What I do might be unique – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful to/for you.
I love to help people.
This manifests in a multitude of ways. For example, in my medieval reenactment group, I teach new people how to fence regularly. I love teaching and getting new people enthusiastic about the game. Also, I tend to help at events and in general with various happenings.
There are a lot of friends for whom I’ve rewritten/edited resumes, helped with websites, done research, and generally worked to assist.
If I know something, I am very happy to teach it to others. When I’m learning something, I’m very happy to share what I can to help anyone else who desires to learn alongside me.
And I am more than happy to lend a hand to strangers. I’m always happy to hold doors, let someone with fewer items than me go ahead of me in a check-out line, pick up dropped items, and so forth. I can’t tell you how many random people’s cars I have jumped started.
There are two reasons I blog 5 days a week and podcast weekly. The first is so that I can get stuff out of my head. Ideas that are much bigger than me – and more detailed. I put them here and online so that I can look them over again and get comments or suggestions on them.
But the second reason is so that I can help you. There is nothing I go through, have gone through, or am going through that nobody else on the planet hasn’t also. My situation might be original and unique – but that doesn’t make it unrelatable.
And from there – it might be an opportunity for me to help you with what you do.
Why helping matters to me
Knowledge is power. But more than that – knowledge is empowerment.
It’s easy to not see this because of those who hoard knowledge, strive to control and regulate it, and otherwise be selfish, unkind, and uncaring. They tend to be wholly focused on power – either their own, or some abstract notion of power impacting a select few.
Empowerment is for everyone. And we all deserve to be empowered.
Knowledge is, as such, empowering. And it should be freely shared and available to all.
How is this different from opining? Because I am not in any way, shape, or form trying to sway you. This is not about making myself greater – it’s about helping you be your greatest.
That’s not to say that I don’t desire to gain in my own way. Getting more readers means more people paying me for my work. Yes, more money and a more controlled direction of my career is a goal of mine. But that’s not my primary goal here.
I get a deep sense of satisfaction and joy when I help others. Thus, when what I do can help you – howsoever it might be – that lights me up. That is the ultimate goal and achievement for me to reach.
What I do and how I share it
Unless this is the first time you’ve read something from me, you know that I write both fiction and nonfiction. I’m a sci-fi and fantasy author, as well as a mindfulness/conscious reality creation blogger and podcaster.
When it comes to the former – I often write about my process. Branding, marketing, inclusivity, working with and against tropes, and so on. The latter is both about my work on my life experience – and how that can be employed by you for your life experience.
What I do, I firmly believe, is primarily about how I can help you and anyone else I can reach to achieve and experience life on your terms. If you are a creative like me – writer, artist, entrepreneur, and so forth – sharing my ongoing creative process could assist you with yours.
There are so many ways and means to write, edit, publish and market fiction. While what I write leans towards the fantastical and imaginative, that doesn’t mean it’s not still impactful, inspiring, or thought-provoking.
Sharing what I do is partially so that I can more-or-less talk to myself about what I’m working on. But then, alongside that, I invite you to apply any of the things that I do to help you, too.
And my process may help you avoid or not make a mistake that I have made.
Great plan on paper – but reality has other plans
To increase my presence as a sci-fi and fantasy author, following 4 years of publishing nothing – in 2020, I published 3 new books.
Then, in 2021, I published 6 books total.
On paper – this was awesome. I had all 6 books for 2021 finished in March or April. Then it was a matter of editing, and sending that to my editor.
My process goes like this:
Write – edit – transmit to the editor – acquire the cover – start marketing – book returned from the editor – edit again – final assembly – publish – do more marketing.
Meanwhile, I am still writing and editing more material. Or at least, that’s the plan.
Nine books in 2 years was ambitious. But that doesn’t account for the costs.
Because despite self-publishing – creating a book is not free. Yes, Amazon offers awesome free tools for creating an ebook and paperback. Those are free, even. But there is more to it.
Editing and cover art aren’t free. Which hit me upside the head as I assembled everything for my taxes for 2021.
For 2022, I had planned to put out 3-4 books. Here’s the problem – I have fallen behind and am struggling a bit to work out finances for editing. It is still my intent to put out at least 2 books this year – probably June (the 5th and final Void Incursion novel, Check and Mate) and November (The 3rd Source Chronicles novel, Harbinger).
I met my ambitious schedule for 2021. And while on paper, the plan for 2022 was great – reality is impacting that. Still – work is ongoing, and I am adapting my time to make the most of what I can and achieve the modified goals.
Loving what I do and helping you
Despite having to adapt my plans in multiple ways – I still love what I do.
And one of the biggest takeaways from this is that I desire, deeply, to help you love what you do, too.
Why? Because each of us gets a finite experience in these meat popsicles we call our bodies. And I believe, firmly, that said experience is not meant to be just survival. We are meant to have amazing experiences and thrive in all ways that we can.
To be fair, there are bad days. And I sometimes question the value of what I do. But overall, I am doing all that I can to drive my life where and how I desire for it to go. And no matter what that involves, I want to do what I do and help you do what you do so we can all experience the best, fullest lives possible.
When what I do helps you with what you do – that’s my greatest joy. Even when you learn from my mistakes or decide what I do isn’t good for you – the net positive to me is helping you.
What I do might be unique – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful and familiar to/for you. Whatever it is that I do – I am pleased when that can help you, too.
Let’s go out there, kick some asses and take some names, shall we?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
Feel free to explore the rest of the website. Also, check out my weekly podcasts.
Enjoying the website and my endeavors? I’d be grateful if you would consider becoming a patron through my Patreon.
You can subscribe to my newsletter. Fill in the info and click the submit button to the right and receive your free eBook.
Follow me here!
You must be logged in to post a comment.