Raise a toast to the workers of the world! Welcome again to Nice Job, DM! where we interview cool DMs with cool day jobs.
Today, we're talking to a professor of English Literature and Creative Writing. Don't worry, we won't make you write an essay after you're finished reading. You can find him on Twitter or check out his Actual Play production company Folk & Myth!
Hello! Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello! My name is Christian Charette, though I’m better known as Bleakseason in the TTRP AP circles and online. The moniker comes from one of my all-time favorite fantasy novels, Bleak Seasons, by Glenn Cook.
Awesome, and what is your day job?
I’m a Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing. I teach a lot of mythology, horror and gothic stories, along with film adaptation and scriptwriting at a college in Montreal, Canada.
How did you come around to being a professor?
After a long detour! I was a touring technician for Cirque du Soleil for several years. On the day of my 30th birthday, I woke up and decided I was done. I quit and returned home and decided to go back to school. I chose literature because I enjoyed reading and just fell in love with it. I eventually did my degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, and was selected among the Graduate Student body to teach two courses of composition at my university. I got the teaching bug doing those.
As soon as I graduated, I began applying for jobs. My first one was teaching high school exchange students from Mexico, which was a good bit of fun. The next year I landed my first college teaching job, and it’s now been fifteen years!
What's your favorite part of the job?
What's your favorite part of the job?
I really love helping students. I sometimes think I should have become a counsellor instead of a teacher! Being able to really help individual students who find themselves in trouble is truly the most rewarding and worthwhile part of the job.
Sounds like the students are lucky to have you. What advice would you give to other people getting into teaching?
Find what your personal pedagogical strength is! At first, I tried doing things in a very structured way, but then discovered my real strength as a teacher was thinking on the fly and coming up with different ways of explaining a subject to students. Lean into your strengths, and do the job in a way that works for you!
When and why did you start GMing, and for what systems?
I started when I was about 17 years old. I’d been playing D&D with a group and was introduced to the game Shadowrun. It blew my mind, and I became obsessed with the game and the world. No one else wanted to run it, so I did. I discovered that I was better at GMing than playing, and that I preferred it. The Shadowrun system (this was Third Edition) was a mess, but I loved the world so much. It really fired up my imagination – still does!
How often do you GM?
Since I started my own AP production company, Folk and Myth on Twitch, I GM two or three times a week. I no longer run home games, as producing APs takes all my time.
What is your favorite part of GMing?
Creating the worlds and writing the stories. I GM games basically so I have a reason for all the creation! I also love surprising players. When I get a table-full of “OMG” faces, I know I’ve done good.
Can you tell us your best memory from the table?
So many to choose from! I think the very best one is having met my partner during a game I was hired to run for another AP Production company. We met during that game (Vaesen!) and started chatting and eventually met IRL and fell in love. I think that means we won the game. 😉
Do any skills you use for teaching help you when you GM?
The ability to think on the fly, to prep, to project my voice and hold people’s attention. The ability to problem-solve, and to help people make discoveries on their own. I’d say being a teacher is probably the best job for a GM, with the most transferable skills. It’s basically the same task!
What advice or house rules would you share with new GMs?
My #1 piece of advice is: the rules are just a suggestion. Do what is right for you and your table to have fun. There are no rule police – take worlds and rulesets and make them yours. I’m giving you permission, if that’s what you were waiting for! Go forth and change things and have fun!