2018 is almost at the egress of my psyche. Did a lot but it wasn’t enough. Yes. I am a procrastinator, a definite character trait that will remain within me. Being a Gemini-Dragon (is there such a thing?), to combat that trait is to be creative and be able to show something on it. Hence, this passage.

This is the preview of a chapbook, ideated a while back but now I am determined to get it off the ground. It will be self-published but I am mulling on how to obtain the ISBN from Bowker. I do need it but for a starving artist, it is a little steep. Should I plunk down a time fee for $125 for one ISBN or the best deal of $350+ for 10 ISBNs? Ah, the travails of a start-up author. Creativity is good but somehow money ekes its importance just for the necessity of it. I do plan to only make 30+ copies of this book and hopefully sell it at the mom and pop booksellers here at Berkeley or even here on my blog. I don’t even know if I have 9 books to consider in the future but then who knows. Writer friends tell me it is really an investment and for me to keep writing. I do have at least 10+ ideas of novels to consider . . .

The Weekend is a compilation of poetry and a short story. It is in the line editing stages. Once I finalize the short story (6000+ words), it will be mixed into the chapbook and it will be ready for publication. I am hoping to do a mock up first and simmer on how to make it look like a book. I am excited to say the least.

The poetry reflects the deeper connections and experiences that are forever etched in my mind. The topics range from organized religion, AIDS, Death, and Love, Women’s voices that haven’t been heard, etc, . Some of it happened in real life whilst the others were taken from the stories of friends and family. Sometimes I get my inspiration from listening to people at the public transportation system, the bars or even at the restaurants. These are the best prompts to start with. The short story is about a stripper. Yes, a male stripper. Just like the characters in my poetry and about my future work, everyone has a voice that needs to be heard. Strippers have voices too. We will leave it as that for now. I don’t want to give anything away.

2019 will be deadline driven year. There are three MUSTS this year. One is deadlines. A self-imposed and carefully thought out deadline should combat procrastination and stubbornness. Two will be to jog everything down in a journal on works of progress and future ideas. I have these all over the place, in my iPhone, in my excel spreadsheet and in my laptop or in my thumb drive and organize things in a way that makes sense to me. Three is to find the right editor. Workshopping is good but having an Editor go through your manuscript makes a lot of sense. They are not cheep. It can be quite costly to seek the services of an editor who not only will help guide you in the editing process but also they are able to sense anything out of the ordinary that workshopping may not be able to pick up. 

Goodbye 2018. Welcome 2019