One of the many things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving Day!
I’ve been sitting on this for a while, uncertain when I could make the announcement, but I confirmed with my publisher back in September that I could publish a cover reveal for The Art of Floating. Rather than compete with my monthly update and newsletter, however, I thought I’d wait and make a separate post of it.
When Heather Campbell and I met in July to discuss options for the cover of The Art of Floating, we considered some of the pictures I had taken (see my Instagam for those), but in a subsequent email exchange, we discussed Gillian’s work, considered a few, and ultimately decided that “Lost Lake” was it.
Heather reached out to Gillian in August and, after navigating summer vacations, Gillian agreed!
I can’t tell you all how happy I am with this evocative cover and how well it complements the poetry in The Art of Floating.
Now, I’ll encourage you all to support Gillian. Her work is on display in her art gallery in Killarney. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram as well as on her web site (linked above). She is just as awesome as her social media suggest!
And now, I’m going to get back to my own creative work.
Until next time, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Welcome to October, my favourite month of the year (my birthday notwithstanding). May you find a way to shift the veil during this spectral season and see what’s on the other side 🙂
September began with a four-day heatwave, from September 3rd to the 6th. Then, overnight the temperature dropped to below seasonal. But I got out onto the patio! After that, it was a beautiful September, weather-wise. Above seasonal, sunny. Just lovely.
Life in general
After my big project was finished in August, I’ve hit a period of dysregulation and am in recovery. But I’m also still working, so the recovery is taking a while. I don’t have enough annual leave to take a longer period of time off, and, while I have a lot of sick leave banked, I need a medical note to support more than three days off in a row. I’d need to make an appointment with my doctor and get him to fill out the official medical leave form.
The process comes with its own set of difficulties (read autistic inertia/demand avoidance). Really, I’m just being lazy, but I don’t have the spoons to take on more administrivia at the moment. So, I’m taking my sick leave a day or two at a time, here and there. I had a couple of days of leave in September, but I was just starting to feel better when I had a reading to deliver. It was a good event, but just enough to reset my recovery.
And then I had a schedule change at work so I could observe the delivery of the big project I finished in August. The training delivery was in the Atlantic region, so I was getting up super early. The upside was that I got to finish my workday earlier, but the schedule change was a disruption.
So, executive function is low right now. I’m forgetting things I would normally remember, making errors, and stumbling and bumping into things. The brain is having trouble braining. This is a part of the autistic life that I’m still learning to navigate, to be conscious of my executive function in the moment and to give myself the recovery time I need. But it’s a challenge on many fronts.
The time of year and the slow reduction of daylight hours also has an impact on my energy levels. It’s why I save the bulk of my annual leave for the darker months of the year.
I’ve notified my team lead that I will be applying for a self-funded leave in the new year so that I can focus on the launch for The Art of Floating and any readings in the weeks immediately following. My intent is to use as much of that time as I can for a more focused recovery, as well, but I’ll have the launch and readings and possibly conferences to attend. We’ll see how it goes.
The month in writing
Most of my month was dedicated to revisiting my inside outline, which I’m rewriting by hand, so there hasn’t been a lot of writing or revision to record this month.
I have managed to write a few new poems, however. And there’s always the writing to record from this update/newsletter.
I met with Suzy for the 6th and final time (for this package) on September 14th. I hadn’t finished my revised inside outline but got as far as this submission. As usual, Suzy provided insights I wouldn’t have discovered on my own.
I’m taking a break for a month to get the revised inside outline done, write up my report for the CSFFA about my professional development grant funding (done), prepare for my Writers in the Schools visit (done), and see if I can’t get some poetry written (done), and make further progress on some short fiction (done).
I submitted another grant application on the 7th. And then another on the 30th.
Also on the 7th, I received my professional photo package! You may have noticed the mid-month post about the pictures 🙂
On the 11th, I received notification that my last grant application from the spring was not funded.
Something that I haven’t thought to mention in past months is that I’ve continued to submit my poetry for consideration. Welp, those rejections have started to roll in.
On the 16th, I met with my publisher. It was a good meeting and things are progressing. Cover reveal should be coming soon, and once the collection is posted for pre-orders, you know I’ll be posting again. Now, it’s time for readings and other networking opportunities.
Then, on the 20th, I received notification that the creative non-fiction piece I’d submitted for the Sudbury Writers’ Guild Superstack anthology has been accepted! My first CNF acceptance! I edited the piece and returned it and my signed contract on the 25th.
