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So, it's 2016! Is it too late to acknowledge that? We're almost six weeks into the new year, which means it's not new anymore. Better late than never, I suppose.
First, a progress report: I got to 68,000 words on my first novel before slowing to a stop for various reasons. I am scrapping it and starting it over with the intention of finishing it this month or early next month. I was planning to finish it (at around 90,000 words) and then deciding if I wanted to re-write it, but I knew I'd be re-writing it and it's a waste of time to finish a draft that will be deleted right after.
Why re-do it? I got off track on the first attempt almost from the beginning and it changed the story too much. I re-drafted my plot notes to make an ending that would fit, but I learned so much during the five weeks that I was writing and I know that I can apply that knowledge and turn out a much better product. A first-timer's novel won't get much --if any-- traction in the traditional market (I am sure I have a lot more to learn yet) but I don't want to give up on it and turn out something that isn't my best work.
So I've re-done all of my notes and focused on the original story with only a few edits and am working on the scene descriptions (something I did not do the first time). Once those are done I can focus on writing the book chapter-by-chapter and scene-by-scene, making sure to concentrate on the craft as much as the story. I know that I can do 2,500-to-3,000 words a day pretty easily, so I'm aiming for 5,000+ per day until I am done.
My other goal is to create mini-comics and post them here. I want to start this month, posting a minimum of one page each week while trying to see how many I can create without sacrificing quality.
I may also need to take some time to deal with a couple of personal issues before this month is out, which could affect my schedule. But until that happens, those are my plans. I took far too much time off in the past month and I want to get back on track and produce as much work as I can.
First, a progress report: I got to 68,000 words on my first novel before slowing to a stop for various reasons. I am scrapping it and starting it over with the intention of finishing it this month or early next month. I was planning to finish it (at around 90,000 words) and then deciding if I wanted to re-write it, but I knew I'd be re-writing it and it's a waste of time to finish a draft that will be deleted right after.
Why re-do it? I got off track on the first attempt almost from the beginning and it changed the story too much. I re-drafted my plot notes to make an ending that would fit, but I learned so much during the five weeks that I was writing and I know that I can apply that knowledge and turn out a much better product. A first-timer's novel won't get much --if any-- traction in the traditional market (I am sure I have a lot more to learn yet) but I don't want to give up on it and turn out something that isn't my best work.
So I've re-done all of my notes and focused on the original story with only a few edits and am working on the scene descriptions (something I did not do the first time). Once those are done I can focus on writing the book chapter-by-chapter and scene-by-scene, making sure to concentrate on the craft as much as the story. I know that I can do 2,500-to-3,000 words a day pretty easily, so I'm aiming for 5,000+ per day until I am done.
My other goal is to create mini-comics and post them here. I want to start this month, posting a minimum of one page each week while trying to see how many I can create without sacrificing quality.
I may also need to take some time to deal with a couple of personal issues before this month is out, which could affect my schedule. But until that happens, those are my plans. I took far too much time off in the past month and I want to get back on track and produce as much work as I can.
Monetization
(I mean, let’s call it what it is, right?) Before we start, there are two things I want to state up front. One: I have no intention of putting my finished work behind a paywall. I’d like to offer fans an opportunity to support my efforts and encourage more of them. And possibly –possibly—have some input into future work. But the final product will be available to all. Will this change? Anything is possible, but I doubt it. I’m making a bet on myself, and I think the new paradigm will slowly become one where fans support a creator directly instead of just purchasing product. We’ll see. Two: This is not a criticism of how anyone else uses subscriber services or options. Do what you want to do, I am not the arbiter of monetization. And I am too old to get into debates about how to do this stuff, and frankly not concerned with how anyone does it aside from myself. With that out of the way, I wanted to describe what I plan to do, and ask a question or two. My intent is to produce new
Yes, I'm still Alive
Everything's fine! Everything's fine. I have no alarming or sad news updates. In fact, life has been pretty good the past several months. I simply haven't been drawing. The art I posted today is the last thing I drew, and that was done in mid-April. It took this long to post it because I kept meaning to color it and didn't have the energy or focus to do it. It's not burnout or a creative block, I think maybe my brain needed the time away. I will color the piece at some point, maybe soon. I had been thinking that maybe I'd just take the whole year off, but I bet most of you know that you can't just turn the creative muse on or off on your own. It leaves when it wants, and it returns when you least expect it. So I figure I'll be back to drawing and coloring soon. Anyway, what is up with me lately? Let's see. I moved back to the apartment near my job in October (right around the time I stopped drawing... probably not a coincidence) and my friends have been staying at the house as they
One thousand watchers
A day or three ago, I reached the 1,000 watcher milestone. I'd been keeping track of the watcher count as I approached 1k, but couldn't figure out what to draw in response. To be honest, I still don't know. Maybe it's because I'm already drawing all the stuff I want to. Heck, maybe that's the secret to getting to 1,000 watchers in the first place. I'm grateful to everyone who adds me to their watch list. Even with the recent upheaval with DA, the number has continued to grow. I look forward to the next milestone. Thank you, everyone.
All moved in
Well, sort of. The move went like clockwork, and I'm back in my old apartment just a few minutes from the job. I had this silly notion that I'd have everything unboxed and in place by the end of the day. That... that's not going to happen. My back and legs will ache so much tomorrow, but I've got a lot of shopping and unpacking left to do. Honestly, I'm so happy that the move went without a hitch that I don't feel bad about how bad I'm going to feel for the next few days. And I do mean without a hitch. The only issue I had was that the keys they gave me were the wrong ones, so they had to find the right ones and bring them to me. But that didn't slow anything down. Have I mentioned how much I love living in the rural Midwest? In the Bronx, the thought of leaving the front door of an apartment unlocked is madness; you may as well put a neon sign saying "STEAL EVERYTHING" on the door. I'm almost used to how relaxed people are out here. Anyway, I've got my high-speed internet and my
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What kind of mini comics do you plan on making if it's ok to ask? Also I could only do maybe 1000 words to something a day. The amount you plan is much better than I could. I hope it turns out really good! I'd love to talk to you about ideas for the mini comics to!