Nic Bomgardner's Blog: Valhallan News, page 4
August 2, 2023
Valhalla Post 11: Focus
Hey everyone! Just a quick update!
editing progress: ~0.5%
In short, it's been a while since I've done a post, or properly written the book. Frankly, I've found that I'm tired of my current job and I desperately NEED a change. So, I've been focusing on my course work. This comes with two bits of news.
The bad news? I obviously haven't worked much of the book. I really wish it wasn't true, but I've been dedicating all of my time to completing the course.
The good news? I've completed class 3, and I'm through a lot of class 4, the final class. In fact, I believe it should take me about 1 week to finish this class, then I'll have free time back! Yaaaay. I'll make sure I get back to writing and editing the next book. By the time I post next week, I'm sure I'll have finished my class and have at least some progress on the book. I know I've been quiet for a while, but truthfully, I didn't want to acknowledge that I stopped working on the book to do this. I love my book and my story, but I really want to get this done and out of the way to begin just improving my life. I hope all of you, my readers, understand. I am going to do my best to make up for it once I finish the course though! I'll do an insane amount of book work! count of it!
Until next time, keep focus on what you need to do, my Rising Stars!
editing progress: ~0.5%
In short, it's been a while since I've done a post, or properly written the book. Frankly, I've found that I'm tired of my current job and I desperately NEED a change. So, I've been focusing on my course work. This comes with two bits of news.
The bad news? I obviously haven't worked much of the book. I really wish it wasn't true, but I've been dedicating all of my time to completing the course.
The good news? I've completed class 3, and I'm through a lot of class 4, the final class. In fact, I believe it should take me about 1 week to finish this class, then I'll have free time back! Yaaaay. I'll make sure I get back to writing and editing the next book. By the time I post next week, I'm sure I'll have finished my class and have at least some progress on the book. I know I've been quiet for a while, but truthfully, I didn't want to acknowledge that I stopped working on the book to do this. I love my book and my story, but I really want to get this done and out of the way to begin just improving my life. I hope all of you, my readers, understand. I am going to do my best to make up for it once I finish the course though! I'll do an insane amount of book work! count of it!
Until next time, keep focus on what you need to do, my Rising Stars!
July 12, 2023
Valhalla Post 10: Breaks
You know what it is! Writing progress update time. Let's get into it.
Book 3 written: ~31%
Book 3 edited: ~28%
I want to touch on how important it is to take breaks. As you could probably tell from my last post, stress can be a nuisance, especially for me. I don't often get stressed and it often takes a lot for me to even feel stressed, but it still happens. Even to those who seem to handle it in stride. This weekend I took a small break and went to see some of the local, popular areas. Tried a smokehouse restaurant that's highly regarded (rightly so) and I went to see an inspiring landscape. Not only that, but me and my significant other went to see the play Hamilton. Which was a great musical, but I must say that auditorium seats have never been for me.
No matter what you do to relax and get away from things, remember to take some of that time to do so. Maybe that consists of visiting family that lives across the city, or perhaps that involves just staying home and having a spa night, or maybe something as simple as dipping your feet into a small ice bath after a long, hot day of work. Find your small breaks because they will help you keep your sanity, and your motivation.
If you take anything away from this, please let it be to take care of yourself, and to help take care of each other. Hope you're all doing well, my Rising Stars.
Book 3 written: ~31%
Book 3 edited: ~28%
I want to touch on how important it is to take breaks. As you could probably tell from my last post, stress can be a nuisance, especially for me. I don't often get stressed and it often takes a lot for me to even feel stressed, but it still happens. Even to those who seem to handle it in stride. This weekend I took a small break and went to see some of the local, popular areas. Tried a smokehouse restaurant that's highly regarded (rightly so) and I went to see an inspiring landscape. Not only that, but me and my significant other went to see the play Hamilton. Which was a great musical, but I must say that auditorium seats have never been for me.
No matter what you do to relax and get away from things, remember to take some of that time to do so. Maybe that consists of visiting family that lives across the city, or perhaps that involves just staying home and having a spa night, or maybe something as simple as dipping your feet into a small ice bath after a long, hot day of work. Find your small breaks because they will help you keep your sanity, and your motivation.
