My diary is a compilation of my muses, rants and everyday snippets of my journey to write full time.
Diary entries continues in Diary II
Diary entry 4/10/2021
Have ended Skills future over the weekend.
Some of you might be able to tell i changed the flow of the story after Hock Chuan’s body has been discovered. You are right, i shaved about 20% off the original length because i felt it was getting too draggy.
Almost all the full length titles i wrote in recent years exists in one single universe, i am splitting them further into two worlds. One above ground, and one under.
I’m starting work on ‘Rat City’ which is a reboot of ‘The street’. After thinking it through, i decided to do away with the zombie angle and focus on crime instead. Rat city will be a cesspool of crime, violence and a modern day dystopia.
It will be a new world where other short stories can spin off from.
On the occult and fantasy end, i want to write a local version of ‘My date with a vampire’. I have mentioned it several times but i don’t have the time to get down to it.
Day job and family is taking up a huge chunk of my free time, and some of the hours where i used to spend on writing is now spent working out either at the gym or jogging. I’m trying to find a new balance, have done it in the past, no reason why i can’t do it now.
I’m also boosting the content in lucasandk.com with non-erotic work. Will be listing new Non-erotic work in tandem with current site. This allows those who are uncomfortable with transacting via this site to get non-erotic works from the other which is in a way ‘clean’
James S
Diary entry 10/9/2021
I’ve hit 10kg in my weight lost journey.
Need to wear a belt over my pants now and have been digging up old clothes to wear. Some of which are more than 10 years old. I’m working on building up core and different muscle groups. I’m expecting the drop to slow down since i don’t run that often now.
Keeping to 3 runs a week of between 6-9km each. Anything less than 6, it feels a bit unfinished, anything more than 9, i feel pretty tired haha. My favourite route would be to hit the rail corridors on weekend mornings.
Man, the eye candies alone are enough to make the early run worth it.
Skill futures is coming to an end in a few more updates.
I still have plenty of short works and drafts, some of which i feel have potential to be developed into longer work like ‘Magic’.
I’ll be working on a clean up of ‘The street’ after i’m done with ‘Skills future’
‘The street’ will be rebooted, i’m changing the writing style, it will be a full on zombie piece.
Hope everyone who can get vaccinated has already done so.
Stay safe all.
James S
Diary entry 26/8/2021
It seems my original intent of launching both books on the same day did not come to fruition.
Due to a variety of reasons, Book 2 will be released on 10/10/21 instead.
Among the 3 books i’ve written so far, i love book 2 the most. The raw and charged emotions gets me everything when i read it. Gwen’s arc brings tears of despair, Lynn & James’ wedding brings temporarily tears of joy, while sorrow and aguish sweeps it away soon after.
I’m in the midst of another edit for book 2. I keep changing my mind on some parts but i’m almost there.
As for book 4, the final end to this saga, i have written several main arcs for the story. The specific scene and setting of how each character will die has more or less been finalised. I will continue to refine it until the day it gets published.
Until Book 4 is done, TBW saga is not complete.
Will update more details when i can soon.
James
Diary entry 18/7/2021
I’m finally done with Book 1 & 2 of The Beast within series.
They will be launched concurrently on the same day in a new site, under a new pen name.
Book 1 is free to read. Book 2 will be available for purchase.
Sex and Erotic scenes have been cleaned up and toned down. No change to main plot but certain side arcs have been replaced with more family friendly plots.
I won’t be doing this just online, plans are underway to get hard copies printed. Will be working towards getting my work stocked in the local libraries. There, they can be available for all to read FOC.
Launch will be in less than a month.
Small baby steps.
I will get there.
Diary entry 1/7/2021
First day of a new FY, base on the start of the subscription at least.
Over the past year, i have worked on and released works of many different genre via this channel.
Individual sales of titles from non-subscribers offered a glimpse into the genre preference.
- Wife sharing
- Non-consensual
- Romance
Wife & partner sharing is pretty much a taboo subject in our society. This is the genre that i get most requests on. Almost on a weekly basis, i will get mails and suggestions for the next piece of partner sharing works. In particular, inter-racial coupling is something that comes up in the suggestions often.
Non-consensual works, blackmail, these will continue to be popular for years to come. The challenge is how do i take the fictional works to the next level. I want to make it realistic when you play it out in your head, picture the scene, the screams, the fight, the struggle. You will surely have noticed i started to write from the 3rd person POV instead of playing the protagonist or the victim.
Narrating the story gives me a wider canvas to work on. It’s also a practice of sort for a upcoming book which is the final book of a long drawn saga.
Romance & drama is something i want to dip my toes into. Still pretty much a toddler trying to feel his way around but i enjoy the challenge.
