Rayne Saikoro's Blog

This is where I discuss novels, video games, game design, and my own work.

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My Divinity: Original Sin module “Lost Isles” is now available on Steam! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=523994027 Two mercenaries find themselves shipwrecked on an island only to discover that they are not alone. Three different groups have already claimed various parts of the island and are at war with one another. As mercenaries, you must choose who to side with and who to destroy. Featuring pirates, humor, and 2-player co-op! 



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Harry Potter Theories: Lily, Harry, and the Half-Blood Prince Some readers interpreted Snape as little more than a creepy stalker when it came to Lily Evans, but a close reading of the text actually suggests that the two shared an exceptionally close friendship. This friendship even challenged the Slytherin nature in Snape - which is to always put oneself first. In The Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn is so impressed with Harry’s potion skills that he exclaims “Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it’s clear you’ve inherited your mother’s talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was!“ Of course, we already know that Harry’s potion is successful only thanks to the instructive notes scribbled in the margins of his second-hand Potions textbook. Later we discover that Snape was the half-blood prince who wrote the instructions in the first place. We also know that Lily and Snape were in the same year. Yet it is Lily’s potion skills that Slughorn remembers, not Snape’s. We also know that Lily was a very outspoken, vibrant young lady, whereas Snape lurked within the shadows, content not to draw attention to himself. Obviously, Snape shared his knowledge with Lily. He not only cared for her as a friend, but also saw her at a disadvantage due to her muggle background. Snape’s natural knack for understanding the mechanics of potion brewing would enable Lily to get off to a good start. The two were best friends in their early years and likely spent a lot of time together. Snape no doubt helped Lily between classes - much like the exceptional Hermione Granger helps Harry and Ron. Someone might argue that it could have been Lily who taught Snape, but that is unlikely since Snape also invented dark spells in the margins of the textbook. Lily did not seem the type to invent spells “for enemies” like the sectumsempra spell that nearly killed Draco. Thus it is Snape who displayed the clever genius for invention, not Lily. Naturally, Snape felt concerned in his later years when James began crushing on Lily. How could Snape know if Lily was really on his side when she spent so much time in the Gryffindor common room and in classes that were not shared with Slytherins? No doubt James was poking fun at Snape whenever he could. Snape would understandably fear that Lily would start to agree with James. And so, like Ronald Weasley became unfairly jealous with Hermione due to her relations with Krum, Snape became jealous and paranoid with Lily. No doubt his placement in Slytherin contributed largely to this, as Lily puts him down for hanging out with his “Death-Eater friends”. But on the other hand, Snape shared a common room with these people and all the same classes. He was bound to be influenced by them somewhat, just as Lily was influenced by Jame’s prejudiced views of the Slytherins over time. Ultimately Snape loses his cool and resorts to calling Lily a “mud-blood” out of sheer jealousy and frustration (again, just as Ron Weasley mocks Hermione in book 6, imitating her raising her hand to answer questions, simply because he is jealous and frustrated). Unfortunately, Snape and Lily never make up. The hatred between Gryffindor and Slytherin is too powerful. Lily marries James and then Harry is born. Harry is described as looking just like his father, except that he has his mother’s green eyes. Interestingly, many people believe that a person’s eyes are the “window to their soul” suggesting that Harry’s personality is actually much closer to Lily’s than James’s. Of course, Snape never sees this. All he sees is a miniature version of James standing before him. And so Snape is never able to like Harry, even though Harry is very much like his mother. He is brave, sometimes reckless, and always protects people when they are being hurt or bullied. Just like Lily. Harry is even appalled by his father’s treatment of Snape when he views Snape’s worst memory in the pensive. In fact, aside from his appearance, the only other thing Harry seems to have inherited from his father is his Quidditch skills. Harry eventually tries to destroy the animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin by (notoriously) naming his son Albus Severus Potter. A truly terrible name, though with noble intentions behind it.

