2024 - Lots of Writing, Just Not Lots of Publishing

Well, the end of another year is nearing (that wording makes it sound like there's an echo - damned editor side of my brain), so it's time for me to reflect on all I accomplished. And freak out over how the last 12 months flew by so quickly. Like seriously, time messes with my head.

I got to say, even though I didn't publish a novel or short story, I'm quite proud with my output. Now to take a closer look!

2024 Publications

❦ Magic Morsel - I finished the first serial. Unfortunately, it now needs to move to series status, as Kindle Vella is closing its doors. You have until February 2025 to read it on Vella!

2024 Progress

If you'd like to compare the goals I posted at the beginning of the year, head over to the 2024 - Just Chill post.

❦ Drafted to the end of the first Magic Morsel novel, Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned, and halfway through revisions!

❦ Started drafting Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8), but paused to figure out some issues with the story.

❦ Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Are you surprised I haven't worked on this? My priorities are shifting as well, so it's definitely on hold for at least another year.

❦ I sent out 8 newsletters, though one was just an announcement about SPFBOX, and only 4 SHU-WPF Spotlights.

❦ This will be the 9th post on Born to Write for the year. Not one post monthly, but still a decent amount!

❦ As for social media & networking... Went to Capricon, but ignored social media most of the year. I also posted mostly about my crochet projects and new Etsy shop, Speculative Stitches. Eh.

❦ I also entered Dead As Dreams into the SPFBOX contest. Unfortunately, it's been eliminated.

❦ Facebook Ads - I've used them on and off. I still feel like I'm throwing money away, though. It's a rough road getting my writing in front of new eyeballs!

2024 Numbers

Like Lila in Magic Morsel, I love numbers! However, unlike her, they typically don't love me. Let's see what I ended up with this year.

❦ I drafted 42,807 words.

❦ I revised 44,943 words.

❦ That's a total of 87,750 words, which is more than the previous year, and super close to my just for fun goal of 100k!

❦ No editing, but a lot of reading through my writing and working on world bibles. Oops, no number for this one.

❦ 136 hours spent drafting & revising. Less than last year, but that's mostly because of the lack of editing.

❦ Only 4 hours of cover art, formatting, and publishing. This is what happens when I don't publish something - lol.

❦ The grand total of time spent on writing and writing-related tasks this year was 227 hours. For a Just Chill year, not too shabby.

Was it my best year for productivity? No. But I still feel like I made nice progress. Especially since I had a whole month off in there to deal with the mind-numbing project of organizing Youngest's stuff (this doesn't just encompass her room, as she has a bunch of things downstairs, too).

Here's hoping 2025 will require a lot less organizing and cleaning. ;)

Halloween 2024

I hope everyone's been enjoying spooky season this year. I know I have!

We haven't thrown a party since 2019 (due to Covid, a trip to New Orleans, and then we had to cancel last year for other reasons), but we finally did this year. And for once, I wasn't terribly behind in prepping the house for the party, so I actually got to enjoy putting out my decorations.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take more pictures of some of my newer deco. Oops. I was having too much fun running a haunted house tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) that I wrote for us. Heh.

I did grab a couple pictures, at least. Enjoy the spookiness!

Honkai: Star Rail - Science Fiction Fantasy Gacha Game

So I promised my next post would be about Honkai: Star Rail, and here we are!

Star Rail is another Hoyoverse gacha game. Honestly, though, I find the story line more entertaining than Genshin Impact. It's that nice mix of science fiction and fantasy. And the humor is great, kind of off the wall at times (which is totally up my alley as you'd know if you've ever read any of my Fractured Fairies stories).

I've also already found two references to Persona 5, which totally made me fangirl - lol. It's awesome that the writers don't take themselves too seriously, making the story a lot of fun, even though there are plenty of serious moments. I mean, trashcans are a huge running joke. You have to play the game to understand... Trust me.

The art style is also fantastic. But you can judge for yourself because it's time for screenshots!

First up is my newest character's splash art - Feixiao.

Here's a nice shot of the Astral Express crew.

Now a few shots from the story line (unfortunately, I'm often too slow to get some pretty neat screenshots, or I'd have more - heh).

