Blog No. 147
Things are moving quickly in the Adventure Worlds sphere. (adventureworldsblog.com) From the outside it sometimes seems like everything is at a crawl, but there is a lot going on under the surface that is keeping everyone busy.
No Light Tomorrow (the collection) is still in progress. We are up to our elbows in plans, communications, and searches. It is in the hands of an editor at the moment, so we are in a holding pattern. This will be the first time I work with a professional editor and the first time Christian works with an independent editor, so that’s very exciting, but a bit nerve-wracking. We have been working on the collection since last year, changing it, editing it, shaping the stories. The thought that someone I haven’t met could point out things that will make us do major rewrites is daunting. For now we are in a holding pattern, waiting for the shoe to drop. In the mean time we’ve been planning a big release event with some very special people, hunting for a printer (one who could possibly achieve the outcome we want without too much cost or stress), and brainstorming things that have grown well beyond the scope of the one small collection. We are even thinking about future or regular events for not only No Light, but everything we do and with the other local artists we work with.
Back when we were all wide-eyed dreamers, we thought about publishing books, collections, novellas, comics, and all manner of things through the AW imprint. We even looked at publishing other people’s books. That idea was drastically scaled back in the face of the reality of writing (especially when novels were started). Who has the time, money, or energy for all that? With the AW site waning, there is far too much for two people to handle on our own. Now that we are putting out No Light on our own, those ideas are flooding back, pushing us beyond our perceived boundaries, tantalizing us with the thought of all those wonderful (hypothetical) projects. Everything is still undetermined and in the future, but we are thinking about some of it again. At least I am. I’ve got to finish this other stuff first.
The next issue if the Zine is in deep production at the moment. It is due in September (I realize we are in that month now) but we aren’t pushing it to be done early since it’s a Halloween Special and we aren’t the type to start pushing a holiday as soon as the previous one is past. The cover is done (and looking sharp thanks to Alex Morneau), the stories are edited and just need to be slotted in, and a Halloween Finders is on its way. We still don’t know what the future holds for the Zines. We will continue with the year, putting out the December issue, but depending on the dynamic of the group in the new year, we’ll have to decide how to proceed then.
The novel is moving forward. Looking back is difficult, especially with so much further to go, but if I can force myself to stay in the moment, I think I can keep going. I quite enjoy the things I’m writing as I write them. The essence of the story is good, even if the writing needs help. Either way, it’s still going and I’m somewhere over the 30000 mark (not nearly where I hoped to be by now). So lots is happening in my sphere of writing, but if I look too closely, it still seems like nothing is happening at all.
Ben Van Dongen 
Plan for those goals and envision a huge successful future. If you limit your vision – you limit your success. Both you and Christian have so much potential. Know where you want to go and don’t let anything stop you.
Thanks Christine.
Some days I feel like I could conquer the world with my stories, others it seems I’ll never even finish. I’m sure you’ve been in the same place, as have all writers. At least I manage to get more words on the page either way.