Here is my blog for the asking. Ask me and I shall write.
I like Simon and Garfunkel. I feel myself sliding into a music transition; one of those times I need to find something else to listen to for a while, a genre break. I need something “new.” Perhaps I’ll go back to Bridge Over Troubled Water next.
It’s been a while and there could be much to update. My personal life has felt crazy. Professionally we trudge along. My animals are good.
Right here right now I will briefly announce the upcoming release of my next book! I will post more about it in greater detail soon enough, but it will be available for this holiday season! It is a short story and poetry collection: personal works up to ten years old, as well as my most recent writing challenges. There is a range from silly to emotional; introspective to fun. I feel it is a good capture of my twenties. I wanted to try some different things, more on that later.
To start the summer, I released Spirit Foul and tried my best to sell it. This had to have been the rainiest summer I remember. Without fail anytime I went to an Ultimate event to sling books, it would rain. Not great booking selling weather. I was reassured by praise from numerous friends and family. But the book didn’t stick with the community like I thought it might. Sales didn’t meet my expectations no matter how much I lowered them. That kinda sucked, but could I really expect much from such a niche first novel?
I’m still proud of it, and luckily for me I can still sell it forever.* Like I said, some really glowing reviews that gave me enough validation.
The last things I posted were Resistance. Yikes. I’ve begun addressing it as a failure. I don’t see this as completely negative, but rather something I need to build from. To refresh: I set out earlier this year to write a novella around 40k words in length. Each week I would release a standalone chapter, around a 5-10min read, and together they would all combine to tell a much bigger story. I stumbled and continued, but eventually I stopped. What happened?
Well, I wrote myself into a corner. If you go back and look at the announcement blog I predicted this. I was excited about the challenge, “Just write yourself out of it!” I was fine with the quality being compromised so long as I wrote the words with consistency. It would be great to build the habit, right? That was my goal with Resistance: don’t write the next award winning piece, just write something every week.
Well. I skipped a few weeks. I read it back a few times. I stopped in July. I broke a rule I swore needed to be followed. When I first started Spirit Foul, I heeded the advice of much more experienced writers: get a draft done, then revise. Reading Resistance back, it was clear to me the story didn’t work; it is broken. Four point-of-view characters does not work. Cramming into my strict word counts left me with dense chapters. The format of weekly releases meant important details were forgotten by the time the next chapter came out. It wasn’t compelling. And to be honest, no one was really reading them, so it was easier to concede defeat. I will finish Resistance, I need to finish Resistance. But I hit a wall with it harder than I ever have before. Turns out this weekly release thing isn’t my style. But it’s part of the learning curve. And in the future, I need to finish the draft before I start thinking about editing. That piece is truly important.
I did not do a good job this summer. It doesn’t feel good. Should I give you some excuses, dear reader? They’re quite lame. I worked every-other-day shifts at the country club bar. I found it difficult to get into a rhythm on the off days. I stumbled with Resistance. I didn’t want to start anything until I finished that. I didn’t want to finish that. I journaled a lot. Eventually I decided to write just for the sake of it. Then I grew excited about the challenge of short stories. The upcoming collection is not nearly as long as I wanted it to be. Actually it’s a little short. That’s frustrating, and I’m scratching and clawing to add meat to the bones without compromising quality. I’ve talked to some writers that admire my ability to send Spirit Foul so quickly. Maybe a strength of mine is just blasting the work out into the world (dare I say that when I haven’t done much in the 7mo since SF?) Whatever. I’m gonna play to my strengths and send this story collection. There’s some good stuff, and I’ve gotta move on to the next thing.
In September I weighed the most I think I ever have, and it was all in the belly. I will look back at this Fall and remember biking 100 miles with my father-in-law along a beautiful Seacoast route. I will remember running my fastest half-marathon, in Boston, on a track so close to where I lived, with some amazing friends. How the hell do I also weigh the most I ever have? Ready for the excuses? I worked next to a soda gun. I never really drank soda as I grew up, I knew how terrible it is for you. But working next to the soda gun…. Quick hit of Ginger ale with a shot of lemonade cran? There’s no sticker to tell me how much sugar that is…. but I knew. Arnie Palmy splash 7up to scare away the 2pm slump? I also got free food. I wasn’t an absolute mad man. I didn’t get buffalo chicken tenders every week like I wanted to. I mixed some salads in between my turkey clubs…. But three or four days a week of turkey clubs, fried tender sandos, grilled chicken burgers… I have a belly now. I’m working on it.
Woof. Feel like I need to build myself back up. Ran the half-marathon, did it fast. Nice. Biked the century without getting hurt, and without training as much as I should’ve, good. Wrote my best short story ever this Fall! One of my best works ever, the title piece of the collection, is about holiday loneliness. That’s I guess the theme: loneliness, human desire for connection. Something like that. There’s a ghost story I’ve rewritten like three times. Not my strong suite. There’s a short story about a super-powered bartender. I’ve added some poems and raps, my best works from my twenties.
I’ve written a little bit of SF2. My concept for the book is a bit ambitious if I’m being honest with myself. And after SF didn’t catch on like I thought it might, I’ve been hesitant to tackle the sequel.
This is the blog for the asking. It was Eric. Eric asked. Thanks Eric. I need to be releasing blogs and work more often. I’m ready. Hold me to it, someone! I’m doing well. I miss my audience. I am looking forward to putting more words into the world very shortly!
Z