A writing update lets readers follow an author’s creative journey in real time. In “Coming Together - Writing Update,” Greg Luti shares how several parts of his writing life are finally aligning — a consistent schedule for poetry and flash fiction, the new preview of Hit of Henry now live, $3/month subscriptions, site redesign, and upcoming editing services. Current Writing Schedule I am glad to report that the writing schedule I have is getting a little bit more consistent, and you should see content on my site, whether that is poetry, flash fiction, or books, on a consistent basis. I am honestly still working on a more consistent social media schedule, one I am happy with and one that can help me grow, too. I will let you all know when I come up with that. Site Redesign Coming Soon The site is going to get a makeover, which I am excited about, since I have been trying to get it one for quite some time. I told the guy to keep the literary style aesthetic I am aiming for in my brand. Hit of Henry – Preview Now Live I have been working on my latest novel, Hit of Henry, and even released a preview of it for you guys to read. The question I will answer here is why someone would pay three dollars per month for my site. Well, first of all, I understand if you subscribe and only want to read some of the free stuff. There is plenty of that here, and if you do subscribe to the weekly newsletter, you can get something to read for no cost at all. You can pick whatever short piece you like from me that week that I put out for free, and read it. If you are interested in reading all that I write here, including previews for my books and short stories, then you can pay a little per month for them. The cost is only 3 dollars per month, so I don’t think it is all that much either. I got the inspiration for that option for readers when I went to other sites and saw they gave a similar deal. You can read a few lines of everything, but if you want to be able to read everything, then you have to pay a little bit. Editing Services Now Available I am working on getting some editing pieces together, so you guys can see what type of work I can do for a writer who needs editing. I must say that I am an ideas guy, so if you are interested in working with someone who will come back at you and give you a list of thoughts on what you are writing, then I am certainly the right person for you. What’s funny is that I normally write notes to myself when writing a story anyway, so this process, of sharing my editing thoughts, is actually natural for me. One Step at a Time The basic idea for me was to get the proper foundation for my writing. That means to have the website presentable, have a newsletter, have a writing schedule (one I hold to), and so far, so good with that. The next step, I suppose, is consistency and growth through the proper channels. I think there is a little more I can do on my site for my editing, in that I can add some more examples of what I can give an editing client, and that is something I can definitely address. There is a short story I am working on right now, and it involves a certain pop star, but I was pretty tired when I was in the office, so I decided to give you an update on what I am doing with my career instead. Everyone I tell about this venture of building a proper website with my own writing and then expanding my editing ability into a stable career is giving me positive feedback. They all say I am doing it the right way, for what that is worth. I like to hear that because if I am honest with you, there are times when my eagerness gets ahead of itself, and I become frustrated. I am the type of guy who thinks what was done today should have been done yesterday, and that I will do everything if I have to (hence why I am grateful for getting help on my site) You put things in place with the proper rules and standards, and then you uphold those until the attention and progress you seek are shown, and when that happens, you should not be surprised by it, but rather have a plan for the next course of action to further yourself and better your life. That is how I try to look at it. Rome was not built in a day, so I don’t know why I am eager to get this entire thing going so quickly. I have a lot of major plans for my writing, but the most important step I can take is the one ahead of me. You can’t run a marathon effectively if you trip when the race begins. So I take this one day at a time, working on what I can, doing the best I can, knowing this is a marathon, one that with the proper diligence and sacrifice can help me reap the proper rewards. I also want to give a shout-out to my mentor and assistant, since they are really helping me stay focused on my goals. People are in your corner to support you if you allow them to. And if you find that no one is in your corner, then find another corner.

