It’s been almost a year since I have been on Wacky Writers and dropped off the face of the planet here. A lot happened. My dog died, I changed jobs, got into a relationship, started some monetized true crime blogs, self-published a novella, and am still working on my mystery series. How is everyone? How is writing life?
Tagging some specific peeps I’ve been thinking of lately. @FOLuke @JohnnyTuturro - how have you two troublemakers been??? Missed ya!
I MISSED YOU TOO! I AM GLAD YOU’RE BACK AND I HOPE EVERYTHING’S GOING WELL FOR YOU!
Sorry to hear about your dog, but I hope that your relationship and writing are going very well at the moment! Being a published author is great! I’ve been dabbling in things and I entered the Wattys this year for the heck of it.
I AM GLAD TO BE BACK.
Thanks. I miss my dog. But everything else is going well. It was a wild ride there for a while but things have calmed down a bit.
Good luck in the Wattys! I haven’t posted to Booksie in ages as I have been rewriting and revising Beyond Dark 2 to release soon and reworking my series outline (as in, I need to make an outline instead of winging it like I always have 
). My blogs take up a lot of writing time as well but I love it. What are you writing these days?
YAY! WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK!
Aw, I’m sure you do. Also, I got a dog in the past year 
His name is Oscar, and he’s a Liver-Spotted (brown spots) Dalmatian and he’s a chaotic imp inside a dog’s body. But I love him to bits.
Good to hear, having a calm period is great.
Thanks, I would rofl if I won anything tbh.
That’s great though! Rewriting and revising is the way to go, to make things epic. Are your outlines simple, or a bit more in-depth? I have been using my own version of the “3 Act Structure” and it has been helping me a decent amount.
Blogs are fun though 
At the moment?
A story about two dudes in a winery in Yakima valley forming a friendship and maybe more.
A story about a dude making a fight club in Ireland to rebel against society.
A story about Dory, a boxing champion who’s having a hard time.
He sounds adorable!!! You must show me pics soon. I want another dog one day, but we’ll see what happens.
I very much needed it.
You never know unless you try!
I usually use a very loose version of the 3-act structure, though recently bought and read “Save the Cat! Writes a Novel” and may integrate some of that into my series outline. I am still figuring that part out. For individual books, I wing the first draft, then implement the 3 act structure for the second draft. I can move things around and rewrite as needed then.
I am loving it. I always had my personal blog on my writer website but the true crime stuff is really fun to write. I have followed some real wild cases so far.
All of these sound amazing!
Sounds like you’ve been busy! Glad to see you’re back and well though just the other day I was thinking of you and wondering how you were doing, so strange that you’re back only a few days later with an update haha!
I’ve definitely been better, but I’m doing okay now. Had a health blip last year that sent me to some appointments (and I had covid at the same time which meant I felt bad x2) speaking of which, I need another blood test at the end of the month for my upcoming check-up appointment next month. And aside from me, I’ve also been looking after my sister after her own health issues this summer, since she spent a lot of time in hospital. I also haven’t written much this past year since I’ve been dealing with my anxiety, deleting my wattpad account, and generally being uninspired creatively.
I’ve since delved into fandom comfort for my mental health as an escapism and have written a few little fanfic pieces for fun, but not much else. Though I did start a story I meant to write more of about two people that start making music together that delves into identity and relationships — it’s more written in my head than it is in words haha! Can’t really figure out how to start and the tone for it.
OOH and if you remember Nathan and Charlie, I’ve recently been inspired to rewrite the story about Nathan going on his little soul-searching trip for dealing with grief by adding a twist of him being convinced of some alien activity. Just in time too, because throughout July I was thinking of revisiting the story as a way of processing my own emotions in seeing my sister get sick.
Sorry for rambling but this year has certainly felt like a lot for me, even if now that we’re getting close to the end of 2022 it feels like I’m reaching the same point I was at mid-2021!! 
