By It’s been a while since talking about story writing. Life sure has a way of interrupting you when you’ve been planning to put a pen to the metaphorical paper. For one, we’ve all experienced changes that have affected the way we do things daily. Stuck indoors most of the time, you’d think I’d have more time to write. Well, I haven’t. Extra steps for simple tasks complicate everything even more.
I convinced myself that getting a puppy would be a good way to have company while I’ve been locked into my office. Talk about complications! As I was getting Spectrum: Short Stories of Science Fiction, the Unusual and the Unpredictable (Yes, it is a shameless sponsored ad.) ready for publication, I discovered that my 12-week-old Havanese enjoys munching on books. My favorite copy of Writers of the Future now looks like it’s been through a natural disaster. I only hope that Duncan enjoyed one or two of the stories.
Well, it hasn’t been all that bad. I took a writing workshop hosted by David Farland, Orson Scott Card and Tim Powers. The workshop was both instructive and practical and I learned a lot. The sections on idea generation, outlining and research proved to be especially useful. And I feel vindicated for having written so many science fiction short stories–it seems that other authors recommend writing short stories as the path to learning the craft of fiction. So let the naysayers say their nay.
But if I don’t get my butt into fifth gear and write more stories, I’ll have wasted my time.
So aside from puppy troubles, I’ve started writing more science fiction. I’m still reaching for Finalist in the Writers of the Future contest and I’m close–Silver Honorable Mention was almost there. Plus, I have at least two written shorts that easily lead into a series. Did you get a chance to read “Jump Trains and Simultaneity?” The galaxy waits for Bobby and Mister Pleats to explore it. And a new story in my latest collection, Spectrum, could promise more to come from an alien invasion.
So what’s to stop me from moving forward then? Only me. Onward!
