Joey,
How's this week treating you?
Today my list of non-creative admin to-dos was long. Couldn't spend as much time skill building.
But I did complete the draft final battle scene of the novel. These always take me days to write.
Not just because of fight choreography or set piece creation, but because I want to make sure you as the reader get the proper story payoffs.
Writing a book can be like wrapping a present.
Cut too much paper out, when you go to close the seal and tape it shut, you end up with frumpy wrap that might reveal what's inside and looks sloppy.
I go for as close to a perfect cut as possible when I wrap gifts and novels.
There needs to be enough there to cover everything I included in the package (story). All side plots need to be resolved, fights need to be appropriately paced and emotionally layered– not just slugfests– and everything needs to be concluded in an emotionally satisfying way. Finally, some mystery needs to be preserved to keep readers going to the very last page (no unnecessary run-on endings). You and I have both red that book that should have ended 20 pages earlier.
As you can imagine, all this is hard to get right on the first pass. But I've gotten better at at least covering all the major plot points and emotional beats on draft one. That way draft two is just a little polish and narrative balancing before it's good to go.
You can read a brief part of the final scene below. No major spoilers are there.
-Keith
ANNOUNCEMENT!
This weekend Feb 21-22, 2026 I will be a vendor at Virtuous Con 2026!
It's online, so stop by and say hi if you get a chance. It would be great to meet you!
Session 1: Coding (20 mins)
- Introduction to ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
Not the most engaging topic, but important.
Session 2: Writing (Novel) Cereus & Limnic: Escape From Okinawa Type-B (35 mins)
719 words written - final battle complete
Excerpt:
Immediately, we were surrounded: by the U.S. Marines, Japanese locals, and Chinese drones overhead, supported by those agile silver robots they got. I had one more in me to burn. I coulda killed them all. But I knew more would come.
Session 3: Drawing (20 mins)
- Draw Any Pose From Any Angle - Rhythms (FINISHED)
Just a bunch of arms
Hey man, I hope you've been enjoying this newsletter. My goal this year is to make it something you look forward to seeing in your inbox when you get it (not like probably dozens of automated messages you get daily).
When I look at other writers and creators sometimes it feels like I'm way behind at times.
This is because I've been at this for nearly a decade now, and while my footprint has certainly grown, my "brand" still isn't well-defined. In the age of algorithms, lack of clarity is death. If the machine doesn't know where to place you, then the right people won't find you. That's the grim reality in 2026.
HAC Studios just turned 4 years old last week and right now it's currently in a limbo state. I originally started it to collab with other creators, but due to the wide-range of pursuits I'm interested in, even close friends who are at least curious about what I'm doing have difficulty finding ways to work with me.
Long story short, support from readers like you helps keep me going financially and motivationally.
I strongly feel like all of this is leading to somewhere good. Where that is, I have no idea. But I hope you're still around when we get there.
Hit the button to tip.
Even a $1 means more than you know.