Happy October? · 3:33am Oct 2nd, 2017
Honestly I just feel like giving a list of updates and the title of this blog doesn't reflect that but I gave up on it so have a happy.
First and foremost, story updates!
•Fullmetal Pony's progress is still slow, largely due to the real-life challenges I'll get into below. I've got a good draft for 5.1 and am redrafting 5.2, with the expectation that this one will only have three segments. As I get farther, I'll decide if I want to keep doing that once-a-week shtick from earlier chapters or if a once-a-day schedule like from chapter 4 will serve me better.
•There's a challenge fic that I want to finish in time for Halloween (or, more appropriately, the day after) that will be another take on comedy. This one's a challenge not only because it's a comedy, but because it's situational humor. The kind of thing where the scenery will do whatever it wants and the characters just have to respond. There will also be Rainbow Crash.
•On the whole, I've stopped asking for (and worrying about) pre-readers to my stuff, because the last eight or so I've recruited never did anything. In fact, only one early reader ever gave me feedback, and to be honest I was pretty unfair when I read it. Nonetheless, this might have an impact on the quality of my big projects, but it could also mean I personally go back and make corrections after publishing.
On the real-life side of things...
•I'm still looking for a job that will pay enough for a place to live. Right now I'm basically freeloading and I don't intend for it to last. Besides, I'm effectively earning as much now as I was ten years ago, which is not acceptable or sustainable. At this rate I can not afford to be picky with my job applications, so I've started looking into old jobs to see if they'll take me back. I hate that and I dread what I'll end up getting, but I refuse to go into default.
•I'm forming ideas to start writing for profit. Specifically, writing original titles to be sold on an online marketplace, i.e. Amazon's ebook community. There's also the idea of putting effort into starting a Patreon, but I'm hesitant to do that when all of my stuff is based on commercialised properties. I don't suppose any of my followers have experience in this regard? I'm open to advice.
•I'm gonna start complaining a bit here, but...is there something obvious that I'm missing when I "don't meet basic qualifications" to be a hospital transporter? The job description is basically "move patients from point A to point B safely." Last I checked, I have enough strength and the willingness to learn in order to do that kind of job. But now even putting in referrals won't get me a job doing that? You can't get much more basic than "push that."
•All in all, over half of my efforts are currently going toward job-hunting. I feel like I've been doing this for three years and all I've got to show for it is my car title.
And finally, other things worth a mention:
•My best friend got me hooked on Rick & Morty.
•His family - specifically, his three-year-old daughter - loves having me visit. The daughter in particular will wait by the front door when she knows I'm coming, and then rush into the yard to my car. I'm spoilin' her and all I do is give her attention.
•My older brother and his wife have settled into their new house in the next town, and I love their selection. Whenever I go to visit them, I need to spend the first few minutes tripping over the dogs, who have basically made me one of them. All told, I'm surrounded by love and support, but sometimes I still feel isolated.
•One thing I've been trying more often is tempering my honestly with tact. You know, finding a better way of stating my feelings so I don't insult someone, but still say what I feel so there's no question. I think it'll help be improve myself with communication, but it also plays into my flaw of pausing mid-sentence and allowing someone else to talk over me. Communication is important, but I've learned to dislike interruptions almost as much as surprises.
•My Russian has come along a little bit. I can remember and pronounce a few phrases and have gotten better at translating letters, but I still struggle with meaning and grammar. One day soon I hope I can devote an entire afternoon to just reading the books I've got to learn the language.
•I've been helping out a lot with the Gentlecolts Collaborations project, serving as both a writer and a "secretary" if you will. Essentially, I've made it my duty to summarize our meetings into manageable documents, in order to capture the main ideas and save time for everyone. It's kind of become my homework. Come join our Discord if you like, and tell 'em I sent you.
•Finally, I've been keeping up with my promise for Austraeoh, where I read one chapter per day at least. Today had me reach chapter eighteen, "Vast," and so far I'm enjoying the ride...but I'm hoping to save my real thoughts for a monthly blog saved exclusively for that. And in order to start that blog, I've gotta go for another twelve days.
That's all for tonight's list. Carry on.
~Leo
Well, have fun, lad, I hope to start reading those new ones later on. :)