Time to Buckle Down (Update)

Focusing on writing what matters the most.

I’ll be honest, I’ve been procrastinating. Not that I’ve been unproductive; that’s a completely different thing. No, if anything being too productive can also be a form of procrastination.

I am speaking, of course, of The Santara Commentaries. As you may know, Book 1 of that series had been published first as a Substack serial and later as a novel last year. I’m supposed to work on Book 2. And in many ways, I have; I have finished the chapter outlines around November/December of last year.

Given that timeline, common sense would suggest that I should be finished with Book 2, at least in terms of first draft. Right?

So what happened? Simply put, everything else.

Last month, I started the 5/7 Report in my Indonesian and American Substack. The premise is that I would list 5 things (at a minimum) that I’ve accomplished in that week as a writer. In all honesty, the series is my way of figuring out what I’ve been doing and where to move forward. And after a little over a month doing this, I came to the conclusion that I’ve been doing all kinds of projects but the one that matters the most; I’ve worked on everything but The Santara Commentaries.

Of course, I’ve actually known this for a while. It’s just that those 5/7 reports put it all in writing for me to see and now I can no longer ignore it.

It’s easy to make fun of figures like George R.R. Martin for never finishing his series. But I can’t in good conscience partake in that anymore, not after what I did. With my own bit of procrastination, I’m beginning to understand what happened to him (or rather, what he had been doing which led to that point). But let’s not belabor the point. You know what I’m trying to say.

That’s why from this point on, I’m putting Germanicus Publishing on a hiatus of sorts. A part of me is kind of sad since I’m sure I’m on a streak of publishing at least one thing every week starting from 2023. But who cares about a stupid streak? Now this isn’t to say that I’m done. Far from it. Indeed, one reason I’m doing this is because I do have other obligations that I can’t simply put aside.

Also, this doesn’t mean that I’m on a complete hiatus. I’m still planning on publishing on Indonesian and American. But I’ll also be taking it easy. Same with other platforms.

So what’s my plan? Simply put, I want to work on two projects. First is The Santara Commentaries. As I said before, I have finished the outline for Book 2 of The Santara Commentaries, so this is just a matter of actually sitting down and work on the damn thing. My second project is to continue The UEC Stories, my sci-fi series. If you’ve been following that series, then good news. I am planning to give that series the love that it deserves.

Now I want to address the paid subscribers to this Substack. Words can’t even describe how grateful I am for you guys. Just three years ago, I didn’t even conceive of people paying for my works. And I am not forgetting you. Far from it. That’s why last week I put out a paid flash fiction post (Battle on the Holy Plane) and placed a story that I’ve published last month (Adventures in Balkania) behind paywall.

I am far from finished. As evidence, I encourage you to look through the home page of Germanicus Publishing. Seriously, look through it:

Those are just what can be gleaned from the first two modules of the home page. There are way more.

As you can see, I have a lot of content in this Substack. From fantasy (Santara), to sci-fi (UEC), to a combination of both (Holy League), and flash fiction (Flash Fiction), and more. If you’re looking for reviews, check my fiction analysis series. And if you want to see more, here’s the Table of Contents.

Simply put, I have a lot of content here.

I will close with a link to the Paid Perks Post of Germanicus Publishing. If you are already a paid subscriber, consider this a reminder of what you’re getting with a paid subscription (so do take advantage of them). If you’re not (IOW, you’re a free subscriber or a wanderer), then I encourage you to look through it to see if a paid subscription to this Substack (of $5/month or $35/year) is for you.

Until next time,

Michael P. Marpaung