It's been a while since I've posted a blog, so it felt like the right thing to do. Do I have much of an update on anything? Not really, but I thought I'd come on here and give you a bit of a ramble anyway.
This week I'm on vacation from work due to the fact that I will be 38 on Tuesday. That's wild to me. I want to say it feel like just yesterday I was graduating high school, but that's completely a lie. It feels every bit like I'm 38, if not already older. Life has been a crazy experience, and a lot of it blends together, with a few stand out spots here and there.
This week is going to be spent how most of my vacations are spent - staying home, not interacting with people as much as possible, and trying to get some writing done. I like to use these breaks from the day job to roleplay as a career author, full of naps on the couch and stressing about not getting enough words on the page. Sometimes, video games or movies are mixed in, just to make sure I actually get some relaxation. It's a good time, and I recommend everyone take a week off from all responsibilities a few times a year. It helps reset the mind.
On the writing front, I've been chipping away at a few different things. When I decided the next book would be a follow up to Bound To Parish, I put the other idea on the back burner. After some struggles getting the sequel going, however, I remembered that I'm able to do whatever I want. I'm tied to no contracts, I report to no agents, I do this all for the love of the words. So I started dabbling with my second idea as well. I have 13 short story titles - given to me by a lovely creative friend at work - that each revolve around a room in a large, Victorian house. I'm slowly jotting down stories for those as they come to me, and eventually I'll have a collection. I want to also try and have an overarching story flowing throughout the shorts, but I haven't thought much of that yet. Bound To Parish 2 (I'm still trying to find a title that works as perfectly as the first) has been a bit of a slower go because of the shorts, but all writing is progress in some way or another.
I've also been toying with submitting things, as you may have seen. I currently have a short story submitted to Uncharted magazine, in hopes of getting chosen for a short horror story contest they were running. They also have an upcoming novel excerpt contest that I'm considering tossing a chapter from BTP2 toward, but that decision is yet to be made. Either way, additional practice to the writing craft is always welcome and enjoyable, so I'm happy.
I also am happy to report that although it's died down a lot from what it was, Bound To Parish has been out nearly 6 months now and is still getting reads occasionally. The other books have always dropped off dramatically after the first month or so, but the slow trickle of this one has helped the confidence indeed. The pressure to have a sequel that lives up to the first is still there, but hopefully I can achieve it. If nothing else, the short stories have been a nice distraction.
I think that's all I really have for you today. If you want to give me a birthday gift, go grab a copy (or twelve) of Bound To Parish, and remind me why I do this for you all. Although, selfishly, I do this more for myself, and for that I will remind myself through relaxation and rest over this week.
Happy Birthday to me.
-Dave
Commentaires