There are also requests for me to cut down on the introduction and background for story plots and go straight into the action. Like instead of having an Americano, go straight for a double expresso. I have a preference for building up plots, but this is a suggestion that i will attempt.
To sum it up, I will continue to ensure there is a good mix of titles in the weekly releases while trying to break out into new frontiers.
Stay safe all.
James
Diary entry 16/6/2021
I’ve been pretty busy lately with work. Fallen a bit behind with my writing but i’m hoping to catch up this coming weekend when i have more free time to myself.
2 more weeks to go and i will have hit a full year of subscription service.
Sincere appreciation for all who supported me all these while.
I’m in the midst of moving the individual sale section over to this site. Should be able to complete within a week or so.
I will be adding more payment option to the checkout.
Besides credit card, Alipay has been enabled too. Will figure out how to add Grabpay and other options to the checkout in the near future.
There is a bit of delay as you can see for the work removal for TBW saga. I’m a bit behind on the the Poon & Paige arc for TWB book one. Embarked on a whole new angle which makes it my 4th rewrite. I want to make it worth everyone’s time for a re-read when it’s out.
I will remove all reference on this site to TBW saga by end of June. Subscribers will still be able to access them under archived works. Titles will be changed though but don’t worry, you will surely know which book the new tiles are referring to.
On the personal well being front haha, i’m surprised i managed to keep up the workout routine.
I’ve shed 7kg so far. I feel so much better and energy level has increased. I could focus better too. I plan to keep going and lose another 10kg by end of 2021. That way, the long buried abs and chiseled body might finally see the light of day after so long.
Site takings still fluctuates month to month but i’m confident we can give a higher amount than FY2020.
Thank you for walking along with me on my journey
Stay safe all.
James S
Diary entry 14/5/2021
Some time ago, when i looked at myself in the mirror, i told my reflection this.
“You look like shit”
It’s true.
The strands of grey hair on my head are showing pretty obviously under the lighting. I’m tired most of the time due to lack of exercise. I use to care about what i put inside my body, but after becoming a father, a lot of times i find myself dealing with leftovers because i don’t want to waste food.
I can put the blame on a lot of factors. From overly clingy kids, to bad weather, to covid19, to work, basically everything but end of the day, i know it boils down to my lack of self discipline. haha. After a long day, trying to find time to work out really takes a back seat especially when your kids are still young.
This was the case for me the past few years. I just sort of hit the sweet spot lately, kids are a bit older, they’re happy doing their own things without the need for me to be around them all the time. This frees up my nights for a bit of running. Started with 3km and almost died, took a while to get the mojo back. Now i’m doing 6km every night for a while now. On weekends, i try to hit 8-9km. Sunday’s a rest day. I feel a lot better after i got my ass off the seat and start moving, i feel less lethargic.
Lost 5kg since i started but i’m still a long way to go before i’m back to where i used to be in my twenties. I’m not in a rush though, i’m quite happy shedding 0.5kg a week, especially when i didn’t make major changes to my diet except cutting my rice intake by half and stopped drinking beer.
As for the site, in about a month’s time, the subscription format will have hit it’s 1st year’s milestone. I am still considering the tweaks i want to make to the scheme. Will share more details soon.
We’re experiencing the 2nd wave of Covid cases right now. I’m praying we don’t go into another CB.
Stay safe all
James S
Diary entry 11/4/2021
Editing old works is not as simple as i thought it to be.
I was hoping to be done with TBW but it’s back to the drawing board for a particular segment.
I’m giving myself another week or so to work on it.
I’ve got some part time help on board with my editing work. C is a mass comm graduate currently working in the motoring industry. He is helping me with the edits on Magic S1 to S3. C will be helping to touch up some of the grammar, flow of the story and flag any segments that requires additional clarification and plot holes that needs to be resolved. Can’t afford to hire him full time at the moment, but he’s on the clock on per hour basis.
I might want to move Magic under the new pen name as well. Still thinking about it. There will be no changes to the storyline and plot.
Magic S1 & S2 will remain free to read even after the edit.
The site & domain for the new pen name has been finalised and registered.
Website design, setup, basically all the IT stuff will be handled by K among other stuff. K has more than 15 years experience in his field and heads the IT department in his organisation.
With C & K on board, i hope to free up more time to write and generate new content.
Both C & K are male, i know this is a question some of you will surely email me and ask, basket. Not to worry, i will work towards engaging a full time female staff in the future to answer all of your administrative questions. Preferably one that can do live streams in short skirts and revealing tops one that is pleasant with sweet disposition and can help with managing the social media accounts of the new site.
My vision is to have a small team, maybe 4-5 colleagues. Together, we can generate a mix of full length work, short stories, articles and create short videos of some of the stories i wrote.
