[UPDATED - ASCENSION!] Blackdirge's "Metamorphosis - From Dretch to Demon Lord"

Morrus · Jun 11, 2007

Hatchling Dragon said:
This is fantastic, I've often thought that many of the Story Hours here deserve to see print.

Now, I wonder if it's possible to get certain other DM's to finish thier Story Hours if they were to be published? I think the oldsters here know just who I'm talking about, or have thier own list.

I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

Justin · Jun 11, 2007

Morrus said:
I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

Hear that, Sep?

With apologies to Monty Python:

"This is the book Ptolus with 'Ptolus' crossed out and 'Wyre' written in in crayon."

Morrus · Jun 11, 2007

Justin said:
Hear that, Sep?

With apologies to Monty Python:

"This is the book Ptolus with 'Ptolus' crossed out and 'Wyre' written in in crayon."

I don't know how many would want to do it - it pays $.02 per word, flat rate, and is accepted as work-for-hire. Requires significant enditing by the author to remove WotC IP issues. Some people who are particularly attached to characters or other material would therefore need to remove and substitute them if they wanted to retain ownership. It gets professionally edited.

BLACKDIRGE · Jun 11, 2007

Morrus said:
I don't know how many would want to do it - it pays $.02 per word, flat rate, and is accepted as work-for-hire. Requires significant enditing by the author to remove WotC IP issues. Some people who are particularly attached to characters or other material would therefore need to remove and substitute them if they wanted to retain ownership. It gets professionally edited.

For authors whoe derive their story hour material from game sessions, there is another issue to consider. Do the players in the game, whose characters' actions tell the story, have any stake in the authorship, and therefore the rights, to a story hour?

Personally, I have no idea, and it might only require something as simple as getting the players to sign a release. But when money enters the equation, who knows.

BD

Shemeska · Jun 15, 2007

Morrus said:
I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

*chuckle* It's not possible for some of us, even assuming there'd be a following enough to make it a valid venture. While most of the major antagonists in mine are my own creations, it'd be impossible to remove it from the backdrop setting because of the history and themes it plays with. Won't make me stop writing it though, even if it's likely going to be at least another two or three years before that little monster is finished.

BLACKDIRGE · Jun 15, 2007

Shemeska said:
*chuckle* It's not possible for some of us, even assuming there'd be a following enough to make it a valid venture. While most of the major antagonists in mine are my own creations, it'd be impossible to remove it from the backdrop setting because of the history and themes it plays with. Won't make me stop writing it though, even if it's likely going to be at least another two or three years before that little monster is finished.

Well, you certainly have the following to do it. No doubt about that.

Couldn't you change 'loth to daemon to fly under the OGL radar? That's what I did.

BD

EditorBFG · Jun 19, 2007

Hey Morrus, just want to make sure you got my last two emails. One was my singing the praises of Death of a Demon Lord, another was just a question. If you've been busy and can't respond, no big, I just want to make sure my email client is not messing up again.

And I just want to state publicly that the cover art is amazingly perfect. Seriously, dead on.

BLACKDIRGE · Jun 19, 2007

EditorBFG said:
And I just want to state publicly that the cover art is amazingly perfect. Seriously, dead on.

Isn't it though?

Wait to you see the interior stuff.

Oh, and thanks for the great edit. My prose has never looked better.

BD

EditorBFG · Jun 19, 2007

BLACKDIRGE said:
Isn't it though?

Wait to you see the interior stuff.

Oh, and thanks for the great edit. My prose has never looked better.

You have no idea how happy I am to see you say that!

An author referred to an edit I did early in my career as a "hatchet job" once, and now I'm always paranoid that authors will hate me-- heck, I was half-worried that Morrus hadn't emailed back because he was unhappy with the job I'd done.

So, let me thank you back for giving me such a great story to read. I was bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of it, so much so that I have (mostly) forgiven you for killing my favorite character...

(As an aside, I am proud to see a fellow Central Valley boy doing such great work, as I see you live in Modesto. I've spent a lot of time in Modesto, working at the Prospect Theater on Scenic. I lived in Manteca almost continuously from age 11 to 28, so if you've lived there more than a couple of years, we were practically neighbors!)

BLACKDIRGE · Jun 19, 2007

EditorBFG said:
An author referred to an edit I did early in my career as a "hatchet job" once, and now I'm always paranoid that authors will hate me-- heck, I was half-worried that Morrus hadn't emailed back because he was unhappy with the job I'd done.

No hatchet job here. Just good solid editing. I think some writers might see a good editor's changes as a personal attack, an affront to their "perfect" prose. Those writers need to get over themselves.

EditorBFG said:
So, let me thank you back for giving me such a great story to read. I was bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of it, so much so that I have (mostly) forgiven you for killing my favorite character...

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Don't worry, I don't think we've seen the last of our feathered friend.

EditorBFG said:
(As an aside, I am proud to see a fellow Central Valley boy doing such great work, as I see you live in Modesto. I've spent a lot of time in Modesto, working at the Prospect Theater on Scenic. I lived in Manteca almost continuously from age 11 to 28, so if you've lived there more than a couple of years, we were practically neighbors!)

Yup, born and raised in cow town USA.

BD