TechnicDragon: Blog

It's been almost two months since my last blog, and longer since my last post. I apologize for both but circumstances have been out of my hands.

In the beginning of March, two of my family members underwent surgery. In fact, it was the two adults I live with. These surgeries meant my responsibilities went way up, and time to write or anything else, way down. Fortunately, now, everything is settling back into the routine it once was. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten any writing done at all. I have ideas, general ones, but nothing on paper or my computer.

So, I am back, sort of. I'm working on chapter 28 once again and am determined simply to write it out, see what it looks like, and make any changes needed to make it fit what's going on it the story. Same goes for the remaining chapters for Sibling Magus.

I am looking at an old issue again too. Internet access. I know I don't deserve it, but should anyone care to make a donation, I can accept Paypal (use my email address: technicdragon@gmail.com).

I'm honestly looking forward to finishing this story, as I'm sure many of you are anxious to finish reading it. I'm putting myself down to having the first full draft of ch 28 finished by monday, if not more. Postings should start next weekend.

Thank you for your patience.

TD

--==( Sibling Magus )==--
Yesterday, I received some solid advice from an author I've read and appreciated over the years. Thank you. It was just what I needed to hear. As such, ch 28 is moving along smoothly now. I should be sending this draft to my editors this afternoon.

--==( Internet Access )==--
The response has been fantastic. Thank you everyone who has donated. I'm currently at 124.09. Another $20 and the bill can be paid in full (Paypal via technicdragon@gmail.com)

Edit:
The Internet bill has been paid in full. Thank you to everyone who donated.

--==( Sibling Magus )==--
I've been having a problem with the next chapter of Sibling Magus. Well, really, problems with chapter 28. I already have chapters 26 and 27. In fact, after I post this, I'll convert those and submit them for posting. The problem is making sure I'm continuing to follow the plot of the book rather than just following the events of Seth's life. I know there doesn't seem to be much difference at this point, but if I fall too far from the core plot, then this will feel like those other "soap opera" stories that don't really have a beginning-middle-ending structure and ramble on and on without end. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of a couple of those stories, but that's not what I want out of my stories.

So, I'm still trying to work out what's going to happen in ch28 and what's not. Once I get past that, I'll be able to move forward.

--==( Internet Access )==--
I received my internet bill last week. I didn't have enough money last month to pay at all, and what money I did receive through donations ended up helping out with gas to get me to and from my kids place. Therefore, this bill is for two months: Jan+Feb = $143.40.

I would appreciate any donations. I have Paypal (send to technicdragon@gmail.com) and a Paypal card with which to pay the bill. I'm certain if this isn't paid, my internet access at home will be cut off. It's due on Feb 26. Thank you.

I received an email informing me that New Magus has been nominated (9x) for _Long Story of the year_. There are two problems with this:

1. New Magus was completed in 2011, not 2013, even though the story page says it concluded in 2013. I did update the story for corrections and adding in Character bios when new characters were introduced, but I'm not sure that makes the story eligible for this year's award.

2. The length of New Magus (120,000+ words/642KB) would put it in the _Epic Length Story of the Year_ category, not _Long Story of the Year_. A minor issue, except for the fact that nine nominations wouldn't put it in the top ten in that category and thus it would not go on to the voting phase (by my understanding).

For those who nominated New Magus, thank you. I do appreciate it. However, I've sent an email to the webmasters about this and am leaving it up to their wisdom. Should they decide to move New Magus to the correct category, it will need more nominations to make it to the voting phase.

I've looked through the list of nominated stories, and found that Child Magus has been nominated for _Epic Length Story of the Year_. Currently, it has 6 nominations. To make the top ten and move on to voting, it will need more than twice that.

I'm of of two minds on this. I would like to see one of my stories make it past nominations, YET I don't write to win awards. <shrugs> I leave this up to you.

TD

--==( Week Off )==--
My week off was fantastic. Enjoyed time with my kids, got to meet their teachers and friends. Even got along with my ex really well (shock!). We had a couple of mini-adventures too. Sunday, it snowed almost all day, so they ended up with no school on Monday! We spent the day playing PS3 and watching movies. Tuesday, it was back to their normal school routine. Wednesday, their mother and I joined them for lunch at school and some other activities that afternoon. We went grocery shopping that night and when we got home, my daughter realized that her backpack was missing! We searched the car and the complex, but didn't find it. The next day (Thursday), I helped put together some things so she would have what she needed for school and their mom wrote notes to her teacher for her missing homework and the librarian for the missing book. However, the Librarian had a surprise waiting for our daughter when she gave her the note. Turns out someone found her backpack at Wal-Mart after we left and turned it in. Wal-Mart found the library book with the school's stamp in the inside and called the school to let them know where her backpack was. The twin's mom and our daughter raced over there right after school to pick it up --- all contents were accounted for. Friday we overslept. It was a race to catch the bus, but too late. So their mom drove them in. Today, I came home, somewhat sad because I had such a great week with them, but also ready to get back to writing.

--==( Sibling Magus )==--
While the kids were in school, I spent my time going over all of the chapters currently posted for Sibling Magus. I was looking for anything that didn't fit correctly, or wasn't consistent. I found a lot of little problems and corrected them all. I also decided to change how Seth addresses the Sheriff, Stephanie Dalton. Previously, he called her Sheriff if he was upset with her, and he called her Stephanie when they got along. I changed that. Now, throughout the story, he calls her Dalton, or the Sheriff (when referring to her by title). I hope this doesn't cause too much confusion.

There were several points where some changes were necessary and one chapter that I all but re-wrote (ch20). So, for those who've kept up with the story week-in and week-out, you'll want to go back and re-read it. I'm sure the story overall will feel more cohesive and less confusing.

As usual, if anyone has any questions, feel free to shoot me an email.