My publisher was in touch again on the 23rd to advise that Sudbury’s current poet laureate, Kyla Heyming, had an opening in the second of two Poetry on the Water cruises. I jumped at the opportunity and read my poetry in public for the first time in a year (!) It was a lovely afternoon.
Filling the well
I observed the hazel new moon in Virgo on the 14th with a guided meditation.
The fall equinox was on the 23rd this year. I lit my alter and gave some thought to the coming season and what it will bring.
And the full corn supermoon in Aries was on the 29th.
In terms of writerly events, I started the month with a Dan Blank webinar, “How to find the readers who will love your writing,” on September 8th. I purchased a consultation package, filled out a form, and received an informative response video. Then, on the 22nd, Dan and I had a video call to discuss my platform and focusing in on what I share and why. He’s encouraging me to go for it and not to wait. Again, autistic inertia/demand avoidance is playing a role. Highly recommend.
Then, I attended a FOLD Academy webinar with Jael Richardson on “The business of publishing,” on the 9th. Very good. Lots of useful information. Love Jael 🙂
I had registered to receive the recording of “Healing history’s wounds,” a Writing the Other webinar with Nisi Shawl back in August. Unfortunately, Nisi was ill, and the webinar had to be rescheduled for September 10th. It was awesome! There are a couple of strategies I want to try out with my solarpunk/alt history novella.
Then, it was Science Fiction Writers’ Week with Pro Writing Aid from the 11th through to the 14th. I did not watch all the sessions. I was there for a few special events. Lauren Beukes, Catherine Asaro, Julie Czerneda, and Jordan Ifueko.
The next Donald Maass webinar from Free Expressions, “Imperfect Heroes and Excellent Anti-heroes,” was also on the 14th, so I watched the replay. Excellent, as always.
I signed up for a Tiffany Yates Martin webinar through Jane Friedman on the 15th. “Handling multiple storylines” was great. Tiffany always pulls out examples that really illustrate what she’s talking about.
I signed up for another Mary Robinette Kowal webinar on “Endings, or How to Wrap Things Up” on the 17th. I got some solid advice on my WIP that I can use when rewriting my inside outline.
“The Art & Craft of Writing Powerful Emotion” with Ellen Bass offered through Authors Publish was on the 27th. I opted to watch the replay because of a conflict.
Carly Watters and Cece Lyra presented their “Writing the Perfect First Five Pages” webinar, also on the 27th. Basically, the best of their advice from The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast.
Finally, there was another SFWA connecting flights panel on “Genre Benders and Blenders: Storytelling Beyond Tropes and Conventions” on Sept 30th. It was a nice ending to the month.
Moving into the self-care portion of the month, I signed up for “Sidewalk oracles” with Pat Tallman from the 4th through the 7th. It’s all about being open to guidance on your morning walks. There were several different techniques to help get into a mindful and receptive mood.
On the 18th was my next massage appointment. I didn’t quite get to the rest and digest stage, but it was a much-needed respite.
I had my semi-annual dental checkup on the 20th.
What I’m watching and reading
I couldn’t resist. The reviews have been so horrible, I just had to watch The Flash (HBO/Crave). It wasn’t the trash fire I was led to believe. Don’t get me wrong. It was bad. But I’ve seen worse. >koff, koff< Black Adam.
Phil and I watched the final season of Titans (Netflix). It was full of plot holes and so rushed. I mean, it all feels kind of pointless. DC’s clearing the slates and starting over … again.
Next, Phil and I watched the second season of Good Omens (Amazon). I don’t know what everyone’s upset about. It’s clear that Aziraphale and Crowley love each other. We thought the second season was great and are looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.
I watched Elemental (Disney +). This was another movie that struggled out of the gate, but as far as I could see, it was typical Pixar fare. A sweet story about an immigrant family trying to make it in a new city, the pressures of tradition, and finding your own way in the world. The romantic subplot was a little meh, but overall, I enjoyed Elemental.
Then, I watched Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Amazon). OMG so sweet! I mean, totally ridiculous, but So. Sweet! A balm to my neurodivergent soul.
