Oh, September

As usual, I made a bunch of plans, and only about 1/3 of them came true.

Out of desperation (and curiosity), I decided to test out a blogging trick I came across—using AI to write trending posts based on Google News. That was the plan… until I couldn't afford my domain hosting anymore. So, I put that idea on hold for now.

In the meantime, I've been shifting gears toward something much closer to the heart—It's A Girl Thing, the podcast I'm launching with my best friend. It's been in the works for a while now, even if I can't remember exactly when it started (ugh, don't you hate that?).

Every day, I'm still fighting off the self-doubt and the noise. I swear, it feels like every "bright idea" I've had is slowly being outpaced by AI. For example, I used to hype up Writer's Work… before I actually tried it. Trust me—don't waste your money. A lot of the "premium assignments" they advertise can be found for free on LinkedIn or standard freelance boards. Lesson learned. I did, however, submit a sample to The Urban Writers, so fingers crossed something real comes from that.

Despite the chaos, August turned out to be pretty dope.

I broke through some mental blocks I wasn't even ready to name. Let's just say—I finally get why I said that ain't coffee. Because it really wasn't. On a lighter note, my soft launch into nudes made me a smooth $20. Not mad at it.

While procrastinating (artistically, of course), I stumbled across Spring (formerly Teespring). It's similar to Printify, and since I'll probably lose Cocoashops soon, I've got Mischievous/Misfits lined up next.

Even though my hips have made three new friends (iykyk), it still feels a little strange talking to myself online. I've scattered pieces of me all over the place—podcasts, playlists, drafts, drop-shops—and slowly, the picture is coming together. But the one thing I keep feeling behind on is Scary Hours.

Back in August, I told myself (and y'all, technically) that I wanted episode two of Scary Hours done and ready to go. I planned to start Noel Book Club and The Traffic Jam too. In a way, I did—with Break In Case of Emergency and The Laundry Room—but no new episodes. No new followers. No new drops. I know it's because I haven't been posting consistently. Reddit karma's nice, but karma doesn't equal sales.

So… back to the drawing board!

Every month starts with a fresh desk and a new to-do list. This month, I'm throwing it all the way back—to Patreon. I also promised myself I'd introduce you to Hugo. Not the leprechaun (don't worry), but the first 14 stories in "The Blueprints."

somewhere between de Bullys' family tree and my first official writing assignment as a freelancer, I decided to take a second, be realistic, and do something that I can do today.

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: all my stories are connected. I originally made playlists to keep the plot threads straight, but then I got obsessed with playlist-making and forgot to actually start the writing part. That's why Scary Hours means so much—it was a test. Episode one had no plan. Episode two? Barely better. But now I know it takes about a week to bring an episode from draft to drop. I've learned how to pace the lore: the Black Moon curse, Limbo, Hollandaise, The Slumber Party, and the mysterious world of The Beyond. Mason. Vogue. Onyx. All the core mythology finally has a rhythm.

Since I've been dodging my TikTok tryouts like the plague, I figured—why not publish a (short?) collection of stories and use that as the anchor? Just like Devin intended.

I've already put my 😾 on Reddit; what's a few story scenes gonna hurt? I asked, Where do all the writers go?—and I think I finally found them. My anxiety's still clocking in overtime, but it's time to give my Patreon a makeover. I may not be bragging about huge numbers (yet), but with the right playlist, I can drop a 4,000+ word scene like it's nothing.

So here's the September plan:

One story a night
Peer reviews on Reddit
Mashups for Krate Raiders
A check off my playlist
Promo reels for TikTok + Instagram
Exclusive drops for my Masonites

By the end of September, I'll probably still owe Chime, but I'll officially move one more space ahead to The Prelude.

And about Krate Raiders—I know it's probably too late for the Ultimate Put It On The Floor Mix, but I still haven't edited any of the WMW footage or those struggle-bus GRWMs. I knew the Scary Hours anniversary would come and go, but I can't believe it's been a year since I filmed Watch Me Work and never hit publish.