Catching Up

The last few weeks have been an interesting ride--awkward, but interesting.

It was three weeks ago when I released the first edition of the mutable, my weekly literary publication. It started off humble, with roughly 1,500 words of prose and a single poem posted to a blogger page like this one. The second week clocked in at 2,500 words of prose and a poem, and last week's edition marked two changes: first, pushing publication to Monday so I'd have more leeway to get writing done on Sunday; second, increasing the target daily word count by 50 words each day towards an ultimate goal of 3,500 words/day.

So far, this has worked out well. It's a pace that acknowledges both my need for time to work on other things and my rustiness re: writing daily, but still increases the output steadily and non-trivially. For those of you interested in specifics, it means that on my Tuesday-Sunday schedule, the weekly output increases by roughly 1,800 words each week like so:


Week 3 : 550 + 600 + 650 + 700 + 750 + 800 = 4050
Week 4 : 850 + 900 + 950 + 1000 + 1050 + 1100 = 5850
Week 5 : 1150 + 1200 + 1250 + 1300 + 1350 + 1400 = 7650

This means that this week will most likely be the last one wherein the sole prose content is a part of Cat's Eye. Starting with the fifth edition, I'll add short stories into the mix. Of course, because I'm self-publishing, I can put out whatever mix of content I like from week to week. Yay, flexibility!

That being said, I've also re-engaged with social media for the purposes of promotion, and now have a Facebook, a Twitter and a Tumblr, in addition to my Patreon account. The thing is, I have seen the successful use of all these things on the part of content creators, and it involves the development of a particular voice. Given the nature of communication through these outlets, it has to be fairly condensed, with some sort of immediate 'wow' factor. Figuring out how to do that in a way that reflects what I'm about will take some doing, especially since I'm not a very social person to begin with.

Right now, in this transition phase in my life, I've been a bit unsure as to where I should be focusing the time and energy that is not going directly into my freelance work or my writing. Music would be an obvious choice, but I don't really have the financial flexibility to invest in regular vocal lessons or purchase a guitar just yet. Similarly, finances stand in the way of getting coaching in stage or voice acting. There's a litany of such roadblocks that, while far from unconquerable, do move me to ask the question: "What can I do this very moment?"

That question, I am pleased to say, yielded some immediate answers. Building my programming and web design skills is something I can chase down right now. The same goes for drawing and graphic design; I have plenty of pencils and plenty of sketch paper lying around, and the skills of illustration carry over to graphic design. In addition to being tasks I can undertake right now, they have the added benefit of giving me something I can show to attract traffic. I've seen examples of people showcasing their daily journeys of learning and they often receive support not just in the form of congratulations or interest, but in genuinely helpful advice that strengthens their learning process. It makes sense to leverage that.

Another endeavor I can undertake, as soon as I fix my desktop and get access to all my collected materials for it, is language study. There are plenty of opportunities to find people I can speak to in the languages I wish to study, and finding material to read is a breeze, though I suspect I'll need to get clever with the writing practice. Creating Youtube videos documenting my language work also sounds like a good idea, allowing me to get further commentary and correction from native speakers in some cases.

More generally speaking, I'm trying to cultivate greater mindfulness in everything I do. My exercise routine has helped greatly in that regard, though I had to suffer some injuries along the way; meditation has also been a boon in this effort. However, I'm seeking a greater mindfulness in everything, to build not just a habit of mindful exercise or mindful meditation, etc., but a habit of living mindfully. This is mostly a question of focus, though, which for someone who has grown so scattered, must be relearned over time.

I'll have an entry tomorrow that outlines the current state of my immediate goals and how I intend to approach them.

Back on the horse
~L