Weekly Update - May 31, 2024

Another long post.....

Novel

Going good.

Needa

Overall, a lot of progress, more than draft 1 of TNOM.....It has more money making potential, so I focused on needa.

I needa money.

Will pause needa until I get a little better at leetcode.

This is what I have so far...the ticks are not 100% accurate, but it is enough for our collective faces:

I think Amma liked it, but I suspect some level of politeness, and courtesy.

Short Story

A sci-fi short story I wrote got rejected from a reputable magazine, this week.

One thing I like about rejections from magazines / reputable editors, is that there is a lot of feedback in the rejection itself....It's easier to think I am wrong, than they are.

Some editors are open about the idea that a rejection could mean that the story doesn't fit the business needs of the magazine.

This makes sense to me, but also clouds the criticism I can get from a rejection.....Was I rejected because the story was bad, or it's not good for their business?

Knowing I am #1, however, calls for an action which is very important, something only a number one, like me, can think of.....

I am proud to say, I will submit more stories.

Since I am #1, and the world doesn't agree, most of the work is writing until everyone is on the same page.....in the same book.

My book.

Resources for Writers

I found this website that seemed like an interesting concept...I didn't research it, nor am I using it, but I wanted to include a link in case subscribers haven't heard of it.

I can't vouch for it, since it's a different company. I include it since by reading my work, students should be getting a good idea of what I stand for, and what I don't....So in that sense, passing on resources I don't use myself will help readers re-orient their self teaching.

Link here: https://www.campfirewriting.com/worldbuilding-tools

Nonsense

I got an official FIDE profile going for online chess.

I think paying for a profile means winning games helps my overall FIDE rating go up, but I am not sure.

I have gotten pretty good, and I am trying to see if I can reach grandmaster level if I play patiently, but consistently.

For those curious, the definition is pretty complex. Following is from wikipedia.

Grandmaster (GM) 
The title Grandmaster is awarded to outstanding chess players by FIDE.

Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. In chess literature it is usually abbreviated to GM.

The abbreviation IGM for "International Grandmaster" is occasionally seen, usually in older literature.

The usual way to obtain the title is to achieve three Grandmaster-level performances (called norms), along with a FIDE rating of 2500 or more.

The precise definition of a GM norm is complex and has frequently been amended, but in general a grandmaster norm is defined as a performance rating of at least 2600 over 9 or more rounds.

In addition, the field must have an average rating of at least 2380, must include at least three grandmasters, and must include players from a mix of national federations.

Given my skill online, I can stay pretty comfortably at 1000 rating.

Here is the #1's profile, for comparison.

Here is me:

Coming back to being a GM, it's just something to see if my efforts since November, 2023 can pay off over time.

Playing chess has taught me a lot about game theory in action, and a lot of effort went into me learning chess.

My father taught me to play it when I showed interest, and Amma must have been relieved that I was very interested in doing something productive without any prodding...

She must have breathed a bit easier, since she can take a break once in a while and still be a "good" mother, since the time I spent playing chess gave me growth while she can focus on other things.

I struggled a lot in tournaments against players, even in my age group.

At first it was because I wasn't sure what to do when my opponent didn't follow the opening I memorized.

Once a deviation occurred, I had no idea what to do...I think my mid game suffered a lot, followed by basic end game tactics every student knew.

I also used to frustrate my tutor by moving all pawns, one at a time, in serial order.....By doing that I would lose a lot of tempo, while my tutor would advance his knights.

Unfortunately, leading an army is not the same in real life medieval life, as in chess.....

Now, I am playing some what logically, and very creatively.