Still Working Hard (or Hardly Working)

I set two stupid goals for this month that I have been trying not to blow off: writing every day and getting my novel "Balms & Sears" to 75% recorded.

On the first goal, I have BARELY managed to write every single day this month, though the other night, I was falling asleep and I asked myself, "Was there something I was supposed to do today that I didn't do?"  I had remembered to exercise, so I figured I was in the clear, but then I thought of my writing goal, and wrote three anemic paragraphs . . . which may not be great, but still counts.  

I split another chapter in two last night, which brings the total to sixty-three, and I have thirty-eight done.  By my math, that puts me at 60% finished (which is almost exactly six hours long).  If I manage one more chapter every other day this month, I'll finish the whole audiobook, not just my goal of 75%.  

It is exhausting, though.  B&S is the longest thing I've ever written, and I am simply not cut out for this sort of thing.  There are too many characters and too many subplots and I can't maintain it all, much less keep track of continuity.  Nope, when this is done, I'm going back to short stories and the occasional novella, thanks.

Rish Outcast 288: Q&A 2024 Part 2

After a wait of more than a month, Rish answers more questions from listeners*, including insight into the Cheesy Street Chalupa, and presents a short excerpt from his forthcoming novel "Balms & Sears."

*Questions from Rob Broughton, Keith Teklits, Marshal Latham, Letruvia Kambatta, and Brian Saur.

If you'd like to download the episode, Right-Click HERE.

Because of Archive.org's problems, this episode was delayed for weeks.  To avoid this, come support me on Patreon HERE.

Logo by Gino "The Answer Man" Moretto.

Special Tuesday Post

Where I live, every Tuesday is garbage day, the day you take out the trash.  It can be a chore, but it has to be done.  And this particular Tuesday is special, for a not-entirely-unrelated reason.  Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, especially when I'm going to look for a photo of Ricky Chapman from the semi-infamous SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 2 to use in this post.

But no joking matter is how I feel on this Tuesday, knowing it's Election Day, and how, in a few short hours, the results will start coming in, and--I'm being realistic here--a few days from now, we'll get an official declaration as to who won the Presidency.  It has been with dread and disquiet I've spent the last week--a week that should be filled with the light joy of celebrating all things spooky and make-believe, instead of all too real.  But hey, I voted, and I can only hope that enough good people did too, regardless of how inconvenient it can be, or how insignificant it can seem.

It's a little thing, to cast your ballot and (if you choose) wear that fun little sticker, but if enough people do it, it becomes not so little a thing.

The only guarantee regarding this election is that Trump is going to declare victory no matter what the results are, and that future generations will ask us about it.  Whatever happens, I have to believe that there are more good people than bad, and that, even with my myriad, seemingly endless faults, I can number myself among them.

Positive Achievement (For A Change)

So, at the end of each month, I tally up how much I've exercised, much like I used to do with my word count.*  My goal for 2023 was to Exercise 200 Days, and my goal for 2024 was to Exercise 222 Days.  These are achievable goals (last year, I managed 249 days, which is not at all bad), and one of the few things I've managed to do this year is keep up with my exercise goals, mostly running.  On Halloween, I went on an extra long run, because one of the neighbors had put up a fog machine in their yard so I ducked down the cul de sac to check it out, and when I got home, I added up how I've done for the year so far.

Not sure why I didn't save orange for October.

So, as of October 31st, I'm at 251 days of exercise for the year, which means that not only have I already achieved my goal, but I've already beaten last year's total, with two months left.  Not too shabby.  I guess Big Anklevich and I are alike in at least one way.**

*In November, I've set the goal of writing every single day . . . but the trick is, I didn't say how much.  So if I write three words, I'm counting it.

**Or two, if you count our love of dogs, and understanding that cats are cold, sinister things.

Archive.org Still Down

Okay, that's not exactly true: Archive.org has mostly come back, and all my previous episodes should be available.  For the last few days, I was unable to log back in, but today I managed to, and I can access my files (which means you can too), but I still can't upload anything new.*

So, that leaves us where we were last time.  No new shows can go up on my blog, but you can always go to my Patreon to check out new shows, which will keep on happening, regardless of the backlog on my regular feed.  Sorry about this, but tis what tis.

*If you're able to, please let me know.