Chương 362: A note about my current situation

Hey Everyone, I'm sure some of you have noticed several minor changes around here lately, like the fact that I haven't replied to any comments in a couple of weeks. That probably seemed exceptionally odd to my oldest and most loyal readers/commenters, since I've tried to reply to every comment on my most recent chapters ever since I started posting two and a half years ago.

The truth is, I've been dealing with something lately (well, actually, I've been dealing with it for a while, it's just come to a head lately), and it put me in a really bad place mentally while I tried to figure out what to do. I originally started writing as a way to pass the time, and improve my mood, after the company I worked for closed their local office and laid everyone off. It was supposed to be a temporary thing while I found work.

The problem with that is, I was working as a software developer and was laid off around the time when adopting AI and implementing it in development flows was at its peak. Because of that companies around here either haven't been hiring, or when they have, they want people with experience in AI systems. Something I don't have. So, why is this important, and why am I talking about this now? Because over the last two years, I've pretty much been treating writing like a full-time job.

I've been spending six to eight hours a day, Monday to Friday, in order to write two chapters each day. I know it might not seem that way to a lot of you, but that's how I've been able to release one of my other stories every couple of months. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I did this while living primarily off my savings, with the expectation that I'd eventually find work in my field. Work that never came.

Over the last few weeks, I've come to the realisation that, since I can't find work as a developer or in a development-related field, I'll probably have to pick up a job in retail or another minimum-wage field just to make ends meet. Although this shouldn't be a huge deal, it kind of sent me into a little bit of a depression spiral for a while. It had less to do with the fact that I have to take a low paying job, and more that I couldn't find ANYTHING that fit my skillset, and was being forced into this situation.

So, why am I telling you all this? Well, believe it or not, it's not to get your ask for people to join my Patreon. Although I've done my best to build my followers over the last two-ish years, it's become clear that it'll take forever for me to build up enough donors to support myself. Despite what every art scammer on the planet thinks, I do not make a lot of money off my Patreon; right now, it doesn't even cover my monthly condo fees.

It would probably need to double, or even triple, in size just for me to make ends meet. No, the reason I'm bringing this up is because in order to make enough money to get by I'm going to have to signifignantly cut back on my writing, releases, and writing-related activities like replying to comments. I absolutely love writing, so I'm not going to stop; I just won't be able to continue at even a fraction of my current rate.

I've built up a significant backlog in my current stories, enough to complete TBoB 6, DD book 2, and Imaginary, so I'll probably just continue the current schedule until they're done. Once they're finished, however, I may have to cut back my releases significantly. Depending on my available time, and it may be as low as a single chapter per active story per week. If that's the case, I may have to drop some of my active stories.

I'm not going to lie, I was seriously considering TBoB so I would have time to work on my other, original stories. I admit this WAS during the worst of my depression, and I've reconsidered since then, but it was on my mind. Anyways, that's my current situation; Hopefully you all understand. I'll let you all know what I decide once I find work and have a better idea of my schedule. Thanks all, -TheWackyWombat