Changes and Routes

My roommate decided to move out in January. While it is unfortunate considering the time and effort it takes to find a suitable roommate, and that we developed a routine, thinking about it, this may be a blessing in disguise. I will be married by the time that he leaves, and this will allow me and my soon-to-be-wife to live in our own place uninterrupted. If we should decide to get a roommate, then we can decide on one together instead of having the one that I picked. It is a change that I was not expecting, but may actually be helpful.

I have been hesitant to send out query letters to literary agents considering that I will not be in the U.S. for two weeks in January. It will also allow me to strongly consider if I should take the self-publishing route once I get married and have gotten back to the U.S. at the end of January. One thing that was noticeable when I was researching books of my genre is that there are a majority of intersectional books out now, and that being something of a strong focus these days as far as what publishers are looking for. There is nothing wrong with that and their prerogative, but it is different from what I am writing currently.

Despite it all, I just want to create good stories. I have to really think about where I want to go with my writing and publishing my stories. Should I follow the trends or go against the grain? We will see, and I am still optimistic coming into 2023.

Finality and More Effort

At my church, we divide the members by younger than eighteen, eighteen and over but unmarried, and married couples. I am part of the eighteen and over but unmarried group, and I attended my last monthly meeting for this group as I am getting married next month. Also, I regularly host UFC pay-per-views at my home, and UFC 282 was the last one that I would be hosting while still living a bachelor lifestyle, as my wife will be moving in with me at the end of January. It is demonstrative of the changes that will be happening in my life. Things are fun as they are now, but it is something that I am doing regularly, so my overall satisfaction has a ceiling.

I still have not reached a goal of mine to get a literary agent, which is disappointing but also, not unexpected either. I have had to re-edit and revise much of my works along with my query letters. I still think that I am presenting myself to literary agents in a way that does not stand out, so that will be something that I need to fix moving forward. I also am starting to reconsider my stance on self-publishing. I failed at it the first time, but admittedly did not put the most effort that I could into it. Self-publishing may be the way to go in this current publishing climate and environment, as literary agents are looking for particular attributes in the characters of stories.

My desire to become an author really has not changed, and it is now just a habit to write every day. I actually have more ideas and stories in the docket that I want to get out there. Despite everything going on, I still have the motivation to write these stories.

The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie and Relatable Characters

(Spoiler Alert) I just came from watching The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie, and it was a long time coming for it to come out in the U.S. I had my favorite quintuplet, Miku Nakano, and I was hoping that the main character, Futaro Uesugi, would end up with her. However, that did not happen, and he got together with Yotsuba in the end. The funny thing is that when I was thinking of the relationships, I did not think that he would get with Yotsuba, but acknowledged that they get along the best together, but more like she was a bro. Yotsuba was always there to help, but that is what I missed, in that she was always there. It makes sense looking back, as three of them were more upfront about their feelings for him, one of them was just kind of on the outside, but Yotsuba was always there but just in the periphery. I kind of feel fooled, in a sense, like I should have figured it out, but at the same time, just about any choice would have made sense.

There was some good character writing in making these characters seem like real people with their own goals, personalities, complexities and ambitions. Even for me, that is a struggle, especially writing primarily fantasy adventure stories. Someone named The Mustard Prince who can do magic can be difficult to humanize, for example, and I try to do it by how he reacts to different situations. Obviously, with him not living in our world or in a real-world setting, it will be more difficult to humanize the character, but he does have fears, courage, a lack of understanding of basic things, and the like that keeps him relatable.

I have found that when writing characters to really think about them and how they would react to certain situations or other characters. It has helped me a lot and has made my writing better. When I first started writing, my characters remained as these blank slates throughout, and it was not conducive to good character writing. I want to create characters that audiences will remember.

Philippines November 2023 and Wakanda Forever

I went to the Philippines on the week of Thanksgiving, and it went by quickly. The food was great along with the lower price for pretty much everything compared to the U.S. Going from a bachelor lifestyle to a couple’s lifestyle is so different with just being with someone and having to behave considerately instead of selfishly. Going back to the bachelor lifestyle along with jet lag was an adjustment for sure, but thankfully, it will not be for very long. I expect December to go by pretty quickly, and January will be right there.

At the Philippines, me and my fiancé watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I just thought that it was okay, as I felt that it was too long, and there may have some Marvel fatigue as well. The costumes were great, but being a person who looks for characters, I thought that this movie left a lot to be desired. Many of the characters were a bit too similar for my taste, and I could not find any of the new characters to be particularly interesting or standouts. The movie overall looked great from a visual standpoint, but it did get hard to get invested in the story or characters.

