Patreon Update (July 2022)

Hey everyone! Welcome to July!

There's some important stuff to cover today, so let's cut right to the chase.

Last Month:

Some of you may have noticed, but I was unable to fulfill the promises I had made last month. My plan was to finish nine fics, and I only ended up getting four done. While I'm proud of the fics I finished, I am sorry I was unable to reach those targets I set for myself, as well as the expectations I subsequently set.

I am planning to use what I've learned from the last month wisely, and this is going to adjust how I'm going to tackle things this month. But I'm not going to just say that-- here's why I think I hit a hurdle, and what I am going to do to resolve the issue.

--> Extraordinarily High Personal Standards! - I think I'm at the point where my standards for my writing are very high, and if something is not reaching those standards, it causes a multitude of issues. For instance, it causes a halt to what I'm writing, often making me revisit what I've written, so I can make it flow better. Sometimes, I can do it, and sometimes, I can't. If I can't, it leads to a lot of frustration, which halts my progress significantly. 

I think from this point on I should just go with the flow and not worry about rewriting anything until the story is done, and then I can make it flow better that way.  I am also considering opening a channel on my Discord server to offer early versions of fics, complete or not, and even WIPs. This way, those who are interested can offer me feedback early on. Thanks for DDW for suggesting this idea! I'll figure out how I'm specifically going to do things soon and post an update on my Discord server about it when I'm ready.

--> One fic at a time isn't good - I've traditionally only worked on a single story at a time, and usually, this works fine. However, as mentioned in my previous point, this makes things hard when I reach a brick wall. I get stubborn and refuse to move to another fic, and constantly bash my head against the wall hoping I can write something that satisfies me.

Last week, I experimented with working on four fics at a time, and was surprised at how well it worked. When I got a little stuck, or even just didn't feel like writing a certain fic anymore, I switched to another. It feels like such an obviously silly solution, I know, but wow stubbornness sure had its grip on me! But yeah, working on a variety of fics at once will be a good thing, especially as those fics offer variety as well. There will almost always be something I feel like writing. 

--> Unncessary Deadlines and Orders - I think deadlines are a good thing. It's satisfying to meet them, so I'm encouraged to do so. However, I have a tendency to add a bunch of them to my place when it's not necessary. For instance, I think "Ah, right, I need to write this story this week, or otherwise people will have been waiting for a long time..." This adjusts the priority order of fics, as I think I need to get this done as soon as possible, as otherwise, I'll be behind! Sometimes, this is fine, but sometimes, I'm not quite ready to write that fic, either due to unique themes or research needing to be done. For instance, the Akari fic will require research, but the Summer Elincia fic won't at all, and has a really easy theme to write for.  Yet, Akari has to come first, because she won first.

...or does she? If I'm ready to write Elincia now, why not do that one first if I know I can write it much faster? I had this problem a lot last month, especially with the Faye fic. I made a priority order for these stories, and ended up struggling writing fics and refusing to start working on later ones instead because of these internal deadlines and orders. So... I'm gonna scrap that! I already did this kind of thing with my commissions too, and it can definitely apply to my Patreon fics as well. Of course, I'm not gonna keep something delayed forever. Do I have the inspiration to write Akari's fic right now? Not particularly. Will I eventually? Absolutely.  This way, I think the story will end up better because it was written when I wanted to write it, rather than when I felt forced to write it.

Final Thoughts:

Sorry for the mouthful there, but I wanted to make sure my thoughts were out there! I appreciate anyone who read it all.

This month... I'm not going to plan anything, aside from the usual biweeklies and the Platinum Poll (accepting submissions for that, by the way, Platinum patrons!), of course. 

I'm going to also not do a Creator Poll this month. I admittedly don't have a particularly great idea for one, so I'd rather have none at all rather than a meh one I wouldn't enjoy writing for.

I do want to say that fics to be released within a reasonable timespan. Akari's fic won't be released in like... November, for instance. That's quite a wait! Essentially, I'm not going to take the piss.

Overall, I think the freedom to post what I want, and when I want, will help me.  Adjusting how I write fics in the first place will do wonders too. 

This is quite an experimental thing for me, so I am happy for any feedback, plus any feedback you have in general about my writing. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them as well.

I hope to make this a great month.

- KwIl