Has it been that long already? Goodness
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BIG product news (clickety-clack), a weekly update (of a sort) and a few sneak peeks at what the rest of the year looks like for the Briarverse!
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I get the exact same feeling every time I get an email about an Ubisoft playtest. Not that there’s a whole lot coming up I’m anxious to get into but it still feels bad
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I’m going to try and keep this journal updated more in 2022, even if it’s a barebones post like this:
Week of January 3rd:
I spent the last week of 2021 in the mountains with my family, where I learned the basics of both snowboarding and crochet, two hobbies I’d been wanting to pick up for years.
Turns out, crochet is much easier on my big hands than needlepoint, and I finished my first project, a scarf, in 3-4 days. It’s pretty basic, but the variegated yarn I used makes it look WAY more interesting.
I took three days of snowboarding lessons with a coach, and we had a blast. I spent a lot of 2021 getting in better physical shape, stronger, more flexible, and it was fun to push myself physically on the slopes and see how my long-term work last year paid off in stamina, endurance, and mobility.
Workwise, today is my first day back “in the office” in a while. I’m slowly working on strategizing for what will be a very different year from last year. If you watched this video, you know I’m making some pretty significant changes to my personal and work life, and instead of diving right into change, change, change, I’m spending a week downloading all my swirling ideas into a document and figuring out what my first priorities should be and where I want to end up mid-year, 2023, and five years from now. There are going to be some very big changes in the coming months, a lot of which you all won’t see for a while, but some that will also have hopefully positive impacts on your experience in the Briarverse, on the forum, and within this community.
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We’re here with you for the ride!
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now that im catching up, and eventualy will fully catch up, im excited to see where things go!
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It might seem quiet here but I’ve been working a lot behind-the-scenes, planning, writing, and working on a roadmap for the future of the community.
Personally, I’m taking much more time than I usually do to recharge and get my head straight. I also finally booked time with an amazing artist to get a sleeve tattoo that I’ve been dreaming about for a couple decades. It’s weird to think that this weekend will be the last time I see my arm the way it was when I was born, all the freckles and lack of melanin. I’m excited, nervous, and looking forward to seeing my dream tattoo come to life.
I’ll definitely post pics, and expect more updates about everything in the next couple weeks. I hope 2022 is treating you all well.
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Back in the Beforetimes (2019), I shaved off my beard for a little bit. I realized I hadn’t seen my chin in over 20 years at that point. That was … weird.
Enjoy the tattoo! I’m looking forward to my next one.
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Hey everyone! I miss you all and I’m working on a video that I’ll post this week about everything I’ve been working on this year. I’ve spent time recovering from burnout, spending time with my family, and I’ve also been coming up with some fun (and sustainable) plans for us as a community moving forward. I’m really looking forward to discussing them with you!
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Can’t wait! And as always, please let us know how we can help you out.
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Update will be up sometime this afternoon!
It’s 30+ min 
and so it’s taking a looooong time to upload to Youtube. 
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Hey!
Rambling journal update incoming!
New Forum
I’ve been working with a developer to figure out how to best migrate the existing forum (and all its contents 
) to the new platform and it looks like it’s finally going to happen a week from Friday, barring any unforeseen issues! It should be a seamless transition, but you know, best-laid plans and all…
I’ll post an update next week with info and tips for navigating the new platform, but if you want to get a sneak peek at what it will look like, check out Unlock social networking features for your online course. | BuddyBoss
A lot of the changes will just be naming conventions like Topics will be called Discussions, Categories will either be Forums (narrative, blog posts, and deeper discussions) or Groups (for more community-based/shared interests stuff.) The new form will be organically structured in a way that I’ve been trying to bend and break the existing forum into for years and I’m really excited to migrate over and settle in. And best of all… the profiles. So much more interesting stuff to do on them, including being able to post to your profile right from the front page of the forum, likes it’s your own blog/journal. You can also connect with other users which means you’ll be able to better follow their activity and updates… just all-around much improved, we just have to get there first.
Writing + Burnout Recovery
Aside from that, I am feeling really good about the new book, and my much-lightened workload. It’s given me so much mental room to daydream and explore ideas and take care of myself. I had reserved a spot with a book cover designer I was really eager to work with and when the time came (last month) I decided to commit to this new project and have its cover designed. I can’t WAIT for you to see it. The cover, the book, the genre, it’s all a departure for me as a writer, and yet, also not?
Reading Goals
I read so little last year so this year I promised I’d read 25 books, and even a reluctant DNF counts.
Backordered Candles
I’m going to start fulfilling back-ordered candle purchases in the next week or two.
Chickens!
We brought five little chicks home last month and they’re having the time of their lives in their brooder house in our garage. I don’t even like eggs all that much, I just wanted to be a chicken parent. I can’t wait to show you pics of them and their enormous coop and run. Their names are Doralee, Judy, Violet, Margaret, and Roz, and if you can tell where those names come from, you get the biggest virtual ever.
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Also, apropos of absolutely nothing mentioned above, the novel Dracula is in epistolary format (a big inspiration for The Monarch Papers) and the events in it take place between May and November. Someone has created a substack of the novel, releasing each letter, diary entry, and telegram via email, corresponding to the date it was marked in the novel! It started May 3rd, but there’s an archive to help you catch up.
I LOVE this idea, and am adding it to my TBR this year, wanna join me and discuss it?
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Sure… 
But absolutely going to do this, get my Stagecraft 1 nostalgia fix (stage manager book for play version was our final in that class).
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Testing out the journal plugin as well as errors Ash was getting when trying to post in one of the hobby categories.
Seeing if I can see the error
Seeing if I can see the error
Seeing if I can see the error