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SquareEnix took a bold step forward releasing a somewhat humorous trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 remake. Why is this significant? Because SquareEnix is making a promise to uphold the playful tone of the original game. For anyone who missed out on the 90s hype, here’s a link to the original commercials: Commercial 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9zzFEdGWk Commercial 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9pF9BJQBLo Commercial 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXHVb1wn8vo You will remember that, despite Final Fantasy 7 having its serious moments, the developers were also having fun with the story as well. The humor in Final Fantasy 7 is part of the reason why most fans loved it so much. The game was bold and fresh, taking dialog and events into uncomfortable regions where video games had never gone before. Many fans - myself included - are, upon hearing news of a remake, as excited as we are concerned. Can SquareEnix pull this off? Will they keep the brazen dialog? Will they keep the hilarious scenes from Don Corneo’s mansion?  Too many remakes and adaptions ignore the original tone of the story/game/ cartoon. M. Night. Shyamalan’s “Last Airbender” adaption was rife with monotony, turning a humorous adventure story into a stoic bore. SquareEnix seems to be aware of how much has changed in the world and game industry since the release of Final Fantasy 7 in 1997. Even the commercial alludes to potential fan concerns as to whether or not the remake will be a success: ”The reunion at hand may bring joy, it may bring fear, but let us embrace whatever it brings. For they are coming back. At last, the promise has been made.” This humorous trailer shows, to me, that SquareEnix intends to uphold the humorous aspects that made Final Fantasy 7 so delightful and unique, lessening my initial trepidation the slightest fraction.

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Adorable. I want one *-*!!!

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Promotion: The Machinist’s Workshop

My short steampunk story, “The Machinist’s Workshop,” is free today! Get your copy now and leave a review if you enjoyed the story! www.amazon.com/Machinists-Workshop-Rayne-Saikoro-ebook/dp/B013RR4WRO

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Publishing an E-Book on Kindle

Below is an e-book publishing guide based on my own experiences and the advice I have received from others. Mind, this is a guide for Kindle. There are loads of other websites out there that I haven’t used yet: Smashwords, GoodReads, etc. If you have any tips or tricks, be sure to contact me! Step 1: Write a good book then edit your narrative until you're happy with it. Formatting Tip: Don’t use tab-spacing in your manuscript. It will not convert properly. Instead, use the Word-default Paragraph Formatting to indent paragraphs. (e-How: http://www.ehow.com/how_4477948_set-first-line-indent-microsoft.html). You should also add a "Page Break" at the end of each chapter.

Step 2: Ask two or three people to read the story and give you honest feedback. Beta readers can be friends, family, fellow writers, or co-workers. Try to find people who excel at giving constructive criticism. They should point out where your writing is strong and, more importantly, where it is weak. If you get your edits back without any negative remarks, chances are that person is not the beta reader you're looking for.

Step 3: Send your freshly edited manuscript to a professional  editor. This is an important step. Editors are trained to find inconsistencies in your text. They will correct your spelling and grammar. They will tell you where to streamline your narrative and where to elaborate upon it. They usually even look into the historical or factual background of your story and make sure the details are correct. Most established writing groups offer professional editing services at reasonable prices.

Step 4: Hire an artist to make the cover art for your novel. Try to find a talented artist, because, while people aren't supposed to judge a book by a cover, they do. Your cover needs to look professional and reflect upon the content within. First impressions are important.

Step 5: Create a Kindle Direct Publishing account (https://kdp.amazon.com/signin). Sign up for an Amazon account on the right-hand side of the webpage using a verified e-mail.

Step 6: Update your account information. A message will appear at the top right side of the webpage when you log onto KDP saying "Your account information is incomplete". Select "Update Now" and input your bank details. You need to do this so Amazon knows where to send your profits. Amazon will ask for some personal information like a credit card number and some less personal information like your bank code, which can be found using a search engine. If you’re under 18 ask a parent for help creating an account.

