One of the most important things I think I have learned in my life is that nobody can do everything. Even people who think they can… perhaps especially people who think they can… can’t. There are specialists and talented people in every field, and a big part of being a good writer is recognizing what I can do really well (write!) and what I can’t (cover art, editing, etc…), and then pay people to do what they’re good at so I can do what I’m good at.
I reached out for some business help to the university I’m currently attending, which is convenient because they have numerous full-time staff who’s job it is to help people like me be better at what we do. As my graduation date looms (gosh does it ever), I’m realize that I should do my best to get the most of the resources the university offers me. After all, I am paying for it already. My first meeting involved a lot of walking through the kind of steps I already do in order to make this writing thing successful, and the first actionable element the counselor gave was to think about how I approach Patreon.
It’s a fair point. I am eternally grateful to my patrons, but I don’t give them as much as some writers do. Partially because I almost never have time (any spare moments I do have are always filled as quickly as possible with writing, after all!), but I think it should be something I schedule to do. I have a schedule to write blog posts twice a week, I could probably schedule a Patreon-exclusive thing once a month or so… worth thinking about, at least!
Anyway, that’s where I’m at. I have another meeting “soon” (date as of yet TBD), which hopefully will give me more useful insight, but it was nice to talk about the business end of my writing career with someone who specializes in this kinda thing.
As a quick aside: I’m going to try and make enchiladas in salsa verde for dinner tonight. I blame Adam Ragusea. Hopefully it turns out okay!
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!
Last Night I Read
Last night, after a long, exhausting day, I decided to start the final book in the “Wayfarer Series” by Becky Chambers.
I’ve been a fan of Chambers’s work since I read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet a few years back, and picked up the rest of the series a few months ago. None of the other books quite hit the highs of that first one (which, admittedly, is more of a collection of short stories in many ways), but gosh The Galaxy and the Ground Within is good.
It’s so good, in fact, that I finished it this morning at 2:30am after reading non-stop since I started it. Sure, I’m a little tired today (who needs sleep?), but what a wonderful book. And what a touching, smart, elegant conclusion to the series which, admittedly again, I never really thought was a series. The books have almost no common elements aside from a few references to characters in the first book. Chambers didn’t write a series so much as she wrote in the same universe four times.
But, to be crystal clear, this is in no way a complaint. I loved these books. Each of them was intelligent and thoughtful in exactly the way my science fiction isn’t. Chambers spent time with each character, fleshing them out, and crafting a universe that not only coherently holds, but also feels “real” in a delightful way.
They were delicious. And I am both completely satisfied with them and immensely saddened to know that I won’t be going back to visit with them again.
Ah well. All good things and all that. Scalzi has a new novel coming out this year, so I have something to look forward to, and I’m polishing off a few more course textbooks and some puff reading at work (Blackstone Fortress Ascension by Hicks is my current lunchtime reading material), but before long I’m going to have to try and find some new sci-fi to read!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
The Regular Schedule
So I’m back at school, and I’m back at my job that pays for my school and writing (well, most of it at least… some of it is paid through Patreon supporters, who are amazing people, thank you all). This means I have specific days and times that I have available to write.
I’ve also started working out again most days (my goal is 6 days a week, but it’s going to take at least a few weeks to get up to that because gosh is my body sore every time I do a workout these days!), and I still have guitar lessons weekly. So… basically what I’m saying is… busy.
Back in the old days, I somehow managed to be both busy and still accomplish other stuff at times. Not often, granted, but I used to go to the gym five or six times a week, and that chewed up hours every day, and resulted in me being utterly exhausted by the time I got home. These days I work out for about an hour in the morning, but I’m doing it in my house, which speeds up a lot of the process.
Moral of the story is that I’m a busy, busy guy most of the time. Still managing to write four or five times a week, which is pretty good. Would like to be able to do more, but at the end of the day it’s more about what you do with what you have, more than anything else, I think.
Or I hope, at least.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
In with the New
Well, that’s another year dead and buried. You’d think after several decades of doing this “living” thing I’d get better at it… but each year still blurs by at the speed of light and I am still here, bewildered and confused, just trying to muddle through.
That stated, I’ve made really encouraging progress on the novel in the last week with the time I’ve had available. That’s a very good sign. At the pace I’m going the first draft should be done if a few weeks (although, admittedly, I have said that a few times before). I’m getting up earlier to exercise these days… I can probably get into the habit of writing a bit after I finish my workouts. We’ll see what the class workload is like, of course, but until my courses officially start, I at least have a bit of time to work with.
