Spinning the Wheels or Trying very Hard to go Nowhere.

In my honest opinion, I have the belief that having a plan for the future is essential in living the life one is given.

Having a plan, no matter how big or how small gives me direction. It allows us to have a focus that helps me dictate my efforts. This factor is important.

The most significant hamper of accomplishing goals is the feeling that you are spinning your wheels and going nowhere. This feeling is as disastrous as failing and I have heard some say that spinning your wheels is failing.

Spinning your Wheels.

Spinning your wheels doesn’t mean you are failing, however. It means a few things.

It could mean that your goals aren’t detailed enough. You have a plan and a purpose, but no daily task to do with no discernible results from that task. Let’s say that your goal is to buy a house. So you are working day in and day out in the hopes that one day you can buy said house. Three months later, it still feels like you are in the same place, or near to it at any rate.

This means that your goal may be too big, or there is no way to accomplish anything. That’s why many financial professionals say to place a small debt down first. Cause the likely hood of getting it cleared out is easier than a larger one. This victory fuels the longer harder goals.

The other thing that the feeling of spinning your wheels could be is that while you have a specific goal, there is some other force that is hampering your ability to get other tasks done.

This is what is happening to me. I’m accomplishing my daily task. I’m writing my 1500 words a day and getting editing done. So for this year, I have written for 236 days in a row for a total of 336k words. This is a great accomplishment, even if I don’t get much else done on my yearly goal. I am proud of myself that I have gotten this far.  

However, I haven’t published anything new since April. That factor hurts my self-confidence. It makes me think that I’m a failure despite the stated accomplishment above. The factors that are keeping me from ticking some of the other boxes aren’t all on me; like getting my work proofread, or a cover made up. Those factors rely on other people, and they don’t always operate on my illogical timeline. Some of the factors are on me; I haven’t been editing very fast, and I’m easily distracted by other things like video games and my family.

The biggest reason people feel like they are spinning their wheels is that they don’t have a dream or a plan. There thinking doesn’t go beyond next paycheque. They spend there time thinking about the ‘now.’ Not how to turn the ‘now’ into a better ‘tomorrow.’ This I will talk about in the next blog post.

Until then, if you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Defining Success

After talking to many different people, especially young adults in college and university, I have found a common thread that connects them all. The thread is that none of them think they are successful no matter where they are in life.

The thing is they all have a similar view on what it means to be “successful.” Young adults think they need millions of dollars, a hot looking spouse, and a private jet. They think they need to be Mark Zuckerburg, J.K. Rowling, or Bill Gates; young adults believe they need to be filthy rich to be a “success.”

This mentality is brought out by the press and by Holywood among others. Turn on the TV or pick up a paper, and it is filled with stories about the rich and famous. They are bombarded by people who have fancy degrees and make seven figures. Young adults are told they aren’t anything unless they have those things.

It’s no wonder that large portions of young adults are on anti-depressants. Their definition of success and what is plausible are skewed.

But what is “Success?” What’s its definition?

According to Webster’s dictionary, success is the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. In other words: fame and fortune.

Young adults are also told that to be happy, they need fame and fortune.

Which leads us to the problem.

Young adults are told they need to be filthy rich to be successful and as such, to be happy. Which means when they discover that obtaining that fame and fortune is harder than expected that they get depressed. How can they be successful when the game is rigged?

I move that the definition of success is incomplete and reject Holywood’s ideals on what success means.

For one, I don’t think that money equals happiness. There are stories across the board of CEOs of corporations making seven figures on anti-depressants and ending up taking their own lives. I also don’t think that money necessarily makes life easier. It just makes things different.

I know many people making 70,000 dollars per year who still stress the same way about money that a friend who makes 35,000 dollars does. Their worries are different, they both make similar bad monetary decisions.

To Me.

To me, “Success” is a personal definition. The base is still the same as Webster’s Dictionary. But the precise meaning of how much wealth, favor, or eminence is a decision that each person needs to make on their own without influence by the rich and whiny.

