The ABC 2018 Wrap-Up

Welcome to the ABC 2018 Wrap-Up, the part of the blog where I talk about the state of ABC and what this means for me, for you, and for the rest of the known universe. This has been a strange, messed-up year, one in which I’ve been forced to reevaluate everything I knew or thought I knew, and one in which I’ve heeded some important wake-up calls.

What did we learn?

  • A print version of ABC is not coming anytime soon. Why, you ask? See the following points.
  • Writing up all the entries is next to impossible. The relatively relaxed pace of ABC updating allowed me to spend some time doing as much research as possible and painting illustrations I found, if not good, at least acceptable. But doing it all together is dizzying. I don’t even know how to start at it. And my art has deteriorated massively to the point where I hate it.
  • Finding an agent and/or publisher is next to impossible. I’m unpublished and have no credentials, there is no reason for anyone to hire me. And I don’t live in the US or Europe and don’t have easy access to crowdfunding and other such platforms.
  • My mental state has also degraded significantly. Turns out ABC gave me a reason to exist, a goal, a Thing to Do. Without it and without any clear plan for making the blog or a print book, I’ve been as pointless as a fish without a bicycle. More than usual at any rate.

All this paints a pretty bleak picture, doesn’t it? Well, turns out my loss is your gain. I have decided to go back to updating ABC, at least twice a week as before (and maybe three if I put more elbow grease into it). There are a lot of things I want to tell you about and I want to make sure it gets out there.

Watch this space. Watch it closely.

11 Comments

  1. Good luck, we wish you all the best.
    Don’t worry, these things take time. They say, history is made up of
    times when nothing happens … and moments where everything happens! Thank you so much for all the amazing effort and dedication. Take care and Get well soon!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. I know what it’s like to feel utterly rudderless and without direction. I’ve felt exactly like that for longer than I can recall. Don’t sweat it buddy. I always found your blog extremely eye-opening and inspiring, all of that without any charge or expectations on your fanbases part is and always will be admirable. If it helps take some of the pressure off, I honestly wasn’t holding my breath over a physical version of ABOC, I now how things of super-niche interest go in real life. I’ll keep a beady eyestalk on your blog and cheer your work wherever and whenever possible. Cheers man!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Don’t sweat it. Take it easier on the book project, but don’t abandon it altogether. My advice: do one entry for the book for every entry that you post here. You will be building up material at a sustainable pace, will avoid the discomfort of having given up, and even if you never do get the book together, at least you will have a big buffer for the blog.

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