February Update

A month ago when I decided I was going to start writing monthly blog posts updating about my life, my goals, how things are going, etc. I didn't think about the fact that I wrote that post in the middle of the month, so I didn't really have to decide if I wanted it to be a start-of-the-month, here's-my-plans kind of post, or an end-of-the-month, wrap-up-and-looking-forward kind of post. I think I've decided that I want it to be a start-of-the-month type deal, reflecting on last month and laying out plans for this month. I know that I'm making this decision kind of late to hit February at the best time, but I'm using this to sort of reset the schedule for these posts, even if that means March will get a post in about two weeks.

So, let's get into it. How did January go?

Obviously a big one is that I did manage to get my new laptop I needed. I mentioned it in my January post, but it's been smooth sailing since then. It's allowed me to work easier and more consistently than ever, traveling with me just about everywhere since I got it. It's so much lighter than my older laptop, so it's easier to just casually have it in my bag and walk with it. I've been using a combination of Word 2010 and Notepad to write things (depending on the context for the piece), and I've been able to make some headway on my stories. Since talking about my Robotgirl Lost to Time story before on this blog, I've managed to draft out the prologue and Chapter One in full, as well as in-the-works documents for Chapter Two and a related short story in the same world. I want to supplement the regular chapter updates with some short stories that take place in the same universe, adding some depth through other perspectives and things. It makes a fun addition to the main story but ultimately optional. Over the next week, I want to finish drafting Chapter Two and hopefully Three, so I can then work back and edit the prologue and Chapter One for release.

My primary goal is to have the story in a publishing-ready state by the end of February.

I want March 1 to feature the first three chapters (counting the prologue), with Chapter Two being the first subscriber-only chapter, officially beginning the serialization for this story. The Prologue and Chapter One will be what I consider the "free intro" to this story, and will be available for free subscribers on Patreon, as well as on my website here. Chapter Two and up will be subscriber-only as they release, with a minimum of a new chapter each month, though they may release more frequently depending on how the workflow is and what other projects I start releasing at the same time. Even if my Patreon only has one new chapter for each serialization each month, it'll by no means be the only content being posted.

Just to reiterate, my biggest goal right now is to have my Patreon set and ready to go by February 28, so that March 1 can be a big launch day of sorts. That gives me roughly two weeks to finish what I just laid out: drafting, editing, polishing, publishing. Truth be told, my Patreon is technically already live. I published the page a week or so ago, but I haven't said anything because obviously it doesn't feel right to advertise an empty Patreon. Once I have content up, then I'll advertise it everywhere (likely on March 1). I may make an effort to have some exclusive doodles and little art pieces ready for launch as well, if I need a break at some point these coming weeks and feel like drawing I may focus specifically on stuff that can go up as bonuses. Additionally, I'll put some time into drafting/editing a pinned post for followers, as well as putting any new ideas I have in my design document. I'll likely also make a March update post as a launch update, since I want to do monthly posts talking about on-going serializations, projects, status, etc. I want to start things on the right foot and put out a March post there in the same way that I will here: a 1st-of-the-month wrap up on what last month brought us and what I plan for the next month to look like. Probably would be especially good for new subscribers and folks reading my brand new content to right away have an idea of what's yet to come. Maybe I'll write this blog's 1st-of-the-month update first, and then make the update post for Patreon on the 2nd, just to give it time to account for new followers, etc. That way anybody who follows or subscribes on day one will get a notification when I make the March Update post.

Obviously my Patreon plans are consuming a large part of my mental capacity and my workday. But it's not the only thing I'm up to, so what else am I working on and what else am I planning for?

Well obviously this site is my other big focus. I don't want the Patreon to subsume the site, or vice versa. They both have their place, and while obviously Patreon is about to be my big financial endeavor, my website plays an important role as my independant host of everything me. As such, I want my projects, my writing, etc. that are currently here to continue growing, in addition to anything new I add over time.

One thing I want to do more of is writing for my various blogs. Obviously my gaming blog has a large archive of posts, ever-growing as well, though recently my focus has been less on those concepts sitting in my drafts and more on my writing. I have been consistently updating my Animal Crossing: Wild World journal, as I've been having a great time playing that game and updating that page. My writing blog, on the other hand, only has two posts as of now. I'd like to change that, and while I'm sure a lot of behind-the-scenes kind of writing posts will be exclusive to Patreon, some of them will likely be crossposted as free Patreon posts and also available on my site. The fiction collection will also still be growing; anything that is available to free subscribers on my Patreon will also be featured in my fiction collection, even if it's just as a link to the Patreon post. Eventually I want everything to be hosted on-site as pages with Patreon buttons at the bottom, but a quick stop-gap will likely be to link on my site to the post on Patreon. The writing hub is also where I have a navbar link to the Patreon, a convenient link between my writing available here, and my soon-to-be more sizable collection on Patreon. I want to heavily associate the two in that way, where my website is still the hub for everything me and the Patreon serves as a way to financially engage with my exclusive content.

My plans for the site aren't as aimed and direct as my goals for Patreon and my writing. I just generally want to continue working on things and expanding the content here. The writing will follow suit with my work on Patreon, my gaming content will likely continue as I play games in my free time, and other site upgrades are sure to follow as I continue engaging with coding and web development. I've actually introduced some friends of mine to the wonderful world of webdev, and helping them with their HTML has helped me discover a few behind-the-scenes changes to make to the site! I really love having a place to call my own, and working on it consistently, so I don't intend to let that stop or slow.

That's generally what I'm looking at for the remainder of February. It's a lot of general "do this" and "get this done" but I feel like they're at least reasonable and attainable. Especially considering these are goals that are starting mid-month, I want to make sure I'm not crowding my time and slowing progress because of it. I want March to have some more overarching plans, once all of this gets done and I have a whole month ahead of me to do things. So in the meantime, look forward to the things I talked about here, more coming in the future!

Until next time,
Alex Amelia Pine