Money is the means to an end and not “the end.” Cause money doesn’t equal happiness, and being successful doesn’t mean that you are rolling in fame and fortune.

My definition of “Success” is that I have enough money coming in that pays my bills and puts something away for retirement. That’s it. To me, that is “success.” My ultimate goal is that I make my income from writing and selling my books; by what my wife calls “wordsmithing.”

I don’t need to be as rich as J.K. Rowling or Steven King. Part of me doesn’t want that type of wealth. But that is a topic of another blog post.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I’m not talking down on the depressed. Depression is a big problem in society and not to be looked down upon.

End of July 2019 Report

As is now tradition, this is the post of the end of July. I am still putting my money where my mouth is.

RECAP OF THE UPDATED 2019 GOALS

1. Write 500,000 words in personal, non-school related projects.
2. Complete and publish Felix #2, Felix #3, Des O’Neal #1, Des O’Neal #2, Des O’Neal #3, Jovian Marines #1, Jovian Marines #2, Jovian Marines #3, Mech Warrior #1, Mech Warrior #2, Mech Warrior #3.
   1. Complete and Publish VRMMORPG
3. Correct cover for Felix #1.
4. Write four blog posts per month
5. Give Felix #1 and Tokyo Tempest #1 a proofread.
6. Complete and submit to market Terran Marine Raider short #1, Terran Marine Raider short #2, and RPG Death short.
   1. Added goal: complete and submit to market, JSS Leda (New title From Planet Everdark), secret short #2 and secret short #3.
7. Earn $1000.00 a month from novels.
8. Relaunch publishing company with a new, stronger name.
9. Get 1 client for editing services.
10. NEW GOAL: Lose 90 lbs and get healthier.
11. NEW GOAL: Write for 365 Days in a row of at least 100 words per day.

JULY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote 42,192 words.
2. I have written for 213 days in a row.
3. I spent most of this month working on my VR story but also worked on the Secret Short #2
4. I nearing the 300k mark in total yearly words at 295k.
5. Submitted Secret Short #2 and Secret Short #3 to the market, waiting to hear back if it’s accepted or not.
6. Working with a local cover artist for a bunch of covers for books.
7. Edited Secret short #3, reading it for submission.
8. Working on the edit for Mechwarrior #1.
9. Wrote 4 blog posts during June.
10. Starting weight 286lbs, weight today, 274lbs.

EXAMINATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote just over 42k words in July. Total word-wise, it is in the top half of the months. However, once you split it up into per day averages, it is one of the worse word counts that I have done. I managed to write a good second half of the month to bring up my average to a better number.
2. This is still the longest days in a row I have written by far as well as the longest yearly word count. I count that as a win. My goal is to write 365 days in a row.
3. I have finished editing my two short stories. I had come across a short turn-around and I had put my VR story aside to work on it.
4. I am working on editing Mech Warrior #1. It is taking longer to get it done than I’d like.
5. A local cover artist, not my wife is working on what I am calling “art assets.” These are so my wife can turn them into beautiful covers. They will be works of art on there own but will have no titling, which is why I need my wife.
6. My blog posts are still happening.
7. Mt diet had ended. Counting calories had become too difficult to do. I haven’t gone up back to my old weigh and my habit of overeating has not come back. I’m that habit down to keep my weight in check. I’m looking for a better plan to help with my weight loss.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This month was harder than most. I’m feeling burnt out. I need to ramp up my efforts and get more stuff done. Things are slipping away. Once this summer semester is over, the plan is to ramp up my efforts to write more and edit more. But, I need to take time for myself. Keep this burn out away before I start the new fall semester.

I did get a lot of other stuff done. However, nothing published. The hold up is covers and editing at the moment. I have the one book, Missed Drop Zone, ready to go. But there is no real rush. I want to do things right and not make mistakes.

