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Heavy Broadcast Mode Initiated – Welcome to Winter

Posted on November 1, 2019 9:48 am by A.P. Fuchs
From outside the window this morning.

Awhile back I decided that November 1, 2019, would mark the day I officially went into winter hibernation mode aka Heavy Broadcast Mode. My work plate is mighty heavy and I need to keep my head low and just get things done. That said, I will be off the social feeds until spring. However, that doesn’t mean my feeds will be an empty desert. I’ll be broadcasting social content to you from here at the Central, but if you need to interact, please send me an email as I won’t be checking PMs.

One of the major tasks I need to do this winter is overhaul the website. The content will remain but the programming language is dated and I need to bring things up to speed if I’m to stay relevant as we progress down the Timeline of All Things. The aim is to do that this weekend, so if you come by the site between now and next week, don’t fret if things look in disarray. I’m hoping for a smooth transition and nobody is none the wiser, but I’ve also been around Web stuff long enough to know glitches happen when all you want to do is execute what is supposed to be a simple procedure(s).

Today also marks the beginning of a new month, which means a new month starts up on my Patreon page, in turn opening the gates for new chapters in my ongoing serial novel, Gigantigator Death Machine, essays, behind-the-scenes stuff, and more. Please join me and my other patrons as we embark on November’s journey by going here.

What is all this winter stuff I keep talking about? I don’t want to give away all the surprises, so I’ll give you a vague summary instead:
- Plan for the 2020 convention/book signing season
- Bring projects old and new up to speed
- Release new book(s) and comic(s)
- Build up the YouTube channel
- Deliver solid content on Patreon
- Partially rebuild the media machine
- Engage in interviews through various channels
- Try not to die from overworking
There. Straight forward. Just work.

Enjoy the weekend.
📂This entry was posted in Canister X Drawing General Announcements Patreon Web Stuff Writing 📎and tagged behind-the-scenes stuff broadcasting convention/book signing season essays Gigantigator Death Machine Heavy Broadcast Mode hibernation mode Interviews media machine Patreon patrons projects serial novel social feeds the Central Timeline of All Things Web Stuff website winter work YouTube channel
Inktober 2019 has Concluded

Posted on October 31, 2019 3:59 pm by A.P. Fuchs

Fred (Fredrikus) the dog as a pumpkin cake.

Earlier this month, I invited you to join me on my Inktober 2019 journey. Today, that journey comes to an end. This was my first year doing Inktober and it was honestly a lot of fun. It has been nearly two decades since I drew in a sketchbook every day. The last time was in animation school way back when people still carried swords to fend off invading armies. And while the daily Inktober sketches are done, I have a little more work ahead of me. My Inktober efforts were shared via social media every day this month, but I realize not everyone saw them, so the next step is to create collage images showcasing the month as well as a video for my YouTube channel. Stay tuned for those. Feel free to check out my social media in the meantime if you can’t wait/want to play catch-up.

Thank you to everyone who followed along this year!

📂This entry was posted in Drawing 📎and tagged animation school Inktober Inktober 2019 sketchbook sketches social media work YouTube channel
Nearly Ready for the Winter Season

Posted on October 30, 2019 2:52 pm by A.P. Fuchs

The winter season is nearly here, which means this week I’m putting the final touches on getting ready for Heavy Broadcast Mode, which starts November 1. Believe it or not, a lot of planning and organizing goes into making books and comics for public consumption. It’s not just me writing a story and sending it out all willy nilly. Every creator works their own way, but on my end, I need to have certain mechanisms in place so I can publish a story and get it into your hands properly. This ranges from the actual publishing machine itself to the promotion side of it to even making sure I have copies here at the Central for you. Then add on the need to make and have all those systems in place all the while keeping a roof over my head and, well, yeah. Busy times.

This isn’t over-complicating it. It’s just planning things out so, once all is up and running, I have the greatest resource of all when it comes to creating stories and sharing them: Time.

Everything takes time. Some things take a mere minute, other things take hours or days, and the only way to have that time is do all that I’ve been doing behind the scenes here at the Central. (Speaking of behind the scenes, a new behind-the-scenes entry is going up on my Patreon this Friday. Join the journey to check it out.)

To find out more of what it takes to keep the creative machine running, please join my free weekly newsletter, The Canister X Transmission. It’s a letter from me to you week after week. It’s a chance for all subscribers to have a common meeting point each week to take a load off, escape the stress of the world, have a read (maybe even a laugh), and just breathe after busting butt all week. It’s also a chance to bring you up to speed on all that’s happened here at the Central, things not always covered on this blog. Pull up a chair. We always have room for one more.

