2022 may have a few gasps of breath left before the year shuffles loose this mortal coil, but personally I’m already looking ahead to 2023, more for personal reasons than anything. Before I dive in, a shout-out to the awesome Allison K Williams, a multi-hyphenate in the world of writing and publishing whose Seven Drafts method helped me beyond measure, both before and after it was a book of its own. I got the chance to thank her on Twitter and wrote about her positive impact here, a blog post she’s been kind enough to compliment and share.
Moral of the story: if someone helps you, let them know. You’ll make their day and just might make a friend.
When we left spoke, the Futurescapes writers’ workshop was still ahead of me. I had intended to follow up on that experience with with a post, but depression found me again this spring and summer, climbed on my back, and wouldn’t let go. It’s a recurring issue for me and when it strikes I don’t feel of much use to anybody. Consequently, I get into the headspace where I don’t see any reason to post, either here or on social media, because who needs to hear a guy whine about how he has low-esteem and would really like to be published, please.
As the saying goes, the only way out is through and to that end I’ve tried to keep my head down and focused on the craft I’m dedicated to. In a world bursting with distractions, that itself is challenge enough. But also the most rewarding.
First up, I wanted to finish editing the second draft of my dream project, the epic fantasy novel THE DARKEST FATE and query for representation. That did not happen because I decided to rejuvenate myself post-Futurescapes by writing and editing some short fiction to submit for publication. One of those stories was a fantasy-horror novella that grew in the telling and ended up taking six months of my time.
Deadline slippage aside, I think it turned out pretty good. We’ll see if that’s still true when I put it through the submission wringer.
My next goal was to write THE BUTLER MANOR MURDERS:
I’ve had a blast switching gears. After so much time spent on my novel, varying it up invigorates me creatively, the multiple pans in the fire a nice change from the era when I put all my eggs in the same novel-basket. Then there’s also the collaboration with my dear friend and fantastic artist John that makes the comic special, not to mention the many avenues for us to pitch the project, from selling to a publisher to funding a Kickstarter.
The overarching theme of 2022 was diversifying my portfolio. To that end, it meant shifting my focus from my beloved doorstopper novels to short stories, comics and screenplays, which I can write much quicker.
Well, the shorts and comics are underway but what about the silver screen? I’ve had a few ideas for what would be my first spec script and I’ve arrived at something suitably short as well as unexpected – a half-hour comedy pilot about the hilarious, awkward, hilariously awkward lives of employees at a late-night restaurant, loosely based on my own experiences as a night-shift worker in Athens, Ohio, a college town if ever there was one. The working title? ATHENIAN NIGHTS.
Alas, there’s only one of me and I still have to work a day job until such time as I can support myself through writing, whether that’s via freelancing, Patreon, or publishing,. Before I leap into yet another new project, I have unfinished business.
Which brings us back to THE DARKEST FATE. The time has come to skin this cat. The first draft took a little over two years to write, from March 2018 to October 2020. I was two-thirds through the second draft when I paused this spring. Finishing the final third will take me into the new year. In tandem, I keep tweaking and submitting the pre-existing short stories I’ve written and will continue to work on the first issue of the comic to use as a proof of concept for prospective publishers/readers.
Until the next update, friends (which I can definitively announce may or may not take another 11 months).
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