Anyway, all this to say that the year is off to a relatively promising start, despite the doom-and-gloom of most of my life. There is a glimmer of hope, at least, and that’s a nice change of pace!
Here’s hoping everyone out there is staying safe and healthy, and does so for the entire year!
Out With the Old
Another year is grinding to a close. I know the last 20+ months have been weird… I mean, weirder than usual… but gosh, I can’t wait to put 2021 behind me and move on.
Is 2022 going to be better? Not without work, but that’s work I am willing to do. I’m only 2 or 3 courses away from my degree (a semester or two at the rate I take classes), which means more time and energy back into my novels. I have no major expenses looming on the horizon, and book sales have been pretty steadily upwards since my last release… still nowhere near where I need them, but a heckuva lot closer than I’ve ever been before. I suspect that were it not for all this (imagine my gesturing around at the universe) I would actually be a full-time writer at this point… and I’ve made a lot of progress despite all this. So really, I’m not complaining.
Okay, I’m complaining a little. But that’s okay! 2021 in retrospect was still a pretty good year as a writer. And I have ever confidence that 2022 will be even better!
Right, with that aside, I’m sure I’ll be back in a few days to wish everyone of you a happy new year, but until then I hope you get to enjoy some peace and rest!
Hoping everyone is staying safe and healthy!
Happy Whatever!
To all you out there who celebrate anything… happy whatever you celebrate.
May you be surrounded by those who love and support you.
Almost There!
Gosh, the holiday season is a brutal grind in retail. I absolutely need to publish more books so that I don’t have to do this another year because I think it may be the death of me…
Actually, with the virus flying around it may be the death of me yet, so I shouldn’t complain. I am down to my last 2 N95s for a while, but there are only 3 days left, so that’s okay… well, two and a half.
But whatever! Not writing related, except tangentially, so moving on!
I watched a few episodes of “Ted Lasso Season 2” this week, and gosh that’s a great show. The first season ranks among the most heartwarming, clever writing I have ever had the pleasure to witness. It’s really good. I don’t know if I could write anything as earnest as Ted Lasso… and yet so honest and powerful. I usually aim for cool and exciting, though, but an occasional moment of touching or clever is nice when and where you can find it.
It is giving me an idea or two for the novel, though. Particularly Rebecca’s character, who is pretty badass. I think I can use some of that energy in the story for one of my characters (Ashley, specifically… she’s a lawyer, and pretty badass, although all three of the protags are, but in very different ways).
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
A Record of a Spaceborn Few
I just finished reading one of Becky Chambers’ books from the Wayfarer series. The books are very thoughtful, touching… a little slower paced than the usual sci-fi I read, but joyful at the same time.
It’s hard to explain, but Chambers doesn’t write the kind of sci-fi I want to write (unlike Scalzi), but wow are they good. The characters and settings feel so real and lived-in, and the stories move along as smooth as silk. I really, really enjoy the series, and I’m sad there is only one more book to read… going to dive into that one tonight!
In other news, I did very well in my exam and in the course, and am now off school for a few weeks. Gotta get course books, pay for my next wave of tuition, all the fun stuff like that… but the wheels grind forward, at least.
Hope everyone out there is doing well and staying safe!
Writing My Exam
I know I’ve mentioned before that I am taking an English degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. I’m over half done at this point… about another year, maybe a year and a half to get the last few courses I need.
If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would be done by now. But such is life.
Regardless, I’m just popping by here to say that I’m writing my final exam for one of my courses today, and then after that I don’t have any days off from my other job (the one that pays for my editing and publishing costs at this point) until after the 24th. So there’s a chance that I may miss a post or two in there somewhere.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Sequel...
I’m currently reading the second novel in Becky Chamber’s Long Way to a Small Angry Planet series (“A Closed and Common Orbit”), and I’m enjoying it a great deal.
The first novel was fantastic, but it was more of a collection of vignettes than it was a single story (although it did tie everything together really well). This one is just two parallel stories that are separated by time, but tied together in interesting ways.
It’s fascinating to see how other authors deal with the sequel “issue.” I think Chambers is doing a remarkable job, introducing new characters but still maintaining a close connection to the work she established previously. It’s joyous, really, and despite how dark and difficult the novel is at times, I return to it with a smile every evening before bed.
I think I started it on Friday, and it should be finished tonight. And then after I finish my exam tomorrow, I hope to start the next novel in the series!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Novel Tie-Ins
So I just finished reading a first for me… a novel based on a board game! I’ve read a fair amount of novels based on video games, and a few based on tabletop miniature games (Warhammer and Warhammer 40K, mostly), but this is the first time I’ve read a book based on a board game.