📂This entry was posted in Life Newsletter Patreon Publishing Self-publishing Stuff 📎and tagged behind the scenes blog Books comics creating creative machine creator free weekly newsletter Heavy Broadcast Mode organizing Patreon planning publishing machine resource stories systems The Canister X Transmission the Central time winter season Writing
The Snow has Arrived – Event Planning this Winter

Posted on October 29, 2019 10:51 am by A.P. Fuchs

A snowy yard this morning

The snow that hit earlier this month had melted but this morning the yard is white. It may or may not stick around, but even if it goes away, it’ll be back with a vengeance because snow is what we do six months of the year here in Winnipeg. And while the possibility of doing things outside gets greatly reduced during the winter months, being locked indoors for half a year has its advantages when you make books and comics for a living.

You get to just, simply, work. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for out-of-the-studio excursions in the New Year.

If you go to the Convention and Book Signing Schedule section of this site, you’ll see that I didn’t do events in 2019. There are lots of reasons for this, some of which had to do with being unwell. With the loss of the Central Canada Comic Con–my “default” show for every year except for last year–I have to do some research for local events over the winter so I can book on time for the 2020 season. If I succeed in what I have planned for the winter, then I’ll have a lot of new material for next year’s shows plus any book signings along the way. There has also been talk here at the Central about leaving the province–possibly even the country–for a few events next year. Once dates and locales are locked down, I will announce them here. I’m eager to connect with fans again at these venues. Always a joy to see them.

In the meantime, I’m really looking forward to just working throughout the winter season. It’s been a good long while since I was able to create without hindrances. I can’t wait to get back to it again.

Ps. A new behind-the-scenes entry is scheduled to go on my Patreon page later this week. Join the journey to catch the post plus other behind-the-scenes goodies already on the site. Of course, getting access to a serial novel, essays, patron-only posts and patron-first announcements along with an exclusive membership card isn’t a bad deal either.

📂This entry was posted in Book Signings Conventions Life Patreon Stuff 📎and tagged behind-the-scenes book signings Books Central Canada Comic Con comics Convention and Book Signing Schedule essays exclusive membership card local events New Year Patreon patron-first announcements patron-only posts serial novel shows snow the Central Winnipeg winter winter season work working
Creator Breakfast with G.M.B. Chomichuk and Jonathan Ball (Publishing Business)

Posted on October 28, 2019 12:59 pm by A.P. Fuchs

Publishing Model Visual Documentation by G.M.B. Chomichuk

This morning I once again met with writer/artist G.M.B. Chomichuk and writer/editor Jonathan Ball at Clementine Cafe in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. On top of the outstanding fried chicken on toast I had for breakfast, we got to work talking about the publishing business.

See, I have a major advantage over other writers: I’m tapped into both the book publishing world and the comic book publishing world. While there are similarities in the overall business side of things, there are distinct differences and, I believe, it’s a merge of these two models that are the future of publishing.

What’s happening in the book publishing world at present is an old archaic system at war with the new digital paradigm. While some adaptations have been made, for the most part book publishing is operating on an out-of-date system that doesn’t work in today’s reading climate which is why most writers cannot make a living from their craft. What compounds the problem are publishers–big and small–stuck in the old way of doing things and writers who don’t want to do anything but write. This is a major problem that hurts both publishers, creators, and readers.

Ground was gained this morning in coming up with a new way of doing things that merges the best of the book publishing world and that of the comics publishing industry while setting aside dated systems that hinder bringing books and comics to the reader. Some of the ideas put forth were new (to me) and others were in line with the bomb that went off when my workload exploded.

The above photo–a visual documentation of our little meeting created by G.M.B. Chomichuk–shows how three creators think when hashing out how to create a publishing system that benefits both the creator and reader. Yes, the image is hard to follow without explanation, but will serve as a future reference point for a venture that was brought up during the meeting (details still to be ironed out).

The main goal with these meetings outside of spending time with friends is to learn something new, have discussion, and then apply those lessons to see what works and what doesn’t.

In the end, it was a productive morning and one that will stew in my brain for a while as I retool things over here.

(Please also see my first entry about my breakfast with these two creators by going here.)

📂This entry was posted in Life Publishing Self-publishing 📎and tagged artist book publishing Books breakfast business Clementine Cafe comic book publishing comics creators digital paradigm discussion editor Exchange District fried chicken on toast future of publishing G.M.B. Chomichuk ideas Jonathan Ball learn meeting out-of-date system publishers publishing business publishing industry publishing system reader readers reading climate side of things Winnipeg writer
Station Ident – Oct252019

Posted on October 25, 2019 10:33 am by A.P. Fuchs

My name is A.P. Fuchs and I’m a novelist, cartoonist, and freelancer in all things publishing. You are tuned into my blog, Canister X, my official web presence. I’ve been writing for publication since my first short story sale in 2000, and have been publishing books since 2003.

My longstanding presence on social media includes:

Ello
MeWe
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Tumblr
LinkedIn

My Patreon page can be found here, where I post serial novels, essays on the creative and publishing industries, what goes on behind the scenes here at Axiom-man Central, and more.

Join me.

