2017

Blog No. 214

We’re still a couple days out, but it’s nearly 2017 and a whole host of folks can’t wait. Personally, I’m a bit intimidated. There isn’t anything inherent about the year itself and I’m not expecting some sort of tragedy or end of days scenario. I’m not even terribly concerned with the life or death of various celebrities. Sure, this year was a massacre (as everyone continues to drone on about) but the death of someone I don’t know does not really effect my life. Sure, I feel for their family and friends, and some of those artists were still producing great stuff that I’m sure I’ll miss, but it happened, and it’s over. Poor Jimmy who loved so-and-so in a movie they saw as a kid is going to have to find a way to be alright on his own.

My trepidation comes with the conclusion of the year and it’s goals and the start of new challenges. I won’t dwell on this past year (I save that for when I reach a full year of posts in January). To sum it up quickly. My novel is less that a thousand words away from the first draft being finished, a feat I initially wanted finished in the first half of the year. Eventually I gave myself to the end of the year, and here I am at the end. That means, on top of my new projects, I have this novel to edit (several times). Let’s call that project number one. Finish editing Pilot.

Concurrently, in the new year I have to start writing a crime story. It only has to be 25 000 words, so I hope I can be much more timely on this one. It’s for an anthology that Adventure Worlds is planning to release in the fall. Right now that seams like a long time from now, but in terms of writing a story, editing it, doing the layout and cover art, and printing the book, that’s a tight schedule. The plan is to have the fist draft in by the end of February, and if I keep my pace, it’s achievable. With project one on the docket too, things may be more hectic that planned. The story for the anthology is one of three (the other two by Christian and Ed) so it takes priority (I can’t leave other people hanging) but the plan is to keep them both moving forward at a quick pace.

By the time I’m done the first draft of the crime story (adding two things to edit at the same time) I have another project I want to finish. While I’m really proud of No Light Tomorrow, and I’m excited to keep working on Pilot, I currently don’t have my own book out. Pilot will be a long time coming still, and the anthology is exciting, but it still won’t be just my book. If I can magically find the time and not eat into other work, I hope to have a short novella out in the summer. I don’t want to talk about it any more for now, but know that I’ve got some cool ideas for it that might spread off into other things.

Beyond those three major projects, there are other things (and parts of things) that I have to get done in 2017. Some of that will be addressed in a summit that Christian and I are planning. We’ll take some time to sort out the year in detail (all our projects whether they will be finished in the year or just started) and work out a timeline. Be excited for that. I may even start with some freelance work. Who knows?

It’s taken me a year to finish the first draft of a short novel and while I’m proud that I did it, I can’t take that long for one draft again. Everything has to be better next year. I have to be better. It’s been less that a year since No Light was release, and everyone is already asking what’s next. It’s exciting that people are excited, but it’s still going to be some time before something is released. Either way, if I grow as much in 2017 as I did this year, I’ll have something to be proud of.

Thanks for sticking with me. I’ll see you next year.