Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Last week, I finished writing the first draft of Kingmaker. It’s probably the longest book I’ve ever written, coming in at just over 76,000 words so far. So, what kind of big things do I have planned now that book one is done?
The problem I’m having is that I have so much that I would love to do before the end of the year.
That’s what happens when you bite off a lot more than you can chew. Trying to keep everything balanced is a chore of its own, let alone making sure clients are happy. Nonetheless, I have some great things planned for myself.
Major Projects on the Horizon
One of the biggest problems I have is trying to take on too much at once. In the past, this often resulted in not getting nearly as much done as I would have liked.
In fact, many things wind up getting put on the back burner.
So, this time around, let’s look at the major projects I’d like to do but also consider time constraints I have during the day. Even though some things will only eat up an hour, it’s the amount of time I can spend on them during the week that will dictate when they’re finished.
Editing the Book, Obviously
Currently, I am dedicating at least an hour per day to edit my second book. This doesn’t include any time I put into it after 6 pm or on the weekends. But by then, my mind is close to mush.
It takes quite a bit more out of you to create content all day than what some people might realize. There are days when I just want to shut off my brain and just veg out on Netflix.
In any case, the plan is to have this next book published before Christmas. That means getting spending time getting it ready.
Working on the Story for Inkitt
I set up an Inkitt account a few weeks ago and haven’t had the time to write the new story. Mostly because I was working so hard getting the first draft of Kingmaker done.
As I would love to have a fully published book on Inkitt, I’m going to see if I can get an hour per week for the story. Now, the reason why I’m not putting more time into it is because I have other projects that are higher priority.
Essentially, I’m going to treat it similar to how I produce the Despair videos on YouTube: 1500 to 2000-word episodes once per week. It might take a while for the book to be complete, but I just don’t have more time to put into it for the next couple of months.
Rewriting VII for NaNoWriMo 2022
National Novel Writing Month starts at the beginning of November. I promised a lot of people that I would rewrite and finish the book I have on Wattpad, VII. After all, I’ve come a long way since I started writing it back in 2016.
Out of all of the major projects I am looking at right now, this is probably one of the most pressing. The plan is to write 50,000 words before the end of NaNoWriMo 2022. Coincidentally, this is also about the length of the book.
For me to reach that goal, I have to dedicated 2.5 hour blocks of time every day throughout November. This is because I will miss a total of seven days of writing due to Thanksgiving vacation and the weekend event for Extra Life.
Based on what I already do in a day, this is a pretty significant chunk of time.
I’m probably going to jockey a few things around and do more during the weekends. And this is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why I’m not going all-in with any of these other projects.
Rewriting VII is going to take up too much of my day. Perhaps after NaNoWriMo, I’ll prioritize to finish one of these other projects.
Exploring Kindle Vella
Kindle Vella looks like something that is more of my pace. From what I gather, it works similar to what I do for Despair and what I’ll be doing for Inkitt – one episode per week.
I haven’t had a chance to really dive into it, so, I’m not 100% sure how it works. Yet, I plan on doing some research this week to see if it’s something I can manage during my busy workday.
In any case, Kindle Vella is something I wanted to review for both the blog and YouTube channel. So, it’ll be worth my time checking it out and getting a feel for the platform.
Start Writing Book Two to Kingmaker
Kingmaker is actually book one of a four-book series I have planned. I’ll start working on book two sometime in December, probably shortly after Kingmaker is published and on the market.
However, there is a stark difference between how I handled book one and what I’ll do for the sequal: a three or four-month writing deadline.
I don’t want the second book to take a year to publish. Especially if readers like the story to the first one. Because of how I ended the story, people are going to want to continue as soon as possible.
This Doesn’t Include Blogs and YouTube Channels
As I’ve said, my day is pretty full. The major projects above are but a small piece of what I create on a daily basis. When you consider that I’m also trying to get my three major blogs on a routine schedule while making YouTube videos, I don’t have a lot of spare time in the week.
Well, outside of an 8-hour workday. And this is all after my paying client’s projects.
I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t put in 100-hour weeks again. I prefer not to burn out to the point of hating what I do for a living. So, I’ve decided to simply fill up a traditional 8-hour day with what I want to do.
Of course, this also includes clients and doing research for all types of content.
Without going into too much detail, pushing as hard as I could for four years really did a number on my mental state. This is why I am very against hustle culture.
Since the blogs and YouTube channels do take quite a bit of time to produce throughout the week, I have to focus on creating stability if I want the most prominent things done first.
It All Comes Down to Balance
There’s no doubt that I take on an awful lot throughout the week. But with a good schedule and time management, it’s not so difficult to keep things flowing.
For me, success relies heavily on keeping myself working throughout the day without wasting time with Netflix, Hulu, or other diversions. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well, when you work from home, keeping yourself motivated and productive isn’t the easiest thing in the world. As a freelancer, blogger, vlogger, and author, you’re only accountable to yourself.
Success or failure hinges on whether you can be a self-starter and how good you are at keeping on task throughout the day. And when you have as much on your plate as I do, the smallest hiccup can postpone quite a few things.
I really don’t have much leeway in my day for frivolous adventures. At least if I want to get as much done as I want. Technically, I could call it a day after my client work is done and go hang out at the coffee shop the rest of the day.
But if I did that, then the blogs would never grow, the YouTube channels would stay stagnant, and I wouldn’t publish many books.
Instead, I’ll continue to work on balance while prioritizing the things that matter most.
What Major Project Are You Working On?
I’m quite excited to get started on some of the above projects. Though, I’m not sure if any of them compare to the excitement that I have for my second book coming out.
I guess we’ll just have to see how things progress. In any case, I’m having quite the productive last quarter of 2022.
How are your personal projects coming along, and what has you the most excited?
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