I remember you.
The irony! I was thinking of both you and Johnny today and decided to come see if you two were still around here. I am so glad you both are!
This is all a lot to deal with. I am glad you’re okay now. Dealing with your own issues and someone else’s must be so overwhelming. I hope you’re sister is doing okay too.
When did you delete your Wattpad account? I recall you were talking about it when I was last on. How has that felt?
Nothing wrong with this. Your mental health matters. The creativity will come back. I’ve been there.
This sounds amazing. Music is such an amazing way to explore both identity and relationships. Lots you can do with that one.
I DO REMEMBER. I think this would be a great way of processing for you.
You are always allowed to ramble to me. I don’t mind at all. Sounds like it’s been a long year for everyone. Sending hugs!
I will show pics soon, I’m not on my phone now so I can’t download them as png 
Sounds interesting and winging it is fun. Very fun. Implementing a structure after seems reasonable too for standalone. I get organizing a series more because it’s complex.
Yes! True Crime is lit, tbh. You find some interesting things there.
Thanks. Since I started writing about Dory and I made him talk to his Pops, Wilmer, he’s been like:
Aight, I’m out.
That’s so weird but also cool. The power of the mind lol.
She’s definitely better now and is home at least. Still recovering but the hard part of dealing with all that is now in a better place and I’m here with her making sure she has what she needs until she is able to do more for herself.
Uhhhhh sometime last year? It was definitely around the time / just before my anxiety was at its worst last year. With how I was feeling, my emotional state was a mess and I was crying a lot but deleting felt great and freeing.
And oh yeah there was this situation with my parents that I won’t go into but that really had me down about a week before Christmas too. Everything really felt terrible for a while and I didn’t wanna deal with any of it. I also became a hater of all men for a bit WHOOPS.
Yeah don’t come at me for watching the same Christmas movie every day at least once (one night I replayed it four times in a row) for three months straight. It blocked everything out which I needed at the time.
Thanks 
I love music it really is everything to me. It is a necessity like food and I’m obsessed with it, both real music, fictional bands, the works. And I do mean to write more about those two characters eventually.
Uh huh. It’s definitely grief and guilt that go hand in hand, for him, but the side of “living for yourself and not feeling guilt about it” is something I realise isn’t just something he deals with, but it resonates with me too.
Thank you <3 and I always wanna hear what’s going on with you and @JohnnyTuturro sending hugs to both of you as well 
I’m feeling great, getting into Mahjong.
I shall patiently wait.
Yeah, especially with Alyssa, there is nothing simple about her. So it’ll be a time lol
It is totally lit. It’s giving me tons of book ideas too
Love that lol
I am glad she’s better and home. I imagine it will be a long road to recovery though.
Oof. That sounds awful. And bad timing too! Family can be complicated. Mine is as well these days.
I would never come at you for it. If it helped, it helped, and that’s what matters.
I feel the same about music. I listen to it ALL the time and am constantly looking for new stuff to listen to. And I love reading about real musicians and different eras of music. It’s all so fascinating.
Sometimes this is the most therapeutic stuff to write and can sometimes be what brings us out of those slumps.
Other than the new relationship and job change, nothing else is new with me. I started dating this guy back in June and it’s going well so far.
I’m glad to hear that!
Thanks.
How many books now? xD
Yay! Write a book about True Crime!
Ikr?
Now, Dory’s just like:
“If you all let me “die” in peace, I’ll send you
100k each from my new house, aight?”
I am partway through book 4 and have about 15 planned for the series and a spinoff that will explore Thayer’s backstory.
I plan on it, I want to write one that takes some of my blog posts discussing female killers and put them into a book.
he sounds hilarious!
Wow that’s a lot.
YES I WANT A SIGNED COPY
Dory is weird
Yeah it might be a bit much but I regret nothing
You shall get one, of course.
Aren’t most of our characters? lol
The kind of weird is always different