Wanted to do a recap / goal entry to close out / start the year. Thing is, I got a little too honest and personal in my initial draft, so I will be relegating that one to my private journal.
Take Two:
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2019?
(Please note that most, if not all, of what I will report here is already chronicled in the blog. If you’re experiencing deja vu, that’s why.)
I got to attend two of the three gaming conventions put on by Strategicon: OrcCon in February and Gateway in September. I was not able to do Gamex, as it was the weekend before my visit home. For Gateway, one of my gaming friends joined me, which was a special treat for me. I always enjoy his company, so this was all kinds of awesome.
Went home for my annual Austin visit. The timing of this trip coincided with the nephew’s 10th birthday and the touring show of Hamilton, which I have been obsessed with since I heard the music in November, 2018. Even better, I got to share the experience with Sis and two of the nieces, one equally obsessed, and the other my theater baby.
Participated in — and won — National Novel Writing Month for the 15th time. Released a daily podcast to help guide people through the event.
The best thing (in my opinion) is that I figured out how to get Seeing Red into a few more distribution channels. It’s now available on Drive-Thru Fiction (though I still need to figure out how to make multiple formats available there), Smashwords*, and even Google Play! The downside to all that is I now have five places to look when I’m checking my monthly sales. One reason I went with Draft 2 Digital* for distribution was that they go to most of the places I want to be, and it’s one place to look.
(Incidentally, if you ever want to read my books but don’t want to buy them, you can request them from your local library. That was another reason to use D2D for me. I loved going to the library when I was a young-un, and many libraries now offer ebooks! You may be able to get a print version, assuming D2D’s print beta is that active, but you can almost definitely get the ebook.)
WHAT’S AHEAD IN 2020?
Without going into too much personal detail, I will be moving at some point in the summer. I am hoping to find a place I can afford so I do not have to go into another roommate situation, but this is Southern California — so who knows, really?
Due to this move and related additional expenses, I do not foresee being able to attend the usual gaming conventions. This is an unfortunate side effect, but we expect the monthly game group to continue. Plus, when I am living alone again, I will have the freedom to play my solo games whenever the mood strikes me. (It has been quite some time since my last Skull & Shackles session.)
My oldest niece is getting married, so I expect a June trip to Austin. I keep saying that I want to go home when it’s not summer, but that is just not happening. The bright side is that summer trips serve to remind me why I left. Love the family. Hate Texas summers.
As far as hobbyist goals are concerned… I have the following intentions:
#1) In early-to-mid-January, publish Comedy of Terrors. This, of course, will be dependent on my ability to stop being so blinking lazy and make those changes I’ve been putting off since… (*looks back at blog history*) September or October.
#2) Edit and publish Panels, my cross-genre novel from 2016. It covers super heroes, sit-com style situations, zombie horror, and sword-and-sorcery fantasy. All in one book!
Both books will be on all of the new channels as well.
#3) Write 385,000 words of fiction. That number looks big, I know. But break it down: with 365 days in a year (and 2020 is a leap year, so it’s actually 366), 1,000 words a day for a year is 365k words. November is NaNoWriMo, so instead of 30k I need 50k for that month. That extra 20k = 385k — and I get a freebie day.
Obviously that number will be an average of 1,000 words. I’m not deluded enough to believe I will sit down every single day… but then again, I might. If I get in the right set of grooves, I could hit double that. Or triple. Best to reel it back to reality, though.
Plus, the goal includes novel-jumping and potentially even short stories. (I have not written short fiction in years, so it might be a fun exercise.) I want to revisit a series idea and possibly even redraft some books that don’t work as-is but have (I think) a solid premise. I will also need to check in with a writer friend of mine and re-obtain permission to write in her universe as I revisit an idea I never got around to writing.
#4) More frequent posting to the blog. If I’m writing every day, or thereabouts, I will have Writing In Public to report. Plus, there is Titania’s suggestion to steal — I mean, implement.
#5) Attend the Sunday writing group with more regularity. In a perfect world, this will encourage me to buckle down and get words in, or edit if that is the mode I need to be in.
Keep in mind, of course, that for the last two or three years I have announced lofty goals (on my personal Facebook page) that never happened. It is entirely possible that January 1 will hit and my brain will say, “Next year.” It does that, you know. It loves to sabotage me.
GAME STUFF
November saw the release of Marvel Champions, a new Living Card Game by Fantasy Flight Games. Spider-Man is in the base set, so of course I intend to be the webhead in all (most?) games. Out soon (if not already) will be a Green Goblin scenario pack and Captain America and Ms Marvel character packs.
Unfortunately, as of this writing (post was pre-scheduled like the podcast episodes were) I have not yet been able to play this one yet. For one thing, still haven’t made it all the way through the rule book. I found a couple of YouTube videos, though, so I’m pretty confident I could fake my way through it. I’ll find out before this post goes live.
We are also missing one of our members lately. She has life happening. So the three remaining people have decided we are playing the Pathfinder Core adventure without her. That way we don’t have to be without Pathfinder just because the group is incomplete. We will continue to hold Rise of the Runelords for her, but The Dragon’s Demand will be there for us when she can’t join us.
I’ve said it before, gonna say it many times… SO MANY GAMES, SO LITTLE MONEY (and time, come to think of it).
WRAPPING UP
I hope your holiday season was full of food, fun, and family. That last may even include your chosen family. Not everyone has the cast of Fuller House. If you ring in 2020 tonight, please do so responsibly. Do not drink and drive. (Staying home and sleeping is my own preferred method — but I’m weird.)
Happy New Year! See you back here at some point. I should really create some kind of schedule…
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