YAY! I have found more amazing streamers to continue my series on and I am so happy to get this guy to take me up on my questioning him and allowing everyone to find out more about himself as well as his stream. I just happen upon him by chance because of our love of writing. His streams are fun, laid back, relaxing, and a great way to just chat about writing or chat about anything really. He goes by the name of novelist_crim and he and his community of writers, editors, artists, and any other talent that these great people have are definitely amazing people to be around. Let me introduce you to novelist_crim and then you can come and join the community if you’d like as well as join me in his streams on Twitch.
- What is your Twitch name?
novelist_crim
2. Is there a reason why you chose that name?
Yes. I chose the name “Novelist” because it reminds me of who I am, and what I aspire to be at every moment of the day. No matter where I go, no matter what game I play, I am always a Novelist before I am Crim. But this is not the only reason. I also view the name as a way of “burning my ships”. In history, there is a story of a war leader landing in unfriendly territory. They were a small fleet of ships tasked with conquering the lands before them. As soon as they touched down, the leader ordered his men to burn their own ships, and he did it to deliver an ultimatum. “There is no turning back. We conquer this land, or we die on this land.” This inspired his men by offering them only one option. Victory. If I fail at being a novelist, then I would look like a fool in every game I play, and every person I speak to, because with every follower I get, is another person holding that expectation. Imagine letting down not only yourself, but a hundred people. Maybe more. The “Crim” portion of my name comes from an old fraternity I used to be associated with. It’s short for “Smooth Criminal”, because I was somehow able to smooth talk people and gain the most money for charity fundraisers.
3. Why did you become a Twitch Streamer?
I love writing, and I always will. I believe that writing does not have to be a lonely vocation. Part of me joining was to help develop a social life. I loved the social interaction. I Love connecting with people and encouraging them to push forward and throw off the chains of mediocrity. The other part was watching a stream where thousands of people gathered to watch a camera that was pointed towards a railroad. The People there waited for the moment when the train would arrive, and when it did, boy did they go wild. They donated and celebrated and raved. If people were willing to wait for a train to pass by, then surely they wouldn’t mind a guy who loved write everyday of his life, right?
4. Why did you become a streamer for Twitch?
Refer to question 3.
5. How long have you been a streamer?
I have been streaming on and off maybe 3 years ago. I used to do let’s plays on YouTube, and that was the place of my audio/video roots. It wasn’t until November of 2017 where I was inspired to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), everyday until I conquered to 50,000 word challenge. It was the first time I had won, and I haven’t stopped streaming since. Nor do I intend to.
6. Do you only stream or do you have another job? And if you’re comfortable saying what, what is your job?
I am a CAD Detailer IRL. I basically use AutoCAD to draw the layouts for concrete forms and construction documents. It does what it can to keep the bills at bay, and for the most part, allows me to run twitch without begging for subscribers or pushing merchandise down people’s throats.
7. What do you stream mostly? Games? Creative? Another category on Twitch?
Creative, although it’s called “Art” now-a-days. I’m not sure what it will be called in the future, but I mostly host “Writing, Company, and Motivation”. Around 8:00pm EST, Mondays through Fridays, I set aside time to meet with the crimsdale community, and do what I love, no matter the size of the crowd. On Friday nights, we also do movie night with the Crimsdale Writing Community, or try for a variety of differing content.
8. What are your favorite games to play if you play games as well?
I love story driven games. So long as there is a story that can keep me hooked, I am all in on it. But I also tend to be a social gamer. I game because it gives me time to hang with friends and unwind. I don’t typically go out of my way to play a game if I am going to do it by myself or not stream it. It would have to be excellent “research” material if I was to game off screen. But in most cases, I’d rather be writing.
9. Do you ever stream games on Twitch?
Sometimes, yeah, but you can find out that on the Crimsdale Discord. I usually give my viewers a warning about what’s to come.
10. Do you have any games you’d like to recommend to my readers to play and why?
I believe “Undertale” is a masterpiece. I highly recommend it. The story played upon my heart strings. It made me laugh, made me cry, and gave me something special to carry in my heart for years to come. It’s definitely worth it.
11. Was it hard to talk to your viewers when you first became a streamer? How long before you became at ease with streaming?
Trouble talking with viewers? No. I was always pretty good at talking with people, and I don’t wear a fake mask, nor put on a “plastic” persona. When I speak, I level with my viewers, and I treat them like friends, as well as equals. I show them the best of my humanity. I am flawed, and I don’t know everything about the craft I pursue. I don’t pretend to have all the answers or stand about lecturing people on a subject I have no proven results in. I mean, how could anyone recommend techniques and methods when they have not completed a novel themselves? I have to ask myself, how much weight does their opinions have when they haven’t won the readership or success to prove their merit? On the other hand, I am happy to share the research I have found, and explain the techniques I have learned from other authors that lecture and proved their worth. Will they work? Not sure, but I suppose you’ll all find out eventually.
12. Would you like to tell my readers anything else about yourself or your channel?
I am just a man chasing his dream. I hope to inspire and encourage others to do the same. If you’re looking for a community of writers, editors, artists, and a bunch of other bright minds interested in writing or twitch, then I highly recommend joining the Crimsdale Writing Community.
Like I said he is a great streamer and if you are a writer and ever need someone to chat with, novelist_crim and his community, which I am a part of as well, are very welcoming and willing to discuss anything you’d like. Check out his stream on Twitch and then join his Discord community. It’ll be a blast! Here is the link to follow in order to join novelist_crim on Twitch.