Step 7: Add a new title on your Bookshelf page. Click the "Bookshelf" link at the top of your screen then click the yellow button called "Add new title". This will open a new screen where you can insert the details of your e-book.

Amazon will give you the option to enroll your book in KDP Select. KDP Select allows you to promote your book for free for 5 days. KDP Select also adds your book to a lending library. If people borrow your book then you receive a share of the monthly profits. However, enrolling in KDP Select also means that your book can only be sold through Amazon (for a period of 3 months). After 3 months, Amazon will automatically enroll your book in KDP Select again. However, you can manually remove your book from KDP Select at any time. When the 3 months are over, you can start publishing your e-book on different websites. I chose to enroll my first e-book in KDP Select for 3 months because I wanted to make use of the free book promotion.

Enter your Book name. Tip: search your desired book title in Amazon and Google and see what comes up. Ideally you want a unique book name so your book title doesn't have to compete with a dozen more popular books that have a similar title.

Enter a Description. This is your book blurb. Make sure the first two sentences catch the reader's attention immediately.  Avoid adding details about yourself. Instead, focus on the content of your book.

Enter your book contributors. Add your name first, under Author. You can also add an illustrator, an editor, and so on. This data will appear beside the Title of your book. ie. Bob Smith (Author), Darth Vader (Illustrator).

Verify your Publishing Rights.

Add Categories. You will be able to select two categories for your book. It will be easier to ascend the ranking ladder if your book appears in a sub-genre. For example, you could simply select "Fiction > Fantasy" but then your book will compete with everything from Robert Jordon to Harry Potter. If you select "Fiction > Fantasy > Steampunk" then you will have less competition.

Upload your book cover. Amazon has a built-in program that allows you to design your own cover. Alternatively, if your artist only sent you an image, you can add your own words, such as the book title and author name.

Select a digital rights management (DRM) option. DRM is supposed to prevent people from stealing and distributing your book but I highly recommend NOT enabling DRM. Firstly, it's really easy for people to remove the DRM code. Secondly, it prevents people from reading your book on non-kindle devices. DRM cannot be removed after you publish your book.

Step 8: Add your book content. For best results, upload in DOC or HTML format.  

Step 9: Set your publishing territories. I imagine you'd want to go with worldwide rights.

Step 10: Choose your royalty (35% or 70%). Generally short stories are priced at $0.99 USD while novels are priced at $2.99 - $5.99 USD. Ideally you want to sell your story somewhere between the $2.99 - $9.99 range to enable the 70% royalty option.

Step 11: Save and Publish. There should be a message  in green font, beside your book title, saying something like LIVE - UPDATING. You won't be able to edit your details or promote your book until the update completes. It usually takes around 5-12 hours for updates to go live. Once your updates are up, you can update your book information (pricing, blurb, contributors, etc) and access the promotions tab (if you published using KDP Select).  Amazon will also e-mail you a URL address to show you where your book is being sold.

Step 12: Market your book. Send a link to friends and family members. Join relevant communities and promote your book. Create hard copies of your book and sell them at conventions. Buy advertising spots on websites. Make a YouTube video to promote your book. Really, the possibilities are endless thanks to the internet.

Check my blog again later for more posts on how to market your book!

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Beautiful cover art for my short story, done my Hector Lujan. Check out his website here: http://www.elsevilla.net/#! Buy a copy of the short story here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RR4WRO The e-book will be free today (Sunday the 16th)! Get your copy now ^-^

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Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings 

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5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters and Stories Even Better

Readers can’t resist turning pages when characters are facing tough choices. Use these 5 keys to weave moral dilemmas into your stories–and watch your fiction climb to new heights.

#1: Give Your Character Dueling Desires

Before our characters can face difficult moral decisions, we need to give them beliefs that matter: The assassin has his own moral code not to harm women or children, the missionary would rather die than renounce his faith, the father would sacrifice everything to pay the ransom to save his daughter.

