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Uncle-Ben

Clueless Wonder
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As the title says, this journal is going to be done a little different than usual. I'm going to tell you the new goals first, so I don't have to scroll down so far to update how I'm doing. Then I'll begin the news which includes how I did on last years goals. Then what's new, and why it has taken me to March to list my January goals.


First up, New goals.

1) I want to write one big story by the end of the year. (I doubt this will happen as I have nothing in the hopper, but it's a goal.)

2) Write 4 short stories, one for each quarter.

3) Edit and post some of last year's stories, first to Chraditan (Wordpress), then here.

4) Actually create a universe for my stories.

5) DM a D&D campaign. (It's for friends. Please don't ask to join.)

6) Make more progress on the Collab Story and Stress Relief.

7) Try to keep my Bible study in the single digits behind. (i.e. max 9)

8) Try to participate in ToT, 31d31s, and GoT.

9) Get some hear gear for GoT. XD


Old Goals:

1) Write 6 or more stories. I should be able to write a story in 2 months time. [Done: July 26th]

2) Finish the next chapter, and maybe the whole thing, of the collab story. I need to find a way to get unstuck. [I wrote a little. Needs more.]

3) Do more than 2 daily, Wri-tober stories. Why can't I break that? [August, 15!]

4) Stay up to date or no more than 7 days behind on my daily Bible study. How did I get 45 days behind? [Failed: got to 10 behind]

5) Decide whether I'm going to stream reading/acting out my stories ... or not. [Done: Streaming and Affiliate]

6) It would be nice to work on one of my mermaid stories in MerMay this year. [Done] It would even be nice if I could get one posted. [*shakes fist at MerMayJuneJulyAugustSeptember story*]

7) I have put sooooooo many stories on hold, like Stress Relief, Sheltering in Place [Done], Maid for a Month [Started in July]. I would like to get a bigger story out, especially one that has been sitting for a while.


All in all, it looks like last year's goals went very well. However, there's more to that story than the list reveals.


News:

Last year started off really well. Stories were flowing out of me faster than I could write them. All told, I wrote at least 12 stories or parts of stories. During Tapestry of Tales, in July, I wrote just over 23, 500 words. I was on fire. In 31days31stories, in August, I wrote 20+ "stories" (chapters or short stories over 1k), I think. It was a blast. I was excited for all the stories that would be edited in October to be posted on WordPress in November during Game of Tomes then on dA as Christmas presents.


Then October hit, and it hit hard. Very little editing got done. And on October 30th or 31st, the final blow smacked me in my core. Before my very eyes, "All" of my unwritten stories crumbled to dust leaving me with sand as far as I could see. The "next" day, November 1st started a month long writing challenge, "Write as much as you can". I had nothing to write anymore and everything that I knew was wrong. Left was Right. Up was Down. I had nothing. I think I remember something about 6-10k, but nothing was finished or even worth continuing.

December came, but with nothing edited, nothing was posted. January rolled around and my buddies from 31d31s in August wanted me to do the one in January, too. I tried but I hadn't found my feet and felt exhausted from all the writing. February was a month of healing. I'm not better. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel.


As of the beginning of March, ideas are growing, words are trickling. They seem to have something in common, so I think I'm going to place these ideas in an universe. Also, the gang I've been playing D&D with are asking me to create a massive story for them to interact with. I'm hoping that will help too.


May you all have a wonderful year! And here's to presents this year. =) And maybe not just in December.

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All the News

2 min read

Hey Everyone!

It's been a majority of the year, so I suppose it's time for me to update you. First of all, it's been a strange and fun and busy year so far. I started streaming (reading/writing and games). I've joined a writing community and participated in two month-long writing challenges. So far. Another is coming in November.


I've been keeping track of all of my writing (and challenges) here: my last journal

So, if you want to see what's coming down the pipeline, go check it out.


I'm trying to restart my YouTube channel, but I keep running out of time. It will be me, reading my stories. If that interests you, you can find the (currently) empty channel here:


Finally, I rediscovered an old WordPress account that I had forgotten about and thought I had lost the password for. I remembered, and I didn't. Like a Patreon (but not), I'm planning on posting stories there first and then here on dA later. At least, that's the plan. We'll see how that goes. You should be able to read them there for free, just like here.


During September, I'm planning to "casual" write, like I usually do, to rest after the last two months of pushing myself writing-wise. In October, prepping for the November challenge and the December presents, I will be working on editing all the stories I have written this year, wellllllll, the ones that aren't part of ongoing series.


Some Updates:

Stress Relief has gotten a chapter or 2 more.

Maid for a Month is started but still on Day 1 of (30?).

"Collab Story" is still waiting to get unstuck.


Last news. I'm starting to think that all the picture-looking is messing with my writing. So, I'm going to turn off the picture media for a while. That probably means no dA until December. It also means that I'm going to, pretty much, do several "Server Mute"s in Discord. Hopefully, I won't have a million things to go through in December.


*salutes* And *raises a mug of soda* Cheers. Here's to my health and yours.

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Wow. It has been soooooooommmmmmeeeeee time since I've done one of these.


As per usual, these are definite goals to try and reach and, in general, not vague resolutions.


In 2021, I would like to:


1) Write 6 or more stories. I should be able to write a story in 2 months time. [Done: July 26th]

2) Finish the next chapter, and maybe the whole thing, of the collab story. I need to find a way to get unstuck.

3) Do more than 2 daily, Wri-tober stories. Why can't I break that? [August, 15!]

