First of 2024

Journal 111 1-14 January 2024

If you read my last post, it contained a list of “resolutions” that was more of a to-do list of things I want to accomplish.

I can tell you; I’ve done none of them.

Between new years day inventory, extra hours at work, getting my back back in shape after the extra hours, then snow, broken phone, a fall, and other issues… I haven’t even turned on the desktop computer in two weeks.

Things are finally leveling out now and each of the major problems have been dealt with.

But I still find myself asking where do I start the year:

Revision versus New Writing

I’m always super reluctant and hesitant to start a new novel. It’s my worse habit.

On the one hand I have the revision of the previous novel that has sat untouched for months. Normally that would have been finished before now. But I put the book aside to work on other things.

So, do I go and finish the first round of edits on the previous novel?

Or, do I finally get Dusk started?

I still need to agent hunt… I went and checked on my first choices, my top three, and they still are all closed to submissions. Four years I’ve waited for one of them to open… four.

And I just took a break from this blog and went through about 6 names on my agent list and only 1 of them is open to submission. One.

Now I’m slightly depressed.

Where does this year go?

I think the first step is to write out the to-do list from my previous post. It does me no good having that list on a blog post only. I need it right before my eyes.

Some of my goals are silly, and some of them are things I can put off to later in the year or random times. In other words, the list needs to be prioritized.

And I’m still procrastinating revision or new writing?

Let’s say we do revision for the next few weeks and see how far I make it?

There I made a choice. Ha ha.

Looking ahead let’s figure the rest of January is revision month and perhaps I send a query letter to that lone open agent.

Come Feb. we try to finish up the first revision pass and then start the Dusk novel.

I’m still trying to feel out my co-worker with trading Sundays (currently he actually works every Sunday and I’m trying to take one or two of them a month from him). This only matters for me trying to start a D&D campaign… though I know that if I start a D&D (or any other RPG) it cuts into my writing a lot.

One of my favorite writers, Steven Erikson, was asked about gaming, and if he still did it.

If you don’t know, his epic fantasy series is based heavily on games he played in his younger years, and his answer was that he can’t devote time to both writing and running games. They use the same energy and part of his brain apparently, and I can attest to the truth of that. I have to choose between writing for the book, or writing for the game whenever I run them.

Gaming in General

I started a new video game right before Xmas but only played the one day, I still need to go back to previous games I started but didn’t finish. I can’t say I don’t have the time or attention to finish games when I just put in like 50 hours beating Super Robot Wars T.

In TTRPGs we started a RIFTS game, it was meant to be a nostalgia trip, but the GM is making an effort to work around the problems of the game and just make it a fun RP session. Most of the Saturday Night games were on hold for the last 4 weeks. So, we just got back to one of them. But really, it’s the OTHER Sat. Game I’m worried about.

In the other game we have TPK’ed two groups so far, and after the last disaster it was decided that we would start new characters (third time) in a different area of the same world, but with a whole new story and series of events to unfold. The previous two dead groups kept pursuing the same goals and ideals, but this new group is divorced of all that nonsense. We’ll see how that goes.

Tv and Movies

I’ve found that I have been ignoring a lot of the TV I usually watch, so I’ve fallen way behind. I haven’t watched Ashoka, What if, Loki 2, or Echo. Pretty much all of the comic/Star Wars shows I would normally be all over.

I haven’t even watched the latest Indiana Jones movie.

And yet…. I recently powered through about 6 K-dramas while waiting for episodes to drop on three other k-dramas.

I hate waiting for shows that drop episodes each week, and that might be why I haven’t gone back to watch those comic book shows. All of them are dropping weekly episodes, and frankly I just don’t give a shit about the weekly show progress.

A part of me does miss watching an episode and then talking with all of my friends about it while we wait for the next. But most of what I watch no one else watches, so I have no one to talk to. And even if they do watch the same show, many of them are either watching it at different times because they can stream it whenever they want. Or they just don’t answer texts or don’t want to talk about it.

At least pre-streaming it was aired on a specific date and time. Weekly drops suck for tv viewing. Even the k-dramas know this and when they do a show it’s usually twice a week that you get episodes.

K-dramas

I’ve watched several of them, from the historical horror of Gyeongseong Creature to the RomComs Destined with You, Business Proposal, Today’s Webtoon, and many more. I even picked up a few Japanese shows with Don’t Call it a Mystery and Fermat’s Cuisine.

I’m currently waiting for the last episodes of My Demon to watch, and I’ve only watched the first 6 episodes. That’s pretty good, very “pretty people” show. I have about 8 more shows queued up for viewing so I think that Jan. and Feb will be heavy with the dramas.

While waiting for episodes to drop on the newer shows I’m watching another drama called Good Job that is kind like a batman story, only with out the super hero nonsense. It’s a rich guy who is a CEO by day, but detective on the side trying to solve the 20-year-old murder of his mother. He’s a master of disguise, super athletic, excellent fighter, and has money/tech to help with everything. (Hence the “Batman” reference). It’s a really good show, and short at only 12 episodes.

Today

I should be working on the novel, or the revision, but we’ll see how that goes. I have plans that will take me out of the house on this lovely day off, and there is a possibility of snowfall this week. Meaning I might be home instead of at work, ergo I have some plans to use that time effectively.

I thank you for reading to here and I promise to get back on track talking about writing, revision, and all the other stuff over the next blogs.