October has just started and I had to spend some time thinking about what this month will look like in terms of work (roughly). If I’ve learned anything from my years in this business, it’s that one needs to be organized. Fortunately, my natural thinking process involves putting everything into lists under various headings and then looking at those items and breaking them down day by day. Some stuff is written down on paper, other stuff is written down in my head. Regardless, those items are then transferred to a calendar—both real and mental—thus informing me what each day entails. For the most part, I’ve learned to leave tomorrow in tomorrow, even parts of today in their respective parts of today. All that matters come nightfall is that the day’s tasks are done.
This eliminates confusion and keeps a rein on anxiety.
So what does my October to-do list look like?
So far:
– regular Web upkeep like this blog and backlog SEO work
– edits for a client
– finding out the finer details for a job I’m signing papers for tomorrow and then doing the work thereof
– Inktober until the end of the month (daily ink drawings posted to my social media channels)
– Ship off Kickstarter rewards for the Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm campaign to Jeff Burton (this includes getting things done at the local printer for the paperback; my part of the lettered edition hardcover is done)
– posting the Gigantigator Death Machine serial novel, behind-the-scenes stuff, and essays to Patreon
– writing and sending out The Canister X Transmission every week
– writing . . . something
– drawing . . . something
– business admin
– anything else that comes up (to be sorted into the list depending on the item’s timeline)
Welcome to my October.
- Category Archives Public Journal
Public journal of author and cartoonist, A.P. Fuchs.
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On Freelancing for a Living (This is a Job)
Though this demands a full article, here is the brief version on creative freelancing for a living.
It’s a job. A fun one, but a job. The common misconception people have of those working from home is that it’s all playtime and games, sleeping in and working here and there. This isn’t true. During the day, home becomes my workplace. There is a start-of-work time and an end-of-work time. (Except during deadline season, then it’s work until it’s done.) I have clients who have me on the clock. I have personal projects on the clock. Everything is scheduled. If I don’t adhere to the schedule, I lose the job with a client and/or I lose income generated from regularly releasing books. I have my Patreon to attend to with hard-earned money being spent by people who have trusted me with it in exchange for entertaining them. I have a career built on a reputation and if I wreck that reputation, I can’t get it back. This is all taken very seriously. My career is zero without my readers and clients. My ability to eat rests on ensuring they are treated well and quality work is being brought to them.
While working at home has some advantages like not needing to commute or not needing to pack a lunch, or endless coffee and the ability to vape inside, it’s still treated like an out-of-home job. It has to be. I’m working whether I feel like it or not. I’m putting the time in whether I feel like it or not. This idea that working from home isn’t the same as a “real” job needs to stop. What is a job? It’s a task(s) you do in exchange for something. It’s a task(s) you’re depended upon to do. Any freelancer who knows their next meal is dependent on getting the job done knows this.
Thought I’d clear the air.
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The Canister X Transmission Has Resumed
Last Saturday, my free weekly newsletter, The Canister X Transmission, resumed. After that issue was sent, it was like no time had passed. Earlier this week I wrote the new issue, which will go out Saturday.
To find out what we talk about, archived issues can be found here.
I invite you to join myself and a host of others week after week as we get on with the Long Year Five.
Please use the subscribe box to the right or go here.
See you there.
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On the World of Web Broadcasting
I’ve been off-line for the most part during the 2019 Broadcast Mode season and have noticed massive improvements in my mood and mental health. The exposure to the toxicity of the mainstream social feeds had brought me low, so much so I was physically not feeling well. Recently, I came across this photo series in which the photographer removed the electronics from our hands to show us the lonely world we’re creating and it further cemented my thinking of us having lost our balance when it comes between living life on-line and off-.
View it here.
Back when I first started in this business, 98% of my computer time was spent writing. The other 2% was periodically updating my website and checking in on a message board called Shocklines. Even if I was following a conversation thread, most often I didn’t keep going back for updates. Those would wait until the next day to see where the conversation went. And people were polite for the most part and keyboard warrioring wasn’t really a thing. It was about lifting each other up instead of whining and complaining and tearing each other down.
We need to get back to that in our on-line behaviors. We also need to find balance.
It’s gone too far.
I’m thrilled about being in Broadcast Mode. Life is so much easier. Work is so much easier. Everything is just, simply, better.
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On Taking a Break
As much as I tout working hard and keeping busy, a person also needs time out now and then to rest and recuperate so they can go back to working hard and keeping busy. Proper rest ensures you do your job well and produce quality work. It also keeps you from falling ill or just plain feeling crappy. I’m personally still working on knowing when to take a break, but the days I do allow myself a breather are treasured and are appreciated after the fact when I feel rested and restored.
It’s all about balance. Too many rest days and you won’t get anywhere. Too little rest days and your work will slide.
Balance. Yep. Still working on that one.
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On Moving On
Note: This entry is from that file I found and is a reflection of how I felt at the time I was originally going to post it. I’m entering it here in the interest of archival purposes.
I’ve spent a great deal of my career offering as much advice and knowledge I could about how this business works. I’ve given everything from writing tips to marketing ones to going against the grain in some circles only later to be proven right. Upon reflection, I’ve pretty much said everything I have to say about this business. All of it is chronicled on this website, my newsletter archives (and collected editions), Canadian Scribbler, and social media posts.
I think it’s time to step back and let others discuss those topics and just focus on my own work. See, I love this business so much it upsets me when I see something poorly handled or writers being misled and I’m compelled to say something. I think that season is coming to a close now. Will it be permanent? I don’t know. But will it be for right now? Yeah.
The Canister X Transmission newsletter archives contain info upon info and can be accessed here.
Thanks for listening to me all this time, but it’s time for me to move on. Stories to tell. Pictures to draw. Books to make.
Cheers.
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On Superpowers
Something that crossed my mind is the idea that what’s considered a superpower can only be limited to a certain species. For example, you and I hear on a certain spectrum and no one would claim we have super hearing. However, a dog can hear things we can’t. They can also smell things we can’t. Does that mean they have special abilities? Or what about birds? They can fly. We can’t. If only a select few of the human race had wings growing out of their bodies, they’d be considered having superpowers.
So that’s my question: is what’s considered a superpower limited to a single species or not?
Sound off in the comment section below.
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On These Self-help Posts
Just trying to help, is all. Lots of creators ask me questions because I’ve been in this business for so long. These little posts I’m broadcasting are meant to answer some and also provide encouragement to those who feel like throwing in the towel. Are they annoying? Maybe. Are they helpful? Maybe, too. Hope they are, anyway.
Time to keep working. If you have questions about any aspect of publishing, send me an email and I’ll do my best to answer in a timely manner.
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On Getting Things Done
Very simply, if you want to get anywhere in life, you gotta get things done. Books don’t write themselves. Drawings don’t draw themselves. Work doesn’t work itself, and so on. You want something, earn it. End of story. Discussion over.
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Public Journal Resumption
Before I had to go offline due to some health and personal problems, I was posting a public journal here at Canister X. Just now I was fiddling with the MSWord document and saw there were some entries not yet posted that I had completely forgotten about. That said, expect them to be posted here shortly.