Voltech44

How are things, Voltech? We miss your updates!

Whew.  Made it through another overtime onslaught -- and presumably, that's going to be the last of it for a while.  Voltech Pro Tip: if you ever need to survive a spate of 12(ish)-hour shifts, then summon every last ounce of willpower you can...and then summon 200% more spite.
          
          Ah, yes.  Pure, perfect spite.  You've served me well over the ages.
          
          Aaaaaaanyway.  As of writing, it's Saturday night.  And, as promised?  There's a new chapter of my latest story, Dead on Prime, uploaded and ready for a read.  This latest entry marks the completion of the second act -- and I can promise you that after this, the bullets are going to start flying.  Now's a good chance to start reading, yes?
          
          You can start here: https://www.wattpad.com/1063167575-dead-on-prime-break-the-law-1
          
          And remember: if you like what you see, you'll get new chapters of Dead on Prime on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Don't miss it!  It's (probably) Hype Dog-approved!
          
          https://cdn.donmai.us/original/5a/da/5adaceb5a89dfd78337da5e24558b115.gif

Hey, it's Voltech reporting in.  Had some technical difficulties on my end -- my computer is super-weak to power outages -- but they should be resolved for now.  I'm not too happy about losing time AND progress in my Word files, but I managed to make up for what's no longer among us.  Now, if only I could do something about my impending overtime hours...
          
          But I digress.  This is a roundabout way of saying that, yes, I've made enough headway on my latest story -- Dead on Prime -- to start regular uploads.  Based on the file I've got?  Three full acts in the story are written up -- or, in other words, 14 chapters. They'll need to be edited before I hit that publish button, granted, but making those adjustments can be done pretty quickly before said button-mashing.
          
          As of right now?  The """plan""" is to upload twice a week.  I'm shooting for one on Wednesday, and then one on Saturday.  At least, in my time zone; not hard to imagine me uploading Saturday night, for example, and people reading it the following Sunday.  BUT, an upload's an upload.  And those uploads are rolling your way very shortly.  Feels like I've been saying "coming soon", or something like it, a LOT. But I mean it this time.
          
          Anyway, get hype or something!  Tell your friends, on Wattpad and off of it!  And remember: this story isn't 100% set in stone, so comments, suggestions, and ESPECIALLY reactions are more than welcome!  If I'm going to become a true writing hero, I need to get stronger -- and the only way I'll do that is if I test myself against readers like you.  So, let's get at it, together.  Starting tomorrow, assuming I don't face mortal peril!  (It's like 100 degrees out and I keep getting air quality alerts.  The Grim Reaper's on the prowl.)
          
          Thanks for reading.  Hope you pop back in for Dead on Prime, starting this Wednesday.  Failing that?  I dunno.  Guilty Gear Strive is pretty rad.  Try it.
          
          For your consideration (and my shilling):
          
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwYMkRMimFo

Hey guys, Voltech here.  I'm just about ready to start uploading new chapters of my latest story, Dead on Prime; I'm trying to build a big enough buffer first, though.  Good news: I've got 10-ish chapters (at least two full "acts" in the story at large) written up, so once I give them a pass for editing, they'll be good to go.  And of course, more will be on the way -- soon, ideally, but you know.  Murphy's Law.
          
          Anyway, I thought I'd take a minute to ask for some input.  Yeah, I'll have more chapters coming out really soon, BUT I thought I'd see what anyone reading this/cares about this has to say about the frequency of chapter uploads.  
          
          So, as a hypothetical reader, would you prefer...
          =============================================
          A) a big dump of chapters all at once (i.e. one new upload a day until I burn through my buffer, then another big gap in time till the next batch)
          
          B) an act-by-act dump of chapters, so that there's a string of one-a-day uploads, then a pause between acts, then another dumped act
          
          C) a new chapter uploaded, then a pause, then another chapter (i.e. a new one uploaded every other day until I hit the end of my buffer)
          
          D) one chapter uploaded a week -- maybe two, tops
          
          E) other (give me suggestions)
          =============================================
          I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to distribute these chapters -- or, more specifically, what's the BEST way to distribute these chapters.  I purposely shoved the first five chapters of the story out the door to get the intro out of the way/gauge interest/set up future stuff.  Now?  Now would be a good time to nail the scheduling before I paint myself into a corner.  Or burn myself alive.  Not burn out.  Burn alive.  Super-hoping it doesn't come to that.
          