An ordinary errand can become a moment of unexpected philosophy. In “Math Equation,” Greg Luti turns a simple trip to CVS into a deep conversation with a stranger who explains how life itself is one giant, ever-changing math equation. After my shift, I went to my local CVS to get something to drink and a snack or two. I was not in the mood for any actual food, just something to tie me over as I drove home, so I thought I would quickly go into the CVS and get something, a habit I have done a few times before. The parking lot in the place is never easy to navigate, in that when you turn into the lot, you have to make a quick second turn to get a decent spot. Instead of dealing with all of that, I normally park as far away from the store as I can, and then walk. I parked my car on the side of the building where no other car would dare park, since my car is really out of the way, and backing up out of the place will be a pain in the ass. I jumped out of the car and saw a man pushing a shopping cart, but not towards the store, but away from it. The shopping cart was not a cart from the store either, and was filled with garbage bags of random stuff found around town. "Hey, you!" The stranger called over to me. "I don't have any money." I quickly responded. I sensed that he was only interested in me for such a thing. "No. No. I don't want any money. Let me tell you something…" He paused for a second, as though he zoned out. I stood there, confused, not sure if the man was still thinking about what to say or was about to have a heart attack. "Are you ready for this?" "Uh, sure…" I entertained the stranger, sensing he only wanted to reveal some nonsense to me, more than be any threat to my safety or wallet. He spoke with a struggle, as though the words were hard for him to say. Each word, each phrase, was a struggle for this man to utter, so much so that I almost missed where he started. He knew his words, but his mouth was giving him difficulty, so he took his time to make sure each word was correct. "Life, you know all that we are and do… life is a math equation, my man. That is all it is. Look around you, and that is all you are, and all that we are. It's math." He took a deep breath as though he had just run a lap around the track. "But it ain't like some math you see in school." He started to use his hands as though he were counting. "All with the stagnant numbers – 1+1=2, E=MC^2, a^2+b^2=c^2. No, it ain't like that at all. Life is math with movement." He almost fell over as he moved his hands across his face. "You okay?" I asked. He didn't answer and only continued his previous thought. "Math that moves. The numbers and equations you learned in school, changing and moving all the time… That is life. That is what we see and feel. So when you do something, no matter what it is, it fits into life." He used the cart to hold himself up. His hand was shaking as he tried to keep himself from falling. "And why? Because life is nothing more than a math equation that keeps changing. And we are all in this equation, my brother. We're all in for life." Slowly, he moved towards me and patted me on the back, shook his head, and pushed his cart full of garbage away from me. I didn't respond or say anything as he went away from me. I turned towards the store and walked towards it. I almost got hit by a car pulling out. After avoiding the collision, I went to get a store cart to go buy what I originally wanted. I pushed the cart into the store, and before I even got to the first aisle, I stopped. I had forgotten what I even went in to buy.

An ironic poem often highlights the gap between what we say and what we actually feel. In “Why I Didn’t Open Your Email,” Greg Luti captures a chaotic morning spiral of overthinking, existential questions, and everyday procrastination that leads to a hilariously relatable decision not to open an email. I didn’t open your email right away because I was busy. No, I was not working late hours in the office. I try to leave as early as I can every day. Nor was I spending time with family. I only ever attend important family get-togethers, like weddings and funerals. I was busy, though. I was in bed, thinking about my own existence, questioning whether I am even real, or if any of this even matters, and I may have gotten carried away. See, I sat in bed wondering just what I know and what I don’t know. I know that there is stuff that I don’t know, but then if I never know what I don’t know, how can there be any reasonable conclusion? And without a reasonable conclusion, I am left to use faith as justification for my own existence. Which gets me to prove that there is a Creator, which then gets me back to there being a part I know and a part I don’t know. I then switched up my thoughts to speculate a little differently. What if all I am is not what it seems? What if, at the end of this, my life is fake? Can I really be nothing more than a player in a game? Is this nothing more than a simulation? Religion admits that there is some truth to this being a simulation, but they can’t agree on all of it. I am then left to decipher my own life, and wonder if any of this is even real. I am told they lie. And they do. But it feels like the lie the media tells me about a certain