Author Journey (July 17, 2023)
It was a better week than before despite the day job refusing to stay in its allotted time slot! Hopefully, this week will be even better as I had a big breakthrough with one of my stories.
Author Journey (July 17, 2023)
When I compare my progress against my goals for the last two weeks, they were both pretty similar, and both better than the week before that, however, last week felt better and I can pinpoint exactly where that feeling comes from. I’ll get to that shortly, but first, I’d like to grumble about people changing stuff at work without seeing if there will be any impact on others. There were three separate instances last week where my job was made increasingly more difficult because of that exact reason. I’ve been meaning to find a way to bypass everyone else so now I have the impetus. It’s a good job I work from home with all the swearing…
The Weekly Recap!
I continued watching Fairy Tail this week and then something happened. A little while back, I reviewed the second season of Record of Ragnarok, however, only ten of fifteen episodes were released. The other five came out last week so I dutifully watched those in one evening so that I could finally write my second season review. That will be out at some point in the future. Then, I turned my attention back to Fairy Tail and got through thirteen episodes in all when I was only planning twelve.
It feels weird returning books to the library and not picking up any replacements. I have to fight the urge to wander over to the manga section or else I’ll walk away with several more. Anyhow, I read three volumes and now have eleven left on my shelf. That doesn’t include the vast collection I’ve been building up and haven’t yet had the time to read. I know, I can’t help myself. I will get to those soonish…
Last week, I remembered to include Mushoku Tensei in my plans and so my goal was to schedule eight posts. Since I’m still in the middle of season one of Fairy Tail, I was able to eat into my backlog. There’s still lots to do and Record of Ragnarok may have negated some of that work, but I started it so I’d hate to leave it unfinished. Anyhow, I scheduled eight posts but could have gotten through more. That’s promising!
Annoyingly, these sections seem to be the ones hit hardest by real-life events and it happened again. However, I did do some work on RIP Tide and this is what’s got me the most excited. A couple of weeks back, I wondered whether I should add a second POV to the story. Last week, I started to outline how that might go and it was amazing. It added a new perspective to the events in the story and allows me to bounce back and forth between the two characters. It’s already a much better story and I haven’t started writing it again… I’m taking this as a win despite not doing any work on MSR.
Three weeks without drawing a single thing is not where I want to be, but here we are. I will say that things will be changing here as I have a new tablet on the way and will be very keen to test it out. I’m certain I’ll get along with this one far better than the previous one where you’re not looking where you’re drawing. Exciting times are coming!
| Tasks | Goal | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Anime Watched | 12 Episodes | 13 Episodes |
| Manga Read | 3 Books | 3 Books |
| Posts Scheduled | 8 Posts | 8 Posts |
| Chapters Written | Outlining | Outlining + Breakthrough |
| Artwork Completed | 3 Sketches | 0 Sketches |
Aspirations for the Week!
It’s interesting that the thing that impacted my appreciation of the previous week the most was my revelation in the outlining of RIP Tide. I think that shows me how much I want to do it. I need to try to find the balance between the day job and my evenings because this is always the part that suffers. Watching anime is easy because I do that to unwind before falling asleep. I read manga while I’m waiting for processes to run at the day job. This week, I’m going to shake things up and see what happens. I need to write this story.
Watching Anime
No change here. Another eleven episodes of Fairy Tail and one of Mushoku Tensei. The hardest part about this time of year (the start of the new anime season) is that I see all these new shows coming out and I have to fight the urge to not watch them as they air. I know I enjoy them more when I binge them, but waiting is hard!
Goal: 12 Episodes
Reading Manga
Another three books is going to be the ideal goal once more. No one is waiting for any of the books I have so I can pick the ones that speak to me the most.
Goal: 3 Books
Posts Scheduled
Most of my outstanding posts are the Friday Fives and Analysis posts. I tend to write the season review as soon as I finish it. Then, I can let the memories stew for a while before writing up those posts. Part of me does wonder if I could get through more anime and just focus on season reviews. I don’t know. Something to think about. Anyhow, aiming for another eight posts this week.
Goal: 8 Posts
Writing
All right! This week, I will finish the revised outline for RIP Tide complete with a second POV. Then, I hope to start the rewrite. Just having the second POV to work with makes it feel like a completely new project, plus I can really play with those misunderstandings.
Goal: Complete RIP Tide Outline and Start the Second Draft
Artwork Completed
The new tablet is imminent and since I haven’t had one since the first generation, I’m quite excited. For a long time, I was fine with my phone, but that doesn’t work for this sort of thing, plus watching anime on my phone isn’t as nice as on a bigger screen. Anyhow, I need to draw and I’d like to have some things to work off when I do get my tablet, so let’s get it on. I’m going to go for just one completed sketch this week.
Goal: 1 Sketch
Final Thoughts
There has been a whole mess of things going on in my life that have been impacting my productivity, but this coming week feels like the first time that I don’t have anything other than normal things to deal with. That feels nice and I hope to be able to report back with even more success next Monday. This week, I have a number of posts coming out from a show that I watched recently and absolutely loved. One of the benefits of scheduling posts is that I get to read them when they come out and relive the series all over again.
And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the light novel contest. RIP Tide and MSR are very much in the forefront of my mind, but I can’t submit my mind so I have to translate that into something someone else will be able to understand. Unfortunately, that takes time and the longer I procrastinate the less time I’ll have. So, I have to find the time now. Anyhow, I’ve got the day job to worry about for a little while before diving back in. Thanks for reading.
It’s great to hear that you’re moving forward with the second POV! Breakthroughs like that are so invigorating.
Yeah. Originally,I had one character watching a number of things unfolding, unsure of how to react and what to do while the other character was in the thick of it. Now I can jump into the action and step back and see the bigger picture. Should make it a lot more intense.