This week we’re FINALLY getting back on track. We had a death in the family that kept us off kilter longer than we would have liked. We’re coping but it’s never easy, especially on my kids. In the meantime, I’m leaning into personal weekly planning, habits, and checking off my lists. That, however, brings us to the exciting part. This week, the new monthly newsletter is going out and it’s the LAST ONE before release. Lots of exciting details will be inside, so if you haven’t signed up, go to my Contact page now and do so. You won’t want to miss it. I’ll get into it down below, so keep reading.
Drawing from the Well
I’m making progress on editing. It’s slower than I would like, but it’s a lot to read and think about. That said, I did finish the first arc, which is a big deal to me. I also had to add a page to the Interstitia section for notes. Here’s the latest:
Arc I: 64/64
Arc II: 1/60
Arc III Part I: 0/24
Arc III Part II: 0/31
Arc IV: 0/43
Arc V: 0/59
Interstitia: 0/11
Total: 65/291
Filling the Well
Books
I only finished one book last week, Zodiac by Romina Russell, while trying to catch up on everything else. It was good so I’m diving into the rest of the series now. I’m enjoying how the universe is expanding in the second novel so I’ll stick with it. I’m 2 books behind right now but am determined to catch up.
75/100 for #ProjectBookworm2022
TV
My wife and I are not only continuing our rewatch of old seasons of Ink Master, we’re also watching the current one too. Season 14 is absolutely bonkers. I didn’t think they could surprise us anymore, but they have. Granted, there have definitely been some challenges that we’ve seen before, but many are oldies twisted and cranked into way higher difficulty. It’s great fun and I can’t wait to see how it ends.
On my own, I’m catching up on The Flash. I’ve started the latest season and…it’s weird. Season 7 was too. And I swear by my ReMarkable pen that if they say “leveled up” one more time, I’m going to groan out loud. Someone in the writer’s room needs to break out a thesaurus and make that topic more interesting to hear when they inevitably circle it fifteen times before addressing it. Still, I’m enjoying the storyline so far. And it’s checking something off, so there’s that too.
Games
Dragonflight Beta continues with continuous refinements and additions. Plus, the official release date was announced last week of November 28, so I am hyped. Word on the street is that pre-patch is October 25, but that isn’t confirmed yet. Whenever it is, I’ll be deep in the UI and Talent revamps to get a feel for things. It’s going to be a wild ride. I’m still enjoying MLA as I’ve recently had some big steps up so I can continue progressing. I quit Royal Rush, though. It just didn’t do it for me. And that’s okay. Every game, like every story, isn’t for everyone.
Music
One other SUPER exciting thing that happened this week was that Lamb of God, my favorite metal album, released their ninth studio album, Omens. It’s the album they’re touring on right now that I saw them in Atlanta for last month. It is fantastic and I’m listening to it as much as I can right now.
Well Chat
By now, you’re likely asking what the exciting part of all this is, right? It’s the last set of reveals! And they’re all coming this week with the newsletter. What can you expect? Why am I SO excited?
In the newsletter this week, I’m revealing the final details about releasing my debut fantasy novel. Not only will you get the official release date, but pre-orders will become available and I’ll describe the giveaway that comes with pre-ordering. That’s right! I’m giving you something ON TOP of the book if you pre-order.
Oh yeah…AND THE COVER!
I’m so proud of the cover of my book and can’t wait for everyone to see it. That, for me, is the most exciting part. All of this together is the last push before my book becomes really real. Once the cover is out there and you can actually order the book, it’s a real thing. Everything after that is keeping the hype train running to the release date. There is PLENTY of work to do there, but this is one of those tipping points I talked about a while back.
The exciting part is important to keep in mind, to aim for, and to celebrate. As I’ve said before, writing is a LONG journey. Publication is the end goal (or one of them). Keeping this part in mind is vitally important to stoke your motivation to achieve. Otherwise, it’s just you hanging out with the imaginary characters in your head. I don’t mean to be reductive, but unless you cross the finish line, the book is only semi-real, even if you have written tons of it. Once it’s published, it exists. Forever. You’ve told a story to generations who will come after you, even after you have passed on. This is the oldest form of immortality dating all the way back to cave paintings.
What I’m trying to say is:
Keep going. You CAN do this. You WILL get there. Fight. Write. Finish. Publish.
And then celebrate like there’s no tomorrow.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG