My challenge as a creative person is not whether or not I can create my novels.  Writing has always come fairly easy to me.  No, my challenge is whether or not I can find the way to make it profitable.  While the internet and new technological improvements in printing have leveled the playing field considerably, they have also created a whole new set of issues for us to deal with.

I know the answer lies in diversity.  In this multimedia, digital age, a story has to be expressed in a variety of ways, and that expression may take the forms of artwork, comic books, video games, movies, or even music.  The challenge is to develop as many of those avenues as possible while still retaining the intellectual property rights to your creation.

I’m close to having a major breakthrough.  Too many things have fallen into place in the last year and a half for me not to believe that.  Right now, my focus needs to be on cultivating one or two more avenues to get revenue flowing steadily.  A steady stream with allow for more travel, and more travel with lead to more markets opening up.

I will get there.  It’s just a matter of continuing to strike the anvil.

www.thirdaxe.com

I’ve long believed that the future of this country, if we are to thrive and prosper, will require a transformation from top-down ownership/management to more employee-based ownership.  As the system is currently structured, the few thrive while the many struggle, which is a direct opposite to the spirit of a democratic republic.

If more companies adopt the structure of employee stock option (not just limited to management), more individuals will have incentives to work hard for the good of the company.  Instead of a CEO raking in the lion-share of profits and earning 400% more than the average employee, salaries can become more equitable without losing the inherent competitive edge a capitalist system offers.  Free market competition is a superior system, but when the consumer class becomes  eroded because of stagnant wages, the system breaks down.  In employee-owned businesses, the profits of the company are distributed more evenly, thus broadening the purchasing power of the consumer class.

Here is an article that provides a real-world example:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011111010_birthdaygift18.html

This is my last blog about what happened over the weekend.  After this, I’m washing my hands of that mistake and moving forward.  Life is too short and time is too precious to waste it pondering the insanity of a desperate soul.

The part that really pisses me off more than anything is twisting things around to be my fault, as if I were out of line for getting upset.  I admit that I messed up when I didn’t toss at least him out as soon as he started to get in bed.  That was weakness on my part.  I don’t like being a jerk, and sometimes I let people push me beyond my limits before I speak up.  I’m working on being more assertive in that area.

I’ve never claimed to be perfect.  I’m far from it.  I have a failed marriage, a sluggish career, a few health issues, and several broken friendships to prove that I make mistakes.  I try to be man enough and adult enough to own up to the issues that are my fault, but when something is not my fault and someone tries to twist circumstances around to cast the blame on me, I get pretty upset about it.

Unless something else happens that is worth mentioning, this will be the last blog about that situation.  I have more important work to take care of.