The Pub Discussion Board

So, I know this is actually late, but I've been having issues the last week or so, and my sleep schedule is all screwed up, so I didn't get to do this yesterday.

It's that time again: time to look back, and look forward, and see what we will see.

Looking Back:

The Website:

2019 was a low-average year for the site.  We gained 321 new members, which is almost one a day, but is lower than in years past.  We also gained two new authors: MDH1969 and Anganell Brigette.  Welcome to both of you.

Unfortunately, both of those new authors occurred in the first couple months of the year, and we haven't seen any new authors since.  To make matters worse, many of the authors we already have seem to have disappeared.

The site itself is at least more stable, running on PHP 7 and a different GoDaddy server than it used to be on.

My writing:

I didn't even make half of my 250,000 word quota in 2019 (110,436, actually).  I completed no stories at all.  The only stories that saw any progress were WAY8 and Agent of Change.  In short, it was a bad year for my writing.

My personal life:

2019 sucked.

What, I'm supposed to elaborate?  Okay, fine... for those who maybe haven't been here all year:  I lost my wife to illness in February.  I completed bankruptcy in March.  I got rid of the van in April, and I've been concerned about the health of my dog for the remainder of the year.  I don't talk to anyone on a regular basis, and generally life is miserable.

See?  You didn't really want me to elaborate.

Well, that was fun, wasn't it?  Now, let's turn to the future...

Looking Ahead:

The Website:

I intend to make progress toward a new version of the site.  I am currently taking online classes in programming to help me craft a more responsive site design that is better suited to the current kinds of devices being used to access the web.  The current version of the site was designed in 2006, and back then, while smart phones existed, they were not yet "a thing".  The new site design will need to work for desktop users like myself, as well as mobile users, and so I am endeavoring to teach myself what I need to know to make that happen.

Whether or not you see ANYTHING by the end of the year is anybody's guess.

My writing:

I hope and pray to finish WAY8 this year.  I'm already a full year and a half late with its release.  Beyond that, I do not have any ambitions for my writing.  I'd just like to get back to a point where I'm actually doing some on a regular basis.

My personal life:

Will suck.

What, you want me to elaborate?  It didn't work out so well when you insisted upon it up above...  Fine...

Although my finances are stabilizing, thanks to the help of the donors, it's about the only part of my life that is in any way positive.  My health is dubious, at best.  I spend most days in some form of pain, and some other form of discomfort.  My IBS isn't going anywhere, and my blood sugar is trending toward the diabetic range.  My teeth... are the largest cause of discomfort nowadays, and will have to be dealt with "soon".  I'm holding off on that as long as I can because I hate dentures, and that's the only option left to me at this point.  (Fixing them is no longer possible.)

I have no relationships... and no hope of forming any.  I don't socialize.  I spend my days here at the house.  I always have, but up until last February, there was someone else here to talk to.  The cats aren't terribly chatty, and the dog's too stupid.

I'm living in a house that is slowly falling apart.  Once I've managed to save up an emergency fund, donations will go toward paying off the house, so that I have the option to move to better quarters.  After that, I'll worry about trying to fix this dump.  But when you live in a house that needs new windows, new doors, a new roof, and a new bathroom... it's pretty much cheaper to move somewhere else.

So... yeah... personal life is shitty, and shows no signs of suddenly not being shitty.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong, and 2020 turns out to be a spectacular year for all of us!

As usual, I want to express my deep gratitude to the donors of 2019.  Having gone through bankruptcy, I had no credit cards to fall back on in an emergency.  Thankfully nothing happened that put me into a financial bind, but it is an ever-present worry.  Thanks to you donors, I have been able to set aside some money in the case a financial emergency should arise.  It's not yet enough, but it's getting there.  I would humbly ask that anyone who has a few bucks to spare, consider throwing them my way.  The more of a safety net I have, the less stress I'm under.  The less stress I'm under, the more likely I'll be to want to write something...

Just sayin'...

Thank you for your time.  We now return you to your regularly scheduled fap session.
Eric Storm