Zombie mobs
Creative mode vs. Survival mode and making things in the real world
“It’s much easier to build amazing structures in Creative mode, as you’ll have access to unlimited resources, but if you want to push yourself, stick with Survival.”
— Minecraft Construction Handbook
My six-year-old is into Minecraft. Minecraft is apparently the best-selling video game of all time, but for the uninitiated (me, seven months ago), it involves building things out of cubes and there are two modes:
Creative mode, in which you can build entire worlds using unlimited materials, completely unimpeded
Survival mode, in which, if you want to build, you must battle obstacles: limited resources, hunger, declining health, monsters, and the fact that night falls every 20 minutes and brings with it hostile zombie mobs
Since A Minecraft Movie came out in April, my family has watched it at least thirty times. This is not a complaint. I genuinely love this movie, and one of the reasons I love it is its message about creativity.
A quick synopsis: A bright kid named Henry who’s struggling socially (Sebastian Hansen) and a washed-up gamer who goes by “Garbage Man” (Jason Momoa) get thrown into the world of Minecraft, where they meet an expert crafter named Steve (Jack Black) who left his boring real-world job as a doorknob salesman for a life of building (and fighting zombies). Along with Henry’s sister/guardian Natalie (Emma Myers) and their realtor-turned-friend Dawn (Danielle Brooks), they face challenges, trials, and villains as they try to get back home.
I’m leaving a out a ton of fun characters (Jennifer Coolidge has all the best one-liners) and, IMO, pretty satisfying plot work, but this line, delivered by Steve, sums up the idea of the movie:
It’s harder to create than to destroy. That’s why cowards tend to choose the deuce.
Here in the real world, we are making things. Our resources are limited, the monsters are many, and our own bodies sometimes work against us. It would be easier not to build. It would be easier to tear down what other people are building. But that’s not what we’re here for.
Spoiler alert…
In the end, Steve decides to go back to the real world. He wants to go with his new friends, yes, but also he’s conquered the challenges of the Minecraft world. Making things in the real world in his next level.
Some news
On January 1, 2026, my business partner, Emilee Christianson, and I will officially become co-owners of Trekk, the creative agency our parents (her dad, my mom) started in 1995. (Yes, this is the quirky little agency I wrote about in Leave!)
I’ve been putting so much of my energy into this transition because I want to do a good job and do right by my coworkers. Running a company is a huge responsibility that I do not take lightly. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m excited about the future.
This means I’ll be in Rockford a lot more often. I love my hometown and investing in it in this way feels right, and well worth the rebalancing of my time and priorities that has been happening this year. Keeping my own projects going while taking on this new challenge is my next level.
Writing, lately
At the end of September, I sent the first 35,000 words of the novel to my agent. We had a call in October to talk about what’s working, what’s not working, and where to go from here. I already have the next 35,000 words, but the second half is a MESS and I was hoping our conversation would help unlock something for me.
It didn’t, but I do have some things I want to change about the first half that might help me figure out how to land the plane. My agent had this to say about the end: “It’s already written in there somewhere.” She’s probably right.
As a next step, I’m going to try this interior mapping technique from
. I did something like this with my second novel manuscript years ago, but it was more of a mapping of emotional shifts — positive to negative, negative to positive, negative to even more negative — to make sure there wasn’t a chapter where the emotion just stayed the same. Lilly’s suggestion is more involved:At the top of each scene’s index card, I wrote what the POV character for that scene knows/thinks/feels at the beginning of the scene, and under that I wrote what happens in the scene to change her perspective or emotional state, or reveal new information to her—what changes her and how, even if only by the smallest increment.
Let’s try it and see how it goes…
Reading, lately
When I’m stuck in a project, I use my morning writing time to read. Inevitably, I eventually read something that gives me an idea and sends me back to the page. Trust the process.
Some books I’ve read lately:
Animal Stories by Kate Zambreno
Almost Nothing: Reclaiming Edith Farnsworth by Nora Wendl (I LOVED this book)
Office Politics by Wilfrid Sheed
Strong Ground by Brené Brown
Watching the Detective by Deborah Shapiro (highly recommend)
And, of course, The Rockford Anthology, edited by the great
. I am honored to have an essay in this sweeping anthology, which includes so many stories and experiences and beautifully captures what a multi-faceted place Rockford is. <3Come see me in Philly
My final Leave event of the year will be the
reading series.When: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 6:30pm
Where: The Head and The Hand, 2230 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia
I don’t know the full line-up yet but I know one of my fellow readers will be
, so you know it’s going to be a good time. Hope to see Philly folks there!I keep this newsletter going because it holds me accountable. To that end, I’ll be back in December with novel progress. Until then, I hope your own zombie mobs provide just the right amount of creative challenge.
Love,
Shayne