So, I wanted to work on 300 Rains and lo and behold the file is massively corrupted. Thankfully, this site had all the chapters and in good form. Thus I was able to spend a good deal of time to copy and paste all forty chapters into a new file. Bleargh!
At least it is don now and I can work on the file in peace, without huge data gaps. Yes this means that chapters may be coming back at you.
Okay... I am in classes and despite not having a lot of hours (12) it is eating my time and energy. I had gotten out of the school groove and am busy getting back in. The problem is that between school, homework, exercise, keeping the house, dealing with the health issues of my wife and myself, being exhausted from the new schedule, and life in general, I find that I have a limited amount of time in which to write. Because I have hopes of getting paid for the story, The Amulet of Adventure takes precedence.
I get to start classes this fall. The VA Voc Rehab people are paying for it! So I get to go back to school and learn something that might be helpful in terms of getting a job. And what am I going for? Mental Health Counseling.
That's right I am going to shrink heads! And I wonder what I am going to focus in. :) Our community could always use another shrink, right? Besides, I can work on getting published and take classes. It will be awesome.
Whedonfest was awesome. I think we raised about 800 or more for charity, but it's too soon to tell. Once the final accounting is done we will have a better idea. Great people, lots of fun, and some fun cosplay. One I figured everyone might get a kick out of was a friend of mine dressed as Mal, if Mal was a hot girl instead of a guy. Same shirt and suspenders, same gun, but the short shorts were epic. Very fun outfit and she looked good in it. My FtM friend Dorian dressed as Tony Stark, Simon Tam and Spike from Buffy. Lots of fun.
Now I can hopefully get my brain back and do some writing.
For those of you who are unable to make it to the epic event that is Whedonfest, we are sad that you can't join us. There will be pictures posted and stories told of the awesome stuff auctioned, the events and all that. However for those of you who can't make it but want to give to a good cause, please send money. Saying it with green is a lovely way to share the love. You can go to the Whedonites United Paypal account, at [email protected], and enter it in as a gift.
Okay, my day is better, well a bit. I took my daughter to the SSA to get a replacement SS card and while I was there I decided to talk to them and see if I could get my gender marker changed. The woman initially asked if I had my birth certificate. I did not but I explained that I was a MtF who had undergone transition and that this had caused problems with jobs in the past. She talked to her supervisor and came back and said that they could just change things for me. I was blown away. So another legal thing taken care of with no fuss. YAY!!
I have several things creating a great deal of frustration with me right now and the frustration is effecting everything else. This is annoying and I am trying to get past this.
So I finished a unfinished chapter and am on the way to do some work on 300 Rains. The Ranma was nice and light. It was a good break from a lot of heavy thinking and relaxing. Gotta get back to 300 Rains to finish that up so I can move on to Tegan with a clear plate. That would be nice but I don't really see that happening. So I posted this for fun and I hope you all enjoy.
What is really sad, that, ever since my arm started the spasm thing I have barely written. Since my last blog post I have written nothing. This is not a good thing for me as writing is very therapeutic. I am not sure what the problem is, as I can't seem to really focus on much. If I had to guess what is the problem I would probably go with depression getting worse as well. I mean... my arm has gotten worse, more fun and games with poverty and life being generally crazy. So... that would probably be it.
So, I was able to do 3k today with Tegan. That is great, as I do hope to sell that one and make money, but I have a lot of other things on the backburner as well. The problem is, my muse is not overly interested in anything else and because my shoulder is flopping all over (hyperbole) I am not able to do much on other things such as 300 Rains or the Whateley stories I have in the works. It is very frustrating.
So I wanted to surprise you all with the chapter early, as it has been a while since the last time I posted anything. So read and enjoy. Thank you for being patient with me. And more chapters will arrive as I can get to them. 300 Rains is not being dropped or anything, just that I have a lot of other things going on. After all... they have to make it back to Brazil. :)
Okay, so Chapter 40 is edited and I will probably post it Sunday. I have nothing else ready as another story has hijacked me and since this one is for hopeful future publication, it takes precedence right now. So if I have a lull in writing that story I will try to catch up with 300. I still have an issue with my health and the VA is doing some work on trying to fix the issue. So, if that gets better I will be able to write more and probably catch up.
