7/7 It's validating and motivating to be able to finally look back on all the soil I've tilled and know that it's sprouting a forest, and that these fruits are the first of a very bountiful harvest. In some ways I haven't spent my youth wisely. In this way, and others, I've done well for myself.

6/7 I got to this point thanks to years of work and practice. Every dry spell I've had I ended, and came back to the work with fresh thoughts and new ideas. I've grown a lot as a person -- to the point where I not only have finished projects, but more projects finished faster and in better shape.

5/7 Obviously I need more eyes on them. But even looking over TYO1, I don't feel ashamed or even like I did anything wrong with it. Would I make different choices, writing it now? Probably. But I don't feel that it's poorly done. I can't say the same for Aspirancy's earlier drafts.

4/7 Now I've got two finished first drafts, and forgiving the years of burnout I suffered after early 2021... I got them done pretty fast. And I don't expect them to be stuck in editing for years, or even months. I read over them, and I don't cringe and pull them apart.

3/7 What speaks to me here isn't so much that I write better or faster -- though I do both of those -- but that I can direct my efforts with more intention and focus. I no longer waste time trying to make a perfect first draft, and I have a clearer idea of the story before I even start outlining.

2/7 I brought my first published book from conception to final draft in a few months -- granted, I was able to dedicated my entire attention to it, just about. But the same could be said for Novel #1 given I was in university and COULD have dedicated a LOT more time to it.

I feel the same way, especially because I drew A LOT in college and have atrophied since then. Going through old sketchbooks and missing XYZ skills can be saddening -- but I try to remember that I did it then, and can do it again, and so I practice.

Speaking of... I ought to practice tonight.

>horror
>no upsetting subject matter
>🤔

Fascinating parameters.

Oh this fucks SEVERELY. I love the colors and style. It makes me wish there was a FlightRising type game for breeding dinos,