Woof, how has it been almost two months since my first post all of a sudden? I swear I just did that…

Ah well, I did say that I wouldn’t be keeping to a schedule. With how much I’m working, hustling my butt off while also being horrendously ill, I just don’t have a lot of time anymore. 

Anyway, I’m sure quite a lot of you are wondering what I’ve been up to, and I want to fill you in.

First of all: I am so drained with work stress right now, so I’m not going to talk about work for the most part. I just can’t give an update on that right now—it’s all I do all day every day, I don’t want to spend this little bit of writing time talking about work. So, even though this post isn’t going to talk about work, please do keep in mind that I am working long hours right now growing my bookkeeping business and it is not the easiest thing in the world. 

Why do I feel the need to say this? Why am I over-explaining how much I’m working?

Because I’ve caught wind that some people think I’m basically ‘on vacation’. You know, relaxing, chillaxing, playing video games, doing whatever I want and ignoring the world…

Yeah, no, that’s not what’s happening. I’m working, constantly, and it is hard. I am also still incredibly ill; this only makes things more challenging. 

There. I just wanted to clear that up, onto the more cheerful parts of life!

I’ve picked a creative hobby to focus on! I wanted to pick something that wasn’t writing, so that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed with guilt and stress like I did last time, because I want to let writing recharge, essentially, and be able to come back to it with a smile on my face. 

Guess what the hobby is? 

Digital painting! I have wanted to learn this skill ever since I found out it was a thing. My amazing father got me the best birthday present ever—a Huion pen display! Ahhh! I never would have gotten one for myself, it’s far too much of a luxury when money is as tight as it is, but my sweet, loving father got it for me so that I could have something nice to explore my new hobby with. I’m so grateful, y’all. I love my dad so freaking much.

I also managed to snag a great digital painting course on Udemy for $12, score! 

So, I’m going to throw myself into learning digital painting for a few weeks, and I’ll be sharing the things I paint in my Facebook group, on Instagram, DeviantArt, and my Patreon(my Patreon will be getting exclusive art, and will also get to see behind the scenes sketches and such).

What about writing, though? 

I’m glad you asked! Writing is still rather difficult, especially when I think of something as daunting as a book. However, I think I’m going to try short stories in the near future. I promised exclusive short stories to my Patreon, so I definitely need to get those out soon, but I want to do more beyond just the few I promised. 

The key to this, I think, is not setting deadlines. Deadlines are what choked me up and overwhelmed me in the past, so I’m just going to go at my own pace and enjoy what I’m doing. 

My short stories will also be set in a different, brand new universe, so as not to carry with them any expectations from my existing series. There will be continuity between the short stories, and an overarching plot, so don’t worry about that, hehe. 

As far as distribution goes…I know that they won’t be in Kindle Unlimited. They will all be available on my Patreon, and I may box them up and make them available on all retailers, once there are a sufficient number of them. 

However, I have not thought of the first short story yet, so don’t expect it to come immediately! This is just…this is where my mind’s at right now. 

At the moment, I’m just going to take my digital painting class, and start daydreaming about some short stories. 

Till next time!

Izzy