An actual blog post, not about healthcare.
I have a feeling that I pushed my body a little too hard on this trip, but given that I appear to have survived it, I don't think I'd change my mind about it if I did it over again. I'll blog more about it throughout the week. Actually, I think Ariella might be blogging about it at some point, too, if she can remember her password. On top of genuinely and unironically enjoying things like the Magic Kingdom, it was a great chance to do something with my parents, to get a little traveling done, and to see hnmic, who I'd previously met on the train last March.
(He's a lot hotter looking than I remembered. As I had no memory of what he looked like, that might not sound like much, but he made enough of an impression this time that I felt the need to make a note of it in my PDA.)
One thing I might have done differently: not accidentally saving over the classroom vignettes I was working on the ride back to Nebraska with roleplaying notes. Grrrr. Oh, well. I expect I'll be able to recreate most of them, as they were fairly short. But the next MU story that goes up is likely to simply be chapter 413, not the Other Tales that was advertised.
Interesting thing: so far, not one person has said to me "I really hate the way you're taking more time to write longer, more intricate pieces". That wasn't anything I planned... it grew out of my desire to make sure that certain story ground was covered while not curbing my personal preference for letting the story sprawl in a natural fashion. But they have had their benefits. Sometimes the story flows easier when I keep it going instead of looking for a breaking point, for instance.
I've also had feedback indicating that the "next time" blurbs are appreciated by the readers, which is good. I started doing them privately as a "note to self" to make sure the story ground was getting covered.
Another interesting thing: my readership goes up and down, in some ways seasonally (even going back to when I just wrote Star Harbor Nights and didn't have much readership, it was always lower in the summer), but the income it generates varies less wildly. The people who are paying me to write are committed, it seems, and that's what keeps me committed to writing.
On that subject, though: some people have cancelled their sponsorship of the currently-languishing side stories. One person even sent a sort of apologetic note about it. If anybody else is thinking about dropping sponsorships, don't worry about me taking it personally or that it will affect my decision on what to do with the stories. I like writing them. I know people who love reading them. But I don't know if I can keep the momentum on them that I need to. I'll be writing some more on them soon. I certainly don't expect anyone to sponsor them while they're idle.
At the same time I'm saying that, though, I'll also say this: if you've enjoyed the most recent Tales of MU installments quite a bit, if you like the direction things are heading, if you want to show your approval for the continued improvement of my craft as a storyteller... there are concrete ways of saying so.
Anyway, right now I am a bundle of sore and tired and ideas. The next chapter of MU is coming along slowly but it is coming along well.
(He's a lot hotter looking than I remembered. As I had no memory of what he looked like, that might not sound like much, but he made enough of an impression this time that I felt the need to make a note of it in my PDA.)
One thing I might have done differently: not accidentally saving over the classroom vignettes I was working on the ride back to Nebraska with roleplaying notes. Grrrr. Oh, well. I expect I'll be able to recreate most of them, as they were fairly short. But the next MU story that goes up is likely to simply be chapter 413, not the Other Tales that was advertised.
Interesting thing: so far, not one person has said to me "I really hate the way you're taking more time to write longer, more intricate pieces". That wasn't anything I planned... it grew out of my desire to make sure that certain story ground was covered while not curbing my personal preference for letting the story sprawl in a natural fashion. But they have had their benefits. Sometimes the story flows easier when I keep it going instead of looking for a breaking point, for instance.
I've also had feedback indicating that the "next time" blurbs are appreciated by the readers, which is good. I started doing them privately as a "note to self" to make sure the story ground was getting covered.
Another interesting thing: my readership goes up and down, in some ways seasonally (even going back to when I just wrote Star Harbor Nights and didn't have much readership, it was always lower in the summer), but the income it generates varies less wildly. The people who are paying me to write are committed, it seems, and that's what keeps me committed to writing.
On that subject, though: some people have cancelled their sponsorship of the currently-languishing side stories. One person even sent a sort of apologetic note about it. If anybody else is thinking about dropping sponsorships, don't worry about me taking it personally or that it will affect my decision on what to do with the stories. I like writing them. I know people who love reading them. But I don't know if I can keep the momentum on them that I need to. I'll be writing some more on them soon. I certainly don't expect anyone to sponsor them while they're idle.
At the same time I'm saying that, though, I'll also say this: if you've enjoyed the most recent Tales of MU installments quite a bit, if you like the direction things are heading, if you want to show your approval for the continued improvement of my craft as a storyteller... there are concrete ways of saying so.
Anyway, right now I am a bundle of sore and tired and ideas. The next chapter of MU is coming along slowly but it is coming along well.