Category: Articles

2018

Is it too late to file my taxes?

Well, yes it is. Unless I file for an extension, but even then, I wouldn’t know how to go about it… Wait, ignore all that. Forgot I filed like last week.

Happy April, everybody. I hope your month has been full of cool, spring weather, where all you need is a light jacket when you want to take your casual stroll around town just for the fun of it. The trees are starting to get their bloom sessions started, the sun is staying out longer so now it won’t be dark at four in the afternoon, and the nice breezes are relaxing to be caught in.

Hopefully, for those who have the stressful daily routine of doing the usual nine-to-five grind (or maybe it’s a three-to-eleven, I don’t know your guys’ schedules) haven’t had too much drama or an unwanted increase in workload at the office. As for me, the constant fixing of checking peoples’ work for errors and forced to fix them before they’re sent out to customers is starting to take a toll on me. The increasing volume of a boss gone rouge and mad with power just puts me in a bad mood whenever I hear it, even if I’m not the intended target. The tight, gut-sucking walkways are way more narrow than they should be, making it even harder just to walk around. To sum up: it’s starting to suck way more.

But I need a job, so I gotta deal with it. ‘Tis my tale.

Ok, enough about me complaining. Onward to the writing stuff.

I’ve been experimenting with my style of writing, trying to fine-tune it and figure out exactly how I want to write my stories. I’ve come to notice that I swap between two different styles based on what genre I’m writing, which I don’t think is too bad. As long as I’m able to keep the story moving, I guess it’s okay.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated the more constant series I’ve been working, mostly Alex and Sam’s Daily Life and Legends of the Dark, and I want to change that either by the end of April or in the beginning of May. I’ve been having a build-up of ideas and it’s time for me to finally put them to paper. So be on the lookout for new updates from them!

I’ve also decided that I’m mostly going to post new things on a Monday-to-Friday basis, trying to keep the weekend posting to a minimum. I’ll still post on Saturdays and Sundays, but probably for like quick drabbles or flash-fiction stuff. I want to use the weekends to better prepare myself for the next week of posting.

Welp, that’s all for now. I hope you all have a smooth sailing through the rest of April!

— Follow Luka on Facebook and Twitter for more content and a look into Luka’s life!

March Monster Madness!

Hello all, hi every person who reads this!

Can you believe it’s already March of 2018? This year really has been flying by, leaving everything in the sands of time. Or winds of time if you live in a windy city, or something. I dunno where you guys live.

Well, regardless of what wonderful country you reside in, it’s indeed March for everybody. And here in North America, it’s also that time of the year for March Madness. For those who doesn’t know what it is, March Madness is a yearly basketball tournament that typically takes up most of the month of March that is done by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA for short.

In the spirit of following the theme of a “March Madness,” I want to put my own spin on it. How? Simple.

I’m doing a March MONSTER Madness! Throughout the entire month, I’ll be posting stories that revolve around the theme of monsters, whether it’s about some dangerous beast rampaging and destroying villages and towns, a small unknown creature finding the comfort in a cave, or something stupid like a demon forgetting how to fold laundry.

I’ll be using monsters from various kinds of folklore, legends and other mythological resources I can find. Some may be common to everybody, there might be a few obscure ones, and there might even be some new ones I’ve never heard of.

I at least want to post about five or six this month. I’ll try to add some variety in them as well. I’m sure you guys get tired of reading the same thing over and over. And of course, I will be trying to update current series and posting flash fictions here and there.

If you have an idea about a monster or creature you’d like to see a story about, feel free to drop me an email!

What kind of monsters are you hoping to read about in March Monster Madness?

— Follow Luka on Facebook and Twitter for more content and a look into Luka’s life!

February Note – 2/11/2018

February is just underway and everybody’s taking their new year in stride, some keeping their resolutions in tact while some are doing the usual day-by-day method. I’m sure some of you have been keeping up with your favorite shows, novel series, web artists, etc. For those of you who look at my site for new content every few days, I’m deeply sorry that I haven’t been keeping up like I normally have.

