New Steps
I just found out that Medium.com has changed their partnership program. If I have less than one hundred followers as of March 3rd, I will be booted. That basically means that my articles won’t be monetized anymore. I can still post, and honestly, it won’t really affect me (I think I made less than $10 last year from Medium) but it still bothers me.
In other news… I finally found an artist to do my cover art for The Reservoir! The piece should be done in a couple weeks. So, barring anything crazy I should be able to get The Reservoir up by the middle of March. And then I will promptly begin working to finalize the next story I plan to release.
I’m still struggling to find beta readers. I was told about a website called Critique Circle where you can critique others' stories and earn points to have others critique your stories. I need to get my butt on there and rack up some points. It’s a start anyway.
The Breakdown
Jesse’s Smile by Angelique Jurd
This M/M romance features Jesse, an adult with high functioning autism and a host of other conditions and Drew, a high school English teacher. Jesse works for a pet store and meets Drew when he comes in to buy stuff for his new kitten. Drew is drawn to the sweet, shy, beautiful Jesse and asks him on a date. Jesse explains about himself right away and they begin a relationship. This is their story.
I have to admit, due to my assumptions, I was nervous to read this one. I was scared it was going to push my ideas of ethics. Because of my assumptions about autism, intellectual disabilities, etc., I was preparing for a story full of cringy, questionable moments. But the story specifically addresses common assumptions mainly that someone with autism, no matter how high functioning could not possibly navigate adult life on their own. That they need to be taken care of and cannot understand or engage in a “normal” adult relationship. I’m embarrassed to admit that my assumptions were along these lines so much so that when I first started reading the story, Jesse’s voice in my head sounded very childlike. However, that changed quickly as I learned more about Jesse.
Half of the story is from Jesse’s POV, and the author did a wonderful job getting in his head. Jesse is in no way child-like. He owns his apartment. He has a job. He pays his own bills. He just sees the world through a different lens. He is blunt and guileless and has a great sense of humor. He is fully capable of engaging in a mature, adult relationship. He does not need to be fixed or taken care of. He is just Jesse.
It is a beautiful, eye-opening story. I read it in basically one sitting because I could not put it down. As a lower middle class, cis, het, white woman who leads an admittedly vanilla life, it is extremely important for my writing and my own development to stretch my understanding of the world. One way I do this is by reading a lot of non-mainstream stories. Taboo topics. Kink. Fetishism. And characters who are not the typical mainstream protagonists. This includes lifestyle choices and people who are differently abled. I applaud authors who write these stories. They help readers like me begin to wrap our minds around and accept others that are different from ourselves.
Living Life
Back from my vacation. It was really good. I am planning on putting out a travel article all about it…might be a couple weeks. As always, the vacation was too short. I rarely have that relief of being home feeling. Part of me would love to drop everything and just go on the road like my parents. Just constantly moving, seeing cool things and mundane things and meeting people and writing about my experiences. Unlike my parents, I don’t think I would want a YouTube channel. I’m not a video person. I think I could do a podcast…maybe that’s just because I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. But I don’t know what I would talk about. There are too many topics that are way too diverse to be a successful podcast. Maybe I just don’t want a 9to5. I am not one of those people who claims they will never retire. I am peacing out as soon as I feel like I can financially swing it. At least from the 9to5. Am I rambling? I feel like I’m rambling.
As always, thanks for checking out the site, and I hope everyone is doing well. If you feel so inclined, check out my social media.
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