Thinking About the Calendar

I actually forgot that the months I created were in alphabetical order. I find that even if I did create a system of rotation for name design, there would be no obvious way to tell the ordering. It is also impossible to create a perfect system since twenty two can only be divided evenly by two. I could not create the system I want with 22 months, but I have already determined that there needs to be 22 months. So I might as well leave things the way that they are now instead of burdening the reader and myself.

The Dream Dweller Archive and Other Updates

I figure I should resurrect this blog simply to mention a few important details.

1. At last, the fourth book of the Epic of Old series has been completed. Each work has been longer than the last, and this is no exception. Anyone wishing to get absorbed into this world of mine should have no trouble after this next installment. You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVXTRPA

2. The previous three books have been updated as well. The covers have seen a seen a relatively big change. Occasional typos have been corrected, and the Appendices section of the third book has received a major update. Mainly, some of the content was removed and added to the next book while the calendar and dating system has been overhauled. Besides mentioning the lengths of the year, there are actual months now that follow a set pattern. I may update the names of the months so that the naming system makes better sense. The ending of each month followed a pattern, but the beginning was left up to me. If this gets changed, there will also be a rotating set of beginnings that work with the endings. I realize that such a change should have been implemented before the new stuff was published, but this is likely to improve the work overall.

3. Work on the next book has already been started. Originally, the contents of the current fourth book were either going to serve as the first half of the story or be sprinkled throughout as the information became relevant. However, the content of that section grew so much that it was best to separate it entirely. This means that I have a jump-start with the next book. The current material is 14 pages, and it is pretty well organized into an outline. One of the chapters is already halfway done. Part Five is currently titled "Plight of the Gods". 

4. The book cover for Part Four has the created map in its black and white version, but this does not mean the map is actually complete. What I am doing is slowly converting the picture into an Excel version that will become incredibly easy to edit. It should improve future efficiency, but the time it takes is so long that it may not be worth it. Honestly, I should have worked in Excel from the start. The map has received enough updates as to look quite different to the one previously shared on the blog, so I will eventually share it once I am done. 

My Introvertedness

I have always considered myself shy and introverted (the shyness a fear of judgement, the introversion my loner attitude), yet I never quite realized how much introversion played a role in my life. I thought it had more to do with my social situation than my tendency to get lost in my own thoughts. I'm not anti-social, but my social requirements are clearly different from the average person. I came to understand myself a bit more after reading the article from http://www.carlkingdom.com/10-myths-about-introverts. It pretty much summarizes information from one of Marti Laney's books, "The Introvert Advantage". I'm thinking of reading the book myself after I finish my current book. It should help me understand (at least scientifically) why I have always acted the way I do. I could be sensitive to dopamine.

Update

I was successful at creating the globe, but there were some issues. I cannot freely move it, it is always stationary in the program. I can change the perspective, but it will always remain a picture (I really want one that revolves. The big issue that I became painfully aware of is that my map needs to be a rectangle instead of a square. I need to greatly increase the polar ice caps and then trim the top and bottom of the map. I will post an updated map and the globe version once it's complete.

The Complete Map

The 8-bit masterpiece is complete. Now I can mess with the presentation in Photoshop and attempt to make a globe in Adobe Illustrator. Hope it all works out.

The Power of Photography

I was at the Duke Gardens yesterday and took several photos. I'm only average at photography, but managed to get a few great shots in my opinion. First we have a photogenic duck.

 Next we have a squirrel patching up its roof of leaves.

This is my final favorite, a picture of the lake with a Japanese bridge in the background.

New Map Update

Still under construction. The shape of the last continent is mostly done, although I'm not entirely happy with it yet. The last step is to work on water depth and decide if there should be any more islands.