Blog Post No. 539
I’m feeling a little disconnected right now. It’s April and for the previous five years in April I had a book come out in the Synthetic Albatross Series. This year I don’t and it’s very strange. Normally, this would be the time when I would be scrambling to get the final copy to the printer, or anxiously waiting for the review copy to come in so I could see what horrible mistake I missed (costing me more money) or what kind of horrible state the printing (or binding, or positioning) would be in. Not that I’m doing any of that in 2023.
It’s nice to not have those worries anymore, but I feel like something is missing. It was a little more odd last August when I wasn’t starting a novella, but now, when I would be anticipating a conclusion to the nine months of work, I feel the loss. While I was in the middle of writing the series, I felt like I was going to keep writing a new one every year forever. I truly enjoyed writing and releasing them, even with the struggles and the flaws.
Looking back, there are some changes I would have made, but not so pressing that I feel the need to go back and make those changes now. I believe that once a story has been told (for the most part) it should be left alone. Mistakes can be fixed on the next story. Unless those mistakes are obvious typos or something.
Even flawed stories are an opportunity to grow and learn, and more than anything, that’s what the Synthetic Albatross Series was for me. It was nice to have a new book every year, especially when I was selling books regularly at conventions. The best part was thinking that each book was better than the last, though. And, I guess, the friends I made along the way.
I’m glad that I’m currently working on a novella. I suppose it eases my sense of loss a little. The novella being part of something new is exciting, but means it doesn’t fill the hole perfectly. Because it’s not part of the series, I feel like the initial concept wasn’t quite as strong, which meant that the writing has been a bit more of a struggle, but I struggled plenty with the Synthetic novellas, so who knows.
In the end, I was glad I did it and I’m glad I decided to move on. I hope I’ll get a chance to revisit that world in the future, but for me to have any chance at success, I had to change my priorities. I’ll feel weird again come August, but hopefully, by then, I’ll be elbow deep into a new book and won’t have enough time to wallow. Speaking of which, I have a deadline to keep.
Ben Van Dongen 