And finally, here's one of those humorous moments. The Trailblazer with a bunch of creations from a Genius Society member!

I know it's a gacha game, but as long as you can resist spending tons of money on pixels, it's definitely a game any science fiction and fantasy lover would enjoy!

1001 Reasons Not To Clean - #71 through #75

Welcome to 1001 Reasons Not to Clean! The main goal of this series is to see if I can actually reach 1001 reasons, 5 reasons at a time (the final post, if I get there, will be 6 reasons). I'm sure I can. It's not just my crazy brain being unrealistic, right? Links to previous posts are below. And feel free to share your excuses, and they might get added to my list (with credit, of course)!

#1 through #5 ~ #6 through #10 ~ #11 through #15 ~ #16 through #20 ~ #21 through #25 ~ #26 through #30 ~ #31 through #35 ~ #36 through #40 ~ #41 through #45 ~ #46 through #50 ~ #51 through #55 ~ #56 through #60 ~ #61 through #65 ~ #66 through #70

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71. Your desktop computer is wigging out on you occasionally. What would you rather do - clean the inside thoroughly or just build a new one? Hm. It's been 8 years since you last built this one... So you spend an insane amount of hours (maybe days), researching computer components and finding the best prices. Totally more fun than actually cleaning the old one.

72. All the computer parts have arrived. Remember, though, it's been 8 years since you've built one, and your memory sucks. So it takes several days to actually figure out how to assemble everything properly again. And in the process, you of course make a big mess with boxes, packing materials, and manuals. Oops. Worth it - so shiny!

73. Once the computer is finally built (and the old one is sitting in a corner waiting to be dealt with... maybe next year), you feel the need to play with all the RGB colors for your fans and keyboard, until you find calming and pleasing tones. And then the next day you decide it's still not right and fiddle with it even more. Pretty, shiny, colors are so much more entertaining than cleaning up all the computer component detritus.

74. Sick of your black thumb, and exhausted from cleaning up the sad remnants of your plants after the cat chews them up (she's the Devourer of Plants and Souls), you decide your time is better spent opening blind boxes. Botanical Unicornos, actually. Yes, the gamble of what's in the boxes offers a much better thrill than cleaning up dead plants. And the cat won't chew on these (or will she?)!

75. Should I do another game? I love games. So many games! OK, we'll go with my current favorite gatcha game. Must play Honkai: Star Rail! (A blog post with screenshots coming soon...)

SPFBOX

SPFBOX? Am I speaking in gibberish? Nope! It stands for Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off 10.

It's been 7 years since I last entered the competition (I submitted Mind Behind the Mind the third year, in 2017). This year, I've offered up Dead As Dreams to be judged by the bloggers/vloggers!

So 300 enter, and only 1 survives. If you want to see the list of 300 entries and the current status of them all (links to reviews, which titles are cut, which titles are semi-finalists, etc), head on over to the official SPFBOX Phase 1 page. I can't thank Mark Lawrence (and all the bloggers who volunteer to read and review) enough for running this contest for so many years. It's a great way for people to see what's out there in indie fantasy book world!

If you're looking for a new fantasy to read, go through the list and take a look at the reviews. I've already added 12 books to my wish list!

This year, I've been assigned to Queen's Book Asylum. I'm pretty happy with where Dead As Dreams landed. The Queen (Timy) is highly organized, so I know exactly when to expect the possibility of my doom. XD There's also a resident demon, of course. My kind of place.

On Queen's Book Asylum, the 30 books they were assigned were divided between 6 reviewers. Dead As Dreams' initial fate is in the hands of Arina. She just cut 2 of her titles yesterday. Thankfully I was spared this time! Each reviewer typically picks one semi-finalist from their batch, and then all 6 try to read all the semi-finalists to pick a finalist.

Fingers crossed that Dead As Dreams makes it far! At the very least, the book will have a new review. =D

And good luck to my fellow competitors! I've been enjoying participating in the Facebook group with everyone this year.