I looked over my own work and wondered if my writing style is palatable for readers. I am my own worst critic, so any imperfection brings doubt to me that audiences will enjoy what I wrote. As much as some fear it, criticism from third parties is a good indicator of anyone’s work. It has helped me quite a bit, even if I did not want to read it.

Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira and Organic Stories

At UFC 281, Alex Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Title in the main event. He was losing the fight on the scorecards but won it in the fifth and final round by TKO. The story heading into this bout was that Pereira has beaten Adesanya twice in kickboxing, one win by decision and one win by KO. Adesanya did well in the first bout, and some argue that he should have won that bout. In their second fight, Adesanya was winning the bout, and even got Pereira a standing eight count, before he got knocked out. For some reason, Adesanya can beat most competition in MMA that he has faced, with the exception being Jan Blachowicz at a higher weight class, but he just cannot seem to defeat Alex Pereira in combat sports no matter how well he does against him. It is a fascinating story, and I strongly suspect that there will have a rematch, so the story is not over yet.

Organic stories such as this are the best that I have seen in sports. In that UFC main event, the technique that creates the violence eventually led to the end goal, but the story that was playing in the cage itself was just as fascinating and absorbing. Every time Pereira threw strikes, there was fear and anticipation that Adesanya would get hurt badly and lose the Title that he held for a long time. As time ticked away and Adesanya was ahead on the scorecards, there was a story of whether or not Adesanya could hold on against this opponent in Pereira that has been something of a boogeyman for him, and he could not. There was no happy ending for Israel Adesanya here.

Good stories have these qualities and stakes to them, and as a potential author, I need to be able to articulate that in words to an audience. Obviously, it is very difficult, taxing and time consuming. However, the end goal is what matters after all the hardship.

Highs and Lows and Satisfaction

It was a great and bad week for me. When I get married, my wife will fly home with me, and I attended my brother and his wife’s baby shower. I also had to spend thousands of dollars on car repairs and California property taxes, which illustrates just how expensive it is to live in California. It goes to show the highs and lows of everyday life, particularly being an adult and having multiple responsibilities. Things are not always fun or pleasant, but it is just a part of being an adult. Getting things taken care of though feels good and brings a bit of satisfaction.

Getting a bit of writing or editing done everyday consistently also brings a little satisfaction. It is a sacrifice and discipline for a higher goal. There are definitely highs and lows with this writing journey, but more lows than highs. I have submitted my works to short story contests and have won. Some feedback from literary agents have been positive despite getting rejected. Obviously, getting rejected by a literary agent is no fun, and the grind can feel never-ending.

The fact of the matter is that I would most likely use that time that I would be writing idly anyways watching something on a screen, so being productive is the better choice for me. The saying that if you are not moving forward, then you are moving backward really applies to writing, even if progress is slow.

Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva and Selling Stories

This past weekend, I ordered the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match and watched it with a group of friends. It is a funny thing paying money for the potential of watching someone lose, but that is what happened in ordering this boxing match. Me and my friends wanted Anderson Silva to win, but more specifically, Jake Paul to lose. Paul was in the toughest boxing match that he’s had so far, but he ended up winning the bout. There is something frustrating about this person who made his fame through YouTube fighting hand-picked opponents in boxing matches, usually former MMA fighters that are much older than him, and at times, much smaller than him. It worked though because we put down money to watch him lose, and we were the ones left feeling like we lost. We paid and played into the hands of these people and the narrative that they put together.

I suppose that writing a book and wanting to sell it to people has that commonality. I write a story and want to sell it to general audiences. The audience does get a sort of escapism, as that is what most forms of entertainment are meant to do. Of course, I am not selling a fight and purposefully making myself a bad guy to sell tickets. I am a potential author hoping one day to sell my books. We are both trying to sell a story of some sort though.

Their story was entirely visual whereas my story is something that one reads. I am selling fiction, and in a way, Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva was selling a sort of fiction as well.

Sudden Surprises and Reacting

Right when I thought that my week was getting better, I get a sudden flat tire on my car this weekend, and the tire shop does not have the tire in stock. I have to wait until Monday to get it fixed. It goes to show that unexpected things just kind of happen in life. I cannot control the outcome, but I can control how I react to the situation. For all intents and purposes, it looks like it will get fixed on Monday, and the only inconvenience that I will happen is getting an uber to go to work and back. It still is a situation that I would not want to be in but have to accept that things like this will happen.