If you take anything away from this, please let it be to take care of yourself, and to help take care of each other. Hope you're all doing well, my Rising Stars.
June 28, 2023
Valhalla Post 9: Stress
I'm afraid this is going to be a very short blog post, just a lot going on.
editing progress: ~0.5%
Dealing with a lot of stress surrounding with apartment complex things, certificate related things, and a few work things as well. I haven't had the time or the focus to make much progress on the book so far. I'm hoping to do better next week, but I also need to take some time to take care of myself as well. I'm hoping next time I'll have better book news. Until next time, Stay Strong my Rising Stars.
editing progress: ~0.5%
Dealing with a lot of stress surrounding with apartment complex things, certificate related things, and a few work things as well. I haven't had the time or the focus to make much progress on the book so far. I'm hoping to do better next week, but I also need to take some time to take care of myself as well. I'm hoping next time I'll have better book news. Until next time, Stay Strong my Rising Stars.
June 19, 2023
Valhalla Post 8: Energy
As per the yoozh, I got a quick update for everyone on progress of the book. It's not as good as I'd like, but progress is still progress.
Book 3 written: ~30%
Book 3 edited: ~27%
I've discussed motivation before, but the other thing I've found hard to come by, especially this week, is energy. This is something people struggle with every day, and I always do my best to have a modicum of energy myself. However, I still have my own issues with it. The most important things are to make sure you're eating right, staying hydrated, and getting sleep! Seriously, sleep is so important. I had about 3 nights in a row of just absolutely awful sleep and I'm only just recovering from it and it's been about 3 days since then.
That said, I want to correct a certain fallacy, which is this belief that you accrue a sleep debt, like if you miss 2 hours of sleep tonight, you'll have to make up for it later in the week. Truth be told, that isn't true. You will always need roughly the same amount of sleep, but you may feel like you need more when you have either had less rest, or used up more energy than you usually do. This does include just being awake because you use energy just by being awake, or at the very least you use a lot more than when you're asleep. For energy, remember to eat well, drink water, and for crying out loud, get that sleep! Noir never misses out on it for a reason you know.
That said, if you are doing all of that and you're still lacking energy, then chances are good that it's for mental reasons, rather than physical. Where you are mentally can really affect how energetic and motivated you feel. Sometimes, it's hard, and that's something totally understandable. However, mental things is a much longer talk, so I'm going to put it off for now. I will say though that, sometimes, what you really need is a change in perspective. This week, I had both physical and mental reasons to feel like I was absolutely wiped out, but I've finally found my way to being back on top of things, so I'm going to do my best on writing, editing, and continuing my certificate classes, which have also suffered from the lack of energy, but I'm going to do better the rest of this week and you better believe it!
Until next time, take care of yourselves and help support yourself and your energy as best as you can. Then one day, you might feel as motivated and energetic as Brokkr himself! See you in the next post my Rising Stars!
Book 3 written: ~30%
Book 3 edited: ~27%
I've discussed motivation before, but the other thing I've found hard to come by, especially this week, is energy. This is something people struggle with every day, and I always do my best to have a modicum of energy myself. However, I still have my own issues with it. The most important things are to make sure you're eating right, staying hydrated, and getting sleep! Seriously, sleep is so important. I had about 3 nights in a row of just absolutely awful sleep and I'm only just recovering from it and it's been about 3 days since then.
That said, I want to correct a certain fallacy, which is this belief that you accrue a sleep debt, like if you miss 2 hours of sleep tonight, you'll have to make up for it later in the week. Truth be told, that isn't true. You will always need roughly the same amount of sleep, but you may feel like you need more when you have either had less rest, or used up more energy than you usually do. This does include just being awake because you use energy just by being awake, or at the very least you use a lot more than when you're asleep. For energy, remember to eat well, drink water, and for crying out loud, get that sleep! Noir never misses out on it for a reason you know.
