It’s been an exceptionally busy and chaotic week. Then again, when aren’t they? Just when things look like they’re running smoothly, your girlfriend’s apartment floods, and you have to evac a couple of cats. Still, things are progressing as well as could be expected for 2026. I just wish chaos would take a vacation.

Remember, though, half of success is how you persevere when things go south. Well, I think I’m persevering all over the place.

It all comes down to whether you want something bad enough to do something about it. And I can say with certainty that I’ve done things and made a lot of changes in my life to reach a lot of goals, both personally and professionally.

Playing Catchup on a Million Words

I fell behind in writing a million words in 2026 a few weeks ago. And no matter how hard I try to get a bit of that back, something came up. Nonetheless, I’m not outside of the scope of what I can write, especially if I bring back the writing sprints.

Between the blog posts, Fury, and the stories for my Creative Writing Workshop in college, I’ve got plenty to write. So, yes, I still think I can write a million words this year, as long as I make adjustments to make it happen.

As it stands, I would need 4,046 words per day, Monday through Friday, for the rest of the year. That’s not including anything I decide to write during the weekends. And since I write at about an average of 1100 words per hour (books, blogs, and client work average), it’s just under four hours of writing each day.

That’s where the problems arise. I don’t often have four hours per day to dedicate to writing, since I’m also working at building up the YouTube channel, going to school, and trying to maintain my household.

Instead of looking at it over a five-day work week, I’ve been changing my mindset to see it as an entire week. In this case, I would need 20,230 words per week. And since I usually have a bit more time on the weekends, a million words is still within my purview.

Keeping the YouTube Channel On Schedule

I’ve been doubling down on building up the YouTube channel, as it’s going to play a major role in what I have planned by the end of the year. So far, the channel has maintained the schedule for three videos per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The problem is that very few of the videos will get more than 40 views. In fact, none of them this month have seen more than 36 views since uploading.

I know what the issue is, though. Writing channels like mine just don’t grow as well as others. Unless it’s a review or a tutorial, the videos don’t get a lot of visibility or watch time. It seems not as many people care about dealing with rejection as a writer compared to a pros and cons list of Reedsy.

It can be frustrating at times. You’d think that out of 3,389 subscribers, someone would view the videos. But as it stands, only about 0.59% of subscribers watch any of the content that is not related to reviews or tutorials.

So, why do I keep pushing? Because of the handful of people who find value in what I provide. There are some out there that I help directly, and I’d rather help someone in need of specifics than try to break the algorithm and go viral.

Anyway, I have some reviews and tutorials coming soon. So, I should be able to reach a few viewer goals by May.

School Is Going Great…Thus Far

Both classes for college are going well. I’m wrapping up my first major project for the Creative Writing Workshop after this blog post and then jumping into this week’s tasks for anthropology. So far, I’ve enjoyed both classes, despite being more advanced than the introductory writing course.

One of the reasons I want the YouTube channel to bring in a bit extra is so that I can afford to go to school full-time without worrying about the bills. As it is, I should receive my BA by 2036 as a part-time student.

I’m sure the classes will get increasingly difficult as I go. So, I’m not letting the last couple of semesters go to my head. I’m just a tad ahead of where these beginning classes are putting me. I still need them for my degree, and it doesn’t hurt to have a refresher and perhaps pick up a few new things I didn’t know before, so it’s still worthwhile to take them.

I just wish I could go full-time. The plan is to continue toward a PhD. At the moment, I’ll be working on that in my 80s.

Uploading New Anthology to Wattpad

I’ve written a lot of flash fiction during the Creative Writing Workshop, and some of them have been relatively decent, in my opinion. So, I’ve decided to flesh them out a bit and upload a new anthology to Wattpad.

I know I said I wasn’t going to work on a new book until I finish Fury. Technically, these are stories I’ve been working on in class. I didn’t take a lot of extra time outside of school to write them.

I’ve already set up a quick book cover for the anthology, and I’ll start getting what I have uploaded when I have a moment.

The anthology is a collection of stories that takes place between Kingmaker and Fury. I’m trying not to give too many spoilers and make it a standalone book. So far, one of the stories made a reader cry, and that’s all any author can hope for, really.

If you can pull emotion out of your reader, whether it’s good or bad, then you’re doing it right.

Ideas for Next Week

I’m not calling them goals anymore. Every time I try to set something in stone and work toward those ends, it seems like the universe says, “That’s cute. Try this…”

So, I’m going to start calling them ideas for now. That way, I don’t pressure myself to accomplish something that is simply outside of the realm of physical possibility.

Finish Setting Up Barnes & Noble Account

I want to get my Barnes & Noble Press account finished and the books posted. I keep saying that, but I never seem to get a moment to do so. Part of that is because I haven’t made it much of a priority throughout the week. Things like clients and school work take precedence.

This week, I’m going to add it to Asana as an hour of time in my day. At least that way, I can keep it in my purview of things I’d like to do this week.

What would be nice is if I could replace Amazon as my primary method of selling books. The last shipment of printed copies really pissed me off. If I had the money and time, I’d develop a competitor for book printing.

Start Research for Marketing Case Study

I’ve started setting up the spreadsheet and premise of the case study for book marketing. The idea is to try all of these “expert tips” and such to see which ones actually work best for indie authors.

Of course, every author is going to have a different experience. I just hope that my experiences help someone decide for themselves which ones are the more valid in their particular cases.

The first round is going to focus on social media and sharing links for free.

Maintain a 20,230-Word Average

To get back on track to write a million words, I need to maintain an average of more than 20,230 words each week for the rest of February. As I said, this isn’t outside of what I can handle from a physical perspective. It’s going to come down to time management and motivation.

The idea is to see if I can keep that going throughout the rest of the month.

Start the Wattpad Anthology Book

I’m going to polish up the stories a bit before uploading them to Wattpad. The one I’m working on now probably won’t be ready until after we move on from the project in class, as I don’t want people thinking I’m plagiarizing the story.

I started several in this class, and plan to get those uploaded as soon as I have a moment. The cover is done, I just need an hour or two to set everything up and share it online.

Work On Fury

I would love to get the first draft of Fury done this month. However, I’ve had to take time here and there to deal with a lot of variables, mostly school and client work. The plan is to use the remaining writing sprints for the month to work on the book.

I was able to get a lot accomplished last weekend, as I ran live writing sprints on Saturday and Sunday. They worked so well that I’m seriously debating making the weekend thing more permanent. Depending on how today goes, I might just do that this weekend.

Still Keeping the Faith

I’m still relatively confident that I can accomplish all of my goals for 2026. It is the “Year of Action,” after all. Although I haven’t been able to get as much done from the viewpoint of a creator, I have taken a lot of action, especially in my personal life.

So, let’s keep our heads up and realize that the chaos that seems to seep in from under the door is only temporary. As long as we handle everything with as much care, dignity, and optimism as possible, this, too, shall pass.

We’re not racing to the finish line. We’re building the foundations of something great. And like any foundation, you want it to be strong and supportive for what you’re trying to create. Taking the time to ensure those foundations are solid will only help you in the long run.