          Well, anyway.  Let me know what you guys think.  Thanks for reading, and...in other news, consider me a member of the "Desperately Itching to Play Guilty Gear -Strive- Gang".
          
          4 days left...
          
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Lys7OLglU

Just popping in right quick to say that I'm still here.  Been plugging away at new chapters of Dead On Prime for a WHILE, building up a big buffer of chapters so I can release as much as possible in a steady stream.  By the looks of things, I can do that pretty soon!  So look forward to it, maybe?
          
          Got more to say about stuff on my end, but I'll save it for another time (because there's PLENTY to go over).  For now, back to writing.
          
          Also, please enjoy this track from F-Zero GX.  No reason for it.  I just think it's neat.
          
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMhG3Pa1DG8

The Game Plan (ACT III OF III)
                
          I’ll be honest: it feels like I’ve been slacking off in terms of using Wattpad.  Some of those are self-inflicted wounds -- trying to come up with new art for my stories shaves both weeks from my schedule and years off my life -- and some of those are unavoidable pitfalls when dealing with life.  Still, there’s a part of me that shrivels up like a raisin every time I think about Wattpad, knowing that there are stories I could -- and SHOULD -- read, and vote on, and comment on, and critique, but…well, haven’t.  Admittedly, there’s the fact that if even a couple of recent trials/variables had been even slightly different, I could have died in at least three different ways, but mortal peril is no excuse for failing to nurture the hopes and dreams of fellow writers.
          
          There’s a lot of work to be done on my end, both in terms of writing and promoting my wares.  That said, I need and WANT to put in effort to recognize those who are striving just as much as I am.  Likely more.  So here’s what I’ll do: Wattpad users, if you’re reading this?  Leave a comment here telling me which (one) story of yours you want me to read, and I will.  It’ll take me a while to get to it, granted -- again, going without PC and (possibly?) internet access for multiple days -- but knowing WHAT I need to read will help me prioritize AND focus on doing what needs to be done.  Trust me, I’m all too familiar with languishing in obscurity and being so unknown that I might as well be a ghost.  The least I can do is make it so that others don’t feel so alone.
          
          And that’s about where I stand right now.  Going on vacation, so I won’t be able to do much vis a vis writing/technology in general.  New story is started and ready for reading, though, with more chapters to come later on.  And, crucially, I want to commit to supporting other Wattpad users.  It’s what a hero would do, don’t you think?
          
          Speaking of heroes…
          
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elW1khAWD58
          
          aw yiss

The Game Plan (ACT II OF III)
          
          I know it’s presumptuous of me to shill my content, but it’s worth saying as directly as possible: yes, I’ve got a new story up on Wattpad: the paranormal urban fantasy, Dead On Prime.  (Probably should’ve used a lowercase “o” for the uploaded title, but oh well.  Too late now!  Unless…)  
          
          The first five chapters are up and ready.  Like I said before, the formatting will differ sharply from Maxima!!; the goal is to have each chapter be somewhere between 2K and 3K words, so that the average Jill or Joe can get through them without needing to set aside a day and/or peel their eyes apart like onions.  Stat-wise, that’ll probably also increase engagement/completed reads -- but what matters most is that people enjoy whatever I virtually puke online.
          
          It’s not like I’ve washed my hands of Maxima!!, but the focus has shifted.  You can tell as much from my new header image, showcasing the main quartet of Dead On Prime.  Who are they?  You won’t know for a while, but I’ll say this: to put it in video game terms, each of them corresponds to a different Style in the Devil May Cry series.  The main character’s Trickster, making him all about speed and evasion.  The deuteragonist?  Royal Guard.  Then Gunslinger.  Then Swordmaster.
          
          It’ll make sense in context.  Probably.
          
