A to Z Challenge 2013

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Back In The Saddle Again



I've been bucked off this horse more times than I can count at this point, but I don't care.  Much like a huge Texan fighting the evils of leafy green veggies, I refuse to give in.  I have successful passed my Cyberlaw class (happy dance, happy dance), and I have two blissful weeks of no homework before I launch into learning how to become a certified ethical hacker (there's something wrong with the idea of an ethical hacker, but anyway).

This means I have an opportunity to get back on the horse, get used to writing every day again, and somehow keep it up even after my class starts.  And I'm going to do it.  I may not have been able to do NaNo, but I CAN do this.

The next question is what will I work on.  I have an almost complete apocalyptic story (first draft anyway) that needs direction on the ending.  I also have my short story about a young man and the Fates.  I'm actually in the revision stage for this one.  And of course, I have a few other temporarily abandoned  stories that need my attention.  Plus I got a gem of an idea this morning while I was driving to work; the idea is a comical view into the life of this guy (so far unnamed) who would like to be more of a villain (with all the associated acclaim, cool factor, etc) but his attempts actually result in helping people rather than hurting them.

During my recent workshop fun with Jamie Ford, he stated quite emphatically that there really isn't a huge market for short stories these days.  While he could be wrong, it got me to thinking about my short story and the comments I got when it was critiqued during my short story class.  I think there is more to this young man and the Fates' effect on his life, so I may see about expanding the story into a full-blown novel.

And there we have it.  I may have been absent alot lately, but I'm a work in progress - just like the novels I'm writing.  Time to slap on the spurs once more and get back in the saddle again.

How is your writing going?  If you're doing NaNo, are you on track?  If you're not doing NaNo, are you trying to write every day too?

9 comments:

Angie said...

Congrats on passing your class and getting back to writing. I like your story idea! Short story market is big (as in there are lots of possibilities, mostly online), but it doesn't pay well. I love short stories, though, and I hate to think of authors being discouraged from writing them. If you keep it a short story, keep my magazine, Mindflights, in mind.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations on passing that Cyberlaw class. I bet two weeks with no homework sounds like Heaven. And go for it - expand that short into a novel.
As for me, I'm on track with NaNo. Hope to get ahead this weekend.

Windy Aphayrath said...

Congrats on passing! Yay to some writing time. My writing's going pretty well, thanks to some motivating #1k1hr twitter sessions and capitalizing on the Nano energy without committing to Nano.

Unknown said...

Angie - Thank you. I think that's what Jamie was hinting at, that you can't live off it. I will definitely keep your magazine in mind if I go that route, so thank you.

Alex - Thanks, yes two weeks of no homework is AWESOME. Nice job on NaNo, keep it up!

Windy - Thank you. Wooohoo for both of us being motivated to write. Keep it up and so will I :)

DEZMOND said...

I've never understood why short stories aren't popular as novels are. Especially since it takes less time and effort to read them :)
I've always loved reading short stories.

And yep, I'm writing six days a week. Well, translating books, but that's the same business :) I translate around 100 to 120 pages a week.

Unknown said...

I'd say work on whatever keeps you writing.

Eric said...

Dez - wow, translations. That's gotta be fun. As far as short stories go, it depends on my mood whether I like to read (or write) them.

Tracy - You are exactly right. Thanks.

Glynis Peters said...

Congratulations on your achievements. Ride like the wind, Eric!

NaNo for me? = finished yesterday! Happy Dance.

Eric said...

Glynis - Woohoo, congrats big time. That is awesome!