Saturday, August 31, 2013

Back In The Saddle Again...And Working On A Novel

Ten days ago I wrote that I was abandoning my plan to complete a novel in August. Maybe it was a last straw in what was a series of writing problems I've been trying to address all summer or not. I know that I tried do hit this goal I set for myself but it took getting back to the novel I abandoned in early May to get me back on the right course and more importantly writing again.

I've found that I have to ease myself back into producing the amount of words that I want to complete daily and weekly. It isn't easy to accomplish from the outset but I do think I'm working my way back into it.

The novel I'm working on is called The Stormbringer's Star. Another fantasy story that I think might be part of series of works. I won't say a word about here but I am writing on it again which is a minor cause for celebration for me. I'm a writer only when I'm writing. While that hasn't be an issue since I do keep a journal and I've written blog posts here, I do not feel right unless fiction has a prominent place in the projects.

My plan at this point is to finish this novel then do a few short stories to cleanse the palette then dive into another novel, the second book in a projected trilogy. This is an important step. I am not making a challenge right now. That was perhaps the wrong approach for me considering the difficulties I was having with working.

I'll close by reminding all of you that I do have a novel coming out in the near future and I will be posting cover art here soon. Also, I have a collection of short stories that I will be releasing as well. Stay tuned folks.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

No August Novel, I Think

I think I am canceling the challenge I posted at the end of July. But I can say that the way the month has shaped up has made me cast out the plan I laid out in the previous post. I was going to say I crashed and burned on this whole thing. Maybe I still will. No book has been written so far. Many starts but nothing that got past the first few pages before fizzling out epically. I don't know what more I have to say about the novel I intended to write other than I really wanted to get something together.

I have stories that will be published soon, short stories and a novel that has been waiting to see publication all summer. I've been contemplating a full break from writing lately. It might have to do with the impending arrival of my new son, but there's more going on. Frankly, I'm just not getting back into the fun of it yet. Life continually intervenes and turns my attention elsewhere.

I have these writerly expectations that I'm continually failing to meet and I think they should be the first thing to go before I can get back on a good writing track. More than these expectations, I have personal ones that are influencing my thoughts.

Sometimes being a creative type can be a curse because you can sink too deeply into introspection. All of it can derail what you've been planning and no amount of evaluation can seem to break through and get you rolling.

It's a rough patch, I would say. One I'm working through very slowly. In fact, it might be a matter of cutting out some mental chatter. I'll get to work on that right now and with luck, I'll have more upbeat things to say about being a writer again.

If you are reading this and you are a writer dealing with something similar remember you're not alone. We all go through such things from time to time. Hang in. You'll get back to writing again.

It's late in August now and I'm probably calling the whole thing quits but one never knows. There's still time. A little optimism sounds nice right now.