J.D. Moyer

sci-fi author, beatmaker

First Trip to Europe Since the Beginning of the Pandemic

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On July 10

In Travel


We’re in the south of France right now, visiting my father and his wife. It’s beautiful here, but very hot, and we’re taking life at a slow pace. So this will be an extremely short post.

But I did want to share a little bit about our travel experience. I tried to find similar information online before we left, but France had changed their travel rules only the week before, so there wasn’t much.

We flew out of Oakland, where we were asked if we were vaccinated, but not required to show proof. The US is currently on France’s “green light” list, meaning travelers can enter the country with proof of vaccination, and a Covid negative test is not required. We boarded our plane, transferred in LAX and then Atlanta, where we boarded our Airbus to CDG. At no point were we asked to show our vaccination cards.

Arriving in CDG, we were finally asked to show our passports and vaccination cards. Currently France accepts Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccinations. We showed our vaccination cards and passports, and that was it. No questions, no temperature checks.

So overall, an extremely easy process.

Just wanted to share that information for fellow travelers. Though obviously things are still changing rapidly. With the Delta variant on the rise in the US, we could easily end up back on the “amber light” list, where a negative Covid test is required.

Safe travels, and please get vaccinated if you haven’t already. Yeah, the side effects suck, but they’re almost always over within a day or two.

Three Spreadsheets I Use While Writing a Novel

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On July 5

In Fiction Writing, Writing

I unabashedly love spreadsheets. I view spreadsheets as intelligent pieces of paper: totally freeform, but capable of calculations, lookups, list organization, and even database formats. Spreadsheets are a powerful technology that can externalize mental processes, organization, and memory.

I use spreadsheets for tracking my goals, health, personal finance, RPG games, and all sorts of other things. When I’m writing a novel, I primarily rely on spreadsheets to keep track of characters, scenes, and timelines. Here are a few examples:

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Superpower Habit: Learning How To Not Self Reject

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On June 27

In Creative Work/Career, Metaprogramming

Recently I submitted some beats to Timbaland. He’s been reacting to beats live on his Twitch stream. Anyone can submit. I picked a few Momu tracks that my friend Mark and I have been working on and submitted them via the app. I knew chances were slim that he would like any of them. It took weeks for Timbaland to get to our tracks. But he finally listened.

And yeah, he didn’t like them.

But I don’t regret submitting the tracks. Rejection doesn’t feel great, but it’s a minor discomfort that every creator needs to learn how to handle. Just as you can’t get stronger without the temporary discomfort of physical effort, you can’t make progress as an artist without the temporary discomfort of rejection.

Same goes for finding a romantic partner, a job, etc. Rejection is a part of life.

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Questions I’m Struggling With

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On June 20

In Personal Updates

Recently I celebrated my birthday, in person, with dozens of vaccinated friends and family members. It was a joyful occasion and I felt and still feel deeply grateful.

But every new year of my life brings new questions. Here are just a few that I’m pondering at the moment:

  1. How do I co-raise a teenager? My daughter just turned 13. I recently had this breakthrough, but I have so many more questions.
  2. What’s the next step in my writing career? I have a novel coming out in September. I have two new novels in progress, one in second draft form, another with the first draft nearly complete. But I’m not sure I should even try to get them published yet. Maybe I should go back to short fiction first.
  3. What am I doing with music? I still co-own a record label, but we haven’t been very active lately. But I still enjoy making music with my friends, and intend to keep doing so. But how much time should I invest, and what are the opportunity costs?
  4. How do I best protect my health and health span in the coming years?
  5. What can I do to prevent my country from going down the drain? How do I best fight against voter suppression, corporate lobbyists, and opportunistic, hate-mongering agents of chaos like Donald Trump?
  6. What can I do to help reverse human-driven climate change? Or are we past the point of no return?
  7. What is the fastest way I can achieve financial freedom, which would allow me to travel more and work fewer hours?

I’m guessing 100% of the people who read this post will be asking themselves at least one of the questions above.

That’s all I have this week. No answers — just questions. Feel free to share your own questions and experiences in the comments.

Principles for Building Passive Income

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On June 14

In Money/Personal Finance

Passive income is the dream, right? Arrange your life and finances so that money consistently flows into your bank account, regardless of your employment status or energy spent hustling for gigs. I don’t mind doing hourly work as long as the work is tolerable, the clients are nice, and the rate is fair, but passive income certainly reduces my stress levels.

I currently have nine sources of passive and semi-passive income:

  • book royalties
  • music sales royalties
  • music publishing royalties
  • blog affiliate income
  • Patreon
  • service contracts
  • equity dividends
  • interest
  • capital gains

Some of these sources contribute negligibly, less than $50 in a month, but in total my passive income averages about $3000 a month. Not enough to cover my current lifestyle (especially since 100% of my dividend and capital gains income are reinvested) but enough to provide a significant financial buffer. Even when I have a slow month in terms of consulting hours, the passive income almost guarantees that my net worth keeps growing.

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