Oops. Forgot to Put a Title Here when I Hit Publish.

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

So, here we are.  I haven’t seen a lot of movement on War of Nytefall: Lost, which has me worried that my semi-retirement/long pause has done more damage than I initially thought.  Could be paranoia too, but it feels like I get a lot less blog and book traffic because I’m not going to be as productive as I was.  Dropping from 4 books a year to 2 at most is crushing.  Not to mention people might not want to invest time and money into my stories if they think I’m going to pull a ‘Game of Thrones’.  Authors having long delays or not finishing series is a common complaint and fear in fantasy.  Just hoping there’s another answer because I’m already hurting enough due to feeling like I have to give up what I worked so hard to create.  (By the way, there are things going on that I can’t talk about in public, so there are aspects people don’t know.)

Since I didn’t touch any writing this week and probably won’t next week, I can really only talk about other things.  The job interview I had didn’t go well, but I’m looking at it as getting the rust off.  Haven’t done one in 5-6 years, so it wasn’t like I would be at my best here.  Thankfully, I found another path last Friday that I’m working on.  This is actually more appealing to me because I was interested in the field long ago and it makes me feel good after a hard day.  It could put me on a schedule that matches my son’s too.  Not sure I should jinx things and call it an ideal, but I’m definitely feeling better about stepping even partially away from writing with this as my alternative.

The job is Teaching Assistant, which requires that I take 3 workshops and a certification test.  I finished the 2 online workshops this week and have the 3rd divided between the next 2 Mondays.  I take the test at the end of the month, which makes me hope that I can find a position by early or mid-October.  At the very least, I might be able to sign up as a school monitor, which I’ll look into more on Monday or Tuesday.  That’s a foot in the door and I can do that while looking for a TA position.  I’ve already been told about a few, but I can’t go for them until I have the certification and workshops.  Maybe this will lead to me taking night classes for a Masters in Education, but we’ll take this by steps.

With my son having last Monday and Tuesday off from school, I didn’t really do anything to speak of.  The workshops and errands took up most of my time, so I feel like my life is getting too boring for these posts.  Next week is going to be chaotic with me having to get my son from school twice for appointments and Yom Kippur smack in the middle of the week.  This is the day where Jews fast for the day, so I won’t be online that much.  I think because last year I kept jumping onto my blog and Twitter while in a hunger-induced stupor.  My parents are going to be around this year to watch my son, which means I won’t get worn down that quickly.  Beyond all of that, I’ve got two books full of practice tests that I’ll be diving into.  Probably should have given myself more time to study, but I forgot how messy next week is.  That and all I can find are practice tests that are supposedly much harder than the actual test.  Nerves are still twitching though and I’m promising myself pizza for when I’m done with the test.

Kind of going back to the first topic, I feel really bad that I can’t touch my books for the foreseeable future.  Maybe once I finish the test, but the other things going on make me too anxious to touch them.  I can’t even edit War of Nytefall: Rivalry, which kind of drives me nuts.  Mucking around with some ideas that never get off the ground can take the edge off, but it really does feel like I’m losing a part of myself.  The TA path gives me strength and positiveness because I’d been considering teaching ever since I was in college.  I just wasn’t able to double major or get into the Masters program.  So, maybe the positive energy from TA life will bring me back to writing with enough strength that I can do more than blog.  The abysmal sales aren’t helping though.  As usual, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they have bought the book, but the Amazon numbers don’t match up and now I’m getting off topic.  Guess I’ll always be left wondering what went wrong until I either get an answer or I find a way to achieve the ultimate dream.

So, what’s the plan for next week?

  1. Practice tests!
  2. Take breaks with ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ anime.
  3. Practice tests!
  4. Yom Kippur on Wednesday, which means ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night’ all day.
  5. Start scheduling Derailing Bedlam sections for Thursdays.  These will start in November after Raven’s Wrath is done.  Tempted to change the ending of ‘Bedlam’ since I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to Cassidy and Lloyd.  Yet, it might be best to leave it open just in case.  Does making the whole book blog only mean I’m giving up or is it giving them a chance to get exposure?
  6. Other stuff that comes up.
  7. Come up with December post topics.  FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST THINGS!