story is a bit different than being told my entire freaking reality is not real. Sure, they are both lies. But pizza and burgers are both foods, too, but I would never confuse the two. The moment of deep thought overcame me as I lay in bed, not really ready for the day. Mornings are good for wood, deep thoughts, and remembering that you have to get some coffee in you if you are going to function. When I get this way, allowing the deep thoughts to run things, I don’t really want to talk to anyone. Let me be, you fool! Can you not see I am thinking? I am not only thinking of you and me, but of life itself. I am thinking so much that I am doing more than thinking. What do we call that? Don’t we have a word for the action I am doing right now? Perhaps I am on to something here then… So please let me be and do not bother me right now. Let the thoughts go where they wish, as I am only trying to keep up with myself here. I am on a ride right now, and I am going where the thoughts take me! I may go off the road. I may jump off a cliff. I may not ever move at all. Regardless, the thoughts are the driver, and I am going wherever they go, hoping to find some clarity in this life. I know not where my thoughts take me, and I don’t care either. I will follow these thoughts. So please do not speak to me now, I can only grasp these thoughts if you are not communicating with me. The real joke to that last part is that I hate roller coasters. You would never catch me on a roller coaster. I went on a roller coaster when I was a kid, and all I can say is that I started on the line, and when the time came to get on the ride, my skin turned as pale as a ghost, and I did not go on the roller coaster. I am happy with rollercoasters of the mind, but rollercoasters of real life scare me. There are so many times in this world where the truth seeps through, is shown only briefly, But then…. Like that, it is closed short. Harder than a pissed person slamming the door. I am then left to wonder what the hell I just saw, and I have to rely on my memory to even recall my own reality. Oh, wait, I forgot, my memory may change sometimes, and I can’t even rely on that. What can I really know? What can I be certain of? Is there anything, or is this all an illusion? Has the world fooled me, and I have bought into the act? I go back to thinking of the lies in the media. How can I prove that the man is lying to me? Is there even a way to do that? If I say he is lying, he can defend himself, for he is the one with the audience, not me. The best I can do is accuse him of that claim, never once getting any more proof, and needing to rely on a certain amount of faith in my own detective skills. What about reality itself? How would I be able to prove that reality is wrong? Isn’t reality smart enough to go against bums like me? Oh, no, we got a guy lying in his bed, thinking about us! He thinks he is clever since he has not moved all morning. What are we going to do? This could ruin us. - Reality When I saw your email, I just couldn’t deal with reading about whatever you wanted to tell me. I am over here wondering if the very hands I use every day are mine. I don’t want to read your morning email. I am sorry, but I can only do one thing at a time.. I also may have not opened your email, because I knew what you were going to ask me. About the money you are owed. Yeah, yeah, I know. I owe you about 500 for that thing I bought. Look, I had some tough times with money recently, but I will get you the money. Back off, will ya? Anyway, not that you even care, but that is why I didn’t open your email. Oh, and in case you are wondering, I still don’t have the money.

An ironic poem reveals a contradiction in human behavior. In “The Lonely Man,” Greg Luti shows a man who openly admits his loneliness to two women offering help, yet twice rejects them with the same smirk: “I’m lonely… but I’m not that lonely.” This self-aware refusal to change is the heart of the poem’s irony. A man walked down a street one night when a woman whom he had never met approached him. All the men in town knew of this woman, but would never dare say such a thing in the workplace. Technically, no one around town knew this woman. “Hey, Daddy.” She called out. “You lonely?” He spoke a phrase as though it explained itself. “I’m lonely,” He smirked. “But I'm not that lonely.” What does he mean, he is not that lonely? Can you truly be such a way? How can he be so self-aware of his loneliness, yet reject the one thing that can make no man lonely? If you see a problem, do you not fix it? Yet, this man knows his loneliness is a problem, yet he accepts it. I had so many questions for the man. Some of which included if his head was hollow, or if he was altogether there. The man headed back to his apartment. Before he could get into the front door, a woman similar to the one he had seen before approached him. “Hey, Daddy.” She called out. “You lonely?” Surely this was the man’s shot at redemption. A chance to make up for a lost opportunity. To right a wrong and learn from his mistakes. There is no way this man says the same thing twice, right? Right? Alas, he repeated himself as though that was all that he needed to say. “I’m lonely.” He smirked. “But I’m not that lonely.”

