Themeattics

You have as many options as you give yourself.

Kasie West, The Distance Between Us

Greetings, Dwellers. Today has provided a bit of a challenge in discerning a topic. Some of you may remember I had an outline of weekly topics for the entire year, and while yes, that’s still true, sometimes I lack the time or desire to really hit anything from that list so I have to sit around and figure out what, exactly, is calling me. Turns out, there’s been something on my mind for a while now and I just haven’t been able to give it the time necessary to think it through. So, like so many other things I mull over, I come to others for some advice. That’s where you come in.

This year has been pretty terrible for my creative output. Most of my projects have been flushed if they were even started at all, and there’s just been a general malaise around anything I try to get going. It’s been disheartening, to say the least. I’ve taken some time to reflect on this during the last week and put some ideas together that I think will get me back on track, but that’s all stuff that’s on me. “Fix your shit” types of deals, you know the drill.

During those sessions, though, I was reminded how momentum-based I am. I have a built in positive feedback loop that I continue to neglect, and that all came swinging back into focus when I thought about all the times I used to be hyped up and giddy to talk about story ideas, outlines, scenes, etc. Some of you will certainly be able to attest to this, and you’ll also be the first to note that those have been few and far between of late. And by “of late,” I mean for years. You see, when I talk about things, it gets me more invested in them and makes me more apt to work on them. And, of course, working on things makes me more likely to want to talk them over with people. Thus, the loop. A more negative person could look at that and say, uh oh, if it’s self-referential than how can we ever get it running? Not working on things gives nothing to talk about, which makes you less likely to work, etc., etc. And, well, I can’t deny that. Seems to have been proven out over this past doldrum, but what it really means is that I just need to pick one and do it.

Thanks to you all, and this site, the talking-about part has become that much easier, so that’s what I’m going to do. Not about specific stories – not yet at least – but about the processes themselves. This all started as a window to writing, after all, so the fact that it’s drifted elsewhere doesn’t mean it has to stay that way all the time.

So, Dwellers – of the lot of you that are readers, avid or not, I’ve got some questions. Most of these have only surfaced of late as I’ve tried to expand my work into areas beyond just large novels. I’ve never been much for other sorts of reading, so my experience is narrow. If you have a spare minute, please either reach out to me directly, on my FB, or in the comments here with your thoughts.

• Are you interested in reading novels, novellas, and short stories?
• When grabbing short stories, do you look for one-offs from known authors or will you pick up collections that include multiple authors?
• When searching for new stories, do you stick to traditionally published work or do you also check out indy published?
• If you do read indy, how do you find those? Do you look through Amazon’s top lists, or do you have some specific sites you check out?
• Do you have any experience with web-based publishing? Sites like Royal Road or Substack, etc.? How do you feel these affect your experience with the stories themselves?

Again, I don’t have any plans to stop pursuing traditional publishing for my larger novels. Absurd a motive as it may be, I want that shelf space. This is more geared toward my smaller work that I’m using to chip off the rust. Short stories, tangent ideas, some wackier concepts that might end up being huge wastes of time if I don’t get community buy in. That sort of stuff. In the end, it’s all in the same creative pursuit, but I do want to know where my efforts might yield the best result. As much as I love the craft and the very aspect of creation, it’s nice to know I’m on the path of something at least marginally viable, you know?

Ah, who am I kidding. Even if it’s not, it isn’t like I’m going to stop. So, things might fire into the void. Who among us hasn’t failed along the path?

Damn, it’s nice to talk about writing again. What have I been doing, not chasing this all the time? Until next week, my friends. I expect there will be words under my belt then, at last. Probably terrible ones, but it’s a step.