This week went by quickly. Well, at least it did for me. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. In reality, I love my job and get a great deal of enjoyment out of what I do. Whether it's helping clients, writing my books, or working on my blogs, I'm usually quite the happy camper.
I was relatively productive this week, save for a few times when I had to slow myself down a bit. It's weird to actually take time for myself here and there. Usually, I don't know what to do with myself when I take time off...especially on the weekends.
However, being able to unwind and slow yourself down is great from the perspective of mental health. Especially in today's climate. Nonetheless, I was able to accomplish a great deal without wanting to throw a brick at my monitor.
Getting the Next Chapter of VII Ready
It took a bit longer than I wanted, but we finally finished the Gluttony chapter of VII and it is uploaded on Wattpad. Currently, I am getting ready to tackle greed, which is going to need a bit of work. It's one of the stories in VII that I wasn't completely happy writing. Though, it won't be as bad since I am keeping the base storyline.
Rewriting Envy and Pride is going to be the major milestone. I really didn't like either of the stories, so those are getting completely new rewrites.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to finishing VII and moving on to the next project. I'm still not sure if I'll dump all my time into Kindle Vella or rewrite one of the other stories I have on Wattpad. I also started something on Inkitt that I would like to finish.
This is what happens when you stick your fingers into too many pies.
Polished Up One of My Favorite Scenes in Kingmaker
I was able to work on Kingmaker this week with little difficulty. I just went through and polished up one of my favorite scenes in the book. Although some readers thought the scene was a bit long-winded, I plan on expanding on why later on in the book. Hopefully, it'll give more context as to why the scene took a bit longer than most.
I keep going through the book and finding all kinds of things that I didn't embellish on. Plot points that kind of went nowhere...Easter eggs that I completely forgot about. This is why I can't take an entire year to write a book. With how much I have going on in my life, I wind up forgetting so much of what I wanted to do later on in the manuscript.
Unfortunately, that's what happens when you have several blogs, YouTube channels, and a podcast to maintain throughout the week. Not to mention working on projects for various clients.
Blogs Are Performing Well, So Far
We're about to wrap up the first month of trying to rebuild a dead blog. And although the performance has increased a bit, I wasn't able to update a lot of the older posts as I wanted. Still, I can't scoff at the increase in traffic.
In fact, CrossingColorado.com's January numbers should surpass January of 2022 by Sunday. It's going to take a lot of work to get it rolling again. But I'm looking forward to the challenge.
One of the more profound elements, though, is how much I've made on AdSense this month. Sure, AdSense pays like crap, but it's kind of cool to see that the sites have brought in 267.6% more than this time last year.
I only wish I had more time to really make the sites explode. I see all of these experts on YouTube who turn sites into $4k per month revenue streams after six to eight months. Unfortunately, I simply don't have the time to crank out content as they do. Not to mention the fact that a lot of these "experts" already have major streams of income and can hire 20+ writers at a time.
When you're doing EVERYTHING by yourself, it is far more difficult to generate that revenue. Especially if you're starting off without having a massive bankroll and a limited window to do what you can throughout the week.
Nonetheless, I'm sure it's possible for a single person to build up a successful blog in little time. As I said, though, I just don't have the time to dive into one site.
Regardless, the sites are doing great and I plan to keep up the progress.
Hard Times with Draft2Digital - Ish
One of the tools I wanted to blog about and create a video for is Draft2Digital.com. Things were going smoothly until I uploaded my manuscript for A Freelancer's Tale. Holy cow, the system butchered its layout. So, I get the fun task of reformatting the book yet again for Draft2Digital.
It was such a pain in the ass to get the book to look right on Amazon, and I still don't think everything worked well. I'm not looking forward to taking several hours to restructure my book. Yet, it has to be done if I want to actually write a review about Draft2Digital.
I highly doubt it'll help me make a ton of sales. My first book is ultra-niche and a biography about how I started as a writer in 2012. So, unless you know who I am or are interested in a writing career, the book isn't going to tempt you.
The overall purpose of A Freelancer's Tale was to help me walk through the entire process of self-publishing a book. I was able to do everything myself and didn't spend a single dime. Hell, I haven't even spent money marketing the book yet and it's been out for more than a year.
See, this is what happens when you have no time for yourself.
In any case, I'll start reworking the structure of the book so Draft2Digital doesn't completely ruin it for the reader. I have a few ideas, but it won't look anything like the paperback.
Lost 7 Pounds So Far This Month
For those who are following along in my weight loss journey (I know there are a couple of you), I've lost seven pounds since the start of the year so far. What's funny is that I haven't put a lot of effort into my 12-week fitness challenge. The biggest difference thus far is that I'm not eating nearly as much junk at night.
The goal is to get as close to 200 pounds as possible before the beginning of April. Being six-foot-tall and already packing a bit of muscle, I'm not entirely sure 200 pounds is going to be doable. But I won't know for sure until I close in under 210.
I would love to be somewhere between Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans...but who wouldn't?
Ending January Well
Everything is happening almost according to plan. There are a few instances of chaos that still slow me down here and there. But I'm already more productive on average than I was in 2022. And in the grand scheme of things, that's all that really matters.
It's not about trying to be the best in the world at what I do. It's about being the best version of myself that I can become.
You're only in competition with yourself. Are you winning the game?