First, I want to vent about "You get what you pay for on Fiverr.com"
I have been stuck on the Moxxu Character look.
Cat with Rabbit ears? Lion-like? Manga style? Cartoon style? Cute? Aggressive?
Oh, damn, I need help with this.
I hate to need help. Sailors are tough. They handle it.
Yeah, I have been stuck on this for a month. it has been affecting my work. I am thinking I am losing my focus, here.
Why is it, that I cannot decide on a look for this Catlike alien, Named "Moxxu"?
Stress? I saw that I did not understand the look, because I am not an artist concept guy.
I am a Writer, and a Screenwriter, and a Bit Actor, and a Production Assistant, and a Set Decorator, Cartographer, and Space Artist. Yeah, and I used to fix Torpedoes, and Design Tabletop Wargames decades ago.
When you see a movie, there is a complete damn TEAM of people that do a movie.
But people think or expect, (or at least I thought), the Self-Published Author is a Caped Superhero, that does all of this themselves. Okay, maybe you hire a cover artist. But many people do that.
But the lack of money (my father used to call it "Mafunzalow Disease", being broke.)
On top of everything else going on (related to money):
- Visa about to expire in two weeks, (But I have what I need, I think / pretty sure / hope.)
- My son, Phet (Thai: Diamond) will be born any day now, literally.
The estimated time is in two weeks, but this is the launch window for little Diamond for his mission to Earth, which is now until 1 June 2020. - Stimulus? What is that? Don't get me started. Bah, too late.
Her Husband got it.
People in Thailand, other ex-pats, got it.
People on Twitter got it.
I didn't get it. More malfeasance by the current administration. Not that I need it, I mean, I can make do. But it would be a nice parachute during the Covid-19 Re-entry into the world after Quarantine lockdown in Thailand.
TASTY food would be nice. I got Canned Tuna; I got kilo-bags of rice. I got boxes of crackers. I got Liters of water. In that way, I know I am lucky. I am not bitching like "woe is me."
But if Homey-J, the Man in the Oval want to brag his shit, and be like, "Damn, we so winning." Show Me the Mon-ay.
The Quest for an Editor:
A few days ago, I started looking on Fiverr for an Editor, for this Journal, and an Illustrator for specific scenes of the series.
Looking for super inexpensive, but as much quality as I can get for a little money.
I will need to be super frugal here this month. I will not skimp on diapers and formula.
I set up a Fiverr account. I started browsing, most of the people were asleep, because Time Zone, I get it. I live in the Jungle, on the other side of the planet.
Finally, after hours, of browsing illiterate ads with 3 and 4 misspellings IN THE ADS, I was told, in a chat by a polite young woman, from Canada, "You need to get off Blogger, and get a Wordpress site."
Now, granted, she was polite. I asked her about editing fees, and she said she, "does not do that, she is a Content Creator." I told her I needed content for a Space Opera writer's Online Journal.
It confused her. "Is it an app, like a game?"
"No, for people who write science fiction. Like Star Trek?"
"I never saw it."
Okay, she is not the person I need.
I went to the next gig offer on Fiverr. Younger guy. Hipster. Hair like a breaking wave.
I was told, on a review of this Journal, by Mr. Digital Nomad, Ultra-Super-confident, like he is going to sell me a car instead of a website 20-something Wordpress Expert, from America,
"All of that stream-of-consciousness garbage has to go. You need to delete your whole site, and get on Wordpress, and set up an SEO optimized site, and hire a team of bloggers, to drive traffic for your startup."
"Yeah, but it is not a startup. It is an Author's Journal."
"Yeah, well, that is so "Boomer Generation".
The way he typed it in the convenient Fiverr chat tool, I was imagining the Air Quotes from his fingers.
Then the capstone on this pyramid of insult, he dare continue with: "Nobody does that anymore. "
I told him, "I guess I will be one of those nobody losers with an Online Journal then. I will not hire you to edit my site."
Arrogance continued. He literally said, "Mark my words. You are not going anywhere. Join the 21st Century, GRANDPA."
I wanted to put a bullet into his head. Mess up his hair, permanently. But he was on the other side of the planet.
Just ceasing chat with him felt- Unsatisfying, and because I had not contracted with him, I could not leave a review, that says, "This Narcissist..."
I took a coffee break.
I pet the Dirty Cat.
I took deep breaths.
I took a hot shower. Hot, because it is 40C in Thailand now, and the plastic supply pipes are in the sun all day. So the water is near-scorching.
I thought for a half hour.
And I confess, I had nothing à propos, or decent, or mellow, or enlightened to say.
Lost in my world of daily thought: "I cannot believe this is not a bad Post-apocalypse movie."
In reality, the truth is that there are 3,000 Americans dying a day.
I gave up looking for an Editor.
Yeah, here's my "I studied Zen Buddhism" Quote for the day: Fuck him, I will edit my Online Journal my fucking self.
Not my best week, or day to that point.
But, as always, I followed my intuition, and it got better.
I looked again on Fiverr for 6 HOURS.
Dozens of profiles from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Japan, China, Vietnam.
Many of them were VERY talented, but most of them wanted to do line drawing comic book (with one year of art school experience) style or (6 years experience doing) Cutesy Manga Schoolgirl Upskirt Art stuff. Not my flavor.
I did not see anyone doing "Bronie" Art, but I was not looking for it, either.
And then... late at night, tired as hell, I saw a vision. I had a moving emotional experience. The hair on my body stood up. I had found the Illustrator:
https://www.artstation.com/bradyrain
The Series Illustrator is from Ukraine. Dmytro Veseliy
Brilliant. We started negotiating. He spoke little English. I speak Russian. We started negotiating in Russian. He seems fascinated. He is glad I speak Russian. and I know what I am doing, and what to send him for concept art.
I hired him on the spot to be my illustrator, a few pictures a month. I sent him text and images for hours. He is working on Concept Line art for Moxxu. I am sure he will have exceptional work to show me.
He said: "It is very interesting. I will create a mind map on the board in my room. I am very inspired by this world. [It] is deep and elaborate, really like (it)."
Problem Solved.
Rain Storm, Lightning and Thunder now, as the sun sets, 6 May, 2020. Logging off.
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