A writing update gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at an author’s creative decisions and process. In “New Site Design - Writing Update,” Greg Luti explains his decision to simplify the entire website, launch a free editing workbook, adopt a consistent four-day publishing schedule, and stay true to his authentic voice while growing his audience. New Site Design I am happy to say I got some help from my assistant to redesign the site. We made the entire thing much simpler for people to consume, rather than the original design, which was all over the place. I also want to keep the literary brand feel that I had before. I mean, when you are on the site, I want you to know you are reading stuff by an author/editor, and I think that the aesthetics only enhance that now. I think we found a nice theme for the site and my overall author brand that I am going to use going forward. New Workbook I have added a workbook to the site that is downloadable for anyone who wants to learn some editing tricks I tell my clients. I say tricks as though I am a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat… (I never owned a rabbit before. And I don’t do magic. I did like Bugs Bunny growing up, though) The deal here is that you have to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get the workbook. The term I heard people say is lead magnet, which is basically a way for people to sign up for stuff. I won’t even lie that when I first heard the words “lead magnet,” I didn’t know what they were talking about. I thought, “Why are they talking about the things I put on my refrigerator? How does that help me?” More Workbooks Coming I hope to add more workbooks to the site in the future, possibly for more editing advice or even other things that I write. I am still thinking through this idea, but I like the idea of readers having access to workbooks that give a few samples of what I write and then some advice on how they can improve as writers. Not only do you get insight into what I write, but also how I write, which I feel can help writers, potential editing clients, and curious readers. New Four-Day Publishing Schedule I am now going to write up pieces for this blog four days a week. Tuesdays are for poetry, and Saturdays are for flash fiction. I had Thursdays divided into too many options, between short stories, book previews, and writing updates, so I decided to make a fourth day for the writing updates and the editing advice articles. Thursdays will be for short stories and book previews. Mondays will be for writing updates and editing advice articles. I think this will give readers a good variety, and it makes it easier for me to follow. If you are keeping track, that means this will be the last Thursday I write up an update. Getting More Active On Facebook I am looking to get more involved in Facebook groups and be actively engaged in them. I don’t normally do that, but I think that would be beneficial to me and my career, so don’t be surprised if you see me on a Facebook group talking about my poetry or my newsletter. It turns out it is probably a good idea to reach out to other people in the field when you, yourself, are trying to get into that field, who knew? Turning These Updates Into A Resource I don’t normally look at these writing updates as anything more than me updating the readers on what I am doing, but I have thought that these updates can be used at a later time as a way to track my progress for others to see. I have to think more about this and how it would be used for me, but I have been writing so many of these updates that I guess, over time, other writers can learn from them, which I think would be great. Fuel While Writing I have found that having snacks as I write helps me stay energized during my writing sessions. I don’t know about other writers, but there are times when I write up stuff late at night, or I am tired from a long day, and I just hit the wall. I found that some trail mix with dried fruit really helps me focus through the tough stretch. Why Marathon Winners Win That gets me to something I have been thinking a lot about lately, and that is the reason why marathon winners win the race. Is it because they want it more than others? Is it because they work harder? No, I don’t think that is it at all. The reason marathon winners win is that they have a plan that is conducive to their goal. They plan for the event. They focus on other areas of their life that can help with running. They don’t just put on some shoes and run. No, they look at the shoes they wear, the proper running technique, their diet, and the number of miles they need per day. There is much thought to improving as a runner, and I think that is a lesson we can all learn in our own lives. Sure, we all want to say that heart and work ethic were the key, but that is something you let the bards write about later on when they are talking about your success. The real reason for success is that you were prepared and made the smart moves to help with your journey. The runner who wins the race didn’t win because they wanted it more than the other person. That is a bunch of nonsense. Keeping My Authentic Voice I have been doing a lot of research into other newsletters and what makes them great and what makes people read them, and I have noticed that the voice of the person is key. I read a few where I couldn’t tell who wrote the newsletter, a person or an AI. There was nothing really there that made me say, “Oh, this is why this guy wrote it!” I don’t want you to feel that way when you read something in my newsletter, whatever it may be. I take a lot of pride in writing each and every one of these words (and it is also why I cringe at other writers using AI to write up stuff). I just want you to know that as a reader, you should be assured my voice will always be a part of what I write. You may not like what I write, in terms of the content or even the very way I wrote it. And I get that. There are times when I look back on what I wrote and feel a bit confused, almost turned off by it, but I never once allowed the voice to be lost to something else. It’s me writing this, for better and for worse. Haha. Crafting A Proper Ending I think that I will come up with a proper ending to these writing updates, something a little more formulaic, so you guys can expect a certain pattern when reading them. Right now, I like the idea of me presenting some short perspective I have on writing or some life advice. (Like what I did with the marathon runner) One Last Joke I have to end with telling you something I find pretty funny. I have never run a marathon in my life. You wouldn’t know that by how much I praised it. I spoke about a marathon like people speak about boxing today. I always hear people bringing up how things are like a boxing match, and everyone agrees, as though we are all watching boxing in our spare time, which we are not. If we are going to use an analogy, can we at least use one we all can agree on and then actually do?