4) Stay up to date or no more than 7 days behind on my daily Bible study. How did I get 45 days behind? [Failed: got to 10 behind]

5) Decide whether I'm going to stream reading/acting out my stories ... or not. [Done: Streaming and Affiliate]

6) It would be nice to work on one of my mermaid stories in MerMay this year. [Done] It would even be nice if I could get one posted. [*shakes fist at MerMayJuneJulyAugustSeptember story*]

7) I have put sooooooo many stories on hold, like Stress Relief, Sheltering in Place [Done], Maid for a Month [Started in July]. I would like to get a bigger story out, especially one that has been sitting for a while.

[For the Record for later: ToT July challenge = 23,684 words]


That's it, everyone. =) Hopefully, there will be more stories than usual for you all to read.


====================================


Now on to news.


I am 7 MSWord pages into a story that feels about half done. Look for that soon.


Over the last couple of nights, a HUGE dramatic story crashed into my brain. I took notes on it, but there is no way at present I will be able to do it justice. I may have to do Tangents (same characters but not canon) of the story to keep it fresh. We'll see.


I think. I think the new "treasure" stories are starting to roll out. Not that I'll tell you which ones they are. Hopefully they will be better stories.


I'll confess. It was a little disheartening to see as I was getting ready to post "Thanks and Giving" that the last things I posted where the ones I posted for Christmas last year.

But that's going to change this year, right? Right??


Here's to a happy and prosperous year to you all! Happy 2021!


====================================


This is for me to hopefully keep track of progress on goals. Ignore it, if you'd like.


Jan:

12th: Sheltering in Place - Waiting for edit (started in 2020)

20th: Trust Exercise - Waiting for edit (started in 2020)

Feb:

1st: Pier Pressure - waiting for edit (started in 2021)

Mar:

Apr:

12th(?): Aloha Spa - waiting for edit (started ???)

19th: CWJ (written on stream)

MerMay:

June:

July: (Tournament of Tales)

26th: To Catch a Thief - waiting to post

26th: Log Ride - waiting to edit

Aug: (31 days, 31 stories)

Stress Relief Ch. 7 & 8

Misc. short stories

Sep:

8th: Just Because, Just Because Too - waiting for edit (started in August and September, respectively)

30th: Game Night - waiting for edit (started in 2019, only 2 years for this one XD)

Oct:

Nov: (Game of Tomes?)

Dec:

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Okay. Here it is. My last Christmas gift for the 2019 year...



Wait a minute. It's not 2019. *smacks forehead then shakes fist* TWO THOUSAND TWENTY!!!!


I kid, I kid. As mentioned in my previous journals, my life has been pretty crazy this year. I had meant to post this on this day, last year, but I had barely finished writing it then. I've been meaning to edit it, work on it, get it out. But things did not work out as I had planned.

Literature

Thanks and Giving (Part 1 of 2)

"Hey Jerk," she stops just outside the front door




So here it is a year later. A gift for you. A behemoth of a story. The continuation of Trick or Treat.


Thanks and Giving.






Literature

Thanks and Giving (Part 2 of 2)

Despite this, Andrea reaches up and hugs Megan




I'm hoping for more stories soon.


I'm hoping for the next part of this story soon.

I'm hoping for the continuation of the collab story soon.


We shall see. We shall see what the new year brings.







So for now, I greet you with,


Have a happy and prosperous New Year. =)

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Hey Everyone!

Welcome to October. No, wait. November? Mannnnn, I'd better get this journal out before it's the end of the year. O.O


The last journal was from March? Wow. Okay. I guess I've got a lot to catch up on, then.


As mentioned in my last journal, I am searching for treasures to display for all of you. I thought I had some, too. I was writing 3 stories simultaneously, none of them were the collab story. Some of them are in the last stages before they are done.


Then they stopped dead. All of them.


Which is a good thing.


My life is SUPER crazy right now and has been for months. Is it the new interface called Eclipse? No. That's cool. I'm used to that. Is it the elections? No. While I sometimes wish we could veto the candidates and get a new batch, I did make my choice between bad and worse. Co-Vid? Corona? Nah, I'm being safe and rolling with it.


No, my sister needs to move back in, and we've been working on it for months. Not only that, but I have been working for months straight. I've barely had time to think, let alone be creative.


But. But things are beginning to wrap up. Things are starting to settle, despite it probably not being all settled until next year. Creativity is starting to creep back.


And it's October! Which means I attempted Wri-tober again. In my busy-ness, I was only able to get a story and a half done, less than last year. But I'm going to use it for its inteded purpose, to get me writing again. So, I'm extending it into November and maybe December, too. Depending on how many I get done and when, I'll probably post them.


And since I realized that I missed MerMay, I'm giving the stories a mythical theme. Will all of them have mermaids? No. Of course not. I have a hard time sticking with one thing over and over. Will all of them have a mythical creature of some kind? Soorrrrrrrta. There are groups of words that go together. Each group will be its own universe. In that universe will be a mythical creature.

So, look forward to that.


Also, I still want to finish the collab story.

And it was brought to my attention that I haven't finished editing Thanks and Giving (aka Trick or Treat 2), so I need to get to that. And it might be nice to finish the three I was working on. What were they again? I remember one was Sheltering in Place. Another wassss *goes to look* A Part of the Whole and Brother's Blind Date (working title)


For the record and possibly to encourage you, my readers, to bug me to finish them, Sheltering Place was almost done. It is planned to be an event for my readers. A Part of the Whole was nearing(?) half way. Brother's Blind Date was fumbling around blind. I'm not sure where that one was.


Anyway, that's the news.


If I don't get another post out soon ... Happy November! Happy Thanksgiving! Merry December! Merry Christmas! And a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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