I have started to edit other works, the short stories as they come up. They are a good distraction in some ways, a poor one in others. I have the feeling that I am not going to get my goal of getting all of those stories published. I’m going to run out of time and word count. But there is always next year, as long as I have manuscripts done.

The VRMMORPG story is going well. I’m at 90k out of a target of 100k. I’m going to be going over that mark. My best guess is 20k over the mark, perhaps more. This changes the ultimate goal of how many books I want to publish. Many titles will be pushed back to next year. I’m getting covers for them, however.

So the plan, work on VRMMORPG, edit other novels. Get covers. Get books published.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Area 51, Projects and Too Many Ideas

As a writer, I am often asked where do I get my ideas from. As you may have read in previous blog posts, I have discussed how I get ideas multiple times, and I won’t be repeating them.

However, to sum up, I pick a few basic ideas, then ask a thousand question about them to form a solid idea and story.

I have it so that I can pull up an idea out of almost anything. In the last week, I have been asked if I wanted to submit a short story with a speedy turnaround. The story would be centered around the Area 51 meme going around.

I’m partway through the short story that I am writing it for the anthology. It’s going well, but that’s not the important part. The important part is that I was able to form a story in a short amount of time. Luckily for me, I’m able to keep it small and compact.

For me, the issue is not that I no story ideas on the go, but that I have too many. For right now, I’m going to give a short recap of some of the story ideas. Some of them are only ideas, while others I am waiting for a cover.

Published Works

Felix the Swift

A trilogy set in my Agersolum universe. It’s about a thief who becomes a master mage and seeks to save all of Magic. The first book can be found here.

Tokyo Tempest

A trilogy where a high school kid has to somehow survive in Tokyo after Yellowstone blows up. The first book can be found here.

O’Neal Trilogy

A trilogy set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe. Where a high schooler is forced into the world of espionage. The first book can be found here.

Works in Progress

Those three trilogies aren’t complete yet. They have other books on the go and will be published when they can. Some of my other trilogies:

Jovian Marines

Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe where the Jovian Marines are left for dead on an enemy-occupied planet. So far a trilogy is planned.

Mech Warrior

Mech Warrior is a working title for a trilogy. Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe where it is a mix of lost in space and Mech Warrior.

VR Game

This story I had been puzzling with for a while before I decided to start writing. I wanted a stand-alone novel, but it is going to be a trilogy. Trapped in a VR game where a players death would mean their real death.

Cornucopolus

Set in a world where gods, demons, demi-gods, and angels walk among the people. The heir to a dead clan must find a way to get revenge for the death of his people. All while risking slavery, and death.

The Game

Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe. It can be called the origin story of the story-verse. Alien beings kidnap a million people to fight to the death in a game for nefarious means. I want it to be a trilogy; however, it will end up much longer.

Eloc the Warrior

Set in my Agersolum world about a young serf being thrust into the army to fight for a noble lord he had never met. This will be a trilogy.

Mal Kil, the Pirate

Another set in my A\gersolum world about the heir to a noble house. He is betrayed by his older brother and cast out into the world one step ahead of his brother’s assassins.

These are only small samples of the ideas and the plot of the story. I’m hoping to get through some of the first trilogies to get to the later ones. Cause they are all calling my name and want attention. Some of them are getting pretty shrill.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

End of June 2019 Report

As is now tradition, this is the post of the end of June. I am still putting my money where my mouth is.

