On Re-finding the Balance

So I have to confess that recently I've felt the temptation to get into a new hobby. Writing was once my main hobby, but now that it has morphed into a career, I've kind of been left hobby-less. It wasn't quite so apparent in Texas, since between my job and my writing I didn't have enough time to contemplate it. Now that I have a bit more breathing room in my day, I find myself returning to the concern.

This post might sound like it contradicts my previous posts (read: whining) about not having a whole lot of time. It's not quite that, though. The problem I'm having is more that I don't seem to focus very well anymore. I might have time, but it certainly isn't productive time, and when I finally get around to being productive, I'm either exhausted or distracted or both. Part of that has to do with the fact that I have been left with only a few main hobbies, namely videogames and reading. I can be rather obsessive about both, and both tend to lead to me wasting time on the computer, so I find myself needing to branch out.

So, solution one has been to restart my habit of running. The weather here has been cooperating nicely, and I'd have to say the exercise has certainly helped me feel a lot more at home here in Pennsylvania.

Solution number two is a lot nerdier. A whole lot nerdier. Which is why I will post about it on Thursday. Both because I am a terrible person, and because this post is way too long already. See ya. (Mwahahahaha...)

On Adjusting the Balance

Alright, so the past couple of weeks have not been the best for writing. Some of this can be blamed on the move. Packing and shifting every ounce of your crap over a thousand miles can be rather...disruptive to a person's creative process. My shift in work schedule, workload, social interaction and family circumstances can all bear their share of the guilt as well.

Not everything can be blamed on that one choice, though. I am starting to worry, just a little, that I am crushing myself with my own expectations. Wolfhound succeeded so spectacularly that I began to get a bit carried away with delusions of grandeur and hopes of being a self sufficient writer by the end of 2013. Realistically, as Wolfhound's sales start to settle down a bit from the post-Christmas writing craze and Kingsley continues to poke along at the okay-to-good level, I am glad we haven't left the day job just yet.

Right at that same moment, when my wildest dreams are fading back to a more humdrum practicality, I've landed in a pretty comfy spot. My new job is no longer an exercise in crazy, I can sleep, attend church and act almost like most normal people, and I now live rather close to family instead of a time zone away. That is a level of comfort that we haven't had in a long while, and I worry that it is lulling me to slack off on my writing almost as badly as my crushing burdens in Texas were.

But perhaps all of this is merely an example of excuse finding. Maybe I simply need to regain my focus, settle my shoulders, and get back into it. Yet where do I begin? Any ideas? Blergh.

In any case, I will get back to work on Iron Angels. No rest for the wicked...

On Downtime

Argh. I promise I will post something on here on Thursday. Still trying to get the hang of the whole moving thing. For now, I will hide and hibernate and try to distract you with a poor Jedi mind trick. You aren't noticing that I'm lazy, you aren't noticing that I'm lazy...

On Boxes

Soooo many boxes... Why so many boxes...

Moving in isn't fun. Blergh.

On Finding the Steampunks

So Kingsley is still doing pretty well--not quite Wolfhound well, but not incredibly poorly either. I think the reason that it hasn't quite taken off yet is because the audience for Wolfhound is very different from the audience for Kingsley. One is a spaceship, railgun action adventure, while the other is a steampunk mystery with a lot of character and banter. While there might a few fans who crossover between the two genres, it is not as much as I imagined at the start.

So my evil scheme to net more readers for Kingsley has moved to the ever-dreaded marketing phase. (Mwaha!) My plan is to run an ad or two on Girl Genius and see if I can attract people from there. Before I can do that, though, I need to use ads that will catch people's attention. For that I'm probably going to need your help, as I couldn't artist my way out of a paper bag. :)

Fortunately, my friend Aneeka, of Not a Villain fame, has lent me a hand. Below are a couple of her ideas, using concept art from Mr. Bob Ennis, the artist behind the cover for Kingsley. (Man, what is with me and links today?) They were actually good enough that I almost want to use them without taglines, but let me know what you guys think. After all, Kingsley is kind of counting on us to make this count! See you around!