Next, I watched the live action version of The Little Mermaid (Disney +). It was … okay? Exactly the same as the animated version with a little more diversity in the cast and a couple of additional musical numbers? Halle Bailey has a great voice. Melissa McCarthy added a little more nuance to Ursula. It was completely adequate and what I expected, but I keep wondering why the movie industry reboots everything or keeps franchises going on (Fast & Furious, I’m looking at you) long after they’ve ceased to be entertaining. There are so many stories out there that could be adapted into great series or movies. Get creative, people! Try something new.
I also finished watching Tiny Beautiful Things (Disney +). This was an adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book of the same name, which was a collection of her Dear Sugar columns. It was an interesting story about a woman who finds purpose offering advice to others while her life falls apart. There is meaningful resolution in the end. Kathryn Hahn was superb.
After a brief internal struggle, I gave up on Riverdale (Netflix). I started watching the final season, but thanks to Friendly Space Ninja, I learned that the final season doesn’t resolve any of the plot threads from previous seasons. It just reboots the show to the comics’ original 1950s setting. So, no real wrap-up of the pseudo-Marvel multiverse/superpower storylines. No resolution for Betty and the trash bag killer. No future for any of those characters. Just a handwave to the fact that the other timeline no longer exists, and they’re stuck in the past. They get to hold onto the “good” memories, though. Final word on the series as a whole? Meh.
I finally finished watching The Crown (Netflix). The latest season brought viewers up to the point where Di’s bombshell BBC interview has taken place, Di and Charles have divorced, and Di’s about to meet an engaged Dodi.
I watched All the Old Knives (Amazon). It’s a tragic political thriller about the aftermath of a terrorist hostage-taking that resulted in 120 deaths. Years after the event, a CIA agent is sent to investigate. Evidence has been uncovered that there was a mole in the unit.
Finally, Phil and I watched the first two seasons of Bleach: The Thousand Year War (Disney +). Loved! We’ve been fans since the anime first came out and started following the manga as they were released following the last anime series. Season 3 should be released in the spring and 4 before the end of 2024. This could be the last series for Bleach. Creator Tite Kubo continues to struggle with health issues.
The first book I read in September was Samuel R. Delaney’s Babel 17. Rydra Wong is a poet and linguist, and she is called upon by the military to decipher Babel 17, which they believe is a code the Invaders are using to relay messages. Rydra figures out that Babel 17 is a language, not a code, and travels into deep space to solve the riddle of what it is and what is does to the people who understand it.
Then, I took a left turn and listened to Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties: Stories. It gave me the same flavour as Mona Awad’s Bunny. Surrealist body horror is my best approximation. Though I did find her take on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, an epic poem—yes, I will call it a poem—involving doppelgangers, love, and family to be … kind of hilarious, actually (what does that say about me?). Unsettling, but good.
I finished Premee Mohamed’s The Annual Migration of Clouds. Really good. In a post-apocalyptic Alberta, most people have been infected by Cad, a parasitic fungus that seeks to save its host, no matter what. Reid has been given an opportunity to leave her community, but it involves a dangerous journey. And how can she leave when her mother and her best friend depend on her for their survival? A boar hunt promises to give Reid the means to support her mother, but will her Cad let her take the risk?
Then, I listened to The Mabinogion. I’ve wanted to read it for years, but never gotten around to it. Like most older tale collections, it has a rhythm to its storytelling. Several rhythms, actually, because it’s several different stories collected into one volume. There’s a lot that’s similar to The Kalevala.
I finished Solomon’s Seal, by Skyla Dawn Cameron. This is the first in the Livi Talbot series, pitched as Tomb Raider meets The Gilmour Girls. In a world utterly changed by “The Pulse,” which unleashed magic, magical abilities, and magical creatures globally, Olivia—Livi—Talbot, once heiress, now impoverished treasure hunter for hire, struggles to keep her daughter in private school, pay the rent, beat her archeologist brother to the next artifact, and fend off the unwanted advances of past and potential boyfriends. When a rich benefactor sends her to Ethiopia in search of Solomon’s Seal, Livi has to dodge dragons, betrayal, and her employer’s mysterious second in command. Very good.
Finally, I finished Ada Hoffmann’s The Fallen, sequel to The Outside. Yasira Shien is all but incapacitated following the miracle she performed in the first book. Tiv and the Seven—young people with Outside abilities—try to help Jai’s survivors, while being hunted by angels and fallen angels alike. But the gone people are working toward something that could make life for the people of Jai better, if anyone could understand them. Neurodivergence is centred in Hoffmann’s novels. Really good.
