Holday post-mortem

Between being sick and the madness of the holidays, I've not had a chance to do much of anything except try to rest. That being said, I have made some significant progress in the novel in terms of integration of the new characters and the plans necessary to make sure the fourth draft will be successful when the time comes.

First off, the holidays and such. I've been sick for all of it, a nasty cold got ahold of me last Friday night and it has stuck with me ever since. I seem to be on the downhill side of it, but still have a particularly head rattling cough and enough congestion to fill a marine tanker. Outside of that, Christmas and its associated festivities were rather uneventful and atypical to the life in which I live, unlike this time last year when I was in the middle of one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. But since I am doing my best to put that era of life behind me, I won't talk about it. It's a regret I must live with. The only being letting another one slip away in the way she did, one that I felt a great connection to.

As this 3rd shifter 1st shifter moves forward with his life into 2014, my goals are many but the intrinsic structure of them all are nothing to write home about. Obviously, my first goal is primarily finishing this third draft, get it read over and self edited, then get the fourth draft down with the changes I want to include to make it as complete as possible. Secondly, I will looking to travel this year in some form - preferably outside of the country to explore how things are done outside the borders of the United States of America.  Right now, I'm looking at Australia as my number one pick, with New Zealand a close second if I decide to go for more of the scenery instead of hustle and bustle. My only real caveat is going alone, while giving me complete freedom to do whatever I wish, is depressing. A stranger in a strange land, it has that mystique that can be both alluring...and downing. Having someone you already know is helpful, especially when making friends is not a strong point. Having said all that, I look forward to expanding my social boundaries out. If I go to Australia though, I should probably be ready to drink though. Of all things to do, drinking is apparently a favorite past time. Oh boy...

So far, I have started compiling a list of things to do this year and I will do my best to attend all of them. Seeing as how my life as a bachelor is well underway and will remain that way if I have anything to say about it all, I will do the next thing and that's travel and explore.With all that being said, I will also be looking to finish up this novel and get it published in some form, whether in print or e-book form. The new characters have meshed really well with the story at this point and all of them are showing promise for the fourth draft, and perhaps beyond if prequels/sequels decide to come forward in the future. The way it's looking, the chapter total will come out to around 15, give or take 1-2 with around a 300-350 page count. Should make for a decent read for whomever would be interested, and once the fourth draft comes to life, a lot of the loose ends and unanswered questions should come forward toward its finale and the story can draw to a satisfying conclusion.

I had a lot more to write than this, but I think most of it would be nothing more than the rambling mind of a still-sick 1st shifter trying to get everything back in order.

Oh, new computer rig here in a couple weeks - finally, back to having power with my PC gaming and tasks. This poor little laptop screams every time I try to drive it hard, it just can't be done.

Until next time.