The Fractured Void by Tim Pratt… and it was good! Not great, sure, but I enjoyed it a fair amount and it was just the right amount of light and silly. Of course, if you don’t know what the Twilight Imperium universe is, then it won’t mean anything to do, but for those of you out there who love the game… it’s an easy recommendation.
It reminds me a little of my years (and years and years) of writing fanfics back in the 90s. Back then it was just something to do to pass the time. But it got me started on my path that I’m on now. I even tried to write stories for Games Workshop, Privateer Press, and Corvus Belli (all game design companies, for those of you unaware) over the years… never got anywhere, but not for a lack of trying.
Anyway. Hats off to Pratt for doing a good job, and for landing a great deal, writing books based on board games… I’m sure there are others. Catan probably has a dozen books based on it alone… but whatever. Do check it out if you happen to be a fan of both Twilight Imperium and books! Best of both worlds!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Cyberpunk Crimes in Cyberpunk times!
I just played a round of a lovely little board game called Chronicles of Crime: 2400, which is a cyberpunk game about solving mysteries. I had a great time! I love a good cyberpunk story, and a cyberpunk mystery is even more delicious!
It’s been a long time since I’ve read any really good cyberpunk… well, that’s not quite true, I re-read Neuromancer, one of the first cyberpunk novels ever, and a great one at that, for class a few months ago, but that was a re-read, rather than a read!
Actually, now that I’ve written that down, even that isn’t true… I’ve read both of Scalzi’s cyberpunk crime novels (Locked In and Head On, both great). So I take back what I said. I’ve read a fair amount of great cyberpunk recently, which might be why I am so excited to write my own! Mine is a little more optimistic and upbeat than the norm, granted… no faceless multinationals ruling with an iron fist before powerless governments. But I have space elevators (crucial, if you ask me), I have a great heist, and I have a plausible hacker in there just for kicks.
Anyway. The thing is that cyberpunk is great, and getting to play a cyberpunk private investigator was a lot of fun. If any of you out there are fans of board games, it’s not expensive, it uses a neat app that does some really cool stuff… it’s worth a look! And hey, maybe it will help fuel your hunger for a good cyberpunk heist book in a few months…
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
December! Already!? Argh!
Something magical happens every year as the weather gets colder and the nights get longer…
Time speeds up.
I can’t explain it! But by the time we hit October it feels like I blink and then we’re midway through November and a yawn later it’s December! It’s super weird.
That stated, this year has been harder than most for a variety of reasons unworthy of going into detail about. But suffice it to say that I’ll be happier-than-average to put the last few months of 2021 in the rear view mirror and move on with my life. And my writing! The novel I’m working on right now is a tonne of fun, but is taking months longer than I originally expected it would. Maybe having the month pass by more quickly will result in the novel being finished more quickly as well? Wouldn’t that be nice!
Anyway, I should get back to writing said novel, now that most of my major school work is done for the semester (sure, I have a final exam to prep for, but I can’t say I’m stressed about that… I usually love exams).
I hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Sunday Shifts
The game store I work at to pay my writing bills is now open on Sundays (they do this every holiday season as a way to increase sales). It cuts my day basically in half, as the shift is from noon until 4pm. It always surprises me how much of my time that absorbs… you’d think it would mean a loss of 4-5 hours, all told, but in reality it can often obliterate about half the day, and more than that when I try to relax a little after work.
It’s hard to go from Customer Service(tm) straight to creative writing. Not impossible, but difficult. But some days, like today, I just don’t have time to decompress… it’s really one, straight to the other. In this case I need to write an essay for my English course, and as much as I enjoy the subject matter and the poems I’m working with, it’s still hard.
Ah well. Many things are hard these days, and I guess the goal is to not become too frustrated about it.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Cultural Studies
Man, I miss libraries.
I miss having time to go to libraries, sure, but even if I had the time to do so, I can’t right now. Which is too bad! I am trying to write an essay on Cultural Studies (based on early works by Edward Said'), and in order to do so I have to find two “oriental” (Middle and Far East) poems written by Western writer(s).
This would be almost trivial at a library. But sorting through offerings through The Internet is… hard. Not impossible, thankfully, but it is taking me four times as long to do everything, and time is already short, honestly.
Oh well. What can ya do? I still have a week until the essay is due, so I have some time after work and before work to get it done, but I also need to finish “Ethics and Infinity” by Emmanuel Levinas in that time… and a bunch of other (shorter) course readings… and set up my exercise bike for the long, cold winter months…
Never enough time, ya know? Never enough time.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
The Probability of Truth
The universe, we now know, is not deterministic. It is often deterministic for macro-level analysis (if I drop a ball 1,000 times, it will fall at exactly the precise value given by Newton’s formulation of gravity), but it doesn’t hold at micro or galactic-level scales. Everything is determined by probabilities, and it just so happens that those probabilities are sometimes pretty close to deterministic.