And that was the month in this writer’s life.
Until next month, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Welcome to the first next chapter, back in its monthly format. This means it will be epic. Sorry, not sorry.
The month in writing
I’ve had to completely revamp my annual plan. Well, not completely, but mostly 🙂
My original plan had been to finish mapping out Alice in Thunderland in January and finish the first draft in February and March while continuing to work with Suzy on Reality Bomb. But a budget situation at work and the attendant loss of income meant I couldn’t continue working with Suzy. We parted ways at the end of January.
I then thought I’d continue working on my own and sign up again once my position and salary had been restored, but Phil had his accident (on Valentine’s Day, I’ll remind you), and all writing work was suspended until such time as he recovered.
In the interim, I got the hare-brained idea to start applying for grants. All of them.
Now that Phil’s recovered, I’ve committed to …
Finish my #ActuallyAutistic Author presentation script and resources,
Revise my poetry manuscript from now through June (in progress),
Write a creative non-fiction (CNF) piece for a call due in early May (in progress),
Work on another CNF piece,
Revise a short story for an anthology call later in May (started),
Start working with Suzy again (come hell or high water, as they say),
Revise another short story for a potential project,
Apply for more grants in May and June (working on one, now),
Deliver my #AAA presentation in June or July,
Revise yet another short story for future submission,
Revamp my web site (some of it’s already done—just bits and pieces left),
Work on new poetry,
Work on a CNF project,
Start work on my new fiction project in September, and
Apply for more grants, September through November.
You can see why I’ve decided to cut back on blogging in the interim.
Alice is taking a back seat, for now. I think it was a good project, but I don’t have the head space or energy to get back to it right now. I do have the outline finished and a solid idea of where I need to head when I do get back to revisions. So, it’s in a good place.
That was the only big change from my original plan, aside from pushing out some timelines because life is what happens when you may other any plans.
So far, the experiment in rearranging my creative life (i.e., giving up curation and returning to monthly updates) seems to be working. I’m a lot less stressed out, that’s for sure. Or I was.
Just gonna let the Excel speak for itself.
Unfortunately, the universe couldn’t take it easy on me. An added stress is that a general strike was called on April 19, 2023. I’m showing up and showing solidarity, but the first day was bitterly cold and I had to take a nap after I got home (which I never do) to warm up and recover. Subsequent days weren’t any easier, though I planned a bit better each day.
My executive function is definitely compromised. Meltdowns each morning, naps most afternoons, and I’m having trouble functioning on any level. At least I didn’t have to picket on the weekends. As of today (April 30, 2023) there’s a new offer on the table, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I expect we’ll be back on the picket line tomorrow.
In other developments, I’ll be one of three judges for the K. Valerie Connor Memorial Poetry Celebration contest held by the Leacock Museum in Orillia this year. I’m honoured to have been considered.
I received another bit of amazing (ah-MA-zing!) news this morning, but I’ll have to wait a bit before I make that announcement. Stay tuned! And yes, I’m a tease.
Filling the well
Just picking up from where I left off in my next chapter weekly updates. I’m not recapping the whole month (!) As you’ll see, it’s been a month FULL of events.
I attended the online book launch for Fonda Lee’s The Untethered Sky on April 10th. A great conversation between Fonda and Andrea Stewart about all aspects of the creative process.
I had signed up for a FOLD Academy webinar with Liselle Sambury on April 8th, but was unable to watch it live, because recovery. I watched the replay once it was posted to their YouTube channel. It’s an interesting method, and Sambury offered a lot of alternatives for outlining and tracking your novel.
I signed up for an Authors Publish webinar on a new (to me) poetry form, the zuihitsu, with Eugenia Leigh. Because it was held during the workday, I watched the replay. Zuihitsu is a fascinating form, but I don’t know if I could manage the consciously disordered nature of a zuihitsu collection. It does track with some of the ideas I’m hoping to play with poetically, though. We’ll see where it leads.
I met with my poetry editor, Tanis MacDonald, on the 12th. It was less fraught than I thought it would be (and that would have been on me—Tanis was lovely). Now I have my marching orders and some work to do 🙂
I attended the Writing Success Series Discovery Night on April 13th. I’ve signed up for the Donald Maass six-webinar package and will return for individual sessions by Eric Maisel, Janice Hardy, Tiffany Yates Martin, and Beth Baranay.