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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30 Responses to Oops. Forgot to Put a Title Here when I Hit Publish.

  1. CP Bialois says:
    September 15, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Good luck! It sucks things seem to have slowed down, but hopefully you’re on the right path now. 🙂

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  2. robertawrites235681907 says:
    September 15, 2018 at 10:59 am

    Good luck with your tests, Charles. My cousins wife is a teacher’s assistant and she is very happy.

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  3. John W. Howell says:
    September 15, 2018 at 11:17 am

    I think the TA position sounds perfect. Not sure what is going on with sales but I’m in the same position. May not be you at all. BTW “I bought your book.” and actual sales numbers never seem to match. I think people mean to do it but then get distracted. For December how about celebrating Chanukah with the characters giving and getting unusual gifts. It’s only seven days but could be fun. You could also do a 12 day of Christmas gift exchange between characters too. Best wishes on the test.

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  4. C.E.Robinson says:
    September 15, 2018 at 11:54 am

    Charles, good luck on the TA path. I give you kudos for following through on this new career. Who knows where it will lead you. Trust the process and give it your all (I know you will). Happy weekend 🎶📚 Christine

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  5. twixie13 says:
    September 15, 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Best of luck with the TA path! And both of the Nytefall books are on my list for when I eventually have the money. Hoping to save up at least $35 by November 1st for a couple of anthology submissions.

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  6. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler) says:
    September 16, 2018 at 2:40 am

    It might not be you. My sales have been really quiet the past month or so too. Not that sales are amazing anyhow, but they’ve been quieter than normal lately. I’ve heard others say the same. Also, dropping down to a couple of books a year still puts you ahead of many authors on productivity. Try not to be so hard on yourself. Yeah, I know it’s easier said than done.

    Good luck with the tests and things. Hope you get the teaching assistant job you want. If not, I hope you can at least get something that allows you to have a toe in the door to keep an eye open for one in the future.

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    • Charles Yallowitz says:
      September 16, 2018 at 8:46 am

      Yeah. It’s like they were limping along and then they suddenly stopped. I get a trickle from time to time, but nothing compared to what I had earlier in the year. Wonder if the market has become more flooded than I realized. I am seeing a lot more people put out a book, hit the top of a Top 100 list, and get nearly 100 reviews in the span of a few days. So, they might be raking in more of the attention and sales. Guessing a lot of free copies before release are involved there.

      Thanks. I hope I get a TA position too, but I’ll be happy with a toe in the door at this point. It’s a step in the right direction.

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  7. DebyFredericks says:
    September 16, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    I am a paraeducator/teaching aide. In my district, they are desperate for good paras. Hope the same applies for your district. If you have a college degree of any sort, that is a big plus. If you are familiar with special-needs kids (and I know that you are) that’s a second big plus.

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    • Charles Yallowitz says:
      September 16, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      I have a BA in English Writing Arts, which will help me. My son is Special Needs too, but I don’t know if that will be considered. It’s very different when it’s not your own kid. Just finished my first practice test a few minutes ago. 258 out of 300 and 220 is passing. I passed, but I feel like I should be doing better.

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  8. coldhandboyack says:
    September 16, 2018 at 3:31 pm

    I think you believe readers expect more of you than they actually do. I understand that mentality, but it isn’t all that helpful. A couple of publications per year is good. You want to have four, but I don’t think anyone will be disappointed in two. I’ll have two this year, and am content. I haven’t tried to start a new project, and may not for another month or so. My numbers aren’t great either, but they bumped up a bit this week. I’m doing some small October promos, and that might help a bit too. Best of luck on getting the position.

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