That said, if you are doing all of that and you're still lacking energy, then chances are good that it's for mental reasons, rather than physical. Where you are mentally can really affect how energetic and motivated you feel. Sometimes, it's hard, and that's something totally understandable. However, mental things is a much longer talk, so I'm going to put it off for now. I will say though that, sometimes, what you really need is a change in perspective. This week, I had both physical and mental reasons to feel like I was absolutely wiped out, but I've finally found my way to being back on top of things, so I'm going to do my best on writing, editing, and continuing my certificate classes, which have also suffered from the lack of energy, but I'm going to do better the rest of this week and you better believe it!
Until next time, take care of yourselves and help support yourself and your energy as best as you can. Then one day, you might feel as motivated and energetic as Brokkr himself! See you in the next post my Rising Stars!
June 13, 2023
Valhalla Post 7: Celebrations
I'm going to keep this one brief because I wrote it all up, then had an error, and it was going to be brief to begin with. Here goes!
General progress on writing and editing: ~1%
Always celebrate where you can. I celebrated my birthday this weekend (woo! one year older!) and I'm self-celebrating being 1 month and 1 week ahead of my certificate class.
It's always important to celebrate all the things you do, even if it's just doing the dishes after a long and exhausting day. Continue celebrating yourself, and the things you do. Until next time, Rising Stars.
General progress on writing and editing: ~1%
Always celebrate where you can. I celebrated my birthday this weekend (woo! one year older!) and I'm self-celebrating being 1 month and 1 week ahead of my certificate class.
It's always important to celebrate all the things you do, even if it's just doing the dishes after a long and exhausting day. Continue celebrating yourself, and the things you do. Until next time, Rising Stars.
June 4, 2023
Valhalla Post 6: Inspirations
Hey everyone! Today, I would like to talk about the big topic of inspiration for me. First, a quick update.
Book 3 written: ~28%
Book 3 edited: ~25%
One thing that I know a lot of people can struggle with is inspiration. It could be finding your muse to write, draw, sew, weld, etc.. Every creative can have a real problem with it sometimes, and I would be lying if I said I didn't face a problem with it from time to time. To stay motivated 100% of the time just doesn't feel realistic. But, I would like to share the things that help to motivate me.
The top thing? A good story. Now, I want to nip one thing in the bud real quick. I don't just mean another book. I mean any story. It could come from a video game, anime, movie, tv show, podcast, or even from music. In fact, I remember the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie getting me all pumped up to write more in my book. Speaking of, sometimes even playing D&D gets me stoked to write more in my book. There's something about creating a small part of a fictional story that doesn't fully belong to you that makes you want to continue making a story, even if it is one that completely belongs to you.
The next top thing? Honestly, it's support from other people. For me, it usually comes in the forms of my friends and family. However, this can even come from seeing a sudden increase in books sold. To me, it doesn't matter if it's a digital copy sold, a paperback, or a hardcover. The fact that anyone gets a copy? It makes me happy and makes me want to continue writing. Every single one that gets purchased makes me feel like yet another person that is waiting for what comes next or that is openly, even if it isn't directly, supporting me. To all my friends and family, to all those that have bought my books, and to my one fan that even preordered the second book... Thank you. It truly means so much to me and makes me want to work that much harder in bringing you the next book.
Alright, well that's a wrap for this one! Everyone take care of yourselves, and take care of each other, and enjoy Pride Month. Always be who you know you were meant to be, no matter what anyone says. Whether it's being a part of the norm, or apart from the norm. There will always be people to support you, even if you haven't met them yet. Until next time, my Rising Stars!
Book 3 written: ~28%
Book 3 edited: ~25%
One thing that I know a lot of people can struggle with is inspiration. It could be finding your muse to write, draw, sew, weld, etc.. Every creative can have a real problem with it sometimes, and I would be lying if I said I didn't face a problem with it from time to time. To stay motivated 100% of the time just doesn't feel realistic. But, I would like to share the things that help to motivate me.
The top thing? A good story. Now, I want to nip one thing in the bud real quick. I don't just mean another book. I mean any story. It could come from a video game, anime, movie, tv show, podcast, or even from music. In fact, I remember the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie getting me all pumped up to write more in my book. Speaking of, sometimes even playing D&D gets me stoked to write more in my book. There's something about creating a small part of a fictional story that doesn't fully belong to you that makes you want to continue making a story, even if it is one that completely belongs to you.
