Author: Meaghan Colleran

So What’s Been Up These Last Six (?!) Years?

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I think it would be hard to restart this page without acknowledging how very, very long it’s been since I last updated. It’s been an “I’ve had two kids and moved twice – once cross country” – sort of long.

So let’s catch up.

First of all, I’m a parent now. I won’t talk a lot about my kids in detail or post pictures for the sake of privacy. But I had my first mini-me in 2021 – I call her The Lime on the internet. The second in 2023 – we’ll call him Bingo.

Bingo was born hard of hearing, so we’ve all spent the last two-and-a-half ish years learning ASL and about the deaf community. It’s been great; I love ASL and everyone should learn at least a little.

We moved from Austin to another part of Austin sometime in 2020. And then in late 2021 we moved up to Salem, MA. This infamous little spooky witch city is very fun spot with small-New-England-town vibes 10 months out of the year. Unfortunatly, the other two months it’s one of Dante’s secret, unwritten levels of hell that only people who live in tourist towns really understand.

And being that it’s late September now, we are deep in it.

I can talk more about Salem, what it’s like, where to go, and when to visit at another time, though.

And, I’ve gotten back into running! I used to run way back in 2012. But that ended when I was hit by a car as a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

One compound fracture and a bunch of surgery later, I thought running would always be too painful. But yesterday I ran my fastest 10K time ever, and in April my best friend and I are signed up for a runDisney 10 miler!

Is my time impressive? No. But I did it and I’m proud.

And I think that’s a pretty good cliff-notes rundown of what I’ve been up to for the last few years.

Oh, and I caught up on all 1179 episodes of One Piece.

Where To Go From Here

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Guess who doesn’t work at Bell of Lost Souls anymore!

I’m making it sound dramatic when it isn’t at all. AI is throttling writing and TTRPG industries and that’s forcing some cuts. It’s a huge issue across tons of industries and I honestly have nothing nice to say about people who use AI instead of being creative or using any of the critical thinking skills that they probably once had.

But as of today BoLS and I have parted on good terms and as friends with promises of good references and possible work in the future if circumstances change, and I truly hope they see nothing but success in the future. I worked with BoLS for nearly seven years, and it was easily one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling jobs of my life.

So where am I going from here?

Well, BoLS was in no way my main source of income. I have a full time job, as does my husband, so we’ll be okay. BoLS was the job I lovingly referred to as my “trash cash.” It was how I made a little extra for fun things or to pay down car loans faster. Yes. I’m looking for another writing job, but there’s no scramble or urgency.

My goal right now is to apply for one freelance or part-time writing job per day. Anything where I can talk about nerd culture or movies or Disney or anime; things that I’m passionate and knowledgeable about. And while I’m doing that I’ll try to update here semi-regularly. Maybe with journaling, maybe with movie or TV show reviews, maybe just with my thoughts on a piece of media. It could work double-duty as an outlet for my thoughts, and a place to store potential writing samples.

And of course, I have a few book ideas that I’ve either never gotten off of the ground, or written entirely and never got around to editing. I could – and should – work on those as well.

So, if you’re looking for a freelance or part-time writer, I’d love to hear from you. Or, if you want to book a Disney vacation, I’m also a specialized travel agent. I do a lot of things; I’ll be okay.

Weekly Article Roundup

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3/3/2020 – Monster Spotlight: Merfolk

I broke down the evolution of Merfolk in D&D through the years. Did you know that they were specifically “Mermen” for a few editions despite having art featuring a mermaid? How about that they were just completely cut out of 4E?

 

3/4/2020 – RPG Accessories: Dice Tower

Ok look. I know not everybody likes or uses dice towers. That’s cool. But do yourself a favor and check out the article just to take a peek at the dice tower in the shape of  Barad-dûr / Sauron’s Tower. I’m a casual LotR fan at most, and I still sort of want that one.

 

3/5/2020 – What’s New on DM’s Guild and DriveThru RPG

New games and modules! Want to be a Power Ranger? You can be!

 

3/6/2020 – How to Make Harley Quinn as a playable D&D Character

I love making D&D characters based on fictional characters who I already know and love. Sometimes I use them, others it’s just a fun little exercise to take up some time. To get hyped for Birds of Prey this weekend I made Harley for D&D. She’s not perfect, but she’s doing her best.

 

3/7/2020 – RPG Spotlight: Call of Cthulhu

I really enjoy playing Call of Cthulhu. It’s a game with a rich, complex history and lots of weird details that deserve discussion. I was only able to touch on some of them, but suffice to say it’s a game well worth thinking about and playing.

Navigating Self-Kindness Through Depression

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As promised, I’ve been making extra efforts to be kinder to and more supportive of myself. I remind myself regularly that what I do and what I make are good and have value. I’m critical of myself where self reflection and criticism are necessary, but I make every effort to not speak to myself like a middle school bully.

It’s difficult. I have years and years worth of practice being mean to myself and none showing kindness. It’s especially difficult when my brain chimes in and tells me for whatever reason to just not be happy.

This happens more often than you might think – I’ll be perfectly carefree and contented and then out of nowhere my brain will shut the party down; all I’ll be able to focus on is social interactions I’ve mishandled or things I’m discontent with.

My brand of depression is relatively mild compared to a lot of other people; I can usually sleep it off or chat it out with a good friend or my husband and be okay… This also comes after a bunch of therapy and fair amount of self-reflection. Regardless, I wouldn’t say that my depression is severe.

Still, it’s all the more difficult to remember to be kind to myself when sometimes it feels like even my own mind wants me to be cruel.

I’ve been countering this by leaning into it. Telling myself that it’s okay to feel crummy, it’s even okay to feel crummy for no reason at all. It happens to a lot of people and it’s no reason to let yourself become mean. If it’s not alright for others to lash out at me when they’re in a bad place, it’s definitely not alright for me to do it to myself.

