Perhaps the Amish are onto something?

Written By Blake Polden

I’ve been so deep in the outlining of The Strangest Criminals 2 that I feel as if whole weeks are blinking by. Messages go unanswered. Emails unchecked. Meals uneaten. I think sometimes I allow myself to be consumed by my work, and it’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have found that thing in my life. People have been consumed by worse things. (Crocodiles and cocaine, to name a few) And there are notecards everywhere, tacked onto windows and walls. Sticky notes with question marks and a nonsensical CAR CHASE?? BUT WITH A DETOUR TO MCDONALD’S? in a story that, as of yet, has no car chases.

I try to keep myself off of the internet as much as possible. These days it just leaves me feeling a low-level sense of dread. The world is burning (isn’t it always?), and there’s a flood of AI this and AI that, and it makes me want to throw my phone out the window and take on a technology-free luddite approach to the world. Perhaps the Amish are onto something? But then I enjoy watching YouTube as I eat too much, and social media is detrimental to my livelihood. (Try not to roll your eyes at that, please) All that’s to say, I’ve been thinking more and more of late that I’d like to have my own little spot. It’s not quite the mythical white guy with a podcast dream, but I suppose it’s close enough. (You can roll your eyes at that.)

So, here it is: my little spot on the internet.

Maybe people will join me and maybe they won’t. Either way, I’m not too fussed. Maybe I’ll get real lucky and adopt a few weirdos, and we can discuss Dungeon Crawler Carl (have you read it? it’s very good!) or the merits of the TV show The Bear together. I dunno, that sounds kind of nice to me? (Seriously though, I really like the TV show The Bear — it’s got good character growth, is unafraid to sit with the quieter moments, and is equally unafraid to embrace chaos).

I’ll unashamedly be keeping a record of my work here. (Using too many parentheses) (I enjoy them; they’re good fun!) Because I think, now more than ever, it’s never been more important to document the process, to show the human behind the work.

Here’s my official update:

  • Currently reading: Dungeon Crawler Carl 3

  • Currently (re)watching: The Bear, Season 1

  • Currently writing: The Strangest Criminals 2 (outlining like mad, so close to the end I can almost taste it!)

  • Currently avoiding: running (as a form of exercise) and Sunnywood 2 line edits

  • Currently listening to:

    • Audiobook: There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (really enjoying it)

    • Music: Save It For Later by The Beat

    • Music: RUNNIN OUTTA TIME by Genesis Owusu

  • Currently looking forward to:

    • a new season of Taskmaster (the one with little Alex Horne)

    • The End of Oak Street (film)

    • New season of The Diplomat (love me a political drama)

    • Natasha Pulley’s new novel The Salt King

I think that’s where I’ll leave it for now. I’ll try and do this maybe once or twice a month, maybe more, maybe less.

Who’s to say?

Much love,

Blake. x

Blake Polden
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things i can do, that ai cannot.