New Books, Patreon, Life Changes, and 20,000 Steps a Day

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted an update here, and the reason is embarrassingly simple: I forgot to put it on my to-do list.

This is a recurring problem I seem to have with things I am and am not doing. If something doesn’t make it onto the list, there’s a very good chance it will disappear into the void until I suddenly remember it exists. That’s on me.

I’d love to make some grand promise about how I’m going to be better about keeping everyone updated, but we all know how that goes. I could very easily fall back into my bad habits, and then we’d be right back here having this same conversation in another month.

So, instead of making promises, I’ll just trudge along and do my best to stay on top of things.

With that out of the way, quite a bit has happened since we last talked.

Some Changes on the Employment Front

My employment situation has changed a little bit, although I’m not quite ready to get into all the details just yet.

At the moment, I’m waiting on a potential contract that, if everything works out, could keep me very busy for the foreseeable future. However, I’ve been around long enough to know that nothing is certain until the paperwork is sitting in front of me and everyone has signed where they’re supposed to.

So, we’ll see what happens. Once I have something concrete to share, I’ll let you guys know.

In the meantime, I’m continuing to work on my independent projects, which brings me to the next bit of news.

Patreon Is Back, Because Apparently I’ve Learned My Lesson

I’ve officially turned my Patreon back on.

For those of you who have followed me for a while, you probably know that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to find ways to fund my independent creative projects without relying on third-party platforms.

I’ve tried different storefronts, different payment systems, and just about every workaround I could think of to keep everything on my own website. The idea was to have more control over what I was doing and where the money was going.

Unfortunately, there’s one rather important problem with that approach: people like using platforms they already know and trust.

And I can’t really blame them for that.

As much as I would prefer to keep everything under my own roof, I’ve reached the point where I don’t particularly feel like fighting that battle anymore. If people are more comfortable supporting my work through Patreon, then Patreon it is.

So, I’ve turned it back on, and I’m going to make an effort to keep it updated with current projects, artwork, behind-the-scenes material, and whatever else I happen to be working on.

In fact, I need to go update it as soon as I finish writing this post. So that’ll be fun.

One thing I do want to make clear is where that money goes.

Everything raised through Patreon is put back into producing creative work. That includes paying artists, commissioning comic pages, supporting charity-related projects, and helping fund my own independent stories.

None of this is going toward buying me a Ferrari. Sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping to see me cruising around in one.

The goal is simply to keep creating things and, more importantly, to keep paying the talented people who help bring those things to life.

I’m also looking into offering digital releases through Patreon so that supporters can pick up some of the work directly. I still need to learn a little more about how that process works, but it’s something I want to explore.

For now, if you’re looking for the latest on my independent creative projects, Patreon is going to be the place to find it.

Health, Recovery, and My Questionable Life Choices

Health-wise, I’m doing pretty well!

I’ve recovered quite a bit, and I’m happy with where things are at the moment. Of course, because I apparently can’t leave well enough alone, I decided to take on the 75 Hard challenge.

I’m currently on Day 30.

Now, for reasons I still can’t adequately explain, I also decided that I needed to walk 20,000 steps every single day.

Why?

Excellent question. I wish I had an equally excellent answer.

What I can tell you is that my life has become a never-ending exercise in figuring out how to drink a gallon of water while also finding enough hours in the day to walk 20,000 steps.

Sometimes I manage to do both at the same time, which I’m sure looks perfectly normal to anyone watching me wander around with a giant water bottle.

This is my life now. These are the choices I’ve made.

On the positive side, I’ve lost ten pounds since starting the challenge, so that’s something! I’ve also noticed a little bit of muscle mass loss, which isn’t particularly surprising considering how differently I’ve been taxing my body lately.

I’m keeping an eye on that because I certainly don’t want to undo the strength I’ve spent so much time building.

Overall, though, I’m feeling pretty good about the progress, even if I occasionally question the sanity of the person who decided this was a good idea.

That person, unfortunately, is me.

Keeping the Rest of the Year Quiet

As far as my social calendar goes, the remainder of the year is looking relatively quiet.

And I’d really like to keep it that way.

I know I have friends who want to get together, hang out, and do more things as we move toward the holidays. Normally, I try to make time for those things whenever I can, but lately I’ve been pretty tired.

Between work, writing, personal projects, and everything else I’ve been juggling, I’ve realized that I need to be a little more selective about where my time and energy go.