          Going out of town to visit my mom is going to keep me from making uploads for a few days.  But I AM excited about getting them, and the story at large, up.  The story’s deuteragonist is one I’m especially keen to get to; I made some changes to her VERY recently, at least conceptually, that not only necessitate a dramatic overhaul, but also got me like:
          
          https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/923/574/2fb.jpg
          
          So yeah, look forward to that.  Or if not that?  Friendly reminder that I’ve got a finished story right now featuring bubbly blonde behemoths and giant robot wrestling. Read it.
          
          Okay, shilling complete.  Now, there’s one last bit of business to take care of.

The Game Plan (ACT I OF III)
          
          Hey, everybody.  Voltech here.  And…whew.  That’s a good way to sum things up.  WHEW.  I don’t know about you guys, but for me?  These days, it feels like living through the spring season has been like stepping into the ring with a heavyweight boxer.  To wit, here’s what’s been going on outside Wattpad:
          
          --a deluge of overtime at work, and thus multiple 11-hour shifts
          --maintenance work on my car, partly to prepare for the Class-3 killstorm that Texas summers tend to be
          --rain aplenty, feat. a power outage that nearly bricked my PC
          --getting taxes done, feat. infinity technical difficulties (pls no bulli, IRS)
          --the conversion of my place into a “smart apartment” that took multiple hours and swear-happy technicians
          --the vaccination shuffle (to quote Gangstalicious, I got shot)
          --pretending like I can cook (don’t ask)
          --and more!
          
          And so, after weeks of working, scheduling, waiting, toiling, sweating, and laying on the floor in near-darkness as a respite from the tumult of life -- because no one can judge you when you’re on the floor -- things have finally cleared up on my end.  Which means that from here on, I’m free to go all in with things here on Wattpad!
          
          …Is what I would like to say.
          
          No, I’m not dying.  I’m just slated to go visit my mom for Mother’s Day.  On the plus side, it’ll be good to see her and the family dogs again.  On the minus side, I’m not going to have PC access (and even internet access is sus right now).  Basically, this vacation of mine is going to take away my ability to write for a few days -- meaning that you won’t see any uploads, messages, or comments from me for a little while.  Not exactly out of the ordinary, granted, but now I’m scheduled to get completely locked out.  Hope I don’t go through withdrawal.
          
          Eh, whatever.  It’s a vacation(ish), so that’ll give me time to relax.  Besides, it’s not like I’ve got any new stories started up here on Wattpad that need more chapters.
          
          *checks user page*
          
          Oh.

Hey, gang.  It's your old pal Voltech44, reporting in (properly) for the first time in...
          
          *scrolls down conversation list*
          
          Okay, let's not worry about how long it's been.  The important(ish) thing is that I'm here to properly introduce my new Wattpad story, Dead on Prime.  You can read the first two chapters right now, with more coming very soon.  What's it about?  That's better left to the description, but ghosts will get involved.  Technically.  Eventually.  Ostensibly?  Yeah.
          
          Truth be told, there's a lot I have to say vis a vis what's been happening on my end, but I'll save it for another day (partially because, as of this writing, I'm due for another overtime shift and I should PROBABLY be trying to sleep).  So, here are some quick details about this new story.
          
          --Compared to my usual style/format, things are (likely) going to work differently.  Ideally, chapters will come packaged in mini-arc format -- so, for example, the two I've got uploaded so far are two out of a 5-part cluster.  The reason is...
          
          --One of my core goals: making chapter lengths easier to digest for online/mobile readers.  That'll be WAY easier to do if I break up chapters this way.  By extension?  There's still content that needs to be written and/or overhauled before posting, so breaking up what's saved on my computer will give me less stress in the long run.  Presumably.
          
          --It's worth mentioning that, even though Maxima!! got uploaded first, Dead on Prime (an earlier build of it, at least) predates it by a HUGE margin.  Jury's out on how much I've improved as a writer since then, but I'm eager to implement the changes I've envisioned.
          
          --This is going to be tonally different from Maxima!!, but there WILL be goofy BS.
          
          Okay, that's it for now.  You can start reading here:
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/267973932-dead-on-prime
          
          Also, I'm not saying that this would be its theme song, but...man.  It's unexpectedly hitting a LOT of the key notes.
          
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1eYYQzuSDA

okay yeah sure now's good
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1063167575-dead-on-prime-break-the-law-1