding stories. The simple truth is there isn't a large number of stories riolling in, and those that are.....well, if you've read my "Dos and don't" blog posts, you would understand why they were rejected.

No one is writing full-time for Battlecorps; most have real-life jobs, families and social obligations that come first. Several writers are involved in non-Battletech projects, either as a writing or as an editor. There are always writing projects for sourcebooks going on and they take priority. When they find time, they can write Battlecorps story. Jason is always looking for good Battletech writers, so you lose nothing if you submit your story.

I am back to blogging, and we'll see how it goes.. I'll keep you updated with what's going on from my POV in the Battletech world (Subject to my NDA).

Here we go!

Craig