The Changing Moods of A Writer

Didn't you know? Us creative types are a wee bit unhinged sometimes. A give day can see a roller coaster like experience of moods before it comes to a crashing halt and they toddle off to bed. Up, down, so-so, truly maniacal, even zen-like sometimes. 

My current mood is reflected in the change of the site's appearance.  A splash of classic green, a bold use of fonts, and whamo--a totally different feel to it. Not sure how long I'll keep it this way, but for now it works. Well, it might need something else. Can't say for sure what it could be. I'll take suggestions from my readers. 

I also decided I needed a break from the consecutive "Writing In 2015" posts. I mean, there's more than this to this blog, I think. 

What I'm Reading

I've been reading more paper books lately. I went through this phase where I read a lot of ebooks and kind of got fatigued by the screen experience. There still is nothing like the weight, the feel, the smell, of paper books. As much as I like ebooks (and as much as my publishing company relies on ebooks) I still prefer paper. I'm not alone in that preference. Not much else to say about that, I guess. 

What am I ready, you dare ask?

Right now, three different paperbacks (two nonfiction books and a urban fantasy novel) sit next to me as I type this: 

1. The UFO Phenomenon by John Michael Greer

2. Discoverability by Kristine Katherine Rusch

3. Happy Hour In Hell by Tad Williams

I have others that I've started and set aside. Several really. I won't mention them here unless I add them to the aforementioned pile that I'm currently focusing on. Beyond paper, I've got several ebooks I'm in the process of reading. Probably a dozen or so. I just piece on them a little at a time, over a long time. Talk about a low attention span right? 

And The Writing?

Well. (Come closer, let me whisper it so everyone doesn't hear) I'm not writing fiction. Yeah, yeah, I know, I told you I was doing that Camp NaNoWriMo thingy. Well, I still am, technically. I haven't thrown in the grubby proverbial towel yet. It'll be a tighter deadline but I might just hit my 50K word target for July. 

I've been trying to come to grips with the story I chose to tell. It's a continuation of a series, so I've been reacquainting myself with the whole world and its cast. It's been percolating in my gray matter for a bit. I'll let you know whether I crash and burn or hit the bullseye on this one. 

Deep thought of the moment: What kind of writer am I really?

Reading, Writing, and Other Thoughts

What is really the best use of a blog for a writer's website? Since I put up this blog six years ago, it has went through various incarnations and been focused on my freelancing and ghostwriting at first and then shifting to more of a focus on my fiction writing. I've written both fiction and nonfiction books and both are listed here. I've done lots of short stories, somewhere near forty so far, and I'd like to think I'll write more in the future.

As a ghostwriter and freelancer I tried to create content to that marketed me. I thought I'd try to be a  pro blogger and build a monetization pipeline centered on good content articles. I did some good work early on but sustaining it and developing incomes streams off it seemed to be taking me farther away from what I originally started writing to do. I wanted to tell stories. I'd written my novel Cries Of The Faithless on the notion that I could get somewhere with fantasy fiction if I just could finish a book. That particular book took far too long to complete. I've written another novel in far less time. And other books have come along too in the course of career so far.

Blogging here has faded a lot. I've not had Free Fiction Friday for a long time now. I haven't done another Dear Writer post because I don't feel like I have anything to say that a thousand other writers are doing on their sites.  I just don't know what to do with this space these days.

Lots of writers I like seem to be more loose with their websites and blogging. They share something of themselves while I feel like I'm a bit uptight. I don't share anything else of myself with readers. I don't talk about the books I'm reading, the movies I've seen, the TV shows I watch, or the the thoughts I'm having. I'm one of those deep thinkers. I used to be able to gather around a table with friends to share those thoughts.

I'm draw to topics like politics, religion, philosophy, and other social issues but worry that opening those various cans of worms might harm my writing career (such as it is). Being totally open on a public forum comes with obvious risks. I get pretty serious about all of that kind of stuff and wonder how I can balance it with a bit of silliness and good humor. All are points I've been musing over for some time now. Now, let me let you behind the curtain…

Reading

Books

1. Blackveil by Kristen Britain
2. Druidry and Meditation by Nimue Brown
3. Death Masks by Jim Butcher

I tend to do a mixture of fiction and nonfiction, though I'll admit that I've been reading far more nonfiction in recent times than fiction. I'm picking my way in pieces through other books, but not enough that I'll list them right now. I also read a lot of articles online. I'm thinking I'll post links more often to stuff that interests me.

Blogs

GalleyCat - blog about books and publishing industry
TheArchdruidReport - blog by author John Michael Greer concerning peak oil, decline of industrial civilization, and other topics
DeanWesleySmith.com - veteran author's personal blog where he talks about writing and the publishing industry.
KrisWrites.com - Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog. (She used to have a regular business column called the Business Rusch. Check out the archives. It is invaluable for writers and those interested in publishing.)
Kunstler.com - weekly blog by cantankerous author and social critic, James Howard Kunstler.
SuperHeroHype.com - media blog about current and upcoming superhero, comic book, fantasy, and sci-fi films.

Writing

Ah, the hard part. I've not been writing all that much lately. I've been distracted by real life in various forms. Its been a nearly a month since I've written at anything approaching a regular manner. I did do a couple of pages the other day, but I couldn't keep going with a streak. I've tried novels and short stories both, but can't seem to hit on anything that really grabs me enough to continue. It's frustrated and stressed me out to the point where the notion of writing even a sentence of a story just didn't seem all that fun.

For the most part, I think I've entered a bit of a hiatus while I recharge my creative batteries. Not sure how long it will last. It's lasted a while as it is. Fiction is still something I want to do but just not now. I may end up writing on other subjects, nonfiction ones in particular. I'm keep two journals now; one for regular matters and another for spiritual content.

Part of the issues with writing come from getting too concerned with peripheral issues like what sort of books I "should be" writing or whether I'm writing series books or stand-alones. What genre is the right one for me? Should I write short stories for markets? And on and on it all goes. I've hit a critical mass, so to speak, and just have to shut down until I can get focused on enjoying the craft of storytelling. That's the plain truth of the matter.

I'm also discouraged that my current offerings are not selling, but I know the attitude I need to adopt in that area, so it is just about getting on with the work when I can again. Real life has more than enough to engage me right now so getting tangled up in fictional worlds will probably just take backseat for a time.

Publishing

That all being said I will still have two other novels coming out in the coming weeks and months and with luck, a long-overdue nonfiction book. My work as a publisher will be requiring more attention as a few new titles by other authors need to be readied for publication. I've been going over lists for upcoming releases and do all sorts of other little chores so for anybody interested in that you can hop over to the Founders House Publishing website.