Do you have goals or resolutions for 2020?

[kittysbecute]

focusing on the joy in life

 

[muichimotsu]

I think the donation strategy was fine years ago before monetization opportunities were available. Audiences are most likely to purchase things that benefit them. That’s why products are a big focus.

~Bella

Not sure I'd have products I can offer, what I offer is my written criticism of various media (trying to move into TV shows too, though I still have to get a proper draft from my notes of, say, Titans Season 1 and 2 or Swamp Thing 2019). And Patreon's subscription based, not really donation based, like Ko-Fi

 

[bèlla]

Not sure I'd have products I can offer, what I offer is my written criticism of various media (trying to move into TV shows too, though I still have to get a proper draft from my notes of, say, Titans Season 1 and 2 or Swamp Thing 2019). And Patreon's subscription based, not really donation based, like Ko-Fi

If you are pursuing a hobby, that’s not an issue. If you’d like to earn an income a different approach may be needed. At any rate, I wish you luck in your writing.

~Bella

 

[Rhapsody]

I am working on mine right now!

How is it coming along?

 

[bèlla]

I finished my wardrobe plan for next year. I’m sewing 10 garments in class (2 dresses, coats, shirts, and sleepwear items; and one skirt and pair of pants). The capsule includes 10 signature hues and the outfits are paired and coordinated.

The goal is to create a bespoke wardrobe from head to toe. This is a long-term project whose framework is composed of custom fitted patterns I can replicate with ease.
.....

Femininity in face and form is a big focus for the coming year and it correlates with my wardrobe changes. I’m using a new skincare line and added makeup too. Now it’s time for shoes and accessories.

I often reference fashion without recognizing beauty is part of the picture. I did a skincare and makeup demo on Christmas and the products I used appeared on everyone’s list. That’s what they asked for. We had a blast. My goal is to maintain a daily beauty routine and share my knowledge with others.
.....

My hectic schedule took a toll on my domesticity. Especially cooking. Now that things are slowing down, I want to resume cooking and meal planning. I’d let it go and agreed to put something in place for the new year. My best friend is a health coach. We’re tweaking my fitness routine too. A minimum of 30 minutes of daily exercise is ideal.
.....

I would like to resume volunteering. There’s a global women’s organization I have in mind. They support social causes for women and families which don’t involve politics or reproductive agendas. I’m familiar with their work.

~Bella

 

[muichimotsu]

If you are pursuing a hobby, that’s not an issue. If you’d like to earn an income a different approach may be needed. At any rate, I wish you luck in your writing.

~Bella

Maybe it's that I've seen Patreon do well for others, though that's based more in visual mediums (visual art, videos, etc) versus text based

 

[muichimotsu]

.....

I would like to resume volunteering. There’s a global women’s organization I have in mind. They support social causes for women and families which don’t involve politics or reproductive agendas. I’m familiar with their work.

~Bella

I mean, when you say politics and reproductive agenda, that sounds a bit loaded in what you mean by both, as if any non profit doesn't tend to have at least some political aspect to it, though it's certainly not impossible. The conventions I panel for (part of the content on Patreon in a way, though I need to actually present it in some way as a tier) are non profit and I don't really get any political vibes from them

 

[bèlla]

Maybe it's that I've seen Patreon do well for others, though that's based more in visual mediums (visual art, videos, etc) versus text based

That’s because they recognize the scarcity of the skill and appreciate result. Value assignments influence our support and the measure we’re willing to give/spend.

Writing is rewarded when it exceeds the norm.

~Bella

 

[bèlla]

I mean, when you say politics and reproductive agenda, that sounds a bit loaded in what you mean by both, as if any non profit doesn't tend to have at least some political aspect to it, though it's certainly not impossible.

Some readers would assume a women’s organization moves in that direction. The comment refutes the thought.

~Bella

 

[muichimotsu]

That’s because they recognize the scarcity of the skill and appreciate result. Value assignments influence our support and the measure we’re willing to give/spend.

Writing is rewarded when it exceeds the norm.

~Bella

But what determines the norm these days? And determining that video is somehow a more complex skill than writing would seem to be prioritizing convenience over substance

 

[muichimotsu]

Some readers would assume a women’s organization moves in that direction. The comment refutes the thought.

