The Pub Discussion Board

Okay, so it's that time again... but first, let me take care of a little business:

November Donation Amount: $918.00
December Donation Amount: $531.00

A donor has been gifted an extra six months of special access for the November donations exceeding the goal of $700.

Now then...

It is that time again, as I said.  Time to look back at the year that was, and forward to the year that is to be. 

2018:
The Website:

The Mystic Wolf Pub gained 289 new members in 2018.  That's a low compared to other recent years.  We also gained two new authors, and we welcome DoomCock and Lachiel Vaher to the fold.

As has become usual (unfortunately), I made very little progress on the new version of the website.  I have started taking some online courses concerning web technologies, in an effort to produce a better site that will function on more devices, unlike the current site which is very desktop-centric.

My writing:

In 2018, I managed to write 119,257 words.  Not even half of my goal of a quarter million words.  I finished only one story, that being The Woodward Academy, Year 7.

My personal life:

In 2018's state of the website, I mentioned that 2017 sucked, and hoped that 2018 would be better.

It wasn't.

In 2018, we lost all three of our ferrets.  Two had to be put to sleep, and the third we re-homed for his benefit. (He is now living in a place with plenty of playmates.  Living here, he would have been alone.)  Our cat, Slush, and our dog, Bit, both had serious medical issues throughout the year.

My health has been only fair this year, with my IBS becoming worse, and my back and knee pains also growing more intense. Keeshaba's health has also deteriorated, her various medical ailments either staying the same or growing a little worse.  Doctors don't seem to be overly helpful in remediating these issues.

Our finances have hit rock bottom.  We have been forced to file for bankruptcy in order to survive.  The financial situation has added to my stress, thus making my IBS even worse (along with hindering my ability to write...)  The bankruptcy is not finalized yet, and the most stressful part (for me) is yet to come.

Now, on those cheery notes... let's look forward.

2019:
The Website:

No, it isn't very likely that I will complete the new version of the site this year.  I will, however, be continuing to take the courses to help me develop a good site.  Beyond that, I will continue to maintain this dinosaur of a site.  I will not be making any significant changes to it, of course.

My Writing:

Pretty much my only goal for 2019 is to finish WAY8.  I have still set my writing goal at 250,000 words, but I really feel as though that's a secondary prize.  I think if I managed to write 250,000 words, and yet didn't finish WAY8, I'd still be disappointed.

Should I manage to finish WAY8 "early" in the year (before November, say), I really don't know what I would focus on at that point.  If you have a preference, feel free to speak up.

Life:

This year, I hope to survive.  I really feel like it's that low-level at this point.  I won't know the outcome of the bankruptcy until the end of March.  (While it is uncommon for there to be issues in a simple bankruptcy, I will not be able to relax until I have that discharge notice in my hands.)  I need to go back to the doctor (I haven't been in almost two years, because I got sick of them not being able to do anything for me.), and that's not going to be fun... there are MRIs and a colonoscopy in my future... Fun, that is not.

Hopefully Keeshaba's health can, at the very least, stabilize.  Getting better would be a nice surprise.  For those of you who have lived without major illness, count your blessings.  It isn't fun.

And now for a word to our sponsors:

Wait, what?  Isn't the word supposed to be from our sponsors?  Well, yes, but none of you kind folks bothered to send in commercials to air here, so I'm making something up. 

In 2018, over 300 people made donations to The Pub.  To each and every one of you, I say, "Thank you very much."  There were months where your donations were literally the difference between eating spaghetti, or eating ramen.  (I HATE ramen.  I LOVE spaghetti. :drool:)

Going forward, it may seem like we have less need for donations... after all, we are getting rid of almost all our debt through the bankruptcy.  However, the other thing we've lost in the bankruptcy is any kind of safety net.  If something "bad" happens, we no longer have anything to fall back on.  It is our hope that your donations can help us create that safety net.  The money we have been paying toward our bills will now go into a savings account, so that, when trouble comes, we will have the funds to deal with it.

So, please, we ask that you continue to donate, if you have been doing so.  If you haven't been, but you could, we'd ask you to give it some thought.  If donating to us would make your life harder, please: DON'T DO IT.  I don't want that on my conscience.  Otherwise, be aware that the less stressed-out I am, the more likely I am to write frequently.

One last thing I'd like to emphasize about the donations issue:  We now accept donations through both Walmart and Amazon gift cards.  There are links to the relevant pages on this page.  I know that some of you detest PayPal.  This is a viable option for avoiding them.  Also, when you buy a gift card, ALL of the money goes to us.  PayPal takes a fee out of what you send.  I don't want to necessarily discourage anyone from using PayPal, though.  PayPal donations are the most flexible for us: they can be used anywhere.  Walmart gift cards are only useful at Walmart and Sam's Club.  Amazon cards are only good at Amazon.  In any case, I just wanted to point out the additional options.  They've been there for a while, but I haven't really made mention of them too often, so I thought I'd highlight them now.

...And we're back.  It's time to wrap up this show.  Remember, don't try anything you've seen here, at home.  We're what you call "experts".  (Expert whats, we're not saying...)

Regards,
Eric Storm