Skills future has started, i wanted to do 2 updates a week but decided to slow it down to once a week because i’m busy with my day job.
You can feel the market is picking up a little, there are more jobs coming in and i find myself having less time to write.
All is well. cash flow is positive and the regular pay check i am drawing from my day job is helping slow the bleed in my savings. I am confident my day job will be able to stem the draw down on my savings within a year or so if we continue to take in new jobs.
I have been investing the site takings in a few counters for a while now, and i’m sure those of you who entered the market last year is sitting on a comfortable paper gain.
Time wise, still working roughly at a 70-30 split between day job and writing. I want to reverse this to 70 writing, 30 day job by 2023. And by 2025, i hope to hit this full time.
I know this is a marathon, and i will crawl to the finish line if i have to.
Signing off
James S
Diary entry 22/3/2021
After several edits of the original TBW, i am finally to wrap up in a day or two.
You should have seen the work removal notice on the site by now. On 31/5/2021. I will be removing TBW series from this site and re-publishing it under a different pen name. There will be no mention of it on this site to avoid confusion.
Story line remains the same with minors changes that do not affect the flow and the plot.
The stories will be published on a new site that will have no affiliation this current one. One more details are available, i will be sharing it with you guys via a private email.
Some of the short works that has potential to tell more have been converted to a ‘mini series’ which spans over 2 weeks.
Come end June, it will be the one year anniversary of the premium subscription section. I will evaluate the data, feedback and comments received over this one year, big data the shit out of it and chart my next move.
One thing for sure, i will continue writing.
It’s a busy period for me, i’m trying to squeeze out a few hours to write everyday.
Skill futures will be starting soon in a couple of weeks.
Can’t wait to share it with all.
Stay safe all.
James S
Diary entry 5/2/2021
One month into 2021 already. Can you believe it ?
Just want to give a simple update of what will be happening in 2021 in terms of my writing and releases.
Magic is coming to an end, i’m wrapping it up by end Feb. Hope you enjoyed this little magical journey with me. I know you have questions regarding the plot and all. At the end of Magic, i will include a section explaining some pressing questions you might have with regards to the plot and why i developed it this way.
Skill futures will be the main piece of free to read work that i’m releasing this year. I’m excited about it, the teaser is already up. I’m going to be making some changes to the flow, but i assure you, it’s going to be a fun, gripping and entertaining read with a mind blowing ending. Originally scheduled for March, i am pushing it back 1 month to allow more time for editing and development. I expect to publish the 1st episode for Skills future around End March/Early April.
*Skills future is a non-erotic piece
Next up would be The beast within series.
I’m cleaning up the stories, removing the sex scenes and toning them down a notch so it’s more acceptable for mainstream audience. Some of the existing plotlines will also be enhanced/edited for a smoother read. No structural changes to the plot.
Not to worry, the original pieces will remain on this site as free to read pieces.
The cleaned up series will be published in another site, another address, under another pen name. This clean separation between the 2 sites is necessary because i cannot go around marketing stories with ‘argh,argh,argh, fuck fuck fuck’ in them. It’s also hard for readers who enjoyed the stories to share them too. Imagine you want to share ‘the beast within’ with a friend of yours but because of the nature of content, it can be a bit hard. I wouldn’t want to share anything from an erotic site with friends and relatives too even if it’s good.
A clean site with a new pen name will solve the problem in a way. People who have never read anything on this site, will not know is me. Whereas if you come across a friend who has read the original piece, you then know you share a common bond, or rather you visited a common site. You can then raise your glass of whisky at each other with a wink. Nothing needs to be said.
The beast within series will contain 4 parts, 3 of which are already available on this site. I’m sure most of you would have already read them. I’m making some adjustments to the naming of each book for the ‘clean site’
TBW – Not if, but when.
TBW – Big trouble in little india.
TBW- The house in Bukit Timah
TBW – ????????
The final installment is currently work in progress. I would say i’m about 35% done. It’s going to be a defining piece for me. I want to make sure it’s good before releasing.
TBW series, clean site or not, will remain free to read.
More details will be shared soon.
After Skills future, i want to try and embark on another piece of fantasy work similar to Magic but of a totally different nature. Think ‘My date with a vampire’ but one set in Singapore. Of course it’s not going to be the same but you get the drift of what i want to do.
Here’s a brief summary of timeline for what to expect in 2021.
Magic – Ending Feb 2021
Skills future – April 2021
New site, New pen name, cleaned up TBW series – End May 2021
New fantasy work about the netherworld – October 2021
Weekly releases of short works will continue.
Thank you guys for the support.
Here’s wishing all a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2021.