I have Torticollis that snaps my head to the left, wrenching my neck and back, severe muscle spasms in my left shoulder that cause it to come right and my depression symptoms are on the rise. I have a hard time focusing on anything, etc... The VA is sending me to a Movement Disorder clinic whenever they get around to it, so who knows when that will occur.
I seem to have developed a serious seizure disorder focused in my left shoulder. This is making typing very problematic so the odds are that the posting of chapter 40 is out until this has been dealt with.
Okay, this week and next week at least deals with the storm clouds that have been growing around Melanie and company. So there is some intensity in the next few go rounds. Be prepared.
Like for real though.
Some of the content may be distressing for some viewers.
The next chapter is done but things have been rough lately, due to PTSD therapy. I know I will feel better once I am through it, but the during part sucks massively.
The story is going well but I have caught up with what I have already written. So, if I can actually keep up, I can write enough to stay ahead of the curve. This could cause update issues, but I don't know for sure. We will definitely see.
New chapter edited and in the can, so that is good. Still nothing original done lately. Part of the new fun is the chronic pain, which seriously sucks but I doubt anyone believes otherwise. Most of the pain is in my right arm and wrist which makes even this little post a bit of a trial. Thursday I am having a pain procedure done which kills one of my pain nerves. It regrows but it takes a while and that gives me a great deal of relief. Having your dominant hand be a source of pain is not something I would recommend.
So, I have been running around being far too busy for someone who is unemployed for the last two weeks. As a result still no writing. The issue is part time and part technology, as my laptop is busy messing up whatever I type, dropping the beginnings or endings of sentences at random. Thus I am still behind on things. No update for this week but I am hoping to have one for next week.
I can feel the beginnings of non-writing crazy starting up so I need to take care of that soon, before it gets bad.
Just an FYI for you all, I have been quite sick the last two weeks and haven't done any writing more than a few paragraphs at a shot the whole time, so once I post Sunday's episode of 300 Rains I will probably take another break like I did in November, more for recuperating than anything else. I am sorry for this disruption to the release schedule but it was unavoidable. If I can't write or really edit it becomes difficult to keep supplying you with the adventures of Melanie in the Academic Jungle. Give me some time and I will catch up with things.
A big thank you to everyone who has voted for my daughter. If you haven't, please go and do so. If you have, log in to a new computer and try again. :)
We found out the threshold for the next round is that she needs to be in the top ten and we are a little over halfway there as of last time I checked. So tell your friends...
My daughter is trying to get a scholarship that requires people to vote for her. Since the approved method for this is massive pimping of the person in question I am doing that with you all. Please go to this site and vote for my daughter and get other people to do so as well.
Scholarship link
I am glad at the reception that 300 Rains is getting. The overall story so far is at 118k words and climbing. It is looking more and more like I am going to pull it at the end and try to sell it, after a bit more revision and stuff. I will have to run it past a few friends who aren't trans to see if the story holds their interest, as that will determine where I try to sell the book.
There are many factors that go into camping and a basic one that most everyone I have read forgets when writing is that guys and gals pee differently and thus peeing in the woods is very different. As many people know, guys pee rather easily in the woods. It is rather a non-issue.
Well, writing is going well. I wrote over ten pages on 300 Rains just today, so that was good. This post is just an FYI for all of you, things are coming up that may cause some sensitive readers some emotional upset. As they get closer to Brazil things get crazier and crazier. Like I said, this is a storm warning, so make sure that when the storm hits you you are emotionally prepared. So in the immortal words of Samuel L Jackson, "Hold on to yer Butts!"
When the chapter in question hits I will just put storm in the extra description. Just saying.
Okay... clearly I am a bit more chipper than the last time I posted. :D So there you go on that one.
I am two chapters up on the editing of 300 Rains and the story is going well. I am up to April 5th in the time line and moving forward. Soon our intrepid Heroine will be traveling to Brazil and her eventual showdown with the Tribe. That should be good. As long as I am still ahead of the curve I should be able to keep posting things on time.
I am trying to sell my Novel Transitioning Home to an Agent and it is problematic. I am getting positive sounding responses but that basically that the Agent is too busy. I just want to sell my damn Novel, is it really that fracking difficult?
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
