NaNoWriMo + Job

The past couple NaNo's, I was lucky enough not to have a steady working gig to conflict. This year? Not so much. Last year, I was only working weekends at King's Island through UpShift, but I do Monday, Tuesday and sometimes cover the rest of the week in my current job situation, so it will present a new challenge to my energy levels and patience. I'm really hoping to get on a stimulant after my November 12th appointment to maybe help with focus and energy levels, but the first part of the month may be iffy.

Like most veteran NaNoWri's, I've been at least gathering my pages of notes and preparing to make the start as smooth as possible, but it's a very rough draft I'm playing with and I almost wish there wasn't a draft that I'd pushed out so hastily and aimlessly to begin with. But no writing challenge is impossible for me and it's a story in my hands, not anyone else's, so I do have the power to get it where it needs to be.

In any case, I have a screenplay to dissect for a friend before I do anymore work, either on my notes or my crochet Ezio project for the nephew Dameon, so off I go! It's just been a while since I updated and there will be more to talk about after my hustles are through. Good luck and send some my way as well!

Added Review for XP-Pen Artist 22E Pro

Even though I scoured reviews prior to purchasing, like anyone about to drop a few hundred precious dollars on electronics, I realized that some of the points that people brought up were likely for previous models. 

For one, there was a complaint that the ports stick out directly from the back. However, on mine, they are parallel to the back and come out sideways. It's not a light piece of equipment so it's entirely possible to sit it on your lap but for any kind of marathon session, I'd say you're better off investing in a sturdy breakfast-in-bed kind of table. 

Another gripe was definitely fixed from older models, namely the addition of a textured screen protector that previous users had to apply themselves. Mine came with the anti-glare textured protector already applied and it is removable. I can see why some people might not like the very slight fuzziness that it causes but since I use my higher res computer display to preview it as I go, I don't find it to be the sort of hindrance that causes eye strain or irritation. Without it, the pen would slide on the glass and I do like the more paper-like resistance of a textured screen. It's worth nothing that the company also adds that their pen nibs will not cause any damage to the unprotected glass but I like to err on the side of caution and not run the risk that something dropped or accidental will occur to blemish what would be a lot more expensive to replace. Even a decent warranty doesn't cover cosmetic damage unless it damages functionality.

Another minor complaint I've heard concerns parallax. In case this term is unfamiliar, it is basically the gap between the glass and where the pixels actually appear. It may take working with the calibration and need to be changed if you're working from dynamic angles, but I haven't found this to be a frustrating issue. Insofar, I've kept it at the same angle I've calibrated it from and I don't do enough moving around to have a need to reset it. In CSP, and any other program for that matter, you can use onscreen icons to see where strokes will appear. If you're not used to pen sensitivity, that is a learning curve regardless. Just like you can turn off the marching ants effect of a selection tool to test how well bucket fills in a selected area are covering, indicators are no different.

The last concern is a supposed rainbow effect of the display screen, which often occurs under certain lighting conditions. Just like with a TV, light placement is often a consideration for optimal viewing. Keep any bright or hard lighting to the sides or back rather than behind you. Some people like working in the dark but I don't recommend that ever. The blue light of backlit screens is terrible for eye health and often soft but adequate back lighting is a great way to counter it. You can end up with eye spasms, focusing issues, headaches and insomnia if you work with poor lighting conditions. As an artist of any level, eye health is not something you can afford to disregard. For that matter, I hope you're taking adequate breaks to care for your wrists and other health needs to best enjoy your talents for many years to come.

I might keep adding more reviews over time. A company that cares about its products and consumers deserves recognition and I have no doubt that XP-Pen is a company that makes quality products at affordable prices, cutting cost corners at all the right places to make the technology accessible to more people. Indeed, my own search came from a budget and XP-Pen not only met my price point, but they have delivered a product I am happy with so far.

Though I've seen some gripes about customer service concerning product issues, I can't speak for that yet. I hope that they are able to improve this, but I believe they are a company not even two decades old and do show initiative for improvement and clearly have listened to customers concerning screen and port issues, so I'm willing to go into dealing with them openmindedly if an issue does crop up. 

