Taking Stock
Life is good. Damn good. Everything seems to be going my way lately, though that’s partly because I’ve made some smart decisions and put in a lot of hard work.
If you’ve read recent entries you heard about my new truck Kermit. Kermit and I have driven all over the place and are gretting along great. I’ve taken him up to Chandelier Drive Thru tree, Jack London State Park and this weekend I’m aiming for Muir Woods. I’ve taken some great pictures and can’t wait to explore more places. Kermit allows me to take much longer trips to more remote places, and I definitely plan to take advantage of that!
I’m also doing great on the weight loss. I’ve finally lost enough weight that I don’t look so much like the fat guy in the picture on my weight loss page. At the end of June I’ll post a new one so you can see the difference. I plan to take a new picture at the end of each quarter, and hopefully by the end of the year you’ll really see a transformation.
So what’s the secret of my success? Hard work. There are no shortcuts to losing weight. I have to watch my diet closely and work out like a fiend. If my diligence wavers at all I start gaining weight, or at the very least stop losing it. It’s going to take a lot of willpower to hit my goals. There’s no other way to do this, but I am prepared to buckle down and do it.
Both of my sisters have lost a ton of weight recently, which also helped to inspire me. We’re eating healthier and it we can all lean on each other for support. I can’t wait to do a before and after picture with the three of us (four if my brother in law wants in).
Relationship wise things couldn’t be better. Amelia and I are spending more time together, and we’ve become very good friends in addition to boyfriend/girlfriend. It’s so nice being able to hang out and joke around, just like I would with any other good friend. I definitely believe we are a good fit, and it will be interesting to see how the relationship develops.
Writing is another bright spot. All of the prep work for the fourth draft of The Bond of Jhordil has paid off. I refined and re-refined the plot until I feel like I have a winner. The characters are memorable, the plot is good and the world is unique and interesting. Now that I’ve done my mountain of homework I’m very excited that I’m about to get back to my favorite part. Fiction.
Instead of plot summaries I am finally ready to sit down and write the thing. Using my previous performance as a benchmark I’m expecting to finish this draft by the end of August. After that I need to edit and polish, but I believe that by the end of the year I’ll have an amazing novel ready to submit.
Even if I don’t I’ve made enormous strides in my writing. I’ve learned so much in the last year and a half, and I know I’ll learn more in the years to come. The important thing is to never stop writing. Even if The Bond of Jhordil bombs there will be another book after. Then another. As many as it takes for me to become a professional author.
The writing has spawned some spin off projects as well. I’m realizing that in order to successfully sell my novel I need to master advertising. My first project is a preview movie I’m making using Anime Studio and Windows Movie Maker. It will probably be fairly basic to start, but as I learn more about both programs I’m hoping to churn out something that will dazzle my audience. A picture tells a thousand words, but a short movie will tell far more.
I’ll post the final product once I’ve finished it to get some feedback from my target audience. If they like it I plan to use the movie as a sort of virtual business card to pimp the book when the time comes. Cross your fingers for me, cause if all goes well this time next year I’ll have submitted a novel I am confident will succeed.
I realize this is a short entry, but there wasn’t much more going on this week. I’ll be back again next week with a longer post!
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