RECAP OF THE UPDATED 2019 GOALS

1. Write 500,000 words in personal, non-school related projects.
2. Complete and publish Felix #2, Felix #3, Des O’Neal #1, Des O’Neal #2, Des O’Neal #3, Jovian Marines #1, Jovian Marines #2, Jovian Marines #3, Mech Warrior #1, Mech Warrior #2, Mech Warrior #3.
   1. Complete and Publish VRMMORPG
3. Correct cover for Felix #1.
4. Write four blog posts per month
5. Give Felix #1 and Tokyo Tempest #1 a proofread.
6. Complete and submit to market Terran Marine Raider short #1, Terran Marine Raider short #2, and RPG Death short.
   1. Added goal: complete and submit to market, JSS Leda (New title From Planet Everdark), secret short #2 and secret short #3.
7. Earn $1000.00 a month from novels.
8. Relaunch publishing company with a new, stronger name.
9. Get 1 client for editing services.
10. NEW GOAL: Lose 90 lbs and get healthier.
11. NEW GOAL: Write for 365 Days in a row of at least 100 words per day.

JUNE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote 42,886 words.
2. I have written for 182 days in a row.
3. I spent most of this month working on my VR story.
4. I have passed the 50% mark in total yearly words at 253k.
5. Waiting to hear back if my short story with the previous title, JSS Leda (New title From Planet Everdark) is accepted or not.
6. Working with a local cover artist for a bunch of covers for books.
7. Edited Secret short #2, reading it for submission.
8. Working on the edit for Mechwarrior #1.
9. Wrote 4 blog posts during June.
10. Starting weight 286lbs, weight today, 263lbs.

EXAMINATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote just over 42k words in June. Total word-wise, it is not the best that I have done, however, once you split it up into per day averages, it is the second best that I have pulled off. I managed to write a few 3k and 4k days to make up the lackluster numbers of other days.
2. This is still the longest days in a row I have written by far as well as the longest yearly word count. I count that as a win. My goal is to write 365 days in a row.
3. I have finished editing the short story. It is short story set in a post-apocalyptic world where Yellowstone Supervolcano exploded. It is about Captain Adele of the SV Wanderlust and her goal to deliver expensive cargo to its destination and to defeat other Captains who want the shipment for themselves. Once it is submitted and accepted, it will get a full blog post. For now, this will have to do.
4. I am working on editing Mech Warrior #1.
5. A local cover artist, not my wife is working on what I am calling “art assets.” These are so my wife can turn them into beautiful covers. They will be works of art on there own but will have no titling, which is why I need my wife.
6. My blog posts are still happening.
7. I have been on this new diet for a month now. My energy is high, however, I crave chips.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This month was harder than most. I feel like I’m starting to burn out, yet I need to ramp up my efforts and get more stuff done. The summer session semesters at school was split into two short semesters with the first part completed. Now with only one course, it should be easier to get other things done and to look after myself, as well.

I did get a lot of other stuff done. However, nothing published. The hold up is covers and editing at the moment. I have the one book, Missed Drop Zone, ready to go. But there is no real rush. I want to do things right and not make mistakes.

I have started to edit other works, the short stories as they come up. They are a good distraction in some ways, a poor one in others. I have the feeling that I am not going to get my goal of getting all of those stories published. I’m going to run out of time and word count. But there is always next year, as long as I have manuscripts done.

I have created an editing schedule, but it is hard to keep on it. I am hoping to get at least three more novels edited by September. It is a hard target to hit, but I think that it is possible.

The VRMMORPG story is going well. I’m at 60k out of a target of 100k. So things are progressing nicely. It is not going to be a stand alone. I tried. It’ll be a trilogy; if not longer.

So the plan, work on VRMMORPG, edit other novels. Get covers. Get books published.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Expanding the Comfort Zone

Every creative has an area of work that they find comfortable. It might be a painter drawing nothing but flowers. A photographer taking photos of her kids only. Or an author writing fan fiction.

There is nothing wrong with doing art in those mediums about those subjects. The artwork needs to be created.

However, if the creative only creates art in those mediums, then the artist will soon find herself in a rut. The art will stagnate and become stale. Or at least that will be the perception.

Once an artist is in a rut, the quality of art drops as the artist struggles. It is a natural cycle that happens, however, it can spiral down towards creative death.