~Bella

Not sure what direction is insinuated, because advocating for protection of certain things is not the same as forcing them to be accepted by others, that's an oversimplification I've found politics doing far too often in general, especially with issues that rarely affect the legislators themselves (being male and all)

 

[bèlla]

But what determines the norm these days? And determining that video is somehow a more complex skill than writing would seem to be prioritizing convenience over substance

The audience votes with clicks and their wallet. You have to view your work objectively. Most people had some measure of writing instruction. The majority didn’t learn to shoot and edit videos or take photos.

~Bella

 

[bèlla]

Not sure what direction is insinuated, because advocating for protection of certain things is not the same as forcing them to be accepted by others, that's an oversimplification I've found politics doing far too often in general, especially with issues that rarely affect the legislators themselves (being male and all)

A woman’s group often means feminist or progressive in some minds.

~Bella

 

[muichimotsu]

I'd hardly call my writing on the level of stuff you'd learn in high school (and I put a lot of work into it) and I'd also question whether the video editing skills are nearly as uncommon, even if they're still not something people can do to certain levels.

Even I've done video editing in some sense back when I tried video gaming as a creative endeavor of sorts (it wasn't great, but it wasn't wholly torn apart either)

It's not as if I haven't tried to advertise, but the problem is finding a fine line between that and just being obtrusive

 

[Citanul]

I have what's pretty much a goal, which is to exercise a bit more. Like a lot of people I start off quite well at the beginning of January but it's tailed off by December. Some years are better than others in terms of keeping it up, but this year wasn't as good as last year.

My office is moving closer to where I live and would just about be in walking distance, so there's a possibility of using my daily commute as exercise. Although "just about" corresponds to a 40 minute walk, and I'm not sure how keen I would be to do that on a daily basis.

My second goal is something which I have started doing to a certain extent, but the goal is do it more fully, and that's to regular set money aside. I went on a tour in Europe this year which was a bit of a last minute decision, so while I hadn't anticipated spending all that money I was able to find it. However, after paying for the tour and the plane flight (not cheap as South Africa to Europe is a fair distance) my car was written off in an accident, so needed to be replaced.

So those unexpected large expenses meant that money has been a bit tight, although things have improved of late. But as a result of that I decided to regularly put money away somewhere where it will earn more interest than just sitting in my bank account and not being there makes it a bit trickier to get hold of and therefore less likely to be used on other things.

The final thing for now is that a friend and I want to institute regular activities for young(ish) adults at our church as it's a demographic that isn't specifically catered for. We've actually been talking about it for a long time without doing much, but there have been some developments that might make it easier to get something going, so hopefully we can take advantage of that potential opportunity.

 

[muichimotsu]

A woman’s group often means feminist or progressive in some minds.

~Bella

And those minds have already poisoned the well by taking the bad examples and using that to color their understanding of the terms as a whole. *shrugs*

 

[bèlla]

Everyone thinks their idea is good. They believe the book is a future best seller and the business will take off. But those thoughts must be substantiated with proof. You can’t take your word for it. You must listen to your audience and gauge their response. And give them what they want.

~Bella

 

[muichimotsu]

Everyone thinks their idea is good. They believe the book is a future best seller and the business will take off. But those thoughts must be substantiated with proof. You can’t take your word for it. You must listen to your audience and gauge their response. And give them what they want.

~Bella

Isn't the expression as much that writers are their own worst critics?

The problem is finding an audience, hardly am certain about whether people are reading even the public posts on Patreon (or whether the stats I can see represent actual views or just me looking at them)

 

[bèlla]

Isn't the expression as much that writers are their own worst critics?

Many assume when they share their content publicly interest will follow.

The problem is finding an audience, hardly am certain about whether people are reading even the public posts on Patreon (or whether the stats I can see represent actual views or just me looking at them)

It is easier to generate content for a demographic you understand. The first step is discovering the who (who likes reviews) and the what (what type). Then you need to discover what portion of the audience likes content similar to yours along with unmet needs they’re looking to fill.

You can test interest through social media. See which platforms bring the biggest hits. Knowing your avatar (ideal customer) is the first step. Once you know who you’re writing for you’ll be able to produce content that resonates.

~Bella

 

[muichimotsu]

Twitter can't really share the stories directly, not sure how I could even determine if someone was looking at the content via Twitter versus FB anyway.

I have a number of reviews public on a FB page as Notes, so there's at least some visibility, though not perfectly public either

Considering how much content I already have, it'd be basically throwing it all to the side to rewrite at this point, not exactly hopeful