Reminder: Patreon + Voting Rights
In case you missed out on what is happening with my Patreon page, here are a few fun facts: Being a patron at any level grants you voting rights on the content of this blog (usually two polls a month) Most patron levels let you suggest at least one topic each month, which would then be voted on by everyone There are 5 different levels of support, and each has something special — the highest tier involves a monthly Google Hangout just with patrons, which should be fun! $1 gets you the vote; $5 makes you a member of Congress (or some equally amusing analogy — bring on your laws, darnit!). I’m also going to change the voting structure soon to make the levels more pronounced and to make distribution of votes a little more interesting. So stay tuned! Thanks again to those of you who are currently my patrons. You rock!
Announcement: The Migration to WordPress
I wanted to let everyone know that I’ve decided to migrate this blog over to WordPress. The reasons are pretty simple: while Blogger gives me more control over the physical space of the blog, WordPress’ features are more functional (better comments, better “read more” function, etc. etc. etc.). I can also easily get a domain name for this blog through WordPress ($26 for hosting and domain registration ain’t too shabby). I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, to be honest, but a lot of things kept me from doing so. For one, I worried it would affect my readership numbers and page rankings. Second, importing Blogger posts into WordPress used to be fairly limited; they are, thankfully, no longer so. These mostly seem like trivial things now; the longer I put off switching over, the more difficult it would be. So…I’m doing it. Let’s get it over with. Let’s get me a proper website and make this site less…buggy. Doing this will mean some changes for the blog — layout, colors, design, etc. If you’re an RSS subscriber, you shouldn’t have to do anything at all because I still use Feedburner. If you’re not subscribed via RSS, then keep an eye out, because eventually this space will redirect to a completely different one. Nothing will happen overnight. I need some time to get things set up over at WordPress. I may post a link to ask for opinions in the near future. Keep an eye out. Until I’ve made the switch, blogging will continue as usual around here. Anywhoodles!
Hugo Award Reading: Suggest Shorts/Novelettes/Novellas (Final Open Call)
The title says it all. I’m working on my nomination ballot for the Hugo Awards, and I need more suggestions for the shorter-than-a-novel categories so I can get a proper survey. If you have a suggestion, please leave it in the magic comment box (links to online stories are appreciated). By the way, I had nearly 1,000 pages of reading last year thanks to everyone’s suggestions. It was totally worth it. Alright, off to work!
Patreon Updates: Rewards, Milestone Goals, and February Offer Madness
In case you missed it, I made some changes to my Patreon page, which include the following: Added 5 reward levels, which give Patrons various special abilities and what not Added 3 Milestone Goals (the most expensive goal involves me starting an sf/f writing podcast where I talk to authors about their process) Added more detail in the description (for reasons) Do check it out and consider supporting my blogging efforts there. On a side note: since I didn’t have any of these things on the Patreon page from the start, I decided to give everyone the Ninja Hamster Master level for February if they became a patron before the 1st. Do with that magic information what you will. Regular programming will continue soon…
Announcement: The Duke of Editing is Now Open for Business! Bring Your Grammars!
Some of you already knew this was coming, but you didn’t know the name of my new freelance editing business or the full extent of the shenanigans to be had now that I’m trying desperately to behave like a professional. But it has happened. As of this moment, The Duke of Editing is open for business. Please spread the word! On a related note: I would like to say thanks to the following folks, who were kind enough to offer their opinions before the launch: S.L. Huang Cecily Kane Josh Vogt Robert MacAnthony Louise Hughes and Nathan from Review Barn OK. Time to get back to work…
I Have a Patreon Page: Show Me Your Love (Or Something Less Creepy)
It happened. I said I would do it, and so I have. I’ve created a Patreon page so you’ll all show me how much you really love me, but on a slightly more regular basis. There are “goals” I’d like to achieve — namely, being able to focus more on blogging about the things I love than spending time on things that stress me out. Ultimately, this is about being able to do more of the things I like doing and less of the things I don’t like doing, which comes down to what the folks who read this blog think about everything. In any case, this is just part one of a two-part journey to secretly switch careers while everybody is looking! If you like what I do on this blog, feel free to support my Patreon page. We’ll see how the year progresses 🙂