Doing is more than just thinking about it!

So I've been thinking about what I wanted to say today. I haven't written anything other than the last two blog posts, and I haven't played anything except for poker the other night. I really can't say that I could really offer anything substantial, as far as reviewing poker goes. But I can write about how it felt to play something I don't think I am very good at.

Poker was, for me, just a game of cards. You were dealt some cards, that held some value, then you made some bets, and whoever had the highest combination of five random cards, won. Whoopee. But last night, when I was playing with my wife and a friend of ours, I actually took the time to sit and watch the other players faces, expressions, and body language. I took notice of the way they both bet as well. And something extraordinary happened. I noticed some little details I hadn't before. Details that I never would have imagined were important, or how they could help my writing ability.

So I thought about how I could bring that sort of attention to writing or gaming, in general. For writing, I realized that I could spend an entire chapter writing about how the face works when people show emotion, like when they laugh, or cry. I could write about how your eyebrows might twitch, or how one's lips might curl after eating a slice of lemon. Now I won't say that writing about how one's ears may move when they laugh could be anything great, but I will say that paying attention to details are just what my favourite authors do on a regular basis. They pay attention to these little things, and describe them in new and fun ways. Just read a few Neil Gaiman novels, and you'll see what I mean.

As for gaming, I think that reading body language and facial expressions are incredibly important. Take MTG for example. You might think that playing magic is only about the deck...well it's not even close to being just about that. I have beaten players just because they were impatient, or frustrated, or because I just knew instinctively that they were slapping all of their eggs into one major card. There is no greater advantage than knowing exactly what your opponents plan is, because you can effectively create your own winning conditions without fear of being countered, or tricked. If you don't believe me, I challenge you to play a game of chess with anyone who knows what an ELO is!

In any case, what I did learn from last night's poker, was that even my best game face wasn't enough to win.