Not a Writer, Just a Storyteller

realityskimming
Dec 23, 2025
6 min read

Updated: Dec 29, 2025

by Kyle Doering

About the Story Thing (2025) - 14

---------------

"About the Story Things" is a thematic series of articles, sponsored by Reality Skimming Press. Pieces will appear every other Monday Jun 2 through to the end of 2025. For 2026, query us about contributing to the next topic at https://facebook.com/relskim or info@realityskimming.com

---------------

ACT 1: Beginnings

While growing up through our typical British Columbia school system - I always struggled with reading and writing. I think that I even graduated with a reading comprehension of a grade 9 student. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t creative.

Throughout my high school years, I took all sciences to a Grade 12 level and even took extra initiatives towards creating my own video games while trying to create a small biodiesel operation on the side, to assist my parents logging company. I always reminisced about the notion that sciences always had a part to play in stories – like chemical reactions telling a story that leads to something anew.

Kyle's Game Master images. Image credit: (Universe Hole).

After some time of bubbling around, I found myself working long, harsh hours doing traffic control, mainly in the searing Kamloops sun. But boredom has its own benefits, and I found that the 12 – 16 daily hours of standing on concreate or asphalt, I could spend the mental time calculating my own income tax off my upcoming cheque – riveting! I jest of course, but I did really calculate my taxes in my head for hours to stay awake and to continue brain activity for quick reposefulness to vehicles coming at me. Nothing is more dangerous than a brain-dead Traffic Control Person, Trust Me!

Unfortunately, all interesting stories require conflict or opposition for growth and development, and my reckoning was imminent. After 7 years of doing Traffic Control, and minutes after finishing a 3-week long course to become a Construction Safety Officer in Burnaby, BC – I was rear-ended whilst waiting in traffic.

Quirrsels. Small creatures, glides around and like to pick up and hoard little things. Image credit: (Octanigan)

Anxiety was never something I had to deal with before. To be honest, when people said that “They had Anxiety”, I used to brush it aside as something they used as a crutch. But now, I had Anxiety. Anxiety around any vehicle moving. I didn’t even feel safe walking on a sidewalk next to a road. it was debilitating.

Nothing is more humbling than going to weekly counselling appointments, to overcome a fear of vehicles, after 7 years of controlling them. But I did, albeit slowly over months and months, head back to a shift of doing Traffic Control.

A small, low traffic, side street without even doing single-lane alternating traffic (For my fellow TCP’s) was even too much for me. I did finish the shift, with fear during the whole day, however. I spent 3 hours crying uncontrollable in a fugue at my employer’s office while they called Emergency Medical Services to come calm me down: humbled again.

Bitraps. Small creatures that can teleport short distances using its antenaa. Image credit: (Octanigan).

The humbling continued, after some time working at Wal-Mart, since I couldn’t go back to Traffic Control and the Construction Safety Officer ticket would have the same problems for me, my girlfriend of 9 years wanted to separate and I had nowhere else to go, except back to mom’s house.

While getting ready to move, I was introduced by some new friends to this little thing called: Dungeons And Dragons (D&D).

With the Game Master’s (GM) help, I was shown in the 3.5 edition, how to create a character with numbers and math and then fight fantasy monsters with dice. The dice led to determining outcomes: pass or fail - I loved it! I kept focusing on how to develop my character and what he would do in all the circumstances he came across. Who he was? Why he did what he did? And I kept wanting to explain the challenges he was grappling with, but I was told that this game wasn’t a Role-Playing (RP) game and was just about combat-to-combat. Despite being shot down on my role playing, I stayed with the group until I moved back to my mother’s house.

Unfortunately, a potentially deadly virus that you may have heard of, Covid-19, was afoot. Ironically, this led to my next career, of sorts: security. Turns out that scared people really like to have added security. Another job with long hours void of mental work. Ah, familiarity. And instead of doing taxes, I was running scenes of fantasy heroes and villains grappling with the consequences of their decisions and dealing with the aftermath: positive, negative, and neutral.

ACT 2: Wait, Other People Like Fantasy TOO?!

I was invited to play in a D&D 5^th edition game with a new group of people shortly after moving to Prince George. And WOW, I had no idea that others enjoyed asserting and acting out characters involvement in a story created by one person, known as the Game Master (GM). Finally, RP was allowed! We still had combat with the clicky-clack dice, of course, but we also had space for -- performances!

Heltika / Gobtika. Lesser goblin and nature deity. Image credit: (CrimsonKnight).

We started bringing funny voices to our characters, quirks, flaws, and all! We experienced our characters lives by every laugh, cry, shouts, and whispers we made whist playing.

After 2 sessions this group of strangers became acquaintances. After 4 sessions – friends. And by the 6th session, we felt like we had known each other for years – good friends. We would help each other outside of the game constantly, whether it was a chore or just someone to listen to – we were there for each other, and still are.

Human male and female characters. Image credit: (Universe Hole).

After a bit of over a year of playing, our GM was getting a bit burnt out and was offering if anyone else wanted to be the GM. Be the GM? This was not an option that I had considered before. Like a video game, I could set for players to mentally play in their heads. But wait, I was creating my own video game back in High School…

ACT 3: The Creative Addiction Begins

I looked back into my old video game notes and started witting down additional notes about the creatures, the environment, the technology, the crafting, the deities/gods, the Non-Playable Characters (NPCs), and everything else! It was a rough start, but the players loved it and I started looking at this as my Magnum Opus!

I changed jobs, sleeping habits, how I dressed, just to suite this dream I have in my mind and bring it to others to share. I even found a better Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) to create my world with: DC20. I spent everyday (Before or/and after work) getting more notes and ideas jotted down. Everything was going well, until the worst monster of every TTRPG stuck: Scheduling.

Male and female goblin characters. Image credit: (Universe Hole).

To no one’s fault, but one-by-one, players couldn’t make sessions and eventually left. The worst situation for any GM – no players who are able to play occurred. But I was addicted - addicted to Storytelling.

I had a group of players once – I could do it again, and do it better. I started asking around and found a few players who were willing to play and be filmed. Because this time I was going all out! This time I need to share it with others.

Now, just after a year of recording, commissioning local artist, hiring a weekly recording studio, investing in a better camera, hiring a video editor, and creating several assets myself – we are finally on we are finally on Youtube, @Voyageoflegacies with plans to publish a campaign book in about 2 years.

I often say, I’m not a writer as I know that I’m not talented with my low grasp on the English language, but a Storyteller – that I can do and so can you.

“May your Voyages through your lives leave lasting Legacies”