I’m at a point where I want to spend my free time around people and doing things that help refill my well rather than leave me feeling like I have even less to give.

That’s not to suggest that I have a bunch of friends who are constantly draining me. I don’t. I have some wonderful people in my life, and I’m grateful for them.

It’s simply that I don’t have the same level of social energy available right now, and I need to be realistic about that.

Sometimes taking care of yourself means recognizing that you can’t be everywhere, do everything, and be available to everyone all the time.

So, if I’m a little quieter than usual for the rest of the year, that’s probably why.

My First Writing Craft Book Is Finished!

Now, let’s get into some actual writing news, because I do have a few things worth talking about.

I’ve officially finished my first writing craft book, Characters That Fight For You, and it should be available on Amazon right now!

This book is essentially everything I’ve learned about creating compelling characters through my years of writing, editing, and working with other creators.

I wanted to put together something that went beyond the usual advice about giving characters interesting backstories or making sure they have recognizable personalities.

There’s a lot more that goes into creating a character readers genuinely care about. Their motivations, contradictions, relationships, decisions, failures, and consequences all contribute to whether someone feels like a living, breathing person or just a collection of words on a page.

And, perhaps most importantly, I wanted to talk about why certain characters stay with us long after we’ve finished reading their stories.

My hope is that writers can pick up this book, apply some of what I’ve learned, and come away with a better understanding of how to create characters who can carry their stories.

If that sounds like something you’d find useful, go check it out!

Next Up: Dialogue That Dances

With the first book finished, I’ve already moved on to the next one in the series.

It’s called Dialogue That Dances, and this time I’m tackling one of my favorite subjects: dialogue.

For anyone who has worked with me as an editor, you probably know that dialogue is something I pay a tremendous amount of attention to.

Good dialogue does far more than communicate information between characters. It establishes personality, creates tension, reveals relationships, controls pacing, and can completely change how a reader interprets a scene.

Bad dialogue, on the other hand, can make an otherwise wonderful story feel like everyone involved is reading from an instruction manual.

What makes this book a little different is that I’m not limiting the discussion to traditional novels.

I want to explore dialogue across long-form prose, comic books, and screenplays, because while the fundamentals of good dialogue carry across all three mediums, the way we approach it can be very different.

A comic book writer has to consider how much dialogue can reasonably fit into a panel. A screenwriter has to think about performance, timing, and what actors can communicate without saying anything at all. A novelist has different tools available, including internal narration and descriptive prose.

Understanding those differences can make a tremendous impact on how effectively we tell our stories.

I’m hoping this book will be particularly useful for writers who know what they want their characters to say but struggle with making those conversations feel natural.

If I can help someone improve their dialogue, even a little bit, then I’ll consider the project worthwhile.

Building Out the Rest of the Craft Book Collection

After Dialogue That Dances, I’m planning to write at least two more books to round out the collection.

The next one will probably focus on pacing and plotting, although I haven’t completely made up my mind yet. I’ve got a list of possible subjects sitting off to the side, and I’m still deciding which one deserves my attention next.

Pacing and plotting are certainly strong contenders because they’re two areas where I see writers struggle quite a bit, particularly when it comes to understanding how to move a story forward without rushing through important moments or dragging things out unnecessarily.

Once that book is finished, I’ll likely have one more to write before calling the collection complete.

The larger goal is to have all four books available digitally and in print, with physical copies I can bring to conventions going forward.

I like the idea of having a small collection of practical writing resources that I can put directly into people’s hands, especially when I’m talking to aspiring writers who are trying to figure out how to improve their craft.

There’s something satisfying about being able to take years of experience, mistakes, lessons, and observations and turn them into something that might help someone else avoid a few headaches along the way.

Of course, this also means I need to finish writing all of them, so I should probably get back to work.

And That’s Where Things Stand

That’s about everything I’ve got going on at the moment.

There are some potential changes on the horizon, several creative projects moving forward, a Patreon that needs my attention, and an absolutely ridiculous number of steps that I apparently need to walk every day.

I’m trying to keep things moving without completely running myself into the ground, which is admittedly easier said than done when I have a habit of giving myself more things to do.

But we’re making progress, and that’s what matters.

Hopefully, I’ll be back here next week with another update.

Assuming, of course, that I remember to put it on my to-do list.

Until then, take care of yourselves, and thanks for sticking around.