Author Journey (February 21, 2022)
I’ve had no luck breaking through the block on my writing as of yet. Hopefully, going away last weekend will have been enough to clear my head and allow the words to flow once more. If I can just get it going again!
February 21, 2022
Hot Topic
I have some fairly exciting news. This post is my 999th post on OtakuAuthor.com. As such, I’ve written up a special post for my next one which will be out later today. I’ve pushed the episode 32 review of Fire Force back, not because it’s not special, but I wanted to do something specific for this occasion. Last week, I finished reading the Attack on Titan manga and wanted to talk about that, especially as the anime is about to finish too. There will be spoilers in the second half of the post and I will let you know when that is, so don’t go ruining the big finish.
I’ve definitely recaptured the manga bug and have several more series on the go too. A couple of years back I read one hundred volumes in a year. As of writing this post, I’ve read 11 in the last eight days… I say as of writing this post because I’m writing this on Friday because I am going away for the weekend which will hopefully reset my mind and help me get my writing back on track.
What have I been watching?
Seasonal Anime
As usual, I watched all three of my seasonal shows and that’s about it. Admittedly, I didn’t have Friday and Saturday night as I was away, but I also spent a bit more time focused on manga. That said, I am starting to notice more time becoming available. Things are starting to settle which will hopefully see me do the day job in the day where it belongs and give me back my evenings to get my writing going again.
In the Land of Leadale, Cayna showed just how messed up things are with her. She bemoans a player killing what he believed to be NPCs but she’s ready to kill him without much thought. Princess Connect! Re: Dive was much slower this week, but it still managed to have some fun moments. I would have preferred it to focus more on the main cast though. Then, we have Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest which delivered a better episode last week. I am a little concerned that striving for average is a worrying trend and I don’t think I’ll be using that as an acceptable model for picking what I’m watching in the future.
Historic Anime
Fire Force is going from strength to strength with its revelations. I’m really looking forward to getting through this season as I feel like we’re going to discover a lot. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood took the time to show how Edward and Alphonse were impacted by what Shou Tucker did and I’m glad it didn’t just brush that aside. This series is getting better with every episode. In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime it was time to revisit my least favourite arc and I was surprised by how much more I enjoyed it having seen the OVAs and the beginning of season two.
- Fire Force
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- The Rising of the Shield Hero
Last week also saw the introduction of a new set of posts. This time, I’m looking at The Rising of the Shield Hero and will review it in a similar manner to the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime posts. I really enjoyed this series the first time I watched it and bizarrely never got around to reviewing it. Of course, the second season just got a new promo image and I’m excited about that and the chance to jump straight into that once I’ve revisited season one.
Work in Progress
So, I haven’t done any writing at the time of putting together this post, although I have been going over various plots and scenes every night when I take Gus for his pre-bedtime walk. I’m hoping that going away for a weekend will leave me feeling a little reinvigorated and excited to get back to writing. I’ve never believed in writer’s block before, but I’m struggling to ignore this.
One thing I want to do that might also help is to go back and read the twenty-six volumes of Valiant Lineage I wrote back in 2017. They are all novella length and this is one of the projects I plan on redoing. It will become a series of novel-length books and will have more of an epic fantasy focus than being pure horror.
I also unpublished all my novellas and short stories so that I can start completely fresh. It’s daunting starting from zero again, but I did it with this site and I think that went pretty well. Sometimes, a change is all you need.
Anyhow, I have two days away with the family and I’m leaving my laptop at home. Hopefully, I’ll come back itching to get to work.
The Plan
Everything is chugging along nicely from a blogging front and with the addition of some of my old Ecchi Hunter posts, my views are climbing. Obviously, the more posts I have the greater the chance of discovery and then it doesn’t take much for the views to climb.
Quarter One
- Posts
- Author Journey – 8/13 (+1)
- Historic Anime – 39/39
- Seasonal Anime – 19/36 (+3)
- Bonus Posts – 15/18 (+2)
I hadn’t planned on doing a post specifically for my 1,000th post, but I did and I’m glad I put the time into that. It’s important to celebrate the milestones, big and small. I’ve also done some work on next quarter’s historic anime posts and now have 22/39 (+2) ready.
- Writing
- Plotting – 49/58
- Writing – 43/58
- Editing – 42/58
- Artwork – 0/9
Again, I have no updates here which is frustrating, but the more I get the blogging platform stabilized and the more my youngest son gets used to playing with the nanny and not demanding that I do everything, the better it will get. This is one of those situations where I just need to get started, but for whatever reason, everything else seems to demand my time more. I might have to start blocking out time for everything and see how working to a schedule helps.
Final Thoughts
Keep an eye out for my 1,000th post which will be later today. After that, it could be a couple of years before I reach the next big milestone. Maybe if I can get my writing going it’ll be a little sooner thanks to the web novel posts. Either way, I’m nowhere near done yet. There’s still loads of anime and manga to talk about. It’s not like I’m about to run out of things to cover anytime soon. Sorry, you’re stuck with me!
Remember to take a break. With everything we’ve been through over the last two years, we’ve certainly earned it! Anyhow, thanks for reading and stay safe.
Hey, congrats on your 999th post! Happy writing!
Thanks. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m sure it will continue to be so.