Wins-of-the-Week #4
August 18th, 2024 - August 24th, 2024
“It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia.”
from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
“Mama said there’ll be days like this, there’ll be days like this, my mama said.”
from “Mama Said” by The Shirelles
Y’all. It’s been one of those weeks. Like, the kinds of weeks that aren’t even fun to whine about. The ones that make you want to cry or hit something or scream like the Grinch trying yoga.
But those methods of coping are seldom helpful.
Instead, I want to practice gratitude. I want to be loving even when I feel irritated. I want to praise God even when I don’t feel like it.
This week’s wins look a little different, but I’m showing up nonetheless. It’s the very least I can do as thanks to those who support me and in obedience to the One who calls me to this. So here we go.
The Herald of Som Progress:
+ 406 words (total: 75,162 words)
Yeeeeah, not a ton of progress this week, but it’s still forward momentum.
However! I have written some on a side story, which I’m really enjoying and looking forward to sharing with you all on some upcoming Thursday. It exists within the same world as The Herald of Som, and as a hint, there is a connection between it and the post coming out this week. That’s all you get for now, though!
Meal of the Week
Golden Corral vs Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki
Spoiler: Golden Corral wins by a mile.
The crockpot chicken teriyaki was a gamble that wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, but it was underwhelming. Two frozen chicken breasts and a bunch of Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet Teriyaki Sauce for 6 hours, served over white rice, and it was solidly “meh.”
Golden Corral, however, has fresh buns with honey butter. That was a win. Plus, I got to celebrate my beloved grandmother’s 90th birthday, and that is most definitely a win.
Updates to the Publication
Friday night, after working late at my day job, I came home to devote some time fiddling around with the settings and format of my Substack page. I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made, though there is definitely still work to be done. Here are some of the changes that have been made:
All subscribers are now able to reply to my newsletters via email. I don’t know if anyone previously had a desire to do so, but the option is now there for anyone who does.
In that same spirit of open communication, all subscribers will be able to comment on posts that do not have a paywall attached. I’m looking into the possibility of opening up comments to everyone on all of my posts, but it looks like I can’t do that on posts that have a “behind-the-scenes” section just for paid subscribers. I’ll update again on this if I find a solution or make some other decision.
Finally, I have made two pages on my Substack dedicated to my fantasy writing and my horror stories respectively. This should help with the navigation and organization of my publication. (Say that three times fast.)
I’m considering a few other changes, up to and including changing my publication’s name. I won’t be doing so until I’ve settled on something I really like, but it is a possibility on the horizon. Feel free to make helpful suggestions (which I’ll likely ignore, especially if they’re good, since my ego will insist that the name has to be a SMO original).
And the last win of the week is that I’m able to sit here writing this post, blessed beyond all reason. A considerable number of things have gone awry this week. Some of it is just internal turmoil. Some of it is external events. All of it is fully within God’s power to handle.
Let His will be done, and let this life (and this publication) be a testament to His goodness.
Blessings,
S.M. Osborne
I'm really enjoying reading your posts. Keep it up!!