Reviews concerning customer service often leave out the temperament of the frustrated customer and, in my own many experiences dealing with tech support, my own patience and experience goes a long way in getting effective results. If their support lines aren't effective, engage them on social media or other means. Companies often go out of their way to convince people to remove negative reviews so this is always a last-resort option. While, yes, we are entitled to a quality product, we can't forget that we are sometimes dealing with a new or outsourced worker and may need to speak to someone more skilled. Maybe because I've been the new girl many times over, I try to be the person that encourages support to improve rather than bully them and only hurt the process. It's worthwhile to increase your own value with patience and persistence. In some rare cases, I've even been asked to test products for free because my input is trusted and valued. While I don't have the reach of an influencer, I make good on my word to back companies with my honest and thorough assessments.

My humble claim to fame was a review for the 2009 iMac that was republished across many major retailers. Of course, a tech review tends to have a short shelf life but it does feel good that independent retailers used my honest review across platforms. I'm more than happy to do this whenever a product truly deserves it.

It's Not Really a New Year's Resolution, But...

I guess the next round qualifies, doesn't it? I work this last weekend of WinterFest before the UpShift list grows bleak for a while, at least for someone with my timeframe. I'd already planned to devote January to UnSung's 2019 release, as well as that dentist appointment falling smack dab on the first of the year. This will also be the same month I devote myself to sloughing off the winter weight, looking into a doctor who can help me uncover the mystery of why exercise usually means more muscle gain than weight loss for me.

So while it's not a proper resolution, it certainly falls under a timeframe liberated from the crunch of gift making and temp work, a time when I can get geared up for ComicCon and future goals.

I feel the near-sighted trepidation of a busy weekend and the healing of these ornery teeth. Yet in the middle of that, I'm looking forward to going to WinterFest with my family as guests and our sit-in New Year celebration involving wine (the delightfully non-alcoholic sparkling sort for the kiddies) and a slew of board games. So it's not all crunch time, just activities that will require energy I'll really have to reach for.

Yet I see it there, just past that-- the closing of another book, which will be my eleventh. I see the gratifying hard work as I brush up the cover and format it for print and ebook. I see the excitement of returning to UnHeard, my NaNoNovel, to make it into an epic third entry to the world I never named. Only the continents, some of the cities and the smaller elements grow in increasing revelation, an homage to how blurry the world can get on the broad and distant edges. Even my most well-traveled characters are subject to how the world moves behind their backs.

I love how writing is so full of these little treasures of the writer. It's not just full of what we know, but what we reach for, what we want to know, yet still never quite get. Like sand art, we endeavor to create these rainbow layers, but no matter how much we try to pack it tight so the gap doesn't disrupt the sands, disturbances and time always break it down further when it's bumped around.

Rather than try so carefully not to disturb the balance, there is a moment when we must accept that stories are subject to forces that even care cannot preserve. Instead of trying to make the sands cooperate, we must appreciate the beauty of not only what it was but what it becomes.

I truly anticipate going back to that uncertainty. I've never been held back by doubt when it comes to creativity, at least not in this stage of my life. In truth, all through my life, what I've done even leisurely is somehow always magnified by people in wonder of what I sometimes took for granted. From the comics I threw onto lined notebooks in grade school to the fluorescent fairies I hid around the flower shop I worked in, there was always unexpected joy in having what I created for myself spied over my shoulder, the unchecked sounds of admiration for ways I filled my time and calmed my mind.

So why wouldn't I want to find the guts to share it? Truly, the response was worth it, but I was undoubtedly fragile. It took many years to forge myself into a creature that understood how criticism should be taken, to improve myself or ignore it altogether.

Let's be real here (as if I'm ever not) and observe that the 'suck it up, buttercup' sentiment is bullshit. It worked for older generations, for a time when opportunities were abundant, but even in cutthroat competitive areas nowadays, it does you little good. Sticking it out nowadays means it's not healthy to suck up all that poisonous tripe. Those generations didn't have the ruthlessness of keyboard warriors and doxxing that could make or break who you are. We don't need to suck that garbage up. We need to turn it into something useful and send it out. We need to strategize, to build armies, to be the arbiters of our own fate because letting others define us is dangerous.

And, really, I don't know anyone who says that who isn't sitting comfortably in a niche that is working for them. 