This is what happened to me. I got into a rut with my writing. I didn’t know how to make my art better and improve my craft. I got to where simple criticism of my crappy writing caused me to go into a downward spiral that hampers me being creative.

I came an inch from wanting to quit altogether. Before I restarted the blog at the start of this year, I was going to quit. I was going to leave being creative and go do something else with my life. Once I figured out what that was.

I had gotten myself in a rut with my writing. It wasn’t improving, in fact, it dropped. It had gotten worse.

It was only once I started to expand my comfort zone did I start to improve. It wasn’t comfortable to put myself out there. It wasn’t comfortable to force myself to write every day. It wasn’t comfortable to go back to school. It isn’t comfortable to take a journalism course.

But doing so, trying to expand my comfort zone forced me to get better. It forced me to improve my craft. The items outside my comfort zone got me to relearn how I did things. It forced me to learn new things and fix those that I was doing wrong.

So in short, push the comfort zone. Go outward and try new things. Write new things, take new styles of photos, paint new subjects. If the creative subject makes you uncomfortable, perhaps it is something that you should try. Perhaps it will force you to learn.

Until then, if you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

End of May 2019 Report

As like the post for the end of January, this is the post of the end of May. I am still putting my money where my mouth is.

RECAP OF 2019 GOALS

1. Write 500,000 words in personal, non-school related projects.
2. Complete and publish Felix #2, Felix #3, Des O’Neal #1, Des O’Neal #2, Des O’Neal #3, Jovian Marines #1, Jovian Marines #2, Jovian Marines #3, Mech Warrior #1, Mech Warrior #2, Mech Warrior #3.
   1. Complete and Publish VRMMORPG
3. Correct cover for Felix #1.
4. Write four blog posts per month
5. Give Felix #1 and Tokyo Tempest #1 a proofread.
6. Complete and submit to market Terran Marine Raider short #1, Terran Marine Raider short #2, and RPG Death short.
   1. Added goal: complete and submit to market, JSS Leda, secret short #2 and secret short #3.
7. Earn $1000.00 a month from novels.
8. Relaunch publishing company with a new, stronger name.
9. Get 1 client for editing services.
10. NEW GOAL: Lose 90 lbs and get healthier.

APRIL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote 43,055 words.
2. I have written for 151 days in a row, which is also at the approx one-third mark in the days of the year.
3. I spent most of this month working on short stories and not on longer fiction.
4. I have started the first draft for a new story.
5. I have passed the 40% mark in total yearly words at 210k.
6. Edited the short story with a working title called the JSS Leda and submitted it to market.
7. Working with a local cover artist for a bunch of covers for books.
8. Completed edited Jovian Marines #1.
9. Wrote 4 blog posts during May.
11. Starting weight 286lbs, weight today, 268lbs.

EXAMINATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote just over 43k words in May. It is better than the last two months. I have managed to pull off a couple really good days that have helped bolster my poor days.
2. This is the longest days in a row I have written by far as well as the longest yearly word count. I count that as a win.
3. I have first drafted another short story. A secret project that I will keep secret for now.
4. I am working on editing my secret project.
5. A local cover artist, not my wife is working on what I am calling “art assets.” These are so my wife can turn them into beautiful covers. They will be works of art on there own but will have no titling, which is why I need my wife.
6. The edits of Jovian Marines #1 are completed. It just have to get a cover and I can publish it. As soon as I get it back from a proofreader.
7. My blog posts are still happening. Even when I forget.
8. I have been on this new diet for a month now. My energy is high, however, I crave chips.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This month was hard at some points, and stressful at others and flowed when it did. A new semester at school has started so new courses to distract me. I did get a lot of other stuff done. However, nothing published.

With Missed Drop Zone finished edited this month, I need to start editing other titles. However, figuring out a good editing schedule is difficult at best. I will figure it out. Having them first drafter is a feat on its own.

