u/well-oiled_machine

I haven't gotten into an online multiplayer shooter since MW2 (2009). Should I just buy the latest COD or has the franchise moved on from its roots?

I've never played an extraction shooter but is that closer to what I'm looking for?

I really liked jumping into games of team deathmatch, sabotage, and search & destroy then adjusting loadouts in-between games.

Just an older gentleman with a question.

While visiting my brother and his family, I received a phone call that my phone said was from my brother but he didn't pick up. The voice on the other end definitely reminded me of my six year-old niece trying to sound like an adult but it couldn't've been her. The call:

Me: Hello?

Not My Niece: Hello, this is the Marines. We need you back in the Marines.

Me: Oh my God. This is serious. Who is this?

Not My Niece: Uh, this is Mr. Faculty. I'm in charge of the Marines.

(This is when I knew the phone call was legit. When Mr. Faculty calls, you answer.)

Me: Oh, understood Sir. Which base do I report to?

Mr. Faculty: (whispers to Not My Brother) Uh, Pendleton. Goodbye.

At this point I was in a panic. I'm middle aged and gave up cardio years ago and now I have to dig out my uniforms. This was when my niece ran down stairs to ask me if I had heard any news recently. (What a coincidence!) I told her the news but she seemed pretty chill about it. If any old uncles are reading this, drop the weight and start running again because Mr. Faculty might come calling.

-Write first drafts with the speed and confidence of Mr. Hyde. Edit and polish those drafts meticulously like Dr. Jekyll.

-Stories are about sympathetic characters encountering complications that change their lives.

-Avoid ending paragraphs with the word said or any other attribution. It is a weak ending to a paragraph. Sometimes just making sure the last word in a paragraph has a hard consonant sound is enough to end well.

-Avoid automated modifiers such as troubled teen or angry mob. If you find these in your writing, use it as an excuse to write something fresh. What is a fun way of describing a troubled teen without using the phrase troubled teen.

-Avoid using metaphors or similes in every paragraph. (He recommends using one for every three paragraphs on average.)

-Keep character and scenery descriptions to around three details.

-Character's thoughts and words are affected by their upbringing, intelligence, education and standing in life. Take these into account in order to have your characters be identifiable through diction alone.

-The verb to be and sensing verbs can lead to weak writing. For example: The dawn was beautiful. / He appeared stunned.

-Rhythm and cadence can be powerful tools in writing. These are the times that try men's souls. The previous sentence's use of repeated t sounds and ending on s sounds makes it pleasurable to read.

-Editing / Polishing Pass: Read your writing out loud and trust your ear to hear awkward passages that need work.

-Editing / Polishing Pass: Look for repeated words. (Overuse of words leads to boredom like visiting a zoo that only has squirrels.)

-Editing / Polishing Pass: Look out for clichés in order to destroy them. (Don't write about drops in buckets or ever cut to the chase.)

-You can think of readers as hikers who are not sure where the trail will lead them or if they want to keep going at all. So drop goodies for them as they hike to encourage them to continue.

-If you want the reader to become emotional, then write something that makes you emotional.

-Endings can make or break the whole thing. It is the last thing readers remember.

-Endings are often over written. As an exercise, delete the last line or two that you wrote to see if it makes the ending better.

-You can't build a career in writing if you don't write in a disciplined way.