Author Journey (May 29, 2023)

I hadn’t planned on having a quieter week, but that’s what ended up happening. Admittedly, I did get caught up with the sketching bug and may have spent a lot of time on that. It’s definitely one of my favourite ways to relax.
Author Journey (May 29, 2023)
Last week, I mentioned how I was looking to move my daily routines around so that I could start to implement my new schedule and that kind of happened. I’m planning on writing fewer posts each week, reading about the same amount of manga, and watching more anime, thereby giving myself more time to write and draw. It was absolutely appreciated, but I’ll get into that in a moment. When I looked at my daily tracker prior to writing this post, the week looked a little sparse. I knew I had taken things easy, but I hadn’t realised just how easy…
The Weekly Recap!
I still have zero official goals but I know I want to watch a season of anime a week (hopefully more). So, I came into the week with a show in mind Well, I say in mind. I watched the first two episodes the week before. It has two seasons or they would probably be cours. I’m treating them as seasons because I can write more about them. So, I ended up watching the whole of the first season and two episodes of the second season. That’s a total of thirteen episodes. It’s a bit of a slide from my two back-to-back thirty-plus weeks, but it’s roughly where it should be.
I only managed to read one volume of manga, although it was a double-length volume. It was also the final volume of the series. Sadly, it didn’t give us a conclusion but it was a very enjoyable series regardless. Having finished that, I dropped it off at the library and picked up another four books. They are all in the same series and I was excited to dive in. Sadly, I just couldn’t find the time to get going. Maybe this week, I’ll breeze through them all, especially as I have more waiting for me at the library.
To maintain the lead I have with my scheduled posts, I need to write seven posts a week and given how many I was writing on a regular basis that should be easy. However, this really was an unusual week. I only managed to write five posts. I think not reading many mangas definitely caused some of this. Had I read another two volumes that would have brought both these sections back in line.
Now, I’d love to be able to tell you that I got back to work on my series as I have volume eight to plot. However, inspiration struck. After reading one of my short stories the other week, I wondered if it could be turned into a small series. I think it can. I also think that it’s small enough that it’ll be a lot of fun to write and shouldn’t impact my longer works. Basically, it’s going to be some sort of battle story with each volume focusing on on fight and the fighters involved. It should be fast and frantic and a lot of fun. No work on it yet, but I have lots of ideas.
This week drawing took a large part of my focus. For whatever reason, I drew one on Tuesday and then got sucked into trying to improve it. I ended up with fifteen sketches which included five full bodies and ten faces. I’ve included a part of my favourite one below. It’s only a part as I’m mostly drawing bodies. I like to think of them as in the Barbie doll phase – no clothes and no bodily features… if you know what I mean. This is because I intend to put them into a digital paint program so that I can add layers. That way I can change the clothes and designs around. The Barbie doll sketch gives me a blank canvas to work from.

Tasks | Goal | Completed |
---|---|---|
Anime Watched | 0 Episodes | 13 Episodes |
Manga Read | 0 Books | 1 Book |
Posts Scheduled | 0 Post | 5 Posts |
Chapters Written | 0 Book Outlines | 0 Book Outlines |
Artwork Completed | 0 Sketches | 15 Sketch |
Aspirations for the Week!
All right. I think it’s time to set some goals… Of course, with my new schedule for the site which will be starting in five weeks, I’ve got plenty to do but it shouldn’t be as intensive as it was before. I’m still taking things easy with my back so these goals will reflect that, but I do feel like they will be achievable.
Watching Anime
Bizarrely, my designs on slowing things down allow me to speed things up here. I am able to watch more as I’m not writing a post for every episode. That’s a big time-saver and it means I can get through more of my to-watch list. At the very least, I need to finish my current season which is another eleven episodes. I’ll likely do more, but that’s a good marker to aim for.
Goal: 11 Episodes
Reading Manga
I only need to read three books a week to keep up with the new schedule rather than four a week. Going forward, I will be aiming for three a week, but this week, I have four volumes sitting on my desk begging to be read so four it is.
Goal: 4 Books
Posts Scheduled
I’ve got a little bit of catching up to do with the seasons I watched recently, but I have lots of time too. I’m going to aim for eight posts since I’m planning on reading an extra book.
Goal: 8 Posts
Writing
I’m going to start work on the outline for book eight of my series, but I’m also going to start putting some ideas down for the fighting series. I’ve also got a number of unfinished projects that I want to reacquaint myself with the hopes of picking them up at some point. So, it’s a bit of a wishy-washy goal but I intend to get some planning and organising done. Let’s call it preparation!
Goal: Preparation
Artwork Completed
I really enjoyed drawing so much this week and I’d like to continue that. Maybe not quite as much as I want to maintain everything. So, if I can get through one sketch a day on Monday through Friday, I’ll be very happy.
Goal: 5 Sketches

Final Thoughts
So, my back is still a big problem although it is slowly improving. What with my knee and then my back, I’ve had a pretty rough start to the year. Hopefully, I’ve not come across as too downtrodden and miserable, but I know I’ve had my moments. Having these weekly posts to keep my thoughts together has been a huge help. My injuries also helped me realise where I was spreading myself too thin. I have my priorities straight now and I know what I need to do.
Obviously, I could have done without the pain and hospital visits but it is what it is. Now, I have to move forward with my new goals and my new plan. I’ve got lots of work to do, but it’s work that I’m looking forward to. One day, I hope that it’ll be the only work I need to do, but that’s a while off yet. I’ve got to get some books out there first before I can even start to dream about quitting the day job.
So, this will be the first week with my new goals. I’ve been working on my new posting schedule for a couple of weeks now and have a good idea of what’s involved and how much time it will take. Now, I just need to see if it works. Should be an entertaining week at least. Thanks for reading.

Glad to hear you had a relaxing previous week! I was very busy then, with work and lots of walking to boot – yeah, the Victoria Day week shenanigans tend to be very all over the place for me.
Thanks. I’d love to be able to get out walking, but my back can’t take too much at the moment. I can’t even take Gus out in case he pulls on his leash.
I really like the expression on your drawing. She looks like she’s going to be a lot of fun to read about!
“Hopefully, I’ve not come across as too downtrodden and miserable, but I know I’ve had my moments.”
Not at all. Pain is terrible. It’s distracting. It interrupts everything. Even the medicine to control it is invasive. The fact you’re moving forward at all is great!
“One day, I hope that it’ll be the only work I need to do, but that’s a while off yet.”
Doesn’t that sound like a dream? That would seriously rock. And someday? It will!
Thanks. Been playing around with this character for quite a while and feel like I’m finally get close to what I see in my head.
Pain sucks. No doubt about it.
I’m reminded of the quote that goes “With the courage to begin and the discipline to endure, victory becomes a matter of time.” This is where our stubbornness can take us. One day!
This is amazing ♥️ Keep up the good work ✨ It would be great to follow each other and help each other grow ????
Thanks. I’ve followed you back.
I like the sketch! ????
Thanks