I signed up for another Dan Blank webinar about defining your identity and creative voice on April 14th. Again, because it was during the workday, I watched the replay. Dan has a lot of good information about how to engage with social media on your terms and it all begins with defining your identity and creative voice.
On April 15th, my friend and former poet laureate of Sudbury, Vera Constantineau, launched her poetry collection. Enlightened by Defilement is a collection of haibun inspired by the 108 defilements of Buddhism. It was a lovely afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn, good food, and a lot of familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a while 🙂
That was a big week of writing-related events, I realized, and dialled it back a bit. Yeah, all of the above was in one week. I might have overdone things a bit.
Just four more writing-related events in the month.
I purchased a Rambo Academy webinar on revision that I could watch at my leisure, which I did.
I attended Mary Robinette Kowal’s Barriers to Writing webinar on Sunday, April 23. It was extremely helpful in a few different ways.
Finally, I registered for a TWUC webinar on marketing and self-promotion presented by Rod Carley and Ali Bryan, which I also watched in replay. With my debut poetry collection coming up next year, it was very helpful!
I almost forgot! The FOLD started on April 30th, but as the bulk of the event is in May, I’ll leave the details until next month’s update.
In the self-care department, I had an appointment with my doctor because of a bump on the inside of my wrist. It’s a ganglion cyst and nothing to worry about unless it gets bigger and/or starts causing pain or impeding my range of motion. Something to monitor for now.
Phil had another physio appointment and an appointment with an endocrinologist for his type II diabetes. Unfortunately, the diabetic clinic is being shut down. It’s disappointing because he was finally getting the treatment and support he needed. And then his appointment with the endocrinologist was cancelled. Super frustrating.
I took Torvi to the vet for her annual exam and flea/tic/worm medication. An expensive trip, but she was her crazy, adorable self for Dr. Andrews, and she’ll be protected for the coming year.
What I’m watching and reading
I finished watching The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix). An interesting origin story for the witchers, with great characters, fight scenes, and a tie-in to the main series. Also, it was only four episodes, so it didn’t have time to fall prey to some of the gaffs other series suffer from.
Next, I watched The Wonder (Netflix), based on the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue. Mystery and pathos. Lib Wright is a nurse who is called upon, with a nun, to perform a 14-day watch on a girl is a small Irish village who hasn’t eaten in four months. Ah, my heart.
I finished watching the first season of The Peripheral (Amazon). Bizarre and brain-twisty, but I loved it. Virtual reality isn’t just VR. It’s time travel and the creation of alternate realities called stubs. A VR gamer and her ex-military brother are inducted into a program with new technology, and a whole new world of complex future and present political and corporate intrigue changes their lives.
I also finished off the first season of Extraordinary (Disney +). In a world where most people develop powers (some of which are bizarre, and others, totally useless), protagonist Jen is powerless. She’s also a horrible person who has no money to pay for the expensive treatment that could rectify the situation. Growth happens. British series. British humour.
Then, I watched Ghosted (Apple +). It was the fun escape I needed after three days of picketing. Lots of cameos by popular action actors. I was laughing out loud. It might have been the dysregulation, but I enjoyed it. There was some problematic content, though, like the white male protagonist getting all stalkery (repeated texts, tracking her, a surprise trip to see her) on his love interest after she apparently ghosts him. Unfortunately, the stalking is critical to the plot. Like, there would be none without his intrusive and unwanted behaviour.
In reading, I finished T.J. Klune’s Wolfsong. The protagonist, Oxnard, or Ox is clearly autistic coded. And bisexual (pan?). I loved the book for that alone, but it was a love story between a human boy and his wolf pack. Correction, packs. There are some explicit sex scenes if you’re not into that kind of thing. My heart (again)!
Then, I finished The Bookwoman of TroublesomeCreek by Kim Michelle Richardson. A fascinating historical fiction based on true events. Look up the blue people. They were an actual thing. And the packhorse librarians. Loved it!
And that was the month in this writer’s life.
Until next month, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Yesterday, On Saturday, April 15, 2023, I attended the launch of Vera’s collection of haibun, Enlightened by Defilement, at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Sudbury.
It was a lovely afternoon and I saw many members of the Sudbury Writers’ Guild, who came out to support our former Poet Laureate. Heather Campbell, the publisher behind Latitude 46 was also there, and I reconnected with an old friend (hi, Linda!—waves frantically).
