It’s late October and I’m coming up on the end of the year. Time to sit down and determine how things went and are going.
Yesterday, I finished the second novel in the Air Pirates of Cyrenaica series. That’s number 18 for the year and number 40 overall. (Sped way up this year on a goal of 20 novels in one year. Will hit.)
For October, I’m at 97k words. For the year 1.15m. The goal is always at least 100,000 words in a month, and as much as 120k. This blog post won’t get me there, but I’ll be close.
There will, however, be fewer blog posts going forward.
Coming out of NINC this year, the general consensus was to send out two newsletters per month instead of one. In my case, that would mean three, because I’m about to start a whole other newsletter dedicated to publishing. “Blaze Ward’s Indie Publishing Corner” or something like that. Place for me to share what I’ve learned from all the people I talk to and learn from. Almost nothing to do with my writing.
In addition, I have my Patreon, where I post a weekly “what did I write this week” post on Mondays, as well as the various fiction I send out to my fans to read long before anyone else does.
So that right there is four things. Five, with the quarterly newsletters I send out for Boundary Shock Quarterly, but I don’t really count that, except that I need to write one this week.
So this blog will get a little less attention. Not enough to go stale, but…
We took a drive yesterday, me and Fabulous Publisher Babe(tm), to talk about communication channels. (We take long drives in order to reinvent publishing and come up with new Business For Breakfast books to write. Got two more on my schedule right now to write in early 2020.)
She has her chatty newsletter and her publishing newsletter. In my old newsletter I talk about what’s already come out, what’s coming, and farm news. (I have silly critters out here.)
Going forward, I wanted to split things into two pieces. Radically separate in order to keep them interesting for me, especially with as many different channels as I need to fill as the world fragments.
So, what do y’all think of this idea?
- the publishing newsletter. Same as before.
- the anti-stodgy campaign newsletter.
So there is scientific proof that most people get their personal tastes in damned near everything LOCKED in between 14 and 26. Same food. Same music. Same clothes.
Everything.
Yuck.
The Missus read that study a decade ago and said “Fuck that.”
Every month, she tries something new. A new restaurant. A new toothpaste (when the was the last time you changed toothpaste?). A new way to drive home. She just got a package with new clothing style. (An asymmetric, plaid tunic that’s really cool.)
Something.
So my spare newsletter will talk about the new things I’ve done. Last night, we cooked sunflower chokes (root ball) for dinner as a side. Think sweet potato when you dice them and bake with oil and salt. Really nice. Completely new for both of us.
One downside we discovered later is that it gives you gas. I mean loud farts. It was a silly evening, but we’re fine today. But we tried something new. Doesn’t always have to work, but it keeps the brain sharp.
Plus, I’ll talk recipes. She’s always been allergic to grains (wheat, corn, rice, soy, barley. anything derived from grass) so I have a number of recipes I altered for her to eat. Healthy stuff made of stuff instead of chemical additives. Later, we discovered dairy was an issue (coconut milk and non-soy butter), and she got badly sensitive to eggs (hives level problem).
But I still have all these recipes. Stuff from in between, when just replacing grains, as well as more recent, where I try to adapt anything I come across to be able for her to eat. Let me tell you, making breads without eggs or dairy is an adventure.
And not all those experiments work either, but that doesn’t stop me. Made Nanaimo bars the other day, with coconut milk and gelatin for the filling. Walnut, shredded coconut, and maple syrup for the crust.
That sort of thing.
So sometime soon, I’ll send out the usual newsletter. Probably Nov 15 after I get back from OryCon in Portland, OR. Then maybe Dec 1 we’ll start getting a little sillier.
I won’t be offended if folks don’t like the anti-stodgy. But you read the newsletter for the authentic me, and I can promise to be a little too authentic at times.
If you just want the publisher news stuff, send me your email and I’ll add you to the current list. It’s probably coming in January, after some other things get sorted out.
And welcome to the crazy.
🙂