The VRMMORPG story listed above is an oops. I didn’t intend to start another story, however, it is flowing. I like the characters, I like the plot. I am hoping to keep this a stand-alone. It is me though. I tend to write long stories.

So the plan, work on VRMMORPG, edit other novels. Get covers. Get books published.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Dealing with Runaway Ideas

As a novelist and a creative, I deal with ideas. They are my creative lifeblood. I live on new ideas and new stories.

One of the projects that I’m working on are a few short stories for some anthologies that I heard about through the grapevine. So I’ve been writing the short stories in between my other larger novels.

The problem that has shown its face is that the story I’m writing was designed to be a 10k word story. However, I’m 4k into it, and I am nowhere near where the story needs to be for the word count.

Judging by where the story is and basing its length based on that, it wants to be a 50k to 60k novel. I’m sure the editor in charge of the anthology would be more than willing to stamp ‘rejected’ on my application. I may even get a rejected letter back.

This is not a problem only faced by novelists. It is felt by painters, illustrators, graphic artists, podcasters and more. When a simple project was the intent, yet as the project ticks by on its way to completion, the project snowballs.

It grows and expands, takes a life on its own. The image becomes more substantial, more detailed, and takes more time.

With my short story, it is intended for a specific anthology which is looking for a particular style of short story within a specific genre. I’m attempting to write it based on his guidelines. The story wanting to be 60k words isn’t in the guidelines.

What to do about it?

The simple solution, if I didn’t have a full writing dock, is to write the 60k words. Come up with a new short story for the anthology. Maybe using the same story world, and the same characters.

If I can justify squeezing it into my schedule, maybe I will. If not, I may push it to next year.

For the other creatives, what do they do? It comes along the lines of either buckling down and finishing the project or tossing it aside.

Each creative must decide what to do about each Runaway project on their own. Their decision will take into account their own circumstances.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

End of March 2019 Report

As like the post for the end of January, this is the post of the end of March. I am still putting my money where my mouth is.

RECAP OF 2019 GOALS

1. Write 500,000 words in personal, non-school related projects.
2. Complete and publish Felix #2, Felix #3, Des O’Neal #1, Des O’Neal #2, Des O’Neal #3, Jovian Marines #1, Jovian Marines #2, Jovian Marines #3, Mech Warrior #1, Mech Warrior #2, Mech Warrior #3.
3. Correct cover for Felix #1.
4. Write four blog posts per month
5. Give Felix #1 and Tokyo Tempest #1 a proofread.
6. Complete and submit to market Terran Marine Raider short #1, Terran Marine Raider short #2, and RPG Death short.
   1. Added goal: complete and submit to market, JSS Leda, secret short #2 and secret short #3.
7. Earn $1000.00 a month from novels.
8. Relaunch publishing company with a new, stronger name.
9. Get 1 client for editing services.

MARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote 42,240 words.
2. I have reached my 90 day-in-a-row point, which is also at the approx one-quarter mark in the days of the year.
3. I have passed the one-quarter mark in total yearly words at 127k.
4. I hit the publish button on Des O’Neal #1, retitled as The O’Neal Saboteur. For those that haven’t, the book can be found here.
5. Wrote a short story with a working title called the JSS Leda.
6. Working with a local cover artist for a bunch of covers for books.
7. Edited Terran Marine Raider #1.
8. Still worked on editing Jovian Marines #1.
9. Wrote 5 blog posts during March (Extra week.)

EXAMINATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. I wrote just over 42k words in March. While it is larger than my monthly total for February, there are more days in March and, as such, my daily count has taken a beating. I wrote 100 words a day on average in February than in March. Being on track for total words is good, especially with my semester ending and a bit of free time to write more words and gain a bit of a buffer for the next summer semester.
2. No books have been first drafted this month. However, I finally hit the button on The O’Neal Saboteur. It is out now.
3. I have a secret. It involves my short story JSS Leda (working title), and once I can announce more information, then I shall announce.
4. A local cover artist, not my wife is working on what I am calling “art assets.” These are so my wife can turn them into beautiful covers. They will be works of art on there own but will have no titling, which is why I need my wife.
5. The edits of Jovian Marines #1 are ongoing. The title of which will be The Missed Drop Zone. It will be in the Odinite Campaign Saga. It was put on hold while I worked on the super secret project. I expect to pick it up soon.
6. As you can see from my previous posts, I have written five blog posts with them going live on Sundays. This month I wrote about my mishmash ideas and concepts stemming from the stress of going to school full time and doing something crazy like writing 500k words and publishing the work.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This by far was the hardest month for me. Despite publishing one work, it has been hard to keep going. The changing of projects make things hard as well. I suffer from a slowdown of words as I change and start up the next project.

I’m currently working on the second O’Neal book, it is going to have the title, The O’Neal Kidnapped. I am 30k into it, not including the words in my first go that I did last year. This is another of my incompletes. However, it has the issue of me having to weave new words with old instead of only taking words onto the end like the previous books.

I will get Missed Drop Zone finished edited this month. It has become a joke of being put off. It will happen and soon. I hope to have it published by the end of April. However, I am not setting a date on it until it is ready. It’s not ready.

As you may have noticed, I have added a subgoal of some short stories that I need to write. They are secret, and I will talk about them soon. I have also crossed off the RPG Death Short. It is being used in a school project, and as such, I can’t write that story. Maybe later I will post the story.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Being a Creative and Going to University

Many people consider me an artist; however, I don’t. I can’t draw a stickman. I can’t play any instrument. I can’t act. And no one wants to hear me sing.

My wife calls me a wordsmith, and I’m not sure the term applies to me. I may write novels, but I write science-fiction and fantasy. Nothing literary in any way. I still get peers and teachers looking down their nose at me for writing genre fiction, besides the scoff I get when I tell them I’m an indie author and publisher.

So what am I? People categorize themselves by what they do. Police officers, carpenters, mail carriers, etc. Am I an author? A novelist? A publisher? A crazy man who writes a small boatload of words each and every month in the hopes of earning it big?

Perhaps…

Perhaps the point of calling myself anything is to belong to a group of like-minded people. The sense of belonging is strong with most people. Am I an author? Perhaps. A Novelist? Perhaps? What I definitely am, is a Creative. I consider myself ultimately a creative whose medium is the written word, not the paintbrush or the graphics pen. However, this is not the point of this weeks blog post.

As I stated last week, I am going to University with the intended purpose of getting a degree in Creative Writing. My end goal is to use the knowledge I gain in earning my degree to start up an editing service or maybe a publishing house where I take other peoples novels and not just my own. At the moment I don’t have the knowledge or skills to be able to produce someone else’s book with the expertise required.

Going to University, I have noticed one thing which seems to stretch across the different types of artistry. All creatives, no matter if the student paints, draws, sculpts, graphic designs, sings, acts or writes, they seem to run into an after-school slump.

This is not only for after earning the degree but with the degree itself. The student spends four or more years of their life having someone else give parameters for what they have to produce. When they get an assignment with no parameters or especially when they want to do something for themselves, they have little ability to decide what to do. In fact, they struggle with it.

I have seen the struggle, the putting off the assignment until the last minute, sometimes for the sole reason that they don’t want to deal with making a decision. The only reason the student gets anything done is the deadline and the threat of a failing grade.

To this end, I have come to the determination that the act of working on my own projects first, then the schoolwork, is NOT a problem with my priorities. It will help within the long term with the ability to work independently without any outside force telling me what to work on or how to do it. I need to decide those on my own, give my own deadlines and stick to them.

In fact, it is something which all creatives going to school, going to work, and/or living complicated, busy lives need to do. Getting things done, despite the crazy in our lives, will lead to some type of success.

More on that next week. Until then, if you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Leave a review, or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.