By Request: WoW and Patrick Rothfuss

• I don't write too many By Request posts, primarily because the search terms coming to my blog aren't as entertaining as some. Mostly it's people looking for my blog specifically or looking for the definition of bullet points in general. But sometimes I get a real head scratcher that makes me want to post. The term the piqued my interest this time was "Does Patrick Rothfuss play WoW?"


• First, I had to figure out how in the world that search term ended up at my blog. (Actually, that isn't too hard. I talk about WoW all the time, and Patrick Rothfuss is listed as a Friend of the Bullet Point due him randomly extolling the virtues of bullet points on his blog.) But after that passed, I had to do a little research. I'm bad at research. A quick Google search didn't turn up much. He had an interview up on his blog with Felicia Day and one would assume that he might mention it there. However there was nothing.


• So I decided to go straight to the source. Pat (he calls himself that right on the site so I'm going with it) has a contact form, probably because he wants all the spam just as much as I do. So I shot him an email to ask if he played and if I could share his response. Here is the text of the email I received this morning.
  

  I don't, I'm afraid. I know I'd enjoy it, but a game like that would eat my whole life.
  
  You can tell your readers, if you like.
  
  pat



• That was my expected response. Writing is work and World of Warcraft, or any MMO for that matter, is a time killer. I read about a few comic book writers who regularly played Xbox games together, but that seemed like an aberration. Gaming is a luxury for those of us who have the free time to waste. When I am writing seriously, I have to set my gaming aside because games make it way too easy to procrastinate. And if that is how you make a living, that is a formula for disaster.


• So there you go: Pat Rothfuss doesn't play WoW.


• Holy crap! I just realized that I wasted my one chance to talk with the author of one of my favorite books about anything in the world and I wasted on asking if played WoW! I hope you people are happy with the sacrifices I make for you.

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