The next top thing? Honestly, it's support from other people. For me, it usually comes in the forms of my friends and family. However, this can even come from seeing a sudden increase in books sold. To me, it doesn't matter if it's a digital copy sold, a paperback, or a hardcover. The fact that anyone gets a copy? It makes me happy and makes me want to continue writing. Every single one that gets purchased makes me feel like yet another person that is waiting for what comes next or that is openly, even if it isn't directly, supporting me. To all my friends and family, to all those that have bought my books, and to my one fan that even preordered the second book... Thank you. It truly means so much to me and makes me want to work that much harder in bringing you the next book.
Alright, well that's a wrap for this one! Everyone take care of yourselves, and take care of each other, and enjoy Pride Month. Always be who you know you were meant to be, no matter what anyone says. Whether it's being a part of the norm, or apart from the norm. There will always be people to support you, even if you haven't met them yet. Until next time, my Rising Stars!
May 28, 2023
Valhalla Post 5: Self Managing
Howdy hey everyone! This one may be a bit brief because it's late, but first, the usual update.
Book 3 written: ~26%
Book 3 edited: ~23%
The thing is, a lot of my life lately has been about managing myself, and it has slowly become even more so. I actually managed to do an extra 2% of both writing and editing, and I did at least 2 weeks worth of work for my certificate course (Yay! Quite excited I was about to do both). But, I've also decided to try and manage my physical health too. I want to workout more, and I want to eat better, and I want to continue improving not just my mental health with writing and taking courses, but also my physical health. Truth be told, managing yourself is one of the hardest things to do. It's really easy to want to just sit around and play games or watch tv, or even to just sit there and do nothing. Especially after a long day of working hard and simply doing too much. (Ew, gross, am I right?)
However, I've always worked to move when I've felt like moving the least. I push myself forward to do things because even if I don't feel like doing anything at all, that's something I still want to do. It's not that I don't want to write, or finish my course early, or even go for a short run. It's that I just want a small respite where I don't do anything at all. I feel that. I like to think I feel it just as much as the next person. But I've worked on making myself do stuff even when I don't feel like doing anything at all. Sometimes it's exhausting, but for the most part, I'm glad I've done it.
So, if there's ever anything you want to do and you feel like you don't have the energy, then make the energy. Convince yourself to get up. Push yourself. If it's something you truly want to do, then you have to stop standing in your own way. Figure out how you can manage yourself, and keep moving forward.
I am behind you, always. Let's keep pursuing our dreams my Rising Stars!
Book 3 written: ~26%
Book 3 edited: ~23%
The thing is, a lot of my life lately has been about managing myself, and it has slowly become even more so. I actually managed to do an extra 2% of both writing and editing, and I did at least 2 weeks worth of work for my certificate course (Yay! Quite excited I was about to do both). But, I've also decided to try and manage my physical health too. I want to workout more, and I want to eat better, and I want to continue improving not just my mental health with writing and taking courses, but also my physical health. Truth be told, managing yourself is one of the hardest things to do. It's really easy to want to just sit around and play games or watch tv, or even to just sit there and do nothing. Especially after a long day of working hard and simply doing too much. (Ew, gross, am I right?)
However, I've always worked to move when I've felt like moving the least. I push myself forward to do things because even if I don't feel like doing anything at all, that's something I still want to do. It's not that I don't want to write, or finish my course early, or even go for a short run. It's that I just want a small respite where I don't do anything at all. I feel that. I like to think I feel it just as much as the next person. But I've worked on making myself do stuff even when I don't feel like doing anything at all. Sometimes it's exhausting, but for the most part, I'm glad I've done it.
So, if there's ever anything you want to do and you feel like you don't have the energy, then make the energy. Convince yourself to get up. Push yourself. If it's something you truly want to do, then you have to stop standing in your own way. Figure out how you can manage yourself, and keep moving forward.
I am behind you, always. Let's keep pursuing our dreams my Rising Stars!
May 21, 2023
Valhalla Post 4: Creating Characters
Welcome back! It's time for yet another one. As per the yuzhe (like usual, but without the -al) I got a quick update for you. I'm afraid with my class work, I've slowed down, but I'm still working on the book, I promise. I have been moving double speed through my course though.
