_{Cloud Image Source}

Since I've recently had a successful post that was inspired by an idiom, I thought it would be great if I created a series of posts inspired by another. They say that "every cloud has a silver lining," which means that you can derive some benefit from every bad thing that happens to you. As this serves as a companion to my upcoming series A Day in the Clouds, I thought that it would be an apt title.

I've always had trouble being concise, mainly because I have a lot of things to say. My brains is figuratively bursting with thoughts that I often find hard to contain. Maybe that's why I considered writing as an outlet.

Full disclosure: this is not a cash grab in the sense that I won't be posting this for the sake of posting, but rather, I wanted to give my inspiration for the series the best chance at earning as I possibly can. Just to reiterate what I've said in my story's announcement, I will not be taking any of the earnings that A Day in the Clouds and Silver Lining for myself, rather 50% would be given to my nephew by way of transferring the STEEM earned to his parents (Steemit account is pending) while 50% would be matched and donated to charities and studies devoted to mental illness and awareness, so that would offset the SP gained. The only things that I would get from this is an increase in reputation and SP (technically), and a warm feeling that comes from the sense of fulfillment.

That's why I'm extending this as a community-effort. I want everyone to feel the same sense of fulfillment. Think of it as @merej99's awesome barn raising initiative, though the recepient would instead be a young child instead of a fellow Steemian. Imagine, one simple click of the vote button would go a long way in changing a child's life. How awesome is that? That's the power that Steemit provides us — the power to make a difference.

The Plan

I plan to post A Day in the Clouds every Monday (GMT+8), while Silver Lining would be posted every Thursday. If there would be a demand for it, I'm open to making email alerts for those who are interested in keeping up-to-date with the posts.

The cover photo of this, as you would see, would change with every chapter based on the time of day in the story. I had initially planned that the main story's cover photo would change based on the time of day, but @dreemit's advice of keeping the header photo consistent, for recognizability, has convinced me to keep it as is for the entire series. I decided then that I would instead change the cover photo for this instead.

If you would read the title of the chapter, you would have an idea what time it would be for the next one. With that being said, if you have any awesome photos of the sky (preferrably with clouds) feel free to post it and send the link via the comments section. If considered, I would send you STEEM and give you credits for the photo, of course. Take note though, the clouds would only serve as the background (see above), so the entirety of the image will not be displayed.

The Purpose

Silver Lining would serve as my commentary for the week's chapter of A Day in the Clouds, so that it would have no unnecessary commentary from me. It would be pure, unadulterated literature. You can still leave comments and well-wishes in every chapter, and we could discuss specific points in the story there as well. Think of Silver Lining as a side note of the ongoing story. I'm excited to see what types of topics I would write here, as there's really no concrete roadmap yet. Inspiring stories, interviews, jokes — the possibilities are endless!

As history suggests, the power of the written word has the potential to move mountains. While I doubt that this story would be game changing, I hope that would be able to move one person's mountain and bring a few others like him along for the ride. As I was writing the story for NaNoWriMo this year, I was filled with so much joy. I'm very passionate when it comes to writing (well, also in almost in everything really), but the motivation gave me extra energy to fulfill my goal. Admittedly, I've put off editing because I tried to catch up on life, but I had been sitting on this ever since.

Zepp (the story's protagonist) is the second child of three. His dad is a very accomplished, home-based transcriptionist, and his mom (my cousin) is a dedicated mother. While they earn enough for the family, extra expenses for Zepp's therapy is still a blow to their finances. We could all use a hand, so this is my way of helping them. Writing as a means of helping other people, I've never imagined I would be given such an opportunity.

I'm treading new ground here. Not only is this the first time I'm writing a story from the first-person perspective, frequent readers might realize that I usually write themes that are "doom and gloom." It's not that I'm an emo-type of guy, in fact I'm generally a very happy person with a playful personality, it's just that, writing serious heavy dramas come naturally to me, perhaps as a means to balance out my positive personality. So, this new story is definitely a nice change of pace.

The (Other Suggested) Posts

Sorry, I just had to continue with "The P..." titles, but "Proposed" didn't seem to correctly substitute for "Suggested." Steemit is teeming with such creative talent that it would be a shame to not spread the good vibes around. Here are some other series that you might enjoy while waiting for the arrival of the main story's first chapter:

The Symbiotic Protocol - the Golden Steem Award-winning author @ezzy's latest offering is chock full of intrigue, action and ethical questions. It's not too late to catch up on this modern classic, so click the link, start from Chapter 1, and thank me later. Trust me when I tell you that reading this series is something that you will never regret.

The Playground Series - just before you start with A Day in the Clouds, be sure to binge read @dreemit's fantastic series. If you like a tale with intimate conversations and chemistry between main characters so palpable you can cut it with a knife, then this series is right up your alley! This series is on a short sabbatical, in lieue of another promising looking series so this is the perfect time to catch up. "Engrossing" doesn't even do this justice, it's just so great!

The Pirate's Last Wish - I've recently sunk my teeth in to this series, and I must say, I'm already hooked! It's been a while since I've dug into high fantasy, so this was quite a nice welcome.

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Oh, and I almost forgot, I've written this three days ago (when I posted the main story's introduction) and I'm currently in South Korea for a trip, so I might not be able to reply to comments immediately. This entry was a scheduled post using Streemian I've recently signed up to the service and I'm following Curie, Steemtrail and Steemtrail's Fiction-Trail. These are just few of the helpful initiatives that help undiscovered gems get more noticed. I've jacked my curation to 100%, like I usually do, so that every post would be given their deserving recognition. I promise that I would get to every single comment (that is, if there is at least one haha!) when I get back to the Philippines. Looking forward to hearing all your thoughts! Let's get 2017 off to a positive start!