Issue 33: Dreamworlds
And the release of The Writer's Path 2024!
Hi friends!
Has everything in your life been super nutty, or is it just me?
In the past month I’ve been adapting to a new role at my day job at the video game studio (Hey, your guy got promoted!), adapting to my daughter starting kindergarten (Hey, your guy’s kid is getting old!), and plugging away on a new book manuscript.
I’ve also been dreaming. Which is strange. Hear me out.
I used to dream. Or rather, I used to remember my dreams. But once my daughter was born, that stopped. No more dreams. Poof. Gone. I chalk this up to the fact that now, when I finally put head to pillow, I’m so exhausted that my brain would rather do anything but produce more thoughts, or process additional information. So, now, when I do remember a dream upon waking, they tend to stay with me.
Last week, I remembered a dream.
It’s important to note that last week my kiddo was under the weather with some mild sinus gunk, which—giving as she is—was shared with me. When I get sinus pressure, it makes my teeth hurt. I know, this is all extremely interesting, but I promise it’s pertinent to the story.
So anyway, the dream. The one I remembered. While I dozed off, my teeth hurt.
In this dream, my teeth ached. So naturally, the set piece opened at the dentist’s office where I found myself in the chair and was informed by a faceless doctor that I’d be getting several root canals. The doc explained that this procedure was so intense that I was to be put under anesthesia. Lights out. Part of me wanted to protest, or ask questions, or make sure the office had my most updated insurance on file, but the other part of me just wanted the root canals. After all, my teeth hurt and I was desperate for relief.
A mask went on my face and I went under.
A while later, I came to. This is still part of the dream, by the way.
I was no longer in the dentist’s office, but in my bed at home. Naturally, the house in my dream wasn’t at all like my house in real life, but I knew it was my home nonetheless.
I went downstairs and located my wife. She looked surprised to see me, but nonchalantly continued with whatever she was doing inside this house that was not actually my house. I pushed at why she was so surprised to see me. She mentioned (far too casually for comfort) that following my multi-root canal, I had kind of, sort of… y’know… slipped into a coma.
For a year.
My head spun as questions tumbled out my dream mouth. I quickly learned that while I was busy doing nothing in a coma, no one had informed the people at my day job. No one had told my friends. My collaborators. My wife seemed unconcerned, my daughter unfazed, my coworkers hadn’t noticed my absence.
I simply ceased to exist for an entire year and no one… cared?
Then I awoke—for real this time— and felt myself being pummeled with fear, confusion, and anger. The dream put a melancholic mood on the whole day that followed. But I got over it.
Why couldn’t I have not remembered that dream? Why is that the one that stuck with me. What does it all mean?
I attribute the dream to a fear I have associated with root canals. You see, I had a root canal once. Actually, I had two. Back in 2019. But I only had the second one because the first dentist, a cocky young gun who couldn’t have been out of dental school for more than five minutes, messed it up. A day after his botched job, my jaw became infected. My entire face swelled up. The infection went for my brain. I ended up in the emergency room. There, a nurse filling out forms asked me, “Any swelling?” My response to which was to seethe, “JUST LOOK AT ME!”
But then I got better.
And since this dream, my teeth haven’t hurt, and I haven’t remembered any others, and life has been good.
Busy, but good.
What Happened Last Issue?
Getting my eyes examined by robots, and unsolicited writing advice for those looking to launch a career.
Staying on the Writer’s Path
About a week ago I released the third edition of The Writer’s Path.
The Writer’s Path is an annual passion project, where I reach out to my fellow writing graduates of Full Sail University, and ask (beg?) the people who are doing cool things to write an essay about how they made it.
The question I get most often in life is, “How does someone become a professional writer?” and over three volumes, I’ve provided that answer from 25 different writers who did it in 25 different ways.
The 2024 edition of the Writer’s Path is available as a FREE download via Smashwords, or a meager $0.99 buy on Amazon Kindle. Or you can just skip all that stuff and download a PDF below.
The 2024 edition features the following writers:
Keldrick T. Mobley (Screenwriter, author)
Mark Fenton (Comic writer, actor)
Katie Crawford (Author manager at Gatekeeper Press)
Joseph “Jax” Sheldon (Game writer)
Dominic Zullo (Narrative designer at Digital Scorpion Interactive)
Brian Angeles (Editor at Tapas Entertainment, generative analyst at NVIDIA)
Nolan Smith (Co-founder/editor of the pop culture powerhouse Pastrami Nation)
Tate N. Oquendo (Educator, author; Introduction)
Project Updates!
Unit 44 [Comic Book]
Alterna Comics currently has 26 remaining copies of the upcoming Unit 44 REMASTERED edition, which is printed on premium paper stock! If that’s something you’d be interested in adding to your comic book collection, hit the button below!
Issues 11 and 12, created with love by me and Alex Jovic, are complete! We’re waiting to see what the release schedule looks like for getting these out to readers. More news as there is news.
The Obsoletes [Comic Book]
The issue is, like, halfway complete! I’m unsure if we’ll see this completed before the end of the year, but we’re all working diligently!
The Space Case [Young Readers Nonfiction] - Releasing 4/15/25
I expect to be able to share more about this project any day now!
The Weirdness [Young Readers Nonfiction] - Releasing 1/6/2026
I should be getting this manuscript back any second now with notes from the editor. Can’t wait to hear about what sort of first impressions it made.
The Insincerity [Young Readers Nonfiction]
I’ve been living in this manuscript for the past several weeks. I got the green light to begin writing it right as my daughter started kindergarten and that threw my whole life schedule into a tizzy! However, I’m adapting to the new normal, and plugging away on these words whenever time permits.
Upcoming Releases!
Unit 44 #9 & #10 - Available now!
Unit 44 #11 & #12 - Coming soon…?
Where Is Tornado Alley? - January 7, 2025 [Available for preorder]
[Redacted] - April 15, 2025
Unannounced Young Readers Book - January 6, 2026
Unannounced Young Readers Book - Summer, 2026
I’m glad we did that together!
Hey, me too!
I’m Wes Locher. I’ve been writing professionally for more than twelve years. I write video games at Magic Tavern, and books at Penguin Random House. I love helping other writers to demystify the process of making a living through words. This is my newsletter.