It’s not easy and if I’m being very honest it feels counter intuitive sometimes, but I’m doing my best and that’s not nothing.

Weekly Article Roundup!

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I’ve had a busy couple of weeks. Two weekends ago I was at PAX South working at the IntiCreates booth. Last weekend a friend came to visit. In the days between I’ve been working a job and a half… and playing a ton of Gunvolt.

But I did write a bunch of articles for BoLS! I think I’m up to 15 total now. This week I got paid to write about Sailor Moon! That’s a dream come true!

Anyway, I want to check in here with my writing progress more often, so I’m gong to do weekly article round-ups and send you back to the home planet if you want to check in on what I’ve been working on.

Here’s the first:

Monday 1/27/2020
Monster Spotlight: Don’t Be So Golem
I went through my five favorite wacky golems through the D&D editions! And there are some especially weird ones. I’ll definitely be coming back for another round of even weirder golems

Tuesday 1/28/2020
RPG: Five Dice Trays to Protect Your Tabletop
My weekly excuse to go window shopping!

Wednesday 1/29/2020
What’s New This Week on Dungeon Master’s Guild & DriveThru RPG
I check out what’s new on DMG and THRPG so you don’t have to.

Thursday 1/30/2020
D&D: 5 Rogue Archetypes as Fictional Characters
Spoiler alert, I put Scrooge McDuck on this list because it’s my list and I’ll reference DuckTales if I want to!

Friday 1/31/2020
RPG Spotlight: Sailor Moon
Honestly, this is it. I’ve peaked.

 

I’ll have more regular updates as I get better about editing my book and writing creatively regularly again. February is going to going to be a busy, more scheduled, more organized month.

First Day of Work

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This week I started my new job.

I have a day job, of course. I work in medical billing for a company that I believe in and care about deeply and for people who I am lucky to consider my personal friends. I have a really good job, but my heart has always been in writing.

So imagine my absolute delight when I received an email regarding a writing job I had applied for months ago.

The position was right in my wheelhouse, writing about tabletop RPGs, not far from my house, and they were looking for somebody to fill a part time role. It was perfect for me. I put together a writing sample and with a few minor revision sweeps and a ton of encouragement from my husband and one of my closest friends I threw my name in the ring. And since I only had one recent professional writing sample I wrote up a very tailored cover letter and attached a link to my A03.

You know.

Where my fanfiction lives.

I figured, I’m applying for a nerdy writing job with nerds. Maybe my many thousands of nerdy words will resonate with them.

And then I honestly sort of forgot that I had applied.

I was unemployed for a large portion of my early to mid twenties. I think of us were/are. It’s hard to break into a field whose entry level position requires 3-5 years of experience and even long term temp assignments don’t pique the interest of every person to peruse a pile of resumes. When you spend a long time applying for jobs and hearing back about fifteen to twenty percent of them, you learn to not get your heart too set on any one position. You apply, you move on, you repeat.

So I applied, I was excited for a few days, and then real life covered everything like a blanket again. I have a full time job. I was working on finishing my book. I played D&D and practiced my ukulele and went to the gym and had family visit for the first time since we moved down here a year ago.

And then an email popped up in my inbox asking if I’d be interested in talking about the position.

So I’m very excited to announce that this week I started my new part time position as an RPG writer for Bell of Lost Souls. Wish me luck.

Also, I got myself a present to celebrate.

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Right now it’s full of Gemini City cards. Writing business cards in the future? Maybe!

What I’m Taking Into 2020 and, More Importantly, What I’ll Be Leaving In 2019

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Almost everyone can agree, 2019 was the sort of year that felt five or six years long. We know the math doesn’t add up. We ran the numbers and it was your standard 365 day long year, but every week felt like an eternity. So much happened. The news cycle has been nonstop. At some point the world caught fire and I’m pretty sure it never went out.

So it’s weird that looking back on the last year for me also feels like remembering a single blink, a million little things crammed into one moment that’s already gone. I made friends in the last year, lost friends, I finished draft one of a novel, took some time to look back at a NaNoWriMo project from 2012 (and oh boy is it badly in need of reworking from the ground up), wrote a bunch of fanfiction (one of them was even a commission!) and landed a sweet part-time writing dream job. My husband and I packed up and moved half way across the country, started an AP podcast, and paid off my student loans this year.

This year has been full.

And it’s been a year where I spent a not insignificant amount of time reflecting on who I am and why I do certain things.

Millennial humor is dark. We’ve decided that gallows humor is the most appropriate way to deal with… everything going on in the world. I’m mean to myself (jokingly) constantly. I say things to or about myself that I would never let anybody else say to or about me (not even jokingly). And it gets to me. Slowly. It’s funny or lighthearted at the time, but those nasty little gibes build up like a tower until my own poorly balanced brain chemistry decides it’s time to knock the entire thing down on me.

So it’s time to leave that habit behind.

I’ve started in little ways, replacing go-tos in my vernacular. “I bought this because I’m garbage,” turns into “I bought this because I’m awesome and I deserve it.” “I wrote this thing but I hate it,” is now “I worked hard on this but I know it’s not there yet, can you give me some notes?”

Hell, I’ll even continue hyperbolizing, but it’s going to be done with kindness!* I’m not the worst, I’m a gift to the world. I’m not stupid, I’m a misunderstood genius in my time.

I’m leaving the entire concept of being mean to myself in 2019 where it belongs.

2020 is the year of self confidence.

After all, I’ll need it to get past the first editing sweep of what is definitely the best thing ever written.*

Happy New Year! Be kind. Putting yourself down is so 2019.