So… I play a lot of Magic: The Gathering.
Gamers gonna game
I read about it. I watch other people play it. I paint art for it. I walk into parked cars and signposts because I’m preoccupied thinking about it.
It’s far to say that Magic consumes a decent percentage of my available mind share.
I also write.
Writers gonna write
I write for my day job. I write non-fiction work on contract. I torment unsuspecting and fictional characters in imagined worlds in the evening when my wife and kids are responsibly asleep. Usually, if I’m doing something work-related and it isn’t writing, I’d much rather be writing.
I don’t know why, but I’ve always shied away from writing about Magic. I don’t really have a good reason why that’s the case, but I’ve always kept a barrier between those two passions.
If I had to come up with a reason, perhaps it’s because writing about Magic seems like a luxurious way to spend writing time. Fiction is such a demanding taskmaster and the barrier of entry for publication is incredibly high. Maybe I’ve felt like taking time away from writing novels cheapens or threatens my interest in genre fiction.
Whatever…
It’s time to cross the streams
I’m over that. Fiction will always be my passion, and I’ll continue to create fantastical worlds while reasonable human beings are tucked in bed, asleep. But, I’m doin’ it, folks. I’m mixing my chocolate with my peanut butter. I’m having my cake and mixing my metaphors.
I’ve taken a long-standing idea for a column on Magic: The Gathering community building and education and drafted a couple articles. I’m going to shop them around to DailyMTG and some of the larger content producers to see if there’s a market for that type of content. Or, for that matter, an interest in me writing on some other aspect of the best game ever made.
Cross your fingers, and I’ll let you know how it goes.