A character without an attitude, without a spine, without convictions, is one who will be hard for readers to cheer for and easy for them to forget.

So, to create an intriguing character facing meaningful and difficult choices, give her two equally strong convictions that can be placed in opposition to each other.

For example: A woman wants (1) peace in her home and (2) openness between her and her husband. So, when she begins to suspect that he’s cheating on her, she’ll struggle with trying to decide whether or not to confront him about it. If she only wanted peace she could ignore the problem; if she only wanted openness she would bring it up regardless of the results. But her dueling desires won’t allow her such a simple solution.

That creates tension.

And tension drives a story forward.

So, find two things that your character is dedicated to and then make him choose between them. Look for ways to use his two desires to force him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.

For instance, a Mennonite pastor’s daughter is killed by a drunk driver. When the man is released on a technicality, does the minister forgive him (and what would that even look like?) or does he take justice into his own hands? In this case, his (1) pacifist beliefs are in conflict with his (2) desire for justice. What does he do?

Good question.

Good tension.

Good drama.

Another example: Your protagonist believes (1) that cultures should be allowed to define their own subjective moralities, but also (2) that women should be treated with the same dignity and respect as men. She can’t stand the thought of women being oppressed by the cultures of certain countries, but she also feels it’s wrong to impose her values on someone else. When she is transplanted to one of those countries, then, what does she do?

Construct situations in which your character’s equally strong convictions are in opposition to each other, and you will create occasions for thorny moral choices.

#2: Put Your Character’s Convictions to the Test

We don’t usually think of it this way, but in a very real sense, to bribe someone is to pay him to go against his beliefs; to extort someone is to threaten him unless he goes against them.

For example:

How much would you have to pay the vegan animal rights activist to eat a steak (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten her in order to coerce her into doing it (extortion)?

What would it cost to get the loving, dedicated couple to agree never to see each other again (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten them to get them to do so (extortion)?

What would you need to pay the pregnant teenage Catholic girl to convince her to have an abortion (bribery)? What threat could you use to get her to do it (extortion)?

Look for ways to bribe and extort your characters. Don’t be easy on them. As writers we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. As a result we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations.

Guess what?

That’s the exact opposite of what needs to happen in order for our fiction to be compelling.

What’s the worst thing you can think of happening to your character, contextually, within this story? Now, challenge yourself—try to think of something else just as bad, and force your character to decide between the two.

Plumb the depths of your character’s convictions by asking, “How far will s/he go to … ?” and “What would it take for … ?”

(1) How far will Frank go to protect the one he loves?

(2) What would it take for him to stand by and watch the one he loves die when he has the power to save her?

(1) How far will Angie go to find freedom?

(2) What would it take for her to choose to be buried alive?

(1) How far will Detective Rodriguez go to pursue justice?

(2) What would it take for him to commit perjury and send an innocent person to death row?

Ask yourself: What does my character believe in? What priorities does she have? What prejudices does she need to overcome? Then, put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities come to the surface.

#3: Force Your Character into a Corner

Don’t give him an easy out. Don’t give him any wiggle room. Force him to make a choice, to act. He cannot abstain. Take him through the process of dilemma, choice, action and consequence:

(1) Something that matters must be at stake.

(2) There’s no easy solution, no easy way out.

(3) Your character must make a choice. He must act.

(4) That choice deepens the tension and propels the story forward.

(5) The character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions.

If there’s an easy solution there’s no true moral dilemma. Don’t make one of the choices “the lesser of two evils”; after all, if one is lesser, it makes the decision easier.

For example, say you’ve taken the suggestion in the first key above and forced your character to choose between honoring equal obligations. He could be caught between loyalty to two parties, or perhaps be torn between his family obligations and his job responsibilities. Now, raise the stakes—his marriage is at risk and so is his job, but he can’t save them both. What does he do?

The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes that decision carries, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement. To achieve this, ask “What if?” and the questions that naturally follow:

What if she knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him?

