I thought I’d throw in a quick word about what I’m working on, which, unfortunately, isn’t writing. I’ve been on a mission to solve all of our housing problems lately, which started out with lots of networking with people who seemed important to meet: non-profits serving people, local government, and such. I’ve been discussing the need for a housing coalition in my area and have been promoting the idea of creating a community land trust to keep properties affordable into the future. I haven’t gotten much traction as of yet with this mission.
Lately I’ve been studying building codes and local laws to better understand what is possible in the housing sector. And before that I spent time researching the true financial plight of people… I have to be able to talk-the-talk, but now it’s really time for me to walk-the-walk. I’ve been designing a tiny cottage on SketchUp in conjunction with learning building codes so that I can understand what a good house looks like. It also means what I learn has a better chance of sticking with me. I’ve just applied for a pre-licensing class required to get a contractor’s license, so things are moving. I’ve got to be prepared to build houses myself if needed, and help in any way I can if something larger takes root. I’ve watched so many videos on roofing details, exterior insulation, how to proper frame a window… I think code official might scratch their heads and say: “most people don’t do it this way.” And I’ll say (but not really): “yeah, and that’s why so many houses suck.”
You’ve got to understand at least the basics of building science if you’re gonna do anything right, but that just makes it that much harder to learn. This would probably be a lot faster if I just tried to learn what was normal…
And this has been taking up my time. Writing just isn’t happening right now. I have the premise and basic story beats of the next Handyman book all planned out–I have a few chapters written–but it’s just not moving forward until I can get better traction in my own housing trajectory. Some things are simply more important, and I’m left to choose one thing over another for the time being. I can’t say for sure when I’ll be able to commit more time to writing, but I know I will continue. Eventually. Maybe when I have this tiny house concept fully designed, and I’m confident in the code that governs whether it’s buildable in the area.
Although, I am still considering switching the kindle version’s cover (of volume 1) to the raccoon… I did it with the audiobook as an experiment. I’m very tempted to try it with KDP to see if I get any more sales/Kindle Unlimited page reads. I really don’t have anything to lose because my sales are so low. I mean, I don’t know how to advertise successfully, so I don’t even try right now. Changing the cover to something I think might catch people’s eye even more doesn’t seem like a loss at all. . . yes, maybe . . . yes . . . now let’s see if I know how to embed a GIF…