For the last week, I came down with the flu (and it was a bad one, too) and I barely left my bed the entire time. The constant headaches, violent coughs sudden colds shivers and volcanic fevers practically had me glued under my blanket. I even had miss an entire week of work. And even though I hate having to do a daily job, I hate missing work because missing even one day hurts my paycheck! Konata Raging

Regardless, I’ll be trying my best to work on a few projects that I’ve been meaning to work on. I actually started a smaller project about Japanese mythology and creatures before i got sick. As an apology for my absence, I’ll share the first page and a half of it as a sample of what I’ve written.

Sorry for being away for so long!

2018: New Year, New Luka

Now before you guys chew me out for even doing this so late, yes I know it’s a few days late, but I’m still going to do this anyways.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

There, I did it. Now, back to my original message. I’m so sorry for the lack of content of December! My day job was running the holiday schedule, so I was working six days a week, full eight-hour shifts. And let me tell you… I’m still trying to recover and get back all those hours of lost sleep! So once again, I’d like to apologize for not updating anything like I promised. However, with the holiday season finally coming to an end this week, I’ll start pumping out stories like before!

Last year, 2017 was my first official full year of writing and posting onto this website. I originally started in August of 2016, but it felt more like a testing ground to just get me going. I had so many high points and many more low points last year, but I’m starting to get a better sense of when I should schedule posting and carving out time in my day to dedicate to story work.

When the year started, I barely had anybody following my stories, I think I had like 15, but I honestly can’t remember. I just know that by the end of the year, my grand total of followers nearly quadrupled, resting at a surprising 59! My total views and likes were more than tripled than 2016, and comments were coming more and more! I’ve had numerous people constantly reading my works and others who came around when specific works got updated. Regardless of who or what kind of reader you are, I can’t help but thank you all for the support, comments, and messages. You’re all really one major reason why I still like to share my work online. I’ve hit so many milestones last year alone and with the new year, I plan on continuing that streak!

With 2018 just beginning, I want to just outline a few things so that you all know what’s coming up this year. Alex & Sam’s Daily Life will obviously continue (It’s honestly my most favorite thing to write about.) I will be finishing up both the Tenchu and Kill la Kill fan-fiction stories, (Tenchu has AT LEAST 6 more chapters to go, while Kill la Kill has roughly 2 or 3 more to go.) I also plan on writing more fan-fictions across various works, mostly video games, anime, and cartoons. I’m also in the works of planning out a new, erotic story that I want to update at least once a week. I currently have no set date for the first chapter, but I do assure, it will arrive. And, just like usual, I’ll post the occasional drabble and quick stories for fun. I have so many more original series I want to write, but I don’t want to overwhelm both myself and you guys with multiple story updates, so I’ll be taking things a bit slower.

I just want to thank all of you again for your year long support and hope to see many of you return in 2018 along with new faces!

Happy New Year!

— Love, Luka

Luka’s Top 5 Tips to Writing

I’m sure that this has been done thousands and thousands of times, and that another one of these ever being seen will go unnoticed, but I figured I’d give my own personal take on it. Everybody has their pen opinions and things that work for them, right?

People always think that writing is something that only those who are talented, those who’ve gone to school too perfect their skills, and the naturally gifted, are able to do. Every now and then we’ll hear about a new bestseller from an unknown name, sometimes from somebody who’s only in their early 20s or so. Or maybe, an instant classic has been uncovered by an author who has long since past into the next life. Yes, it may have brought them fame, but it wasn’t because they just randomly sat down one day and pushed out a masterpiece in a matter of hours.

It takes a refinement of your ability, focusing on what you’re best at or what your interested in and improving upon it. For me, I found out I wanted to write when I was only into my freshman year of high school and I’ve continued ever since. And with that, I’d like to share my top 5 five tips to writing.

1. Figure out what you want to write

You can’t just randomly sit down and just put words on a page. Although you can just keep writing word after word until you have a nice length, it won’t always matter if you know exactly what you’re writing. Maybe while you’re in the middle of a free-write, you read the words and turn out that you were writing an article about your favorite restaurant, or it’s an academic style paper on how black holes form. When you’re ready to sit down and let the words flow, have some kind of ideas of where you want your words to lead the reader.

