DreamClash Studios

New Home!

2011-09-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

Hello all!

Amanda and I have been working diligently to create a new home for Re:Medy and now it's here!

Yes, that's right. Get excited! We'll be releasing promo images and updates via that blog. So please subscribe to stay up to date with all the latest info!

See you all there!

Musetasticly,
Lyndsay

Musing and Music

2011-07-08T19:31:00.012-04:00

I had a conversation with Amanda (DreamClash artist extraordinaire) the other day about how when we have all the spare time in the world it seems as if the creativity just refuses to flow. It then (of course) reaches the point where to continue would be an effort of futility, and yet to raise the white flag of surrender to your own brain is humiliating. So I sit and stare at the blank page for some odd hours before finally succumbing to YouTube, Wikipedia, or some other odd means of wasting hours of time.

I’ve had my writing time very limited as of late (as many of you have relentlessly complained about *cough cough*), and it has been hard on the ol’ muse because –as many of you writers know- muses are finicky creatures. The more time I have to write, the less inclined it seems to cooperate, and now that I have assigned “work” days the Muse has decided to pool with creativity on the days that I’m away from my computer. I think, honestly, it thinks the whole thing is a game of hide and seek.

Hateful creature.

I have learned a trick however, to coaxing the muse’s cooperation. New music. It’s almost like vacationing in a new location. I have my favorite composers, but after a while of Hans Zimmer on repeat the music can get repetitive really quickly. I've recently taken to polling friends of mine for new composers or soundtracks and I’ve found some real gems. “The Secret of Kells” is one such treasure. I have spent many hours now using its melodies to inspire some interesting situations. (One that is included in RE:medy’s issue 11.)

Speaking of RE:medy, some exciting updates are coming for you guys soon! *cough* Teasers! *cough* You won’t want to miss what Amanda and I have cooking up, so hang tight.

Also, if any of you have music ideas that might tempt the muse, send them on! (I could seriously use it.)

Muted Muse,

Lyndsay

Re:medy’s Catalytic Character

2011-04-11T17:09:00.005-04:00

(I dedicate this to a crazy professor…he knows who he is…)

After an extended hiatus for reasons I will not bore you with, I am back. A little house keeping I think is in order:

· DreamClash Games is still in pre-production

· I’ve been editing my current independent “project” so that is coming along nicely.

· Our artist Carmanda is having an art show in the next week- hurray!

· I should note that every member of our staff has been extremely slammed with unforeseen and unavoidable work that has impeded our abilities to stay on our so carefully constructed schedule…but nevertheless we push forward.

· Now on to what you’re actually here to read…

The waters are calm.

Our world is in a state of equilibrium. But equilibrium is boring. Practicality is–*SCREEEECH * THUD * ……………………….

Velcome!

My name eess Professor Aubert Vundermindt. Yoo can call me vutever you vant! I am heer to tell yoo a leetle about myself! Zee author doesn’t alvays leesten to vut I say so I sought I would let her seet down for a vile. *grins*

So please seet down and make yourself settled.

Zere ees a verry important matter I haf needs to deescuss vith you all. Meez Leendsay seems to have meesplaced her muse zees past veeks, and I and my aseestants are at a loss as to vut to do! She has argued vith mee personally on many occasions zat she ees too busy to help me vith creating zee perfect potion and I haf about reached my leemit! Zere iss no time to vaste!

So eef you vould all please pester Meez Leendsay and zee crazy arteest lady every chance yoo geet I vould kindly sank yoo. Now, onto other sings-ACK!

*CLANK * SCUUUUD * Zzzzz *

I think the above post is self-explanatory for the types of characters I’m dealing with here….

In all seriousness, the Professor is the most erratic and unpredictable character I have ever written or had dealings with. I cannot count the times I have found myself in the middle of a scene and he will come bounding out from nowhere to throw a wrench into all of my carefully crafted dialogue and plot. If it wasn’t so amusing I would be angry with the little fellow…but everything he does has a way of just becoming endearing….