What if an attorney finds herself defending someone she knows is guilty? What does she do? What if that person is her best friend?

What if your character has to choose between killing himself or being forced to watch a friend die?

Again, make your character reevaluate his beliefs, question his assumptions and justify his choices. Ask yourself: How is he going to get out of this? What will he have to give up (something precious) or take upon himself (something painful) in the process?

Explore those slippery slopes. Delve into those gray areas. Avoid questions that elicit a yes or no answer, such as: “Is killing the innocent ever justified?” Instead, frame the question in a way that forces you to take things deeper: “When is killing the innocent justified?” Rather than, “Does the end justify the means?” ask, “When does the end justify the means?”

#4: Let the Dilemmas Grow From the Genre

Examine your genre and allow it to influence the choices your character must face. For instance, crime stories naturally lend themselves to exploring issues of justice and injustice: At what point do revenge and justice converge? What does that require of this character? When is preemptive justice really injustice?

Love, romance and relationship stories often deal with themes of faithfulness and betrayal: When is it better to hide the truth than to share it? How far can you shade the truth before it becomes a lie? When do you tell someone a secret that would hurt him? For example, your protagonist, a young bride-to-be, has a one-night stand. She feels terrible because she loves her fiancé, but should she tell him what happened and shatter him—and perhaps lose him—or keep the truth hidden?

Fantasy, myth and science fiction are good venues for exploring issues of consciousness, humanity and morality: How self-aware does something need to be (an animal, a computer, an unborn baby) before it should be afforded the same rights as fully developed humans? At what point does destroying an AI computer become murder? Do we really have free will or are our choices determined by our genetic makeup and environmental cues?

#5: Look the Third Way

You want your readers to be thinking, I have no idea how this is going to play out. And then, when they see where things go, you want them to be satisfied.

There’s a story in the Bible about a time religious leaders caught a woman committing adultery and brought her to Jesus. In those days, in that culture, adultery was an offense that was punishable by death. The men asked Jesus what they should do with this woman. Now, if Jesus had told them to simply let her go free he would have been contravening the law; if, however, he told them to put her to death, he would have undermined his message of “forgiveness and mercy.”

It seemed like a pretty good trap, until he said, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

Nicely done.

I call this finding the Third Way. It’s a solution that’s consistent with the character’s attitude, beliefs and priorities, while also being logical and surprising.

We want the solutions that our heroes come up with to be unexpected and inevitable.

Present yours with a seemingly impossible conundrum.

And then help him find the Third Way out.

I hope this helped! I’ve been really busy today, seeing how my mom had surgery and I’ve been trying to continue writing my novel today as well. I thought I’d squeeze in some more stuff for you guys!

If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to visit my ask box!

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Here’s a screen capture of the island I made for my new game module on Divinity Engine.

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Getting a job in Gaming

Most teenagers seize the opportunity to flip hamburgers or sell cheap jewelry the moment they turn sixteen but I was of a different breed, content to stay at home and absorb myself in the world of game design, playing different genres and fiddling with toolsets while honing my graphic and writing skills on the side. The difference between my peers and I was that they primarily wanted spending money whereas I wanted to hone my skills and talents. Another difference was that I was often told how lazy I was for spending all my time in my room, whereas my friends were praised for being responsible adults.

The sad truth, these days, is that you could be the next Michelangelo painting masterpieces all over the Sistine Chapel ceiling but nobody will give one crap until you're making six figure wages. If you have people like this around you, you need to learn how to tune them out.  Oftentimes, it's when people are on the verge of giving up, after years of struggling, that they finally break through and have some success. Many of these small successes come as hurdles, one after the other. No sooner do I reach one milestone then discover the next.  I knew I wanted a career in writing or game design, only I had no idea how to reach such a goal since I came from a family of blue-collar workers who loved to elaborate upon how every artistic person on this planet lives in a cardboard box and eats Kraft Dinner every night. I knew then that I needed better connections. I did stuff I'm not proud of... lurking in the shadowy outer halls of video game companies... leaping out at employees as they left the office after long nine hour shifts... begging them to feed me any scrap of advice they could about making it in the video game industry.