HUAT AH!
Stay safe all
James S
Diary entry 27/12/2020
This will be my last entry to the diary for year 2020.
2020 has come to an end in the blink of an eye. I’m glad it’s over. It’s been a particularly horrid year but we made it through. No matter how tough 2020 may be in the history books, we’re coming to an end.
Enough has been said about covid19, about the economy, the uncertain future. You don’t need to read anymore of those from this site.
I want to thank all who have read my work, regardless of paid subscription or my free to read stories.
Thank you for walking beside me as i embark on my little adventure.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you guys.
I’ve made it a point since i started to set aside a portion of the site takings to do this on behalf of all of you who have contributed to the kitty.
It’s the 1st time we hit a 4 figure donation in a single year. The donation is not from me, it’s from all of you who have bought or subscribed.
No tax exemption has been claimed for the donation, and the account James S does not have any personal details.
Here’s to a better 2021 for everyone.
James out
Diary entry 19/12/2020
Between July to End Nov, i have worked on and released 24 pieces of short works. This excludes longer pieces like Magic. This is more than the number of stories i released in the entire 2019. When i first planned for a new work every Friday, i was afraid i will be biting off more than i can chew.
After all, i know myself best. As much as i want to write, there will be days and periods when i would just stare at a blank screen and day dream. In the end, i still went ahead with it because i know i need to get out of my comfort zone.
5 months in, i have a series of works lined up for the next 10 weeks at least with about a dozen more in my working folder.
There will be more non-erotic works releases in 2021. I have drafts written for works of different genre, from comedy to horror.
With more subscribers coming on board, it is more important than ever to maintain the weekly release. I’m not looking to flood the site with short stories, i’m pushing for consistency in updates.
2020 is a turbulent year for many and it flew by in the blink of an eye.
History will remember 2020 as the year of the Pandemic caused by Covid 19.
I will remember 2020 as the year i work seriously towards my dream of writing full time.
I casually mentioned to a few friends during recent gatherings that i would like to perhaps switch line and just blog or write for a living just to see their reaction. Everyone thinks i’m crazy. To give up on the experience you accumulated over so many years in the industry and just go do something totally new, they are not wrong to think i’m mad.
Especially for someone with wife, kids and a mortgage.
My friends meant well, i know that. They are doing well in their respective careers climbing the corporate ladder.
I don’t want to climb a ladder, i am climbing a mountain..
I’ll end this entry with a famous quote ;
“If people are not laughing at your dreams, it is not big enough”
Stay safe all.
Cheers
James S
Diary entry 5/10/2020
I’m a about a month into life as a self employed worker. Things are going ok for me so far.
The business i started with my partner last year is making a small profit probably because we are not drawing a salary.
Despite the difficult economy, the company is still getting small jobs here and there. We can’t afford to be choosy even though there are a couple of clients i would prefer not to work with.
All’s good on the finance side.
I have enough savings to last me for 6 months without drawing a pay while keeping up with my commitments. I am confident i can make it last 9 to 10 months at the very least. There are no plans for ‘what ifs’. I did not plan on a ‘ what if’
I just have to make it work.
I’m splitting my time 70 /30 between running the startup and writing.
This is why i am generating more work compared to before.
Subscribers to the new premium content format is looking not too bad for now. Hopefully it will get better as more work is added.
Word count ratio of Non-erotic work to erotic work is currently about 50 : 50 since June. Each ‘Magic’ update has between 3500 to 4700 words. This sort of balances out some of the other erotic content that i am writing.
I think this is a comfortable ratio to work with. Who knows, maybe one day the amount of non-erotic content might grow bigger than the erotic ones. I have so many drafts on different plots written out and i am struggling to find time to develop them futher.
You might have noticed a increased of works written from the female perspective. Some of you are asking me if i have managed to get a female writer on board to edit it. No comments for now :p
Since i received notice that my company will be winding down in June 2019, i have been preparing for this.
Starting from July 2019, i have gotten my TDVL, i attended a few courses, i have both a food delivery account and a logistic delivery account.
Yes i have tried all of them for experience and to get a feel of what is it like.
It’s tough work.
Sending food, parcels and running around under the sun is physically and mentally demanding.
I have stopped doing it already and i will be using some of my experiences and encounter for future works. I took on some freelance work for old clients and contacts too to keep the relationship going.
To sum it up, i am kind of enjoying the freedom at the moment.
I get to spend more time with the family. Sure, i may not be making as much as before but hey, there’s food on the table, a roof over my head, family is healthy and happy, i have more time to write and explore different genre of works. What more can i ask for ?
I know where i’m headed and my sights are firmly set on the finish line.
I will get there.
Stay safe all.
James S