Book 3 written: ~24%
Book 3 edited: ~21%
As I promised, this week is about how I create the characters in my book. Many of my originally planned characters actually have small segments of myself in them. For instance, Noir, who is a large character in my book, has a very large portion of myself in him. I will go into further detail later, but he's essentially who I would be if you only had those parts. With more examples that are actually details, Kayren is based on my own personally grumpy nature. Now, I'm not always grumpy, but when I am, I think it's in a similar way to him. Many characters that I have, or have planned, have large sections of myself, and then I build on top of those sections to try and make them more dynamic.
However, some of my characters are not planned in the slightest and I end up creating a new personality just for them. For instance, I made Erik completely on the spot and tried to use him to show how Noir compares to your more average Slayer, and ended up doing him dirty and giving him a bit of a "dumb jock" type of personality and stereotype. However, I did decide, by the end, to have him split because he's realizing at least one of his faults, which I'm hoping I can use to create a more dynamic character.
Similarly, I made Gregg at the drop of a hat and brought him in as a slightly desperate, down-on-his-luck merchant. I give some glimpses on how Noir is helping him to change his situation, and while some things are unexplained, I may try and explain them later. But I wanted to create this characters more out of nothing to see if they worked or became something new and important, and I think they've done well. I'm hoping to one day release a full, huge list on characters and how they were created and my processes on them, but I believe that will be toward the end when they've been fully flushed out and hopefully no longer contain any type of *spoilers*
Well, that's everything for now everyone. I'm going to work on doing better on working on the book, but I'm also trying to work double time on my course so that I can finish it by July or August. Once I do, I'll be back to spending all that energy on writing and editing the next book!
Until next time, keep living your incredible, dynamic lives my Rising Stars!
Book 3 written: ~24%
Book 3 edited: ~21%
As I promised, this week is about how I create the characters in my book. Many of my originally planned characters actually have small segments of myself in them. For instance, Noir, who is a large character in my book, has a very large portion of myself in him. I will go into further detail later, but he's essentially who I would be if you only had those parts. With more examples that are actually details, Kayren is based on my own personally grumpy nature. Now, I'm not always grumpy, but when I am, I think it's in a similar way to him. Many characters that I have, or have planned, have large sections of myself, and then I build on top of those sections to try and make them more dynamic.
However, some of my characters are not planned in the slightest and I end up creating a new personality just for them. For instance, I made Erik completely on the spot and tried to use him to show how Noir compares to your more average Slayer, and ended up doing him dirty and giving him a bit of a "dumb jock" type of personality and stereotype. However, I did decide, by the end, to have him split because he's realizing at least one of his faults, which I'm hoping I can use to create a more dynamic character.
Similarly, I made Gregg at the drop of a hat and brought him in as a slightly desperate, down-on-his-luck merchant. I give some glimpses on how Noir is helping him to change his situation, and while some things are unexplained, I may try and explain them later. But I wanted to create this characters more out of nothing to see if they worked or became something new and important, and I think they've done well. I'm hoping to one day release a full, huge list on characters and how they were created and my processes on them, but I believe that will be toward the end when they've been fully flushed out and hopefully no longer contain any type of *spoilers*
Well, that's everything for now everyone. I'm going to work on doing better on working on the book, but I'm also trying to work double time on my course so that I can finish it by July or August. Once I do, I'll be back to spending all that energy on writing and editing the next book!
Until next time, keep living your incredible, dynamic lives my Rising Stars!
May 11, 2023
Valhalla Post 3: Slow Zone
I got to be honest, I have slowed down a little this week. My certificate course has officially started and rather than writing, I spent 3 hours going through a full week's worth of content. (Well, reading content and creating self-narrated notes to listen to while working. It's not THAT impressive, trust me.) Unfortunately, my progress was slowed down by that, namely in writing.
Book 3 written: ~23%
Book 3 editing: ~20%
I wrote about 1% more and edited about 2% more. If I can keep my current pace with my course and try to write more, I'm hoping my 6 month course will be completed in 3 months, but I do worry it will slow down my writing. I am going to do my best to keep up with the writing as well, but this course will help me finally get my life off the back burner, or so I'm hoping.
