What's happening behind the scenes to bring new GHAWG content? The GHAWG Diaries is my recap of what I've been doing.
Cover image designed by @magnacarta using emojis and Excel 2007 for text. Minor edits made using MS Paint.
Introduction
There's more to #GHAWG than just daily zapfic entries and the spreadsheet I use to track them. There's research. There's review. There's also thought and inspiration. Then there are the tools involved in doing any of those tasks.
Just to keep things from getting scrambled in my head, and also to document for myself what I've been considering, I began keeping a diary of my activities as they concern #GHAWG. With posts in the GHAWG, Uninterrupted series on hold at Interlude 3 while Act 7 remains in progress, I decided to share these diary entries with everyone on Hive blockchain.
On Mondays which don't feature a GHAWG, Uninterrupted post-- GHAWG-U-- I'll post diary entries from the previous 7 days or between GHAWG-U posts if the time between them is short. For Part 50, there are 7 days' worth of diary entries. The first entry starts on 2024-November-04.
Before anyone scratches their heads at a few terms, here are 3 I began using many posts ago:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
Rate Bike | Code name for #GHAWG (the first and current zapfic serial) |
Blue Lion | Code name for the middle zapfic serial in the GHAWG Universe |
The Bronze | Code name for the final zapfic serial in the GHAWG Universe |
Monday, 2024-November-04
đź““ Soon enough, Felix Legion begins the next phase of David Guardia's Epic Ride. This phase shows Felix Legion riding out of Chicago, Illinois, US to take Sanjay Rampersad and
Lionel Odunsi to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US where they resume their in-person studies at the University of North Carolina. Although this will be a much shorter ride than the just-completed ride along the iconic Route 66, it will be just as eventful. Since this segment of the ride is the last one for The Kids, it makes sense to feature them more prominently. Before I write zapfic entries for this segment of David's Epic Ride, I need to review digital maps to see where the story can unfold (and, if necessary, to locate an area or two for a fictional town).
Tuesday, 2024-November-05
đź““ For the first time since I introduced Jardani "Don" Roma (thanks to a series of gap-filling entries) at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California, US, Rat Bike has new characters. Independent journalist AnĂbal Rivera will be interviewing rival gang leaders Emilio Ibáñez and Luther "Big Lu" Jackson. Felix Legion finds itself meeting with Lieutenant Terry Leo of the Chicago Police Department Auxiliary. Besides being a lieutenant in CPD-Aux, Terry Leo is running for mayor of Chicago as a Republican in a supermajority Democrat city. It may seem strange for a Democrat-run city like Chicago to be led by a Republican, but we're living in strange times now and in the year 2028.
Wednesday, 2024-November-06
đź““ After publishing the day's zapfic entry, I noticed that the zapfic queue is near empty. I didn't help that I misjusged the size of the queue, thinking I had until December. While I want both Felix Legion and independent journalist AnĂbal Rivera included on the final day of the ride on Route 66, I may need to reconsider how I handle these two elements. I'll figure something out. It may be clunky at first, but once I get going I'll have the story I want.
Thursday, 2024-November-07
đź““ Today the zapfic queue is down to one entry. I am adding new entries for the AnĂbal Rivera storyline, where the indepedent journalist interviews key people involved in an accidental shooting which touched off a local demonstration one level below that of an uprising.
Friday, 2024-November-08
đź““ After Felix Legion completes its ride eastward on Route 66, David Guardia and company find themselves in the middle of a mass demonstration. Unlike most mass demonstrations, this one does not involve civil unrest at the time we find it in progress. Before I could write more zapfic entries, I needed to get more information regarding the city of Chicago. Since the storyline is tied to an accidental shooting of a gang leader's young daughter, it make sense for me to locate neighborhoods known for their crime troubles. Most of what I had learned I won't need, but at least one area is in close proximity to where Felix Legion finds itself. I'll incorporate this detail in a zapfic entry soon enough.
Saturday, 2024-November-09
đź““ Today I added more entries to the zapfic queue. Rat Bike is at the point where 2 stories are taking place at the same time, and the will converge at some point. So each day is getting 2 zapfic entries. One entry shows independent journalist AnĂbal Rivera working on his story, how the death of the baby girl of a Chicago gang leader touched off a massive demonstration. The other entry shows Felix Legion interacting with Lieutenant Terry Leo of the Chicago Police Department Auxiliary as masses of people walk through the streets. The AnĂbal Rivera entries give background into what is happening. The Felix Legion entries move the story along until the 2 storylines converge.
Sunday, 2024-November-10
đź““ Today I extended the zapfic queue to 2024-November-16. This doesn't seem like much, until I mention that the zapfic serial has entered a period of 2 entries a day. Under normal cirumstances, the zapfic queue would be at 2024-November-23. By the time the 16th arrives, Felix Legion will have completed the ride on Route 66, but finds itself riding to the Obama Presidential Library in response to a mass demonstration of the average residents of Chicago (and not the usual activist agitators known for doing the same thing). While one storyline has Felix Legion reacting to circumstances on the street, the other storyline features AnĂbal Rivera doing his job as an independent journalist and interviewing people from all angles of his investigation. There is more to write, but for this week I'm OK.
When (and Where) To Catch #GHAWG
When
This is the normal schedule for the posting of content for #GHAWG:
â—Ź Daily -- Each zapfic entry is posted shortly after midnight, from New York
â—Ź Weekends -- Weekly Summaries (with modified screen capture from LeoThreads as cover image) are usually on Saturday, sometimes Sunday
â—Ź Monday -- Either GHAWG, Uninterrupted if present, or The GHAWG Diaries
â—Ź Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday -- GHAWG Behind the Scenes -- The goal is to publish these posts on all days not dedicated to the Weekly Sumamry, GHAWH-U, or The GHAWG Diaries (TGD). There may be days with no post, so I'll minimize those occasions as best as I can.
Where
â—Ź Daily zapfic entries drop at LeoThreads, usually posted shortly after midnight from New York (sometimes around noon)
â—Ź All long form posts-- Weekly Summaries, GHAWG-U, and TGD-- can be accessed using the #GHAWGnav sticky post or from my InLeo profile page
That's it for this edition of The GHAWG Diaries. I'm 
[!!]
Thanks for your time. Give the post an upvote or a reblog if you liked it. Feedback is welcome. Until next time!
[!!] -- Graphic signature was designed by @ahmadmanga