A flash fiction story can explore the difference between celebrity and true greatness. In “Being Like,” Greg Luti follows a high school student who chooses Michael Jackson as his role model for fame and talent — until his teacher introduces him to the ancient Roman hero Cincinnatus, who chose a very different path. A high school student stood at the door of the classroom waiting to see where his teacher was in the room. The teacher was helping two other students in extra help, who had not understood the lesson from earlier in the day. The newly arrived student was to write about a person he wished to be like. The teacher asked this of every student who took his class, and because this student missed the assignment, the teacher asked the student to go to extra help in order for the work to be done. The teacher felt this was just as effective as giving the student the work to do on his own at home, since the teacher was already in the classroom giving extra help to two other students. The teacher stopped his review with his extra students to address the student who was to write up the paper. “You are here to write up a little something for me. Go sit down, and I will get you some paper.” He went to get a paper and a pencil for the student. He walked over to the desk where the student sat and handed him the paper and pencil. “Okay, here is the deal: you are to write up a response to the question as to who you want to be like. Write as many words as you, okay? We can take a second to talk about this, or you can jump right into it.” “I want to be like Michael Jackson.” The student quickly responded. “Man, that guy had it all. He was popular. He made all those songs. He could dance. He could sing. How cool would it be to be him?” The teacher chuckled at the student wanting to be like the musician who had been dead as long as he had been alive. He motioned for the other two students who were there for extra help to continue with their work. “Don’t wish to be like that man, but strive for something better.” He instructed the student who was to write the paper. “Who is better than Michael Jackson?” “Have you ever heard of Cincinnatus?” “You mean Cincinnati?” “No, Cincinnatus.” He shook his head, knowing the student didn’t know of the myth. “The story is that he was a well-respected Roman general. One day, when the city needed him, he took up the role of general of the army and led them into battle. He won and helped the city from being invaded. He saved the city. Do you know what he did when the battle was won?” “Probably become king for real.” The student shrugged his shoulders. “He went back to his farm. He gave up his crown and let the people decide what was best for the nation. For no man, no matter how big, is too great to walk away from it all. Be so great that when the time calls, the world asks you for help. But also be humble enough that when they wish to make you king, you walk away and go back into obscurity. There is nothing wrong with not wanting fame or seeking fortune.” He spoke the last line to himself as much as to the student, “Sometimes the best way to win the game is by not playing at all.” The student sat there, only half listening. “I am going to write about Michael Jackson.” “Fair enough.”

