Nov 1, 20233 min read

October 2023 Progress Report

An October progress report before NaNoWriMo.

Title Card with Jim Carrey from "Bruce Almighty"

Okay, let's go. There are NaNos to prepare and WriMos to write. Precious creative time is seeping into the ether of nothingness, never to be retrieved again by my anguished soul.

Sorry, I'm warming up for the annual writing challenge that takes place each November. Thus, my vocabulary is polysyllabic to reach the momentous, stupendous, fantastical goal of fifty thousand words.

Only 49,946 to go. Let's add some more.

October Changes

One marketing task a day: I adopted this after reading Jennifer Goforth Gregory's articles at The Content Marketing Writer. For example, "80+ Marketing Activities for Freelance Content Marketing Writers." Many of the tips also apply to fiction authors. Overall, I'd say I posted writing-based items for myself and others at least 25 days. A huge accomplishment for someone who posted zip the month before.

Kindle Vella no more: I decided to remove The Mediocre Quest of Rathspun from Kindle Vella. It's not that I don't like the platform. Rather, I haven't released an episode or two a week as suggested. I've decided go move ahead and make it a novel. It's the main focus for this year's NaNoWriMo event. More later.

Self-employment grant for disabled individuals: Thanks to What If? Publishing and Design, I learned about grants offered by the Colorado Department of Vocational Education. Its goal is to help physically and mentally challenged individuals who can't work in regular offices start businesses of their own. For me, it will provided funds to write my memoir on bipolar disorder. Additionally, they help procure equipment, such as desks and computers, to remain productive while at home.

Pausing Print on Demand: I've decided to pause my print-on-demand endeavors. Generally, it's difficult for me to carve out the time. I'd rather use my creative skills on something related to writing. Nevertheless, I'll keep these available for when I'm ready to promote my books.

Three months of four blog posts: This is an enormous achievement. Previously, I gave up writing blogs around this time. I've made it a habit to get an article out each Wednesday or Thursday to maintain my writing chops. Plus, it shows others I can produce regular material.

NaNoWriMo: Yep, I took the plunge. Fifty thousand words by November 30th. If you read last week's article (why you didn't it beyond my imagination), that's about 1,667 daily. The main goals are the aforementioned Rathspun and my memoir Faith and Slipper Socks.

Reading and Listening

Here are my reading and listening achievements for October.

Reading

Kelly Armstrong A Rip Through Time -- A female police detective living in 2019 Canada is transported into the body of a young house servant in 1869 Scotland. She has to quickly adapt to determine how to return to her time and discover who tried to murder her. A fascinating read that merges science fiction and murder mystery.

Kevin J. Anderson Double-Booked: The Cases of Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. -- I haven't read a Dan Shamble book in a while. KJA can still weave a tale mysteries solved by an undead private eye.

Listening

Smartless: Matthew McConaughey -- The hosts give Matthew plenty of airtime to offer life philosophies. An entertaining and educational listen.

The Creative Penn: Adapting to Change with Author Jessie Kwak -- Jessie was shot in the eye during a book fair. She discusses what changes she made to move forward with her writing.

Writing Faster Without Burning Out With LA Witt -- The author can write as much as 80,000 a month without faltering. She discusses her tips for other authors.

The Great Creators with Guy Raz: Johnny Marr of The Smiths -- The interview encouraged me to listen to the band's brief catalog. In the interview he discusses his creative processes.

Melissa Etheridge -- How coming out and having cancer changed how she wrote and performed music.
Bobby Berk from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy -- Bobby overcame a rough teenage life to become a top designer.

November Goals

NaNoWriMo -- That's pretty much it.

Two New Write Decisions Features -- The Friday Feature is an ongoing series about one of my deep passions. No, it's not milking turtles. Sunday Storytime will be an episodic tale about an eternal Black Friday and capitalism gone wild.