In spite of this slowing down news, I would like to add a general length to the book. Part of the reason why the percentages are very approximated is because of the content I plan to convey in the book vs how long it takes to actually write said content. If each layer and the chapter after it consists of, say, 2 chapters, then the book could, supposedly, be about 22 chapters. However, I don't want it to always seem like the same boring process, so I have the occasional chapter that pulls the reader away from that pattern. I still don't know what the exact length of the book will be, but I've roughimated (roughly estimated) 26-28 chapters. The number could be similar to book 2 where it's closer to 30 chapters, but I only have the content planned out, not how long it will take to get through it. So, I'm hoping that I can either finish 2/3rds of a chapter per week, or one full chapter. Unfortunately, it will all depend on my freetime and the balance of coursework and writing... But never fear! Slayers are all about braving the unknown and doing the best the can, and I don't plan on doing any less. In the next post, I'll officially discuss character creation, promise!
Until next time, keep working hard my Rising Stars!
Book 3 written: ~23%
Book 3 editing: ~20%
I wrote about 1% more and edited about 2% more. If I can keep my current pace with my course and try to write more, I'm hoping my 6 month course will be completed in 3 months, but I do worry it will slow down my writing. I am going to do my best to keep up with the writing as well, but this course will help me finally get my life off the back burner, or so I'm hoping.
In spite of this slowing down news, I would like to add a general length to the book. Part of the reason why the percentages are very approximated is because of the content I plan to convey in the book vs how long it takes to actually write said content. If each layer and the chapter after it consists of, say, 2 chapters, then the book could, supposedly, be about 22 chapters. However, I don't want it to always seem like the same boring process, so I have the occasional chapter that pulls the reader away from that pattern. I still don't know what the exact length of the book will be, but I've roughimated (roughly estimated) 26-28 chapters. The number could be similar to book 2 where it's closer to 30 chapters, but I only have the content planned out, not how long it will take to get through it. So, I'm hoping that I can either finish 2/3rds of a chapter per week, or one full chapter. Unfortunately, it will all depend on my freetime and the balance of coursework and writing... But never fear! Slayers are all about braving the unknown and doing the best the can, and I don't plan on doing any less. In the next post, I'll officially discuss character creation, promise!
Until next time, keep working hard my Rising Stars!
May 2, 2023
Valhalla Post 2: Learning and Life
I just want to start off this one with the boring old progress report. I did about as much writing this week as I expected, but I did more editing than expected!
Writing of book 3: ~22%
Editing of book 3: ~18%
As I've said, I try to add 2-3% of both columns every week if I can. With that said, after next week, that might slow down or become difficult. I'm trying to earn a certificate in data analysis so that I can (hopefully) switch fields. If I succeed, I should be more able to afford things and that should also help me to find more time to write. The course could take a max of 8 months (absolutely not) but it's self paced, so I'm aiming to have it all done by September. Unfortunately, this might impact my writing as I also have to focus on quickly finishing that class.
Next week, I'm planning on discussing character inspiration, talking about how I make each character and how I attempt to handle their personalities. Life and learning shouldn't stand in the way of me writing that next blog post, but everyone will probably know how it's affecting me in the next post after that.
Until next time, keep learning and living your best lives my Rising Stars!
Writing of book 3: ~22%
Editing of book 3: ~18%
As I've said, I try to add 2-3% of both columns every week if I can. With that said, after next week, that might slow down or become difficult. I'm trying to earn a certificate in data analysis so that I can (hopefully) switch fields. If I succeed, I should be more able to afford things and that should also help me to find more time to write. The course could take a max of 8 months (absolutely not) but it's self paced, so I'm aiming to have it all done by September. Unfortunately, this might impact my writing as I also have to focus on quickly finishing that class.
Next week, I'm planning on discussing character inspiration, talking about how I make each character and how I attempt to handle their personalities. Life and learning shouldn't stand in the way of me writing that next blog post, but everyone will probably know how it's affecting me in the next post after that.
Until next time, keep learning and living your best lives my Rising Stars!
Valhallan News
News about my writing, progress, or just general updates with regards to writing.
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