Update: Some More Changes for 2023

The End of MYTHIC

Back in January, I was able to announce the release of MYTHIC #20. At the time, I believed I would be producing new issues after the release of that one, that the magazine would be carrying on. Well, guess what? I was wrong. Just over a week ago now, I announced the end of MYTHIC, meaning that Issue #20 would actually be the final one published. 

I said this in a post on the magazine's website titled 'MYTHIC Is Closed': 

The title says it all, folks. I've had to totally shut MYTHIC down. There have been too many financial issues and even production issues, plus I've found that my current life circumstances have not allowed me the time needed to manage all of this. I've fought to keep it alive, but the fight became too great. So, I'm saying goodbye to MYTHIC. 

Thanks to all of those who loved the magazine and believed in it from its very first issues back in 2016. 

Sincerely,

Shaun Kilgore

Now that some time has passed, I've been sitting back contemplating the decision I made. When I look at the time, I spent both reading submissions and trying to deal with all of the elements of production and distribution, and then looked at all of the other work vying for my limited time and attention, I must admit a minor sense of relief. Not being the editor/publisher of MYTHIC is just one less ball I have to juggle. It's something at also ate into any sort of writing time I had.

I know now that I lost my ability to balance the time, so I regained the time I needed to write and do other things in the course of the day.

Now, I'm left with the clean-up from this almost seven-year project. Other than some issues that need mailed, I do have a final best of collection to prepare for publication. The Best of MYTHIC: Volume Two will now serve as an endcap to an era of magazine editorship that I am proud to have accomplished.

State of My Writing

I think this subject might be just as difficult to talk about as ending the magazine was, maybe more so. In many ways, I've been frozen as a writer. I've managed a few short-term thaws in my production, but they don't last. I'm totally off-balance and can't get into writing the way I did in the past. What's made it worse has been trying to write for someone else as a ghostwriter. I've done some work recently, but the whole process of ghostwriting has become almost repugnant to me at this point. I just can't do it anymore.

That means I've got to pivot to someone kind of writing that will also allow me to make some money too. Easier said than done. The one thing I'm trying not to do is be too hard on myself. It's almost an effortless thing for me. Stupid, I know, but there it is. 

So, I'm really just back to the drawing board and trying to keep my head above water. Some days it feels like I've got anchors latched to my ankles though. No comforting at all. 

But this writer will press on and see what happens.