I'm back with another update, released about every six weeks.  I read something this Summer that coaxed me to start watching classic westerns. Stepping back into the 1930s with classic westerns, I've discovered a treasure trove of inspiration. These films, raw and unrefined like home movies, carry a charm that echoes the spirit of self-publishing. In an era shaped by the Hay's Code, storytellers had to craft wholesome entertainment. This challenge resonates with me as I write my science fiction novels, seeking to blend excitement with values. It's a reminder that even within constraints, creativity thrives. It's an exciting trail, much like those dusty roads of the Wild West, leading me to new horizons in my writing. But the journey doesn't end there. Since April, my writing trail has taken an exciting turn, diverting to the new frontier of crafting my own word processor. This pioneering project has led me through valleys of bugs and peaks of progress. The deadline looms on October 8th as I aim to complete this tool tailored for fellow authors. With each new day comes progress refining the interface and streamlining the user experience. As the date approaches, my pulse quickens imagining the impact this will have on workflows for myself and peers. As I immerse myself in both classic cinema and cutting-edge software development, I'm reminded of the timeless link between past and future. The pioneering spirit of those 1930s westerns finds a reflection in today's self-publishing world and in the innovative tech solutions we create. Join me on this thrill ride as I continue to explore the landscapes of imagination--from the rugged terrains of the Wild West to the uncharted galaxies of sci-fi....

This article summarizes what I’ve been working on for the past six months. In a later post, I will summarize what I’ve been doing to prepare for future novel writing series, and how I’ve used AI to help. My writing year runs from October to September because of my birth month. This year’s plan was to draft four novels, but I added a fifth because I was plugging away so well with a new series. I had two books in the can and on schedule. Then I turned to the Navy Quartet of the Postal Marines and ground to a halt. Why? I spend a lot of emotional energy writing novels. Starting in the Spring, however, work started taxing my emotional reserve.  From Novels to Yak Shaving On April eighth, I marked my last entry writing a novel. The great thing about keeping metrics on yourself is knowing when these things happen. Since I also use Basecamp to project manage myself (and my family), I have weekly entries showing what I’ve been up to. Since then I have been coding a cross platform text editor called Verkilo. It’s been a dream of mine for well over a decade. I’ve used Scrivener, and I have cobbled together my own novel writing tool chain using various text editors over the years. I’m comfortable writing in native LaTeX and have a point-perfect template for polishing my novels in print. Since I had no energy for novel writing, and since AI has reached a useful threshold, I gave it a go. Verkilo by October or Bust. My goal between April and October of this year is to write a cross platform text editor from...