It is everyone’s enemy and I hate it with every fiber of my being.

I’m uncertain of how to feel about this year. 2018 was the worst year of my life at the time which every following year being part of a downward spiral. And I recall 2021 being so miserable for me towards the end that I rarely left the house without a full flask on my person.

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In an attempt to provide more options for my readers who wish to support me, I have I have created a Subscribestar account. I understand that some may have become more wary of platforms like Patreon in recent months, and while I would prefer being supported through Patreon since if gives me a little more control on how my payouts work, Subscribestar is now an option. Any and all support is appreciated.

I got a text from my mother today shortly after my shift started. Was told my father was slipping and would not be with us much longer. This was unexpected, yet not surprising. I had received a similar message a month ago.

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I suppose everyone reaches a point in their life where everything seems to peak before consistently and persistently trailing downward in a spiral that never ends. For me, that spiral started in mid 2018 and has never let up. And anyone who has kept up knows what the highlights of that descent has been.

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I hate having to do this. I have always appreciated feedback and support from my readers for a long time, but this is different. Recent events outside my control that I don’t want to go into detail over has left me in a delicate financial situation for the foreseeable future and I’m not certain I have the means to ride out the storm.

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This coming July, The Lost Element will turn 10 years old. And before this abominable year can end, I want to take a moment to clarify some things and address some issues with all of you in a bit of a heart to heart. Because by now, some things need to be said.

I do want to make clear right now that regardless of what I say next, I sincerely appreciate the support of everyone who enjoys my work. I write for my readers more than I write for myself. But that said, I must begin.

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To try and improve my situation, I have decided to try expanding beyond just my Patreon account and have opened a Ko-fi account for those who do want to support me, but would rather not go through the trouble of setting up a Patreon account.

If anyone wishes to support me with an alternative to Patreon, please consider doing so with a Ko-fi. As always, any support is appreciated.

I hate this year. And not for the most obvious reasons. Anyone who has been keeping track of my activity on this site probably remembers my choice words for 2018, which I still hold up as the worst year of my life. But if 2020 does not outright dethrone that year, then 2020 is at the very least the most miserable year of my life thus far. And the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t even a significant factor in it.

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Maybe it’s because I’ve had a few shots this evening, but I just want to take the opportunity to voice my gratitude to a couple of friends I have made over the past decade in beyond that I do not want to imagine life without.

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Roughly 9 years ago this month, The Lost Element began. And I have dutifully stuck to my guns the entire way, seeing the glorious rise, tragic fall, and crushing end of MLP FiM in the process. And even now, I still carry on with my work. And yet so much has happened during that time and not all of it is happy.

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After one innocuous act of recklessness a week ago, I had a moderate anxiety attack Friday night. As a result, I have been frequently achy, constantly fatigued, and drained of passion. I just can’t find the will to write in this condition, even though I know there is technically nothing wrong with me.

Development of future chapters will be slowed down for a little while. At least until my psyche shakes this off.

While things have not entirely gone back to normal yet, I've decided I am not going to wait any longer and have begun seeking out means to help me find environments suited for creative writing. The next chapter is finally in development and I hope to have it out before long.

With this corona virus crap happening, production of future chapters will be slowing down for a little while. Most of my writing is done out of the house, with much of it being done during my lunch breaks, and the restaurants in the area going to carry-out and delivery for a while means I won't be getting out of the house as much for a number of weeks.

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I have recently revised the tier functions on my Patreon account to hopefully make pledging to my account more enticing to my readers. It may take some time for me to get in the habit of checking my account more often, but I hope I do not fail to disappoint. Thank you all for your continued support.

I’d like to start this year off with a request. While I have had a Patreon account for a while, I know that the tier list has been a bit bare bones. And with so few patrons pledging to me at any one time, I do not have much incentive to check on it more often.

My request is this. For anyone with more experience with the platform than myself, what can I do to improve my tier list and make my Patreon more enticing? Any recommendations?

The prequel to The Lost Element is now available on Lulu. Very small, barely more than 50 pages. I was very surprised by how thin the proof copy is. A little special something for all my readers.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/ashton-crimson/before-time-began-to-flow/paperback/product-24082567.html

Well, that took a lot longer than I ever expected it to. At least 3 and a half years have been spent on the past 18 chapters and I am elated to finally have it done.

With that done, I would like to take a short breather and provide my readers with a little extra treat. I will be going through Before Time Began to Flow for proofreading to prepare for printing.

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I am not one to speak about my issues in public. I am not one to fish for sympathy. But this is something I want to vent.

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It took quite some time, but I am happy to announce that the second volume of The Lost Element is now available for purchase on Lulu.com in three parts.

I am very pleased with the end result of this one. Page numbers are present and the title text is large and underlined. I feel its an appropriate step up from the more bare bones result of the first volume. To everyone who has supported me for so long, thank you. I hope you all enjoy the end result of this pet project.

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