I suppose that this goes for trying to be a professionally published author, or any goal, as well. I get a lot of rejection from literary agents, and just a few will provide feedback. I generally react to the rejection not feeling particularly good, but I do not stop my routine and just grit through it. It is on to the next one. This sequence happens with looking for a job, for example, but the hope is that one employer will eventually pick you over everyone else. However, I have to present myself, or my work in the case of writing, as best as I can to raise the probability of me getting picked.

Making my stories through repeated editing has been one of the tasks that I have been doing to present my works better. It is not particularly fun to do and can get tedious many times, but it has to get done.

A Better Week and Writing Options

Compared to last week, this was a better week for me. Not having a fly infestation alone was a big improvement for the week. My car issues have been resolved and same with the wedding stuff. It took a bit of work, but things eventually worked themselves out. A lot of the issues from last week derived from procrastination along with these issues happening all at once, which always seems to be the case. I cannot say that it will not happen again, as most likely, it will happen again. It is important to look back and remember that bad stuff happens, but one can work through it and come out the other end just fine and maybe even a little wiser.

I have been looking for other ways to make money through writing. I have submitted short stories to writing contest, and I did get second place one time and prize money for it. Otherwise, besides the main goal of being a professionally published author, I would like to explore getting paid for writing articles, writing blogs, ghostwriting, and just building a writing portfolio. Time is the biggest reason why I have not pursued this, but considering that I am feeling more confident about my writing, it may be a good idea to look into this again.

I figure that I have a degree in English and write regularly as it is, so why not monetize it if possible? I am under no illusion that this will be easy, and I have heard that many people who write articles and such started out writing for free for a while. However, it will improve my craft, and that is something of value.

Lousy Weeks and a Lack of Boredom

I have to admit, but I did not have the greatest week. Car trouble, wedding stuff, fly infestations and a few small things were what I had to deal with this week. All of it was stressful for sure, but some of these issues came about due to my own procrastination. It really goes to show that when problems are kicked down the road for a later date, that the problem just snowballs and compounds with other problems at the same time. Whether one believes in a higher power or just how life works, it does feel like someone or something is giving me a kick in the pants for being too complacent.

While I can get complacent, one thing that I have noticed for a while being an adult is that I am hardly truly bored. There was a time in my life where I was particularly lazy and idle in my twenties, and somewhere along the way, I decided to live much more productively. That decision really turned my life around, but also, I generally have not been bored or finding myself with nothing to do. Besides having so many books and manga to read, and anime that I own that I haven’t watched yet, there is also just a plethora of new anime coming out on various streaming platforms.

Writing every day has been a part of this lifestyle to be more productive. There is a feeling every day of something important to accomplish, and when that is done, then I can relax a bit. So far, it has worked out for the better, so it only makes sense to keep at it.

Anime and Older Media

The summer season for new anime has ended, and the fall season has begun. There are some returning favorites like My Hero Academia or Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun. There is also one being rebooted, Urusei Yatsura, which is a big surprise. I do not feel that the aesthetic of the show really fits in modern anime and entertainment, and reboots have quite honestly been more misses than hits. It goes to show that while there are a lot of new anime coming out, fresh ideas are hard to come by, especially with the prevalence of isekai anime and all its sub-genres out there. It has been done to death at this point.

I have been watching a few of the older anime out there from the 80’s like Tenkū Senki Shurato (Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato), which funny enough is an early isekai. I like the general artistry and care that is put into older anime, even if other areas like strong characterization or stilted dialogue may not be as prevalent. It seems to be something of a theme with just entertainment in general where the older media just seems to have more personality than what is out there today which prioritizes style over substance.

As a writer, I can understand it. Every story has pretty much already been done, so it becomes a matter of just putting a new spin on what has already been established. My novel, The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, for example, is a medieval quest and adventure, which has been done before but with a more humorous and anime-inspired element to it. At the end of the day, it is all about entertaining the audience, and that has not changed.

Robocop and Eagerness

I re-watched the original Robocop movie with friends this weekend, and it was the Unrated version. It was kind of funny that I watched this movie as a kid, and it was ridiculously violent. There is something about these types of classic action movies that are kind of refreshing though. There is not this feeling that the creators of this movie are trying to promote some sort of message, and they were very unrestrained as far as what the characters can say and some of the violence that they committed. The only comparison that I can think of in modern times that have that unrestrained movie making is in a few Asian movies that I have seen recently.