Ultimately I gathered that it was in my best interest to attend university, get a degree, and make some connections. Then I got lucky. My university began offering a game design certificate program. On top of my major and minor, I started taking game design courses. The game design courses and creative writing workshops were, by far, the most useful courses I took during my time at university. I met talented students and inspiring teachers. I got hands-on experience working with interdisciplinary teams. I always pushed my teams to the limit - sometimes to their annoyance - but my games also always won awards.

My professor, who taught an interdisciplinary computing science course for intro video game design, eventually sent our class a link to a job posting for Quality Assurance testers. A few months later I landed a contract position working for an A-list game developer on a title that won RPG of the year - all thanks to me and my bug-finding talents of course (just kidding).

Now here is the advice I wish I had 5 years ago:

1. Play Games - lots of them! And play different genres if you can. You might not immediately land a job in the game genre of your choice so it helps to understand different types of games. Look for innovative ideas, study how levels are set up, think about why certain characters and storylines are interesting, then think about why certain games are fun and why other games are not.  

2. Make your own Video Game modules. This is absolutely necessary. Taking the time to learn a toolset and create a game shows dedication and passion to the industry. It shows that you are serious.  It shows that you know how much work is involved in making a game. Of course, you don't need to make everything from scratch. Any toolset is fair game: the Aurora Toolset (Neverwinter Nights), The Divinity Engine (Divinity Original Sin), RPGmaker, and so on. Many games have built-in toolsets so players can create custom content. Build a portfolio to showcase your games. You can upload playthroughs on youtube and link them on your resume. 

3. Make connections. It really helps to know someone in the industry. If you have a close relationship with them, they might even recommend you for a position when you apply. If you're not close, they might at least offer you some advice. The more people who know you, the better. My professor had connections with game developers, which helped me get my job. You can make connections at university, video game conferences, forums, and job fairs. Even knowing other students at university helps, since one of them might eventually land a position at a game company once they graduate.    

4. Get a post-secondary education: university, college, or technical school. Most companies expect you to have an undergraduate degree before you even apply for a mere Quality Assurance tester position. Not all companies have these requirements but it certainly helps getting into the better ones. When looking for a school, make sure they offer a computer game design program of some sort. Then sign up for the courses that will help you build the skills and connections you need. For example, if you want to get into narrative game writing, then take creative writing and game design.

5. Volunteer & get experience working with others. Get involved in an online community game project - loads of these are advertised on game forums  - assuming the game developer released a toolset. Look into annual video game design challenges online. Start your own video game design club at school. I volunteered to work as a teaching assistant for a game design course at university. This allowed me to work more closely with my professors and teach fellow students how to use a toolset and make interesting levels.

6. Take a Marketing course or get a temporary Sales Job. I skipped this step but, looking back, wish I hadn't. If you're socially awkward or have no idea how to sell yourself, then you need to learn some sales techniques. This may seem like weird advice, but will help you do well during interviews and write better resumes. Ultimately, it could also help you get a better wage or sell your product if you ever decide to go indie.

7. Work night and day to improve your skills. The bottom line is that you need to be pretty damn good at whatever it is you do - whether that is programming, art, level design, or writing. There are so many talented individuals out there who would love to work at a game company. Your work needs to stand out. All my university-made indie games won top marks and awards. In my free time, I'm almost always writing and designing new games. I love playing with new toolsets, I love creating stories. You really have to love what you're doing because it's a lot of work. You will struggle to get into the industry through a sheer love for playing video games. Indeed, you almost need to love creating games more than you love playing them.

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Tumblr Online!

My tumblr is finally online. But I have no idea what I’m doing! So this is simply a preliminary post to see how the comment feature works.