2. Know why you’re writing something

Let’s be honest: Some people want to write or publish a book because they think it can turn a quick dollar. Although writing can lead to profit, it’s a much more challenging project as a whole, requiring more than just an ability to craft a story. You’ll need to be able to set yourself apart from the sea of upcoming authors and a place on the best seller’s list. However, making a profit isn’t the only reason to write. Maybe you’re the kind of person who never see a certain genre and decided to write one. Or maybe you’re using writing as an outlet for stress. Some people even write just because it’s fun. Regardless of your own reasoning, keep it in mind when you’re letting your words out.

3. Keep your goals grounded and honest

In the beginning, having the goal of finish a novel in a month may sound an ideal goal. Some can do it because they have the amount of time needed to craft and complete such a feat. However, everybody is different and have different circumstances. Yes, it would be amazing to finish a novel, but think about your schedule: Do you really have the time to spend hours a day writing? You want to find a nice balance of responsibilities and free time that can be dedicated to writing. And that goal of finishing a novel, drop it down to finishing one page a day, or even just 500 words. Over time, you’ll realize that your little goals actually took you further than one massive goal.

4. Create the right writing setting

I’ve have dozens of friends and family members ask me ” How can your write when it’s so busy around you!” Truth is, when it’s busy, I’m just noting down things I can do for story ideas or just writing lines of dialog. I’m the kind of person who can really be focused with a pair of headphones playing smooth jazz while typing at a comfortable 40 words-per-minute. Now, that’s just me. There are those who thrive and feed around the busy, hectic life they have. And of course, there are those who can’t even get a single word out if it’s too loud. Experiment with your surroundings and see which one you’re most productive in. Is it the silent library corner all the way in the back, or can you down out the noises of a midtown cafe shop at nine in the morning?

5. Don’t compare yourself to others

One of the biggest reasons why people give up writing is because they’re constantly comparing their work to others. Comparing yourself to a bestseller is one of the worst things to do because it’s limiting your ability to write; you’ll eventually just end up copying their style because it’s easier. But never let that stop you. There’s only one you, find your own writing style that suits you. If anything, if you’re looking at other’s work, let it be for motivation, give you a reason to strive higher and continue to improve. It never hurts to have a rival that you want to best.

And there you have it! Now, I could have gone and made this list when further, but I felt like five is a good benchmark to at least get somebody started or help light that fire they needed to continue.

Do you agree with my list? Do you feel like something else should have been on it? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!

(P.S Peer feedback is always a good idea!)

It’s Time Again: NaNoWriMo Has Begun!

It’s finally November. It’s just after the spooky month of October, but just before the festive December holidays. It’s that time of the year where people come together, come together as a family for a large feast at the end of the month, and draw turkeys using our hands as a guide. It’s a great month to start bringing family and loved ones together. But there’s another thing that happens in November. A certain little thing that involves spending time using your imagination and collecting your thoughts. That’s right: It’s time for NaNoWriMo!

NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, is that time of the year dedicated for people who want to challenge their creative potential. Throughout the entire month of November, authors, writers, and wordsmiths alike are encouraged to try and write an entire novel over the course of one month. To some, this is a feat that’s too challenging for them, but still attempt it for pure enjoyment. Then there are those who constantly keep their pens and pencils moving, or fingers moving in case they type their words,

Although the word “Novel” is in NaNoWriMo, the end-result doesn’t necessarily have to be a novel. It could be an anthology of short stories, a collection of original poetry and song lyrics, an autobiographical story about a plant named Rodrick told through multiple monologues, it can honestly be whatever a person can think of.

Although the month is all suppose to be about encouraging others around the world to find their inner writer, there are those out there who feel like NaNoWriMo only sets unrealistic standards and mindsets for those who haven’t been in the writing industry long enough.

If you’re curious and want more information about what exactly NaNoWriMo is and how to involve yourself for the month, head on over to the official NaNoWriMo website for more information.

Are you a new member of NaNoWriMo or are you a returning veteran? Do you find the NaNoWriMo website helpful or does it set unrealistic expectations? Feel free to express your thoughts and ideas in the comments and share!