Well, I guess I might as well break the mold and talk about a niche, relatively obscure indie film that I just managed to see through one very specific venue twenty miles out from my locale. It may never be a financial powerhouse -- or break even, for that matter -- but hey. Sometimes you’ve just got to support creative vision and raw artistry.
…Now I feel bad for doing the complete opposite.
Avengers: Endgame! The last Avengers for a while, I think! I’ll talk about it! Eventually! And briefly! But first, business.
Might as well be blunt and upfront about it: this is probably going to be the last “uploaded on Monday” post for a little bit. Or a long bit. I haven’t decided yet, which means that I’m not committing to any dates. Don’t worry, I’m not dying or anything (that I know of). It’s just that, simply put, it feels like it’s about that time.
I’ve got bigger ambitions than just griping about terrible JRPGs, you know. And if you know that, you also know that I’m trying to push my novels -- or manuscripts, really -- out into the world. That’s an endeavor and a half, partly because of the self-inflicted wound I’ve taken on. To summarize: even though I’ve already got one novel primed for submission (relatively speaking), I’ve decided to double down and try and get two novels going at once. One of my babies is going to get published, and the way I see it, going for a twofer will double my chances. Because that’s how that works. Math!
It’s not like I’m locked at Step 1, though. Over the past two months -- minus a week, as of writing -- I’ve managed to hit the 40K word mark, and I’ve done enough planning beforehand to make progress pretty smoothly. 40K is both good and bad, though. Good in the sense that that’s a decent chunk of a novel. Bad in the sense that I’m not satisfied with that level of output, and want to do more. Worse in the sense that there’s still a ton of editing that needs to be done, mostly because I sense, innately, that I can get to key plot points much faster than I have so far.
So that’s one project I need to get through. The other is a tune-up to the first novel manuscript. If memory serves, it’s sitting at 109K total, and I want to shave about 9K words from that to make it slightly more appealing to agents. Also, I need to write up a new query letter, synopsis, and summary, what with my computer dying and taking those files with it. Critically, though? I need to make edits in line with the redesigns I’ve got swirling around in my head -- stuff that’ll not only enhance the characters, but potentially feed into Operation Shave About 450 Words From Every Chapter.
But wait! There’s more!
I need to put together some new art of my characters in line with their fresh 2019 incarnations. That’s going to take some effort, and even more if I have my way; the 2D art I want to put together is just a precursor to the 3D art/models I want to construct. The idea is that if I can manage those, then not only will I have picked up a new skill, but also have models that negate the need to physically/digitally redraw the characters every single time…which means I can get back to promoting my wares.
And speaking of which, there’s a lot of online stuff I need to tend to instead of, you know, not tend to. I’m legitimately having trouble remembering when I last logged into Twitter, and tossing links to Cross-Up would probably help it become slightly more than a ghost town. Still need to switch out the logo, make sure the font is OK, properly link pages and posts together…the list goes on. And that’s before the obvious objective of “write more posts”. Pretty sure I promised/threatened one on Sword Art Online at one point, sooooooooooooooo…
I’ve been going in hard for a while now, but there’s still work that needs to be done. Some of that, obviously, is stuff that I want to do (any time not spent working on novels is time not spent working on novels). But some of that is stuff that I need to do; I spent almost six hours the other day doing some much-needed, oft-delayed spring cleaning, and the job’s not done until I face whatever archdaemons lurk inside my closet. Is progress being made on multiple fronts? Yes. But the trade-off is that sometimes, I fall asleep while sitting at my computer.
I guess what I’m getting at here is that I want to work, but I also need sleep. I’d like to squeeze in more hours so I can blast through what remains of my creative efforts, and the best way to expedite that process is to make the necessary cuts when I can. And with my schedule/work load not quite so regimented, I could probably get in a little more rest without feeling like I have to push out posts for a deadline of my own making. So maybe with this setup, I can focus on putting out one good post a week instead of half-assing two.
Also, I’d like to think that it’ll teach me to self-edit and impose limits along the way. Otherwise, I’ll just end up spending a month and a half on the same subject. However smokin’ sexy it may be.
I hope nobody’s too shocked, hurt, or disappointed by the news (assuming you exist and/or are reading this right now). But if you want more from me, you’ll get more, even if it’s at a reduced pace. Also I’ve got like a thousand other posts you could read, so you’re not starved for content. As for me? Even though my eyelids are heavy as I type this right now, and even though I’m using my windowsill to make sure I don’t topple over, I’m eager for my next shot to write that next chapter or fine-tune that act. That’s just the kind of psycho I am, I guess.
And that’s about where I stand. Thanks for reading, and -- oh, right, Avengers: Endgame. I guess I should say something about that, right? Okay, here goes.
It’s good. It is NOT the movie I expected -- which I appreciate, because it proves that even entertainment mass-produced for consumption can still have merit. And as the culmination of a 22-movie story arc, it’s hard to imagine a better way to cap everything off. Which doesn’t mean it’s perfect, mind. But really, what could be?
All right. You win this round.
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