📂This entry was posted in Blogging Canister X Web Stuff 📎and tagged A.P. Fuchs Axiom-man Central behind the scenes blog Books Canister X cartoonist essays freelancer novelist Patreon publication Publishing serial novels social media web presence Writing
Caught in Black Headlights: An Update

Posted on October 24, 2019 3:09 pm by A.P. Fuchs

Caught in Black Headlights Notebook

Caught in Black Headlights is a poetry book I’ve been picking at for a long while now. It’s meant as a depository of musings for when a thought or moment consumes me and I have something to say about it.

I am no stranger to the poetry world, having thus far published three books in the genre: The Hand I’ve Been Dealt, Haunted Melodies and Other Dark Poems, and Still About a Girl. These books are out of print, but I’m thinking of bringing them back at some point so my readers have a chance to complete their A.P. Fuchs collection.

Caught in Black Headlights is low-priority on the project list. Again, it’s there for when I have something I need to say and a poem is the only way to say it. Eventually, the notebook will be filled enough for it to merit a published book. Until then, I’ll just be ruminating and writing it down.

Stay tuned.

📂This entry was posted in Updates Writing 📎and tagged A.P. Fuchs Books Caught in Black Headlights Haunted Melodies and Other Dark Poems notebook poem poetry book poetry world project Still About a Girl The Hand I've Been Dealt update Writing
Workload Explosion

Posted on October 23, 2019 3:16 pm by A.P. Fuchs

Pictured: Batman mug from my childhood and my vape unit.

This morning, I reviewed some things behind the scenes here at Axiom-man Central and came to the unsettling conclusion I have a year-long project ahead of me. The project is not a specific book or comic but rather a partial rebuild of my media machine. This workload is no small undertaking, but it’s an undertaking that must be done. I thought I was busy before and now I have to go into overdrive.

This will require further thought and scheduling.

And Heavy Broadcast Mode for the winter.

And caffeine.

📂This entry was posted in Canister X Publishing Self-publishing Web Stuff 📎and tagged Axiom-man Central behind the scenes caffeine Heavy Broadcast Mode media machine project winter workload
On Writing About Creativity

Posted on October 22, 2019 11:23 am by A.P. Fuchs

On Writing About Creativity

A lot of what I share on here has to do with the creative journey and stating what I’ve learned through experience. The reason is rooted in my passion for the creative industry. I’ve been making stuff up since I was a kid running around in a Superman costume (something I did even when my other friends had grown out of it). It’s all I know.

Making up stories, drawing, and thinking about how to better get my imagination onto the page takes up most of my time and is my preferred activity. Some guys work on cars or model kits to help fill the hours; I work on imaginary worlds. It’s just how I’m wired and I don’t know any other way to live my life.

Is always talking about creativity beating a dead horse? I honestly don’t know because in my world that horse keeps coming back to life. All I know is writing out my thoughts on the creative life helps me organize them, and if they can benefit or entertain someone along the way, then I’m more than happy to take them on the journey with me.

📂This entry was posted in Drawing Life Public Journal Writing 📎and tagged creative industry creative journey creative life creativity Drawing experience imaginary worlds imagination life stories Superman costume thoughts Writing
Creator Breakfast with G.M.B. Chomichuk and Jonathan Ball (Networking)

Posted on October 21, 2019 1:26 pm by A.P. Fuchs

Sketch of A.P. Fuchs at the keyboard by G.M.B. Chomichuk

This morning I had a wonderful breakfast at Clementine Cafe here in Winnipeg with writer/illustrator G.M.B. Chomichuk and writer/editor Jonathan Ball. And while networking wasn’t the reason I chose to see them, it was something that inevitably happened given that all three of us work in the business.

I usually see these dudes at book signings or on the convention circuit, but since I’ve been away from events for a season, it was a pleasure to have a sit-down with them and talk shop and catch up after so long. It was also an opportunity to share work habits and pick each other’s brains over how we do things and what works and what doesn’t, tell stories, and learn a thing or two.

Today I came away with two wins, and in order of occurrence they were: A dynamite breakfast. Had the Turkish eggs and it was brilliant. The second was a writing gig. I’ll reveal more details about that here on the blog when I’m allowed to.

Most creators would rather be holed up in their studio or office and just work. And while that has its charm and is important in order to get things done, it’s also critical time is spent with those in the business. First and foremost, it’s a chance to simply be friends with like-minded people and realize you’re not alone in the universe regarding your creative quirks. Secondly, it might lead to opportunities to use your craft you might not otherwise have had.

In summary, go have breakfast with other creatives when you can. It yields positive friendships and, sometimes, a job.

Networking, man. Networking.

📂This entry was posted in Life Self-publishing Writing 📎and tagged blog book signings breakfast business Clementine Cafe convention circuit craft creative quirks creators editor events friends friendships G.M.B. Chomichuk gig illustrator job Jonathan Ball networking office opportunities studio Turkish eggs Winnipeg work work habits writer Writing