Writing Update - June 2024

Why yes, it's that time of year again where I talk about how nothing has gone to plan, everything has blown up in my face, and my goals have been scrambled beyond recognition. XD

OK, OK... I'm being a tad dramatic. Honestly, while my plans have been lightly beaten, they're not as over whipped as they could be at this point. If you don't remember what my hopes for the year were back in January, go visit the post 2024 - Just Chill.

Without further ado, onto the updates.

2024 Publications

❦ Magic Morsel - Kindle Vella Episodes - I've finished writing and scheduling all the episodes for the first serial! A new episode goes live every Friday, with the last two episodes scheduled to be posted on Friday, August 16. So, if you've been intending to read it, pop on over to Kindle Vella and give it a go.

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8) - No longer planned for 2024 (see details below).

❦ Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned (Magic Morsel, 1) - Working title for the revised first serial of Magic Morsel into a novel. Possible publication this year still to be determined.

2024 Writing Progress

❦ I added about 38,000 words to Magic Morsel to reach the end of the first serial, which clocks in at 73,967 words. Yay, words!

❦ Intricate Agony... I actually started drafting this in April and got 4,850 words written. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the story. I have ideas aplenty, and I know how it will unfold, but I'm having issues with my main character. He's feeling like too much of a wet noodle. Plus the initial draft is insanely heavy on description, which is a departure from my usual style. I needed a break to let things settle and think things through, and I'll get back to it at a later date. This means there's no chance of publication this year, though. Sorry if you've been eagerly awaiting the next Fortunes of Fate story!

❦ What do you all think of Leave No Dragon Stone Unturned for the first Magic Morsel title? I like it, but I'm definitely biased. ;) I've started in on a read through of the scenes, making notes for my world bible and revision plans along the way. This is taking longer than expected. And as I note down some questions I need to answer about this world (at least to myself, even if it doesn't show up in this novel), I realize the fleshing out of details and answering questions before I dig into revisions might take a while, too. So, right now I'm not sure if it'll be published this year or next. I may also be taking August off to tend to kids and house, which will disrupt my plans as always.

❦ I've sent out 4 of my 8 planned newsletters, 3 of which had SHU-WPF Spotlights.

❦ Capricon in February was fun! Met up with a couple writer friends, relaxed, bought yet more dice... I'm hoping we can go again next year.

❦ Facebook Ads were pissing me off, so I'm taking a break from them. I'm planning to run one in July, though, as Dead As Dreams will be discounted. Actually, several of my titles will be discounted on Smashwords for the whole month of July. Check out the Summer/Winter Sale starting on July 1!

❦ Finally, I entered Dead As Dreams into the SPFBOX contest (Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off 10)! I'll have a more detailed update about that in my next blog post.

And that's my writing year so far! Trundling along, moving forward, making progress. All good things. I still wish I'd move faster, due to all the stories I want to write and release into the world, but I'm trying to remind myself not to be too hard on myself. Just chill, right?

1001 Reasons Not To Clean - #66 through #70

Welcome to 1001 Reasons Not to Clean! The main goal of this series is to see if I can actually reach 1001 reasons, 5 reasons at a time (the final post, if I get there, will be 6 reasons). I'm sure I can. It's not just my crazy brain being unrealistic, right? Links to previous posts are below. And feel free to share your excuses, and they might get added to my list (with credit, of course)!

#1 through #5 ~ #6 through #10 ~ #11 through #15 ~ #16 through #20 ~ #21 through #25 ~ #26 through #30 ~ #31 through #35 ~ #36 through #40 ~ #41 through #45 ~ #46 through #50 ~ #51 through #55 ~ #56 through #60 ~ #61 through #65

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66. You have a new kitten. And it's way more entertaining to play with the kitten than it is to clean. Let's face it, this zoomie ball of fluff is just going to make a mess anyhow!

67. Even though your to do list is insane, especially all the organizing and cleaning you need to do, you pounce on a grand idea to open an Etsy shop called Speculative Stitches. Well, setting the shop up is a lot more interesting than cleaning, that's for sure.

68. You need stock for your Etsy shop! So instead of sorting through a bunch of kids' toys that need to be sold or given away, you binge watch FBI while working on your Questionable Splatter Coasters.

