Dedicated to my fellow authors

lovepeas

Congratulations! Today is your day. With world-building tools, you're off and away. Toiling to 15, you crossed the boundary. Now open to you, the magic of Foundry.

You've quest in your head. You've gathered your muse. The adventure ahead, it's yours to choose. It's all up to you. You know all the parts and YOU are the one to decide where it starts. Maybe you'll learn on your own, or study Gillrmn's guide. However you start, you'll finish with pride.

Oh! The places you'll build!

Dark drafty caverns and creepy old crypts or fun, bawdy taverns- they're all yours to script. Then populate your world to bring it alive and make sure it's ready for adventurers to arrive. With creativity and care, the rooms you can fill. Actors, details, and traps conform to your will.

Except when they don't. Because sometimes they won't.

I'm sorry to say but sadly it's true. Mouse freezes and teleporter bugs can happen to you. You might come to a place and fall through the floor or a broken quest path fails to point to the door. And do it in silence, no music is heard when broken sound effects make you want to shoot up the bird.

You could throw up your arms or pull out your hair as you scream to the actor, "your patrol path is there!" Frustration might win, you could give up your art when your encounters are stubborn and refuse to play their assigned part.

No! That's not for you.

You are an Author- part of a clan of getting-things-doners and find-work-arounders and out-of-box thinkers and folks with a plan. With creativity blazing mouse poised to resume, soon an empty black map is transformed to a tomb. The magical things you can do with this tool keep you trying again, stubborn as a mule.

Oh! The places you'll build!

Dear Author, your encounters they thrill us as we enter the fray. Your environments- amazing! They blow us away. And the dialog! Your stories- some epic, some funny, some bleak... even some tear-jerkers that leave trails down our cheeks. Limited options don't stop you, you'll just swap chickens for hares or dress up an elf as a dryad until the devs answer our prayers.

Countless hours and efforts go into your adventures with care. After edits and testing, finally it's ready to share. With pride and excitement, the publish button you hit so that others can share in your talent and wit. Now you can sit back, relax, and wait with a grin as people play through and the reviews, they roll in.

Except when they don't. Because sometimes they won't.

I tell you this now, experience has shown that there will be times when you feel like you're all alone. A zero play counter, it strikes to the bone. "I'll post on the forums" to yourself you might think. Seeking assistance from others to work out the kinks. But without a response, to page 5 it soon sinks. All the while seeing exploitative UGC in the top 5 sure stinks.

At think point it's easy to give into the rage and all the frustrations pour out on the page. Sometimes it tempting to a forum war wage. But instead you'll push through... trading review for review. Passion and resolve alighting anew.

That's when you see folks answer the call, and then it is clear... you weren't alone after all. The NW Author community is second to none at helping their own when under the gun. Bringing along encouragement and support aplenty paving the way to magic review number 20. Whew! Glad that is through. Now that it's daily eligible, you can move on to part two.

Oh! The places you'll build!

With the storyline set and their appetites whet, your story has room to go deeper yet. New locations and more, add backstory to explore, and even a few maids who prettily implore. You are an Author. Will you succeed? It's 98 3/4th% guaranteed. My friend you'll move mountains! Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.

But... you can't help but peek at your first quest's critique.

There must be some mistake! One star for loot? And a complaint about the lack of boss fight to boot?

No problem at all, for now you're a pro. So shrug off the nonsense and don't let it hurt your flow. You're bone fide and take it stride. By now you know, it's all part of the ride. We don't want to be cryptic about the parts that hinder and fetter, but still must admit to boundless hope it gets better. Authors, we know that it's worth the problems that make us groan to be able to share with others a perfect world of our own.

Give us the tools and Oh! The places we'll build.

torontodave

=D

valcontar73

>:)

guitarzan698

:*

instynctive

So say we all.

kellnaforian

Well said!

lovepeas

I wrote this in 2013 (except for adding the part about teleporter bug) and was sad to see that the challenges mentioned are mostly still relevant. Of course, the positives are as well.

Foundry why do you toy with me so?

waryur

*slow clap* Brilliantly said. Thank you for that.

zahinder

Hey, long time, all. Just popping in to see if anything's improved, and happy to see a few familiar faces.

But looks like things actually got worse... so, er, see you again in a quarter or three when I poke to see again.

(I've moved on to making a webcomic with CGI, and it's so much more rewarding. Heh. www.thefarshoals.com , if anyone is curious)