Newb @Steemit User - name's Christoper Novas and I run a review website Penboys Review/am a speculative fiction writer

Hello!

I was introduced to Steemit by @snowmachine and this seems like a pretty fun place to be. You get to post original (mostly) content and have a chance to make money!? It's a scenario that seems further and further away as the years go on in freelance writing, review writing, fiction, etc. This seems like the perfect marriage of accessibility (a wide readership) and the possibility of income, so here I am!

The past: I finished my Bachelors for English Literature and did nothing but work a dead end retail job for three years. Before that, I worked at Old Navy for a little over a year. I felt as if my life had hit a level of stagnation that I could not escape. I became depressed and had a mental breakdown of sorts. Found a therapist, worked on myself for over a year and quit my dead end job December 2016. Found a decent pay job in a professional office environment (something I desperately wanted) and applied to 5 MFA programs around the country. Got into cryptocurrency.

The present: I'm in an MFA program for creative writing (fiction) in NY and am having a really positive experience. I like to think of myself as a genre writer, so I assumed people wouldn't like my work, shun it, say why are you here, etc. but...it's been the opposite. People have been warm and kind, receptive to my work but not pulling any punches to say when something is garbage. It's been an exciting and stressful 4 months to say the least. I go back at the end of January and am excited for the next 4-5 months.

The future: I'm working on some short stories to submit for publication, a novel, and a novella. Working to revive Penboys Review for a strong 2018 outing. Some of the places that have inspired me to want to start writing reviews and nonfiction are Dead End Follies, This Is Horror, Waypoint, The White Review, The Jimquisition. Some youtubers also inspired me -- Superbunnyhop is legitimately one of the smartest people creating incredibly in depth content for video games, Clemps: a HILARIOUS youtuber that goes surprisingly in depth with JRPGs (and is a Yoko Taro fanboy), Superbutterbuns, Jim Sterling, Dead End Hip Hop, TotalBiscuit, Dark Pixel Gaming...I spend an unhealthy amount of time on youtube...

ANYWAYS, apologies for any typos or grammatical mistakes. I'm a bit under the weather. Some other odds and ends about me: I like anime, comics, JRPGs, fighting games, film, POP vinyl figures, sooo if you wanna geek out about some things get at ya boi!

Thanks for reading!