December Update 2024! (Patreon)

Good evening, everyone! C.H. Darkstrider here with the latest update. This one has been a long time coming and let’s just say there will be a lot of things explained in this one. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

First off, I want to go over the things that are concerning my current writing pace. I know that I have been quite slow this last little while and I have been reluctant to share what’s going on with that. I prefer to keep things close to the vest, as I would rather not spill the tea with what’s going on in my personal life. But… things and events in my life have been quite a handful lately, and it has really taken the wind out of my sails.

But that doesn’t mean that I am stopping, no matter what happens or… who tries to get in my way. I don’t know how long this will take, or how much longer I have to work on things to get back to my old pace, but it will happen! The world itself will stand aside for the man who knows where he is going. Those who do not step aside will quickly find themselves as red paste beneath my boots!

The next item of business I wanted to discuss is the number of chapters I have yet to do. I know I have fallen behind, but I will be catching up on that in the coming month. I am aware that nine story chapters in a month is a tall order, but it is one that I will be able to knock out in the coming weeks. Recently, circumstances have changed, which have in turn, opened up large swathes of time for me to write.

For those who may think I wrote that wrong, be assured that I did not. There will be nine chapters of stories this upcoming month and it will be a massive one in terms of content! This means two chapters of Project Prometheus, three chapters of Gaia’s Champion, three chapters of Tales of the Wastelander and one chapter of Return of the Blood Reaver! And yes, they will be releasing in exactly that order! For those who may think this to be an impossible feat, just sit back and watch me work!

The third item I wished to discuss is how I’ve been tossing in a random fourth story chapter that is unrelated to the main three I have been working on. I have been picking stories at random that I have already started and written, and have been adding more chapters to them. While doing that has been fun, it has been feeling a bit… directionless. It was then that it occurred to me that I shouldn’t be the one to choose these stories. You should!

What I’m talking about is that as of tonight, December 8th, 2024, every member of my Patreon and Subscribestar.adult, both free and paid, will be able to vote on which upcoming chapters I write! The main three, being Project Prometheus, Gaia’s Champion and Tales of the Wastelander, will still be coming, but the fourth story chapter, you will decide which one it is!

How it will work is simple. Starting tonight, I will craft a survey, which will allow everyone who is a member to vote on which story chapter I should do next! I will list every story I have ever written that is not in the regular rotation and you will select which story chapter I will work on and release in January of the New Year! At the start of January, the voting will close, and I will restart the process for the story of the month of February and onwards!

The rules are simple as well. Every member gets one vote to cast. Paid patrons and subscribers votes count as double. If a particular story wins three times in a row, it will be pulled from the fourth month’s rotation in order to give the other stories a chance to shine. As of the fifth month, said story will be put back into the rotation for voting and we will go from there.

Lastly, I wanted to bring up a brief FYI that my longtime supporters are already aware of. Everything that is done concerning my stories and updates that I post is all done by me and me alone. I create the ideas, craft the frameworks, make the outlines, write the various drafts, do all the editing, and release the final product all by myself.

There are also a lot of other things I want to do to help expand the universes I’ve created. Such as artwork, audios of the story chapters I’ve written, not to mention the literal multitude of story ideas that are kicking around inside my skull, demanding to be let out! With the amount of things I want to get done, it will take me at least several lifetimes to finish it all!

I also happen to be what would be called a working writer, meaning that I do all of this in my off time, with what time I can manage to steal. It hasn’t been easy, getting this far and I still have so much further to go before I can say that I have arrived at my dream of writing full time. Reaching my destination is important to me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the journey of getting there as much.

For those who may be curious about what it would take for me to become a full-time writer, I’ll outline it for you. In order for me to take up writing full time, I would need a total of two-thousand patrons/subscribers, at the lowest paid tier, in order to make that happen. I currently have barely over five hundred and while I’ve come a long way since I started, I still have a ways to go before I get there.

Once I get to that point, I will walk into work the following morning with my resignation letter in hand, give it to my bosses and tell them, ‘It’s been a slice, boys! Ta!’ and walk out with a smile on my face! That is my dream scenario and one that I have been diligently working towards for over seven years now! I believe it will happen and to reach that day and beyond, I will always be working hard to be worthy of it!

Well, that about wraps things up here! I do hope that everyone out there is doing well, wherever you may be! To all of those who support me and have continued to do so over the years, thank you! I don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for your support, and I am grateful for it every day! To everyone out there across the world, may you have a safe and happy holiday season, spending it with those who are closest to you! Cheers and Happy Holidays!