A key piece of writing and editing advice is to focus on what works strongest in your story. In “Know What Works,” Greg Luti explains why you should identify and strengthen your best scenes, characters, and lines instead of trying to make every single part of your manuscript equally good. Not Every Part of a Story is Equally Great When I am editing someone’s novel or writing my own, there are parts of the novel that are a little bit better than others. I mean, let’s be real here, not all the parts are equally great. They can all be well-written or structured, but you should never expect every part of your story to be received the same way. Some are just better than others. That is why a writer has a responsibility to understand the parts of the story that work. Know the lines that are written really well, and place them in parts of the story that matter. Know the characters that have a lot to say, and for the love of god, don’t kill them right away. As you develop your story, know what is working and not working, so you can then mold your story around the best parts. Don’t Kill Off Your Best Characters I had a client who spoke to me about killing off one of the best characters in the book, a character that I personally loved, and he didn’t seem to have any problem with doing it. I had to explain to him that the character he is killing is important to the story world he is building, and seems to be someone who can certainly add to any conversation he is in. The character gives us something that no other character does in the story. We should not just kill the character as a way to shock the reader. Now, I have nothing against the elimination of characters in stories, but as a writer, you'd better understand what you are doing when you do that. Don’t just kill a character because you can. If you know that the character can be used for multiple stories or perhaps is good enough to have their own story entirely, then don’t just go about getting rid of them. Know what works. Also, you should not give yourself that much credit when writing characters. If you naturally write a certain character very easily and the dialogue just flows when that character is speaking, then perhaps the wise thing to do is to keep that character around, not get rid of them. You would never see a pitcher in baseball get rid of their best pitch, so you should not just get rid of the character you write with the best. How Do You Know What Works? You may be asking yourself, “But how do I know what works?” The first thing you can do is to make sure that the important parts of the story, like the introduction, the ending, and the climax, have something great to offer the reader. If you are reading through them and you think, “Eh, that is okay,” then that is a problem. So if you are reading those parts to your story and are not impressed, then go to the other parts (the good parts), and look at them… What do they say? Why do they stand out to you? Are they the most cohesive parts you have written in the story, making them the best? Is there a great dialogue that you wrote? Perhaps there is something else that makes you say, “Now, that is great!” Place Your Best Scenes Where They Matter Most You should then look at that great scene and see where it fits in your overall story. If you are writing a story and the best scenes are not the introduction, the ending, the climax, or even the rising action, then you may be writing the wrong story. That is not something you want to hear, but it is true. The best scenes should align with the overall message and point of the story, and if they do not, you must wonder if the scenes are wrong or possibly the message. You can either keep the well-written scenes in your original story and try to improve the other scenes you wrote, which should be the best-written parts of the story, or you can create a new story with those scenes as the focus of it all. Focus on What Works — Even If It Changes Your Plan Know what works, and focus on that as your story. That may mean you are not going to write the story you originally had in mind, but if the new story is better, then you should not be worried about the switch.

Greg Luti shares a new chapter preview from Hit of Henry in which Tom takes his intern Nate to Walden Park — the site of a pivotal past event — as Nate questions why such an ordinary, rundown place could possibly matter so much. Tom took the intern Nate to the park where the hit happened, that is Walden Park, the park where nothing really ever happens. No games of any purpose are ever played there, and no people of any significance are ever seen there. The most that anyone ever goes to Walden Park is when they walk by it on their way to a nicer, more modern, cleaner park. Although Tom did not know what they would find at the park, for what can you find in a place such as that, he decided to go back to the scene of the event. The two spoke as Tom drove. “Where are we going?” Nate asked, as he was only told that there was a destination they had to visit, and nothing more. “Walden Park. That is where this all happened.” Tom confirmed. “Walden Park? Now, I know you are not serious with this story. When I first heard about this, I thought that maybe there was something to this, but Walden Park…” He paused. “Nobody plays at Walden Park. The place is an absolute dump.”

Greg Luti shares the official synopsis for his novel *Hit of Henry* in this book update — an intimate literary fiction story about ambition, family, and the complicated cost of chasing success.