As he mentioned above the muse and I have been at odds for the past weeks (for whatever reason) so my writing has been less than desirable. I think it has to do with lack of sleep and good music…and I miss my artist…

“M”use “I”s “A”way

Lyndsay

Next time: Musing and Music

The Why

2011-03-09T11:53:00.005-05:00

I was sitting in my car on an eight hour road trip with my brother in the passenger seat. We were headed back from a relaxing family vacation at the beach, but I was tormented mentally by this dream I had one night while there. I was in the middle of writing the rough draft for the third book of a trilogy I had been working on for two years, but I could not shake this new storyline that had landed in my lap so gracefully. I had managed to outline (essentially) the whole book, from where it would begin, to where it would end, as well as how I would format it!

.…the only problem?

I turned to my brother and exclaimed in complete frustration, “I just need to know the WHY!? You know?” *Needless to recount, his face was one of mild shock and confusion.*

(This is not what you would call an accurate depiction of my brother -->)

Herein lays one of the most foundational truths of any story. There must be something that happens, or that was said that makes someone, anyone within the universe have an emotional/physical/ directional change. Another word for it would be “catalyst.” Every story has a catalyst that takes characters that were always headed in one direction and makes them do a u-turn. Then what happens? The main character meets others who are then changed/ influenced by him/her, and it becomes this string of alteration that begins to perpetuate the universe (or simply the universe of the main character).

So, why am I harping on this? Because the heart of RE:medy is why our characters take their journey. Why many of them leave (willing or not) their homes and face all sorts of crazy misadventures. Why they find themselves thrown together with people they don’t particularly care for. It’s the Why’s of this universe that carry the story and characters on their journey, and don’t get me wrong, sometimes the why changes. *smirk*

However, next week I intend to introduce you to the most foundational- albeit manic and slightly unbalanced- why of the RE:medy universe. The primary catalyst that spurs an unanticipated journey…

Why Muse? Why?

Lyndsay

Next week: Meet RE:medy’s most idiosyncratic character.

A Unique Universe

2011-03-02T15:16:00.007-05:00

Author’s note: Yes, I realize my blog post is late, and while I wish that I could claim it was because I had some unbelievable literary breakthrough…it was simply because I was in the studio all day and away from my computer. Anti-climactic I know. On the upside however, Carmanda is getting some legit work done and I wrote ten pages this week.

Once upon a time there was a planet. A non-descript unformed planet suspended indefinitely somewhere in space- but not necessarily a space that we’re familiar with. In fact, this space doesn’t even have to exist within the real world. So now we have our non-descript planet, suspended in an unexplained universe and where does that get us? No where…yet.

So what do we do? We lay out our maps and format the land. We create mountain ranges and valleys. Oceans, rivers, and lakes. For good measure, we sprinkle on some islands and throw in a desert. We set boundary lines between regions. Assemble continents and arrange our lines of latitude and longitude.

Once we’ve settled on our planet’s topography, we set up a time line and we sort through the logs of this unknown world’s history. We assemble people groups and give them names. Create conflicts and set up governments. We sort through endless hours of storyline and drama that readers will never know of or care about. But why?

Because at center of it all, the world matters. The history matters. The lore matters. Not because the reader needs to know it, but because the author needs to know it. The universe of a story is what GROUNDS us. Keeps us centered and helps us answer the questions and dilemmas our characters put us in. (And trust me, they are constantly creating situations of frustration.)

However, don’t make the mistake of spending too much time on your world. In fact, the creation of the universe (for me) is often a direct result of some situation or conflict I have encountered along with my characters. Those moments in the creation of the world is where a lot of the magic happens…and it makes the world come ALIVE.

The universe of RE:medy is one such universe. It has history, it has lore, and it has life. But at the center of it all what really makes a universe unique and worth visiting is the WHY. Don’t understand what I mean? Tune in next week….

Muse frequently,

Lyndsay

BONUS: Wanna make your own planet using Adobe Photoshop 7? Check out Greg Martin’s tutorial!

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html

Next on cue: “The Why”

P.S. (The below image represents my state of mind this past week...)

Enter Estrogen

2011-02-21T15:24:00.003-05:00

When we last left Lyndsay she was sitting in the middle of her floor (having hung up the phone with James) with naught but a mere “lame” working title, pondering how to make five guys with physical, emotional, and relational issues an enjoyable cast….