Fine. But is there truth? If I drop a ball a billion times and it falls a billion times, is that enough to say that it is “true” that dropping a ball will result in it falling at a specific speed? There is a probability (infinitesimally small, natch) that the ball will not fall due to electron repulsion or weird gravitational effects or something-something-quantum.
Science. It’s a helluva drug.
Anyway. The point I’m asking is if truth, what actually happens, what is real, however we want to define truth, is deterministic or not in a universe in which everything else is based on probabilities? It’s a weird thought… are there circumstances of truth being quantum (“one unit of truth” being the smallest possible unit of truth possible), or is truth actually a binary (true or false), or is truth a continuum of fractions-of-truth? If there is nobody around to witness the universe does “truth” stop being significant? Does even the act of observing a truth change it? And, of course, is there even such a thing? Does truth just not exist?
There are definitely days where my brain works perpendicular to the direction I kinda need it to work, and today’s rapid descent into the structure of truth is one such day. Nothing meant by it, just idle thoughts, but these are the kinds of things that keep me up some nights.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Snow Gone
Ah, Southern Ontario weather. Snow covered ground yesterday, green grass today. Sub-zero temperatures yesterday, almost 12 degrees today.
Whatever! Whatever. The weather won’t stabilize into the frozen hellscape that we usually get from December-March for a few weeks yet. It will dip into it occasionally, but such is the life of the region. And, hey, compared to the horrific flooding in British Columbia these days, maybe it’s not so bad? I have considered moving out to BC (and may yet do so after my parents pass, since they are established enough here that they’re not going to move), but yeah, the footage these days coming from out West looks terrifying.
I guess being grateful for what we have is important, yeah? Yeah.
Not much else to add. Busy day today, lots of running around, getting my bike’s trainer wheel on and picking up cat food and all sorts of other little things like that, so I suppose to warmer weather is nice? I look forward to the weather stabilizing so we don’t get these crazy swings, but until then I suppose… grateful for what we have.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Snow
Well, it snowed today. It’s not the first snowfall of the season, that happened several weeks ago, but it is the first time the snow stuck around for more than a few hours. I think this officially means I am done biking to and from work for the foreseeable future, for better or for worse.
On the one hand, that means I have more time at home, since driving takes me about 1/3rd as long as biking does.
On the other hand, it means no more “free” exercise, exercise I don’t have to schedule or think about. Now if I want to exercise I have to set aside time and space to do exactly that, and that’s always tricky, even at the best of times…
But, on the griping hand, I don’t want to turn into a blob over the winter so I suspect I will find that time. Probably in the mornings, still, because I’ve never had the energy or drive to exercise after a long day of work.
I have a Nintendo Switch with a neat little exercise game, and I am looking forward to getting back into it, I suppose. At least it’s varied, and that’s nice, and the pacing of it tends to be pretty good, plus it includes a warmup and cooldown, which is usually something I skip when I’m not directed to do it.
Anyway, we’ll see what kind of shape I am in when spring rolls around, but fingers crossed I don’t slide too far back over the colder months!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!
Sad Today...
It’s been a rough day.
Nothing serious, and these days crop up from time to time. Nothing to do about it except soldier on and fortify as best one can.
A long week ahead of me, too… with some luck maybe I can squeeze in a little writing. Probably not, but gotta try, right?
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy.
Why I Bother
I have been asked more than a few times why I bother being a writer. It certainly isn’t the pay, and I suspect it will never be the pay (I am a good writer, but in order to make appreciable amounts of money you have to be a exceedingly prolific writer, or an exceptionally talented one, and I’m neither). It’s not that I feel I “should” be a writer, or because I have a message that needs to be shared with the world and this is the only way I can think to spread that message.
Honestly, it sometimes feels like I’m a writer because I have no choice. That no matter what else I am doing in my life, that part of me is always writing (or, at the very least, wanting to write). I can’t help it. The ability to do it full-time would just mean that it would stop spreading into all the cracks, into every waking moment, into all the gaps and pauses that should be filled with rest or sleep or leisure and are instead filled with scribbles, hastily scrawled notes, and any other way I can get words on a page.
Don’t get me wrong, I love writing. I love writing. But it is definitely something that doesn’t make my life any easier. Quite the opposite. My life is harder and busier and more stressful by many orders of magnitude because of my writing.
Oh well. I love it anyway.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!