A writing update often shares an author’s hopes and plans for the new year. In “Blog Posts and Beginning the Year,” Greg Luti outlines his optimistic vision for more poetry, flash fiction, and Hit of Henry excerpts on the blog, along with plans for a shop, the Literary Club, and growing his editing services. More Content Coming to the Site I have been working on adding more content to this site to give the readers and new visitors a better experience when they stumble upon it. I am adding more flash fiction, poetry, and writing updates for now to the blog for people to read. I am working on getting book updates on here, too. (Book updates are parts of books I am working on) The site has been my focus for the past few months. I am trying to add more and more to it to not only do better in SEO, but to improve the quality. Eventually, I want to get a shop on the site, and even classes I am going to teach, but that is down the road. Hit of Henry Update Regarding my current novel, Hit of Henry, you should expect a chapter or two from the book in January. I have only a few major parts of the book to be written. (I will tell you more about it in a book update!) Free vs. Member Posts I have divided my posts into two basic categories. The first blog posts are those that anyone can read, like the writing updates. Anyone who wishes to read something similar to this. Then there are the posts that are for members of the site, and will be previews of longer pieces. Those are the poems, flash fiction, and short stories. Ideas for New Post Types I am thinking about adding a column/op-ed piece blog post type to this site, as I have experience writing those sorts of articles, but as of now, I am not sure about it. That also goes for articles about writing. Right now, I am not interested in writing articles about writing, but perhaps in the near future, I can add that into the mix of things for you guys to read. A Busy End to the Year I don’t know about you, but this last week of the year has been very busy for me, not only for my writing, but for my life. In my family, we normally say that one day it is Christmas and then it is my birthday (My birthday is in February). The Christmas season always goes pretty fast, and this year was no different. In one way, that is great for my words, for words without inspiration have no heart, but on the other hand, too much activity in life can lead the inspiration and stories to be put on the back burner. There are many times I have come up with a great idea, whether it is for a book or a short story, and then life gets in the way, and I put it aside. If there is one thing I would change about myself, I suppose that would be it. New Year Optimism With the new year comes new hope and new optimism about my career and the future it holds. I am one of those guys who is always going to be positive, and I will start the year the same way. Is there a lot to do? Of course! But is there also a lot to be gained and enjoyed along the way? You know it! Considering a YouTube Channel I go back and forth about creating a YouTube channel, since I am like most people, watching videos on the site for far too long. That is where my writing stops, honestly. I am just too damn busy with everything that I am not very eager to add more time to YouTube videos. New Pages Coming Soon I am going to add a few pages to this site to help you guys out with finding what it is about. The first will be a Greg Luti Literary Club page. That will describe what you get by becoming a member. You may not view the membership as much, but being an indie author, having a steady stream from an audience is very important to me. I say that, as I admittedly don’t have much of an audience right now. Then there is an FAQ page that will be coming soon to the site. I know that someone who comes to the site may have a few questions as to what I am about and what I am doing, so I would like to address them there. Growing My Editing Services I am currently aiming to grow my book editing clientele. If you are in need of an editor and someone to bounce ideas off of, then please contact me so we can talk. I take great pride in being able to help those who have a story in them, but need to get that story on the page. Social Media Changes Regarding social media, I am kind of burnt out from posting so many little blurbs per day. I started with only a few posts per day, but then I got to posting about 5-6 per day. I just can’t create that many posts, so I am going to put up links to my blog posts for now. I like adding random funny thoughts I have on the world, as I know that some of my readers do too, but the entire thing is just too much. I was spending more time writing up those posts than I was on my own stories, and that is not really what I am about. Focusing on Non-Seasonal Stories Now that the Christmas season is over, I can focus on stories that are not seasonal. You guys may not know, but I like to write Halloween and Christmas stories, and that does hurt my overall output since those stories take up a lot of my time during the holidays. I do have a Christmas story collection on my list of books to write, but now that the season is over, I am going to focus on a few other projects instead. My Author Brand Aesthetic I kind of stumbled on a unique aesthetic for my author brand, and that includes the capital G letter and the beige background. The story behind that image is that my dad gave me a sign with that capital G on it, and I took a picture of that sign. The image you see is of that original sign, which is still in my office. I do that because it is a nice dedication to a person who has always supported my writing. You only see a G, but really, there is a heart and story to that image. I found that when I wrote blog posts, I needed a cover for each image, so I decided to stick with the color scheme, one I feel is professional and proper for an author. Now, my author brand color reflects that aesthetic, an accident I could not plan if I tried. A Funny Google Moment I have a funny story to tell you guys… Okay, so I was looking up my name on Google, because who hasn't done that? I went to AI mode, which is the AI summarizing what it finds about the person, and I learned that I was writing a horror story. I was not even told about this, and I asked the AI about the story. Lo and behold, it could not reproduce the story, because I don’t write horror stories. I corrected Google and then went on my way. Me writing horror stories… can you imagine that?