69. Even though you still have a black thumb (don't ask how many bonsai or cacti I've killed in my lifetime), you feel the need to plant seeds outside in the hopes that they'll grow. Far more productive than cleaning, right? At least it makes you feel better when the marigolds and morning glories sprout. You've finally found a couple plants that won't wither just from your glance.

70. You'd rather roll many different characters for your upcoming Dungeons & Dragons game. Character creation is an addiction. And look at these shiny dice! Much prettier than a shiny toilet.

Everyone Needs More Cat Pics In Their Lives

I just realized, I haven't posted any pictures of the Trio of Terror since 2019! What is wrong with me?

Well, this year Rikku, Sylph, and Nightshade will turn 9. It's scary to think that we've had them so long. The girls have gotten fatter, and Boo Kitty has lost weight (he unfortunately has chronic kidney disease - we think he got into something at the end of 2022, and we're really lucky he didn't die from whatever it was then). Of course we still love them lots.

Last September, though, we added a new family member into the mix - The Interloper, Unraveler of Toilet Paper and Dreams, Orion. He's a zoomie silver tabby who likes to snuggle us in bed. He's now 10 months old, but he's still wide-eyed, big-eared, and long-tailed.

So, I'm just going to fill the rest of this post with cat pics. I hope they make you smile!

2024 - Just Chill

It's 2024, and I'm bringing lessons from 2023 with me.

Both publications last year were pretty stressful - I put in too many hours some days just to meet my deadlines. I really don't want to do that again.

So this year, if I have to move a deadline for my sanity, I will. I'm also not going to push myself to surpass last year's numbers. Just chillin' in 2024. Yup.

Now that doesn't mean I'm not going to be writing! Still plenty of projects to work on, and I'd probably die if I didn't write. ;)

I'm also sticking to the same three mantras. I like them. At this point they might be permanent.

2024 Mantras

❦ Just Write.

❦ Trust My Instincts.

❦ Focus.

2024 Upcoming Publications

❦ Intricate Agony (Fortunes of Fate, 8)

❦ Magic Morsel (New Kindle Vella Episodes, Plus Revising into a Novel)

Hey, look! No dates! Completely intentional. Though right now, the next Magic Morsel episode will go up on Kindle Vella on January 12, 2024. Four episodes are ready to go.

2024 Writing Goals

❦ Draft Magic Morsel and post new episodes to Kindle Vella until I've reached what I feel is a good ending for the first serial.

❦ Revise, Edit, and Publish Magic Morsel as a novel. And think of a good title because Magic Morsel will be the series name.

❦ Draft, Revise, Edit, and Publish Intricate Agony - This story has been simmering in my mind for a while, but I kept having to put it off. I can't wait to continue the Fortunes of Fate stories!

❦ Draft Gemini's Echo (Zodiac Aegis, 1) - Yes, this is getting pushed off a bit again, as I'm not touching it until the previous tasks are done.

❦ Newsletters - 8 scheduled for the year, 5 of which will include SHU-WPF Book Spotlights. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, please consider doing so. A free novel and three short stories just for joining - Sign Up Here!

❦ Born to Write - I'm hoping to write one blog post per month at least, but I'm not going to pressure myself into that. I'll at least keep you all updated on my writing progress!

❦ Social Media & Networking - I'm going to Capricon in February! It should be fun, as a couple of my writer friends are presenting. I've also narrowed my social media attention down to Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok (I do post my Tiktoks to Youtube, too). Just casual usage, though. Not going to try to use it as a marketing tool, as social interactions are a weakness for me, not a strength - heh.

❦ Marketing & Promo - I'm experimenting with Facebook Ads! It kind of feels like gambling to me, and I hate gambling. But the Ads for Authors courses at least made it all less daunting. So, testing, testing, testing.

Per usual, I have more writing goals planned if I happen to get all of the above done. But since I'm chillin' this year, I doubt I'll get to those.

How has your 2024 started? What do you have planned for this year? Are you going at a chill pace, or are you trying to push yourself to greater heights?

Obligatory pic of my bullet journal below. I felt I needed some rainbows in my life this month. XD