I am adding more pages to the Land of the Wooden Statues, as two literary agents told me that the story is too short. One thing that I catch myself doing is reading through the already finished material, and I am always telling myself that this needs to be read by the larger public. I have taken time and care so that the story flows well and is easy to read. While self-publishing is an option, I still strive to get this published through traditional publishers that will be able to help in the story getting more reach. Marketing by myself would be time-consuming and a hustle in itself.

I just have to grind and make opportunities, I suppose. I think of the time that I worked part-time at a Blockbuster Video, and I was so eager to get a full-time job when the economy was not doing so well. It took effort, grit, discipline and constant resumes sent, but I finally ended up getting out of part-time work. I can only hope that seem mentality will get me professionally published as well.

Roommates and Rushing Things

After an arduous process, I have found a new roommate. I used past experiences as far as who to look for and questions to ask any prospective tenants. Nothing is guaranteed, and for all I know, I could be in for a world of trouble, but at the very least, I did what I could to mitigate any problems by stating what I want and what the prospective tenant could expect from me. Of course, you never truly know someone until you have lived with them, so it really is just seeing how it will all go moving forward.

This experience goes with writing and sending query letters to literary agents as well. I made a huge mistake in submitting query letters for The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom well before it was ready, and from what I have read, it is not a good look to re-submit the same work to a literary agent. Those are now missed opportunities because of my own inexperience, but also because I rushed things. Rushing things has been a common mistake in so many things that I have done such as break dancing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and in writing as well.

All is not lost though. I feel that I am submitting much more polished works, and I am learning from past mistakes. I have better discipline in grinding through, making time to write, and editing my works. I’ll keep at this, and it really is just seeing how it will all go moving forward.

Homeownership and Being an Adult

My previous roommate has moved out (and left a mess), and I am now looking for a new roommate. It has been a stressful process listing my spare room, filtering out applicants, scheduling showings and whatnot. It is the burden that comes with homeownership and making money from your own home, but it is also just a part of being an adult as well. As adults, we have to do things that we do not want to do but have to, and we take risks like allowing strangers into your home in order to get some sort of reward. It is also a learning process, and despite doing this for a while, there is still much to learn.

Writing has been like that for me as well. There is a level of motivation, drive and discipline required to put words to paper. There is time that needs to be allotted daily to write consistently, even though it can be a grind and not something that I want to do. There is also a lot to learn even with my writing environment such as eliminating distractions, setting a timer and whatnot. With writing itself, I have had to go back, re-edit and make my works longer. It is still a constant learning process despite how long I have been doing it.

It is not always fun to be an adult, but I have found things to be more fulfilling. Getting things done have taken on a new meaning, and my general satisfaction with things in my life appear to be higher.

Labor Day Weekend 2022 and Normalcy

This Labor Day Weekend was fun and a much-needed three-day weekend. I attended the Long Beach Comic Convention and cosplayed in the yellow jumpsuit that Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death. A few thought that the cosplay was in reference to Kill Bill, which happens all the time. It was fun going to a comic convention, as I have not gone to one in a long time, especially when the height of the pandemic hit. I took some pictures of other cosplayers, and some took pictures with me. Overall, I had a fun time, and so did the attendees.

I am also adjusting back to my normal routine after my trip to the Philippines. I decided to change a few things up though like removing my Instagram app and a few other things to get off screens and social media a bit more. I had a barbecue with friends while watching UFC fights, and I am glad that I did not burn the steaks or corn on the cob. Writing has been consistent, and I am always getting new ideas for this new story that I am writing. If anything, catching up on my anime has been difficult as there was a lot that I missed and little time to catch up on. Overall, I am getting back to a level of normalcy.

Writing is still a high priority for me, and the goal remains the same. I am laser-focused on getting a Literary Agent especially with The Mustard Prince completed. With big changes happening in my life next year, I can only hope that getting an agent and especially getting professionally published will happen as well.

Philippines Again and the Future

I travelled to the Philippines this past week to do a wedding photoshoot along with some other wedding stuff. It is always a thrill to be back in the Philippines and seeing a world much different from my own. From the wealth to the poverty, driving on the crazy roads, meeting new people and going to new places, it was a worthwhile trip. I also got to see the movie, Maid in Malacanang, and liked it even though it felt more like a television drama with the way that it was created.

The trip was only a week and was hectic, so it passed by very quickly. Life is much different with someone there with you instead of doing things alone. Even something like eating a meal feels a bit different, and it is a good difference to have. With being out of the country, it does make one appreciate what one has. Seeing homes with sheet metal roofs is not something that we see in the U.S, for example, so it puts into perspective about what we have.

As far as writing goes, I did not do much of it. I do have a renewed determination to reach my goal of being a professionally published author, especially as it would be a benefit for my future and my future married life. With The Mustard Prince finished, I can only hope that I can get there sooner rather than later.

Teasing Master Takagi-san the Movie and a New Story

I just watched the Teasing Master Takagi-san movie, and it was very cute. Anyone who has seen the anime series would know that it is a sugary sweet, cute and wholesome show, and this movie is no exception. It is kind of amazing that someone can create new scenarios with pretty much the same premise, but there has been an evolution with this series going from just teasing to something of a middle school romantic comedy. Teasing Master Takagi-san is pretty much the progenitor of the “teasing” genre that has popped up in anime and manga as of late with many new series coming out with their own twists on this particular genre.

Speaking of twists on a particular genre, I am now starting to write my own “isekai” story. For those that do not know, “isekai” is a Japanese genre of portal fantasy and science fiction. In the U.S., we have seen this genre with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. While most go the route of transporting to some sort of medieval fantasy setting, I am not going the medieval route but instead going with science fiction. It has been a lot of fun brainstorming and putting new ideas out there.

I have to admit that I have been enjoying just writing a lot more recently. Part of it is because I have officially finished The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, and the result of constant editing and whatnot has made it a great story. With a new story being written, it has really made writing fun, for now. I know how this story goes, and while it is fun now, a grind is yet to come.

Birthdays and Getting Older

I just had a birthday recently and am officially middle aged. Time really has been going by quickly lately, and it feels that this happened in an instant. I would consider myself a late bloomer, and many of my accomplishments such as buying my first and second home happened recently along with getting engaged. While I would have liked to have accomplished these things in my twenties, I certainly was not ready nor had the drive or experience to attain these things. Now, I have been telling those in their twenties to buy property and just achieve more in their lives.

This includes my writing as well. I have noticed improvements in my writing, and I am simply more disciplined about writing than when I was in my twenties. I was not particularly studious and procrastinated a lot when I was a student. I believe that I would make a much better student now with being more disciplined and understanding the need to complete assignments first before partaking in entertainment like watching television or anime. I used to play video games a lot in the past, especially RPGs, but now, I hardly play video games anymore.

Instead of just partaking in entertainment, I am now in the process of creating entertainment through my writing and creating stories. It is a good time now, as I feel that I have more life experience and see the world differently.

New Ideas and Different Feels

I thought of a new story, and I am still in the brainstorming aspect of the writing process. With The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom almost finished, I thought that it would be fun to go with a new story with more of a science fiction feel instead of fantasy. I got a few ideas from anime, which has pretty much been my go-to idea factory, and a few ideas from video games as well. Feeling confident with my writing as well as far as constructing sentences and paragraphs, describing people or places, word usage and whatnot, I am finding more enjoyment in this. Of course, the beginning is usually the best part, as the grind happens in the middle.

I am anxiously looking forward to sending query letters again for The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom. I sent a bunch a few years ago when the book was unedited, and that just showed my inexperience. Now, I think that I have a better handle with this as far as sending query letters and just having a more presentable story to show to literary agents. It has coincided with me actually enjoying writing a bit more as of late, which is good.

I can only hope and pray that my story gets accepted, and I know that I’ve said that before. I suppose the only difference is that the story feels a lot different now, and I hope that it shows.

Departure and New

I have a friend who is leaving the state soon, and he is someone that I hang out with pretty much every weekend. When asked if I was sad about it, I responded that it is just a part of life, and getting into middle age, I have seen so many people come into and out of my life throughout the years. One of my good friends left this world a few years ago, so I am discovering that departure and letting go is simply a part of life. That does not mean that I am particularly happy about it, but accepting of the circumstances that life brings.

I am very close to finished The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom. In one sense, there is a departure from this story and onto the next story. I am still working on getting a Literary Agent, and I am hoping that this story, fully edited, will be appealing enough for an agent. I filled in a lot of gaps that I did not notice before, and the story is much better for it. Many scenes were particularly rushed, so I slowed down when necessary and filled in that space better.

I suppose that with departure comes something new. In a few months, I will be married, so in my personal life, that will be a whole new thing. With writing, there will have new stories to be created. I am anxious yet filled with anticipation for these new things to happen.