Closing on a light note, I love squirrels. Not just watching the silly bastards, but how much their constant bustling seems completely carefree even with such purpose to it. How, once they make it to the top of a tree, they don't just puff up in pride. They look for the next great adventure with no hint of complacency. It's no wonder so many writers consider them a fitting mascot.

Christmas Comes

Things crocheted yet another weekend of working awaits. Yet as the work is done, the dream only strengthens. I feel my worlds beckon and it's almost time to absorb myself in those places they offer once more.

I think fondly of my flagship series. I wonder what it can become once I find it a wider audience. It's been the crux of a massive change in my life. Like becoming a college graduate, becoming a published author is something I carry with me always. It's one of those titles I kind of want to blurt out every time I meet someone. I had the courage to turn a long time dream into a medium I could share. I was able to become more than just another person who is writing a book. Not that I'm not always writing a book-- even when I finish one, there are five more in various stages of completion.

Right now, I'm anxious to let everyone see the gifts I made them. Crocheting is tough on hands, time and delicate fingers, not to mention posture. Yet the time I put into it makes me proud to suffer and sacrifice to make these things, to make people happy through what makes me happy.

The creation process is just as much frustration as it is joy. I can't tell you exactly what makes self abuse through creation so irresistible but I'm always looking a few steps ahead, anxious to make it something tangible. There are these tiny moments in there where I perfectly understand the insane magnetism and it must be those moments that make the hundreds of hours worth it. Yet when people use words to say they can't do what I do, I still don't quite understand why they consider it focused or disciplined or that they're too restless. Creation is chaos, turbulence, always transforming. I'd understand it more if they said that taming it is like trying to scoop dry sand with a fishnet. You can eventually pile it up with what you've got, but you'd get there quicker if you think of what needs to happen to make it work better. Wet the sand and the castles fall into place (although honey or glue are a few tricks of the trade too).

Anyways, look forward to a relaxing Christmas and then the return to writing and editing. Castles to build, after all!

Nothing But Net!

If only I could always be so productive...

After one helluva crunch weekend, the first draft of UnSung is done, done, donnnnnnne. What does this mean? There are a couple places where I need to amend scenes and add some plot details, which may boost the word count (which currently sits at the 234.3K word count mark), but there's no more guesswork, only refinement to do.

Since the epilogue always leads into the next book, I've also warmed up the characters leading into UnHeard, my NaNo novel for next month.

The edit for UnSung will wait. For the rest of the month? Cover art! I've staged the foreground layers for painting, just need to get it done. I will be redoing UnNamed's cover to fit the new convention. In the future, when I start new series, I'll be planning themes in advance. I didn't do this for UnNamed because I only decided to make it an UnQuadrilogy at the last minute. One of these days, I'm sure I'll be able to do a standalone novel but fantasy is just too tempting for the serials.

Piscine, one of my many plotted projects in wait, will be a sci-fi mystery thriller. It is definitely planned as a standalone yet since it could very well become serial, even that is one I'll plan a cover for that could carry on a theme.

The Dreampunk Chronicles, a Steampunk YA project, will definitely be serialized. I use both real world places and surreal fantasy destinations there so the possibilities will extend as far as I dare. I am still planning to write one of these following NaNoWriMo, but... After I set up UnSung for publishing and UnNamed for republishing (just a new cover). 

For those that bought the first edition, I may try to get some posters printed of the new cover to you, signed and sent free of charge as thanks for early adoption. I'll have to look at expenses but I really want to look at swag, convention booth options and so on for the coming year regardless.

Yes, the webcomic is another script I play with. With the way things are planned already, that's looking at a Fall 2019 slot at the soonest. I should have the first Dreampunk and UnHeard at least drafted by then. More details on those at a later date since I'm planning too far ahead already to nail down dates.

In the foreseeable future, Virtual FantasyCon is right around the corner, November 4-10. VFC Reader's Corner is a group you can join for the details. Remember, The Magical Book of Wands is up for preorder on Amazon. It's a great mix of fantasy short stories (I had the chance to read it this past weekend) and it's worth a read! Historical, urban, dark, traditional-- whatever your fantasy tastes, there's something for everyone. 

Here's hoping 2019 is an amazing year! 2017-18 were full of great learning experience, ups and downs aplenty, so I'm going into in with the same blend of optimism and cynicism that keeps me afloat. Thanks for hitching along!