Big update / Changes (Patreon)

Hello everybody.

This is going to be a bit of a longer update so there's going to be a TLDR at the bottom. I generally don't want to bring up any personal stuff but this one is pretty related to writing.

For various reasons all but one unrelated to this hobby, I have quit my job. The success I've had with Azarinth Healer on Royalroad and later Patreon has made me seriously consider the possibility of becoming a full time writer.

So yea, I'm gonna give it a shot. Have been for the past week already and it went well so far. I'm going to give it a couple months to see if I can keep up the productivity, to see if its financially viable and to see if I don't burn out.

To get the practical side out of the way before I go into more personal stuff, following the current plans and changes.

- No more ETAs. I plan to post chapters a couple times a week but don't want to specify and promise things that I then might have to take back. The weekly goals so far have been manageable so I doubt there will be big problems with that.

- I'm going to increase advance chapters on Patreon to 10 for 2$ and 20 for 5$. The reason is very simple. It's easier for me to count to 10/20 than it is to 8 and 16. You may question my intelligence.

- There's gonna be a public chapter on Patreon every other week or so. I feel like some people might be willing to spend a fiver if they're already on the site compared to the additional step it would require otherwise.

- I'll add stuff to the 10$ tier like side stories / Q&As and possibly other things if anything comes to mind. Suggestions are welcome as always.

- I might start working on other projects than Azarinth Healer to clear my mind and see if I can actually produce something people like outside of this one lucky shot. I will be mainly focusing on Azarinth Healer of course, until it's ended properly. There's plenty more I want to do with that world and Ilea though so don't take this the wrong way.

I think that's it regarding the actual changes. Most of it won't affect you as a reader and hopefully the only visible change will be more chapters to check out.

What I finally managed to do the past week was change the present tense issues on the first 36 chapters. With the help of RoyalRoad user lomie0 I could update the formatting on those early chapters as well as correct a ton of mistakes and awkward phrases. I wanted to specifically thank him here for the time invested into this work. Go give him some reputation if you find a comment of his. I hate editing but those early chapters were so riddled with my inexperience and grammar mistakes that they direly needed it.

Now comes the personal part where I thank you and ramble on about how I feel about this endeavor.

I remember writing a similar paragraph a while ago when I passed Don't Fear the Reaper on the ratings list and my feelings really haven't changed much since then. I still don't think Azarinth Healer is up to the standard many other novels on RoyalRoad or published fiction hold up to but I do believe I've improved considerably since starting this as a hobby. Now I guess through the magic of Patreon I can call myself a paid writer, still a long way from professional I think but it's something.

I started writing because I loved the feeling of reading, forgetting about this boring and often disappointing reality's worries and falling into something new and exciting. Without actually having to leave my bed and comforts. I think a lot of people like what I write because I feel like this while writing, like I'm exploring a new exciting world through the eyes of a character I created. Since starting I have come to worry about plot lines, characterization, world building as well as style.

I learn more and more how much I failed and still fail at many of those things but what reading some horribly structured fiction, riddled with mistakes and weebed characters has taught me is that much of that doesn't matter a whole lot when the magic is there. I've read thousands of pages barely passing as English and I've loved it. I hope I can continue to improve on many aspects to bring an overall more enjoyable story to you guys and girls (as well as attack helicopters) out there.

I'm here and I read your comments, willing to listen and learn. The nature of writing a web novel has been such an amazing help with getting better I wouldn't miss any of the criticism and hate I sometimes get. Most of the feedback is positive though, which of course is a part of the reason I continue to do this. To correct that a little, most of you simply read. I was a lurker myself for years before even making an account. Coincidentally it was to write a PM to the author of Don't Fear the Reaper, to thank them for the amazing world they had shared with me.

Now I'm on the other side, getting reviews and comments on what I write. It's a humbling and positively weird experience but I definitely want to encourage you to share your thoughts with me, to tell me what you disliked or what you would've done differently. I'm a single mind and as I think not a massively spectacular one at that. I have learned in life that everyone starts at some point and while some are privileged, more talented or in my case lucky, you can achieve... let's say reasonable goals if you're open and ready to learn.

My goal is to become an adequate writer. To create and share worlds and characters that are fun and exciting to get to know. So watch and help me grow.

I thank every single one of you for this opportunity. You don't know me but you are a part of the reason I am here, making this ridiculous hobby into an actual job. Thank you for the financial support, commenting, sharing and for criticizing but most of all thank you, for reading.

TLDR: Quit job to become one of those authors you see in the first arc of a movie before they find a magic pill to make them smart or something. I'll try not to become an alcoholic. Thanks for reading my shit.