Ah the end of the year approaches. Maxed out credit cards for Christmas, large meals with family on the way, and soon we'll all have to remember to write "15" when filling out dates. That one always takes me a couple weeks to get into the swing of.
But while many are making new years resolutions, I prefer to look back. To reflect on the year, and my golly what a year! There were bits and events, but one stands out.
At first I wasn't sure it was even possible. The first thing I would need is good artwork to be made into promotional materials. Images of my main characters for people to see and, hopefully, fall in love with immediately. Only that would require funds I didn't have. Not for the quality I wanted. Then as luck would have it, the PERFECT artist fell into my lap. A random search, a random viewing, a little bit of digging, and there was KFCemployee. Someone with the style I wanted, the quality I needed, and a price I could afford! The rest fell into place soon after.
Ah yes, the grind toward my Kickstarter campaign. My efforts to self-publish my first novel. With commissions in, I had to find places to make the art into something people would want. A good cover was a nice bonus. Another random thought became an idea, which grew into a plan, then a plot, then finally a prequel I never expected to write. Guess my pre-readers got their wish (another story in the same world), just not the way they expected.
I dug, I wrote, I tried, I prepared, I slept very little. Finally, my Kickstarter campaign was launched. "Luna, the Lone Wolf" would get the funding it needed to be read and enjoyed!
...... As I like to say, desire and ability do not always coincide. The Kickstarter failed. It's been a pile of rejection letters since, though the art has continued to come, and I may yet have some plans for it. Sooner or later the novel will be published as well. Be it self-published or through a traditional market, I'll find a way. I haven't given up on it in the slightest.
Still, I learned a lot from that one event. I did from others too, but the Kickstarter campaign taught me the most. Did I rush it? Perhaps. Could I have done better? Almost certainly. Was it a waste? Not at all. I'm not sure I'd change anything, for what I got out of it may yet make me better in ways I've yet to to notice. For one thing, I got a number of people, new and old, voicing concern over my well being when it eventually came up short. I won't lie, that was nice. Almost worth it on it's own in a way.
So now I turn to you, my readers. What was your highlight? Not just in your own life. Was there a particular post of mind that touched you more than others? Something I said that resonated? Is there a topic you'd have liked to see me talk about? Something about me, or my journey, or whatever, you'd like to see my thoughts on?
I'd love to hear from you. If I'm honest, I need to hear from you. My stat page says I have readers, but it'd be nice to hear from you more than just your presence being counted. It doesn't have to be public. You can send me a message via the "contact" tab. Only I see those. Same with my e-mail. Just drop a line to forestwells@yahoo.com. Again, only I will see it, but it will warm me deeply to hear back from you, my loyal readers.
That's all for now. Till next time, may you life be filled with cherished moments which leave deep impressions on your heart.
But while many are making new years resolutions, I prefer to look back. To reflect on the year, and my golly what a year! There were bits and events, but one stands out.
At first I wasn't sure it was even possible. The first thing I would need is good artwork to be made into promotional materials. Images of my main characters for people to see and, hopefully, fall in love with immediately. Only that would require funds I didn't have. Not for the quality I wanted. Then as luck would have it, the PERFECT artist fell into my lap. A random search, a random viewing, a little bit of digging, and there was KFCemployee. Someone with the style I wanted, the quality I needed, and a price I could afford! The rest fell into place soon after.
Ah yes, the grind toward my Kickstarter campaign. My efforts to self-publish my first novel. With commissions in, I had to find places to make the art into something people would want. A good cover was a nice bonus. Another random thought became an idea, which grew into a plan, then a plot, then finally a prequel I never expected to write. Guess my pre-readers got their wish (another story in the same world), just not the way they expected.
I dug, I wrote, I tried, I prepared, I slept very little. Finally, my Kickstarter campaign was launched. "Luna, the Lone Wolf" would get the funding it needed to be read and enjoyed!
...... As I like to say, desire and ability do not always coincide. The Kickstarter failed. It's been a pile of rejection letters since, though the art has continued to come, and I may yet have some plans for it. Sooner or later the novel will be published as well. Be it self-published or through a traditional market, I'll find a way. I haven't given up on it in the slightest.
Still, I learned a lot from that one event. I did from others too, but the Kickstarter campaign taught me the most. Did I rush it? Perhaps. Could I have done better? Almost certainly. Was it a waste? Not at all. I'm not sure I'd change anything, for what I got out of it may yet make me better in ways I've yet to to notice. For one thing, I got a number of people, new and old, voicing concern over my well being when it eventually came up short. I won't lie, that was nice. Almost worth it on it's own in a way.
So now I turn to you, my readers. What was your highlight? Not just in your own life. Was there a particular post of mind that touched you more than others? Something I said that resonated? Is there a topic you'd have liked to see me talk about? Something about me, or my journey, or whatever, you'd like to see my thoughts on?
I'd love to hear from you. If I'm honest, I need to hear from you. My stat page says I have readers, but it'd be nice to hear from you more than just your presence being counted. It doesn't have to be public. You can send me a message via the "contact" tab. Only I see those. Same with my e-mail. Just drop a line to forestwells@yahoo.com. Again, only I will see it, but it will warm me deeply to hear back from you, my loyal readers.
That's all for now. Till next time, may you life be filled with cherished moments which leave deep impressions on your heart.
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