As I said in a recent post, I am stepping outside my comfort zone.  I am a writer, not an orator.  Sitting today and looking into a camera to speak about the intent for the Patreon project had me SO nervous.  This video took two takes, and since I am not sure how to edit videos yet – I will get better, I promise – what you see is what you get.

Since the first video is finished and posted, I must admit I am feeling more confident about future videos.  (I am actually surprised Willie didn’t jump up to give me a kiss in the middle of this one.)  The goal is to put up a video once a week catching you all up on the writing progress for the week, and the Patreon folks.  As time goes, I will get better at this video thing.

Last night I was finally able to sit down and get some (handwritten) words down on the vampire/terrorist story.  Now I need to decide if Chapter 4 is finished or if the narration of Marcus’s transformation should continue into Chapter 5 or just finish it all in 4.  Believe it or not, this is a very important question.  I don’t want to mess with the flow of the story, but don’t want to get bogged down with too long of a chapter either, especially since it isn’t typed up yet and corrections or additions haven’t been made.

Even though the vampire/terrorist story isn’t coming out except via pen and paper, the Nook tablet has been invaluable in keeping track of questions, lists of things to do in the story and in real life.  Previously I tried using the laptop for this and it was just too cumbersome.  The Nook tablet is perfect and manageable for my hands and easier to take with me than the laptop.  However, when it comes to writing the laptop, and, at one time, my PC, can’t be beat.  The transportation aspect of a laptop also has me considering getting a second one (laptop).  Right now, though, I am just going to concentrate on getting writing done and out this year.

Having this goal in mind and actually putting myself out there visually, is giving me a new courage and a new, different drive to succeed.  Sharing my stories is what is most important to me.  For a while I forgot this.  I let a lot of the world dictate to me what I needed to do to consider myself successful.  People reading my work and enjoying it is what is important, and what should be important I think.  I want to have fun writing the stories and I want, and hope people will read them and enjoy them.  If one of my stories would actually start a discussion is a thrilling idea to me.

It is time to get a few more words down before the day is over.

*Bookshelf:  Old Man’s War, John Scalzi