To be perfectly frank, my only thought as I got off the telephone was, “That’s a WHOLE lot of testosterone….” And after maybe two or three issues of masculine, macho-filled drama the characters would have already killed one another and there you reach the end of the story. So as I considered the comedic possibilities these characters presented, I came to the almost immediate conclusion that in a story comprised mainly of men (each with their own personal vendettas and issues) you must have the obligatory, unsuspecting female who has her life so upended and her worldview completely skewed that she is left nearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown…

Meet Avrey Bridgestone. She’s the little touch of boring that brings sanity into our otherwise chaotic party- however unwilling…. We’ve all known an “Avrey” at some point or another. Generally uptight, self-motivated, and not just a little tunnel-visioned, she’s “that person” that is going to do something monumental with their lives. You know, the overachieving little brownnoser that sits in the front of the classroom and always raises their hand with the right answer? Works four part-time jobs and yet somehow still manages to pull straight A’s and run a club or two on the side? Yea, that person!

(If the above sounds frighteningly familiar- fear not- you are in good company as I most undoubtedly exhibit Avrey tendencies- just ask James)

Avrey represents that person in our lives we either love to hate for their accomplishments, or just feel plain sorry for because of what we know they are missing. And while Avrey Bridgstone’s flaws are taken to an extreme, (because otherwise where’s the comedy?) she provides just the right dose of practical energy to keep our cast from spinning into oblivion. And oh the oblivion into which they could spin….

Gathering up her strength of character and wit, Lyndsay at last stood from where she sat and strode to her computer with confidence to begin to immortalize the tale of six unlikely companions as they ventured out across the world of: Ecclasia.

Muse Confidently,

Lyndsay

Coming soon to a blog near you… “A Unique Universe.”

Tenacity...

2011-02-18T08:41:00.007-05:00

DreamClash is a company comprised of individuals with dreams and the will to make there dreams a reality. At times, when it seems like the universe is against you, it may be hard to keep your sights on the horizon; pursuing the big picture. Today was one of those times. However, no matter how dim it may seem, you always have to press on and be as tenacious as you can. Only through perseverance and hard work can we achieve our goals!

Coming home from work today, I had intended to begin working on my blog post and researching more game development topics so our current project will be the awesome experience we are all working toward. The following is a little play-by-play of my first hour after returning home:

Nothing good to eat so I make pasta (accidentally making 5 servings worth – thanks gravity)

Go to get a couple Sodas from the vending machine and only have enough money for 1 (5 cents short)

Walk toward my office to begin work when my cat attack causing me to drop my single drink on the floor causing several bad things to happen:
Stain carpet
Splatter laptop
Literally scare the crap out of my cat by screaming

Begin to clean carpet as my cat tracks crap everywhere

…you get the idea. Several more things happened that I will not mention here due to personal pride and legal concerns…

HOWEVER, this just goes to show you all what we are up against! But have no fear, we shall press onward toward our goals of game-making in order to make your world a more entertaining place.

-Jon

Artist Introduction or How Being Covered in Fake Blood and Sand Got Me Involved With Dreamclash

2011-02-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not very good at introductions (I typically jump in and hope people can figure me out as we go along), but I hear the formula begins with a name and brief descriptor. So I'm Amanda Carman, known more typically as Carman or Carmanda, and I've signed on to do the art for Re:medy. The story of how this happened is marked, like a lot of weird happenings in my life, by an uncanny amount of serendipity.

Not like this.

The short version of the story is that I was performing in a play I'd never auditioned for because one of the actors had to take medical leave from school, and I was the only person vaguely associated with the theatre who could step in last minute and creep around a stage covered in blood. Lyndsay came to see the show one day, and as we were hanging out backstage she overheard me talking to a friend about my graphic novel course. She jumped in and our conversation progressed something like this:

Lyndsay: Hey, did you say graphic novel? I'm writing a graphic novel! We need an artist though.

Carman: Really? An artist? I'm one of those! I art... things!

And then we bounced around for a while and spoke really rapidly about how much fun it would be to work together. She sent me the story, I bounced around and conveyed my excitement to her, we both talked excitedly, I did sketches for James, and then I joined the team in official capacity.

So here I am, still bouncing excitedly as I work with Lyndsay to develop a font and lay out the pages and draw the pictures. Eventually we may even post some, so watch for that.