Emily DeAngelis conducted an interview with Vera and asked her to read a few poems. It was a different format, and I appreciated it. The Sudbury Starinterviewed Vera, as well.
The event was catered with sushi, spring rolls, fruit, cheese, meats, and crackers. Very good!
There was something for everyone.
I’ll encourage everyone to support Vera and Latitude 46 by purchasing a copy, either directly from the publisher’s page, or through Amazon.ca.
Welcome to the last tipsday for the foreseeable. As I mentioned in my most recent next chapter weekly, I’m cutting back on social media to devote more time to writing and revision.
It’s been a while since Torvi made an appearance 🙂
Another fabulous resource, courtesy of Jane Friedman: Dr. Mardy’s Dictionary of Metaphorical Quotations. Having trouble putting something to words? Find out how other writers and thinkers have done it. It really helps.
Thank you for visiting, and I hope you found something to support your current work(s) in progress.
All lives cannot matter until Black, Indigenous, and people of colour lives matter.
Continue to observe public health guidelines (washing hands, maintaining physical distance, masking where you can’t, getting your vaccinations—not just covid, but flu, etc.—as recommended). Covid is endemic. It ain’t going nowhere. Take care of yourselves and the people you love.
Russia’s unprovoked war in the Ukraine continues and continues to be deplorable. I stand with the Ukraine!
Reproductive rights are everyone’s fight!
Starting in the New Year, the monthly PSAs will cease. They have become performative, despite my best intentions. Y’all know my views. No need to harp.
The month in writing
First, I decided to let Alice in Thunderland sit until the 5th. Though this year’s NaNoWriMo wasn’t as exhausting as it sometimes can be, I still needed a break. Plus, I had some other writing work to do.
Even when I returned to Alice, though, the words weren’t flowing. I’m trying to listen to my body and brain more and on the 11th, I decided to let Alice sit until the New Year. She’ll still be on my mind, though. I have to think about the best way to end the story, which might involve me rewriting the beginning. Thinking of a circular, or echoing ending.
I had to do some work with Reality Bomb for Suzy, in any case, but I decided to take things easy and not stress out.
I had a stretch of vacation and wanted to focus on planning for the New Year and resting up. The dark time of the year is here, and I wanted to see what it would feel like to actually give myself some hibernation time when my energy reserves are low.
It was nice. I watched a lot of movies (see below) 🙂
Here’s how the month broke down:
The only writing/revision I did on RB this month was for my assignments. It wasn’t tonnes. No goal, but I wrote 9,398 words.
Like I said, I decided to let Alice percolate after the 11th. Between the 5th and the 9th, I wrote 1,008 words. Initially, I had thought Alice might be a full novel and I had committed to continue drafting through December. My goal was therefore fairly steep, and I chose not to change it (this time). So, 1,008 of 17,250 words works out to 6%.
For the first time all year, I didn’t meet or exceed my goal for the blog. That’s because I counted the bulk of my work on last month’s next chapter update towards my NaNo goal. Even including what I’d written of this update up to December 31st did not crack my goal. I wrote 4,644 words of my 5,000-word goal, or 93%.
I received the welcome news of another short story acceptance on the 8th. More on that later in the year.
And I received a lovely gift, just in time for the holidays, two of my poems, “Avalon” and “Blood Flower Moon,” were published in Polar Starlight 7.
And now for the year in review …
The year in writing
At the beginning of the year, I made what I thought were reasonable plans. I wanted to finish next round revisions of Reality Bomb by June (six months should have been doable, but alas), spend the summer focusing on poetry and short fiction, and then prep Maurshka for NaNoWriMo.
Welp, I was still working on RB in October when I signed up with Suzy. I decided to give up bulling my way through the revisions and see what Suzy had to say.
I did work on some poetry and sort fiction in the summer, but the short story I started (just something for myself) petered out and I haven’t thought of a way to proceed with it yet. I also decided that I’d set Marushka aside and prep Alice in Thunderland for NaNoWriMo instead.
With RB on hold, I did move on to work on Alice for NaNoWriMo, but I wasn’t aiming to win. I decided to take things easy and thought that Alice might be a novella, anyway.
And you already know how December worked out.
In terms of publication, it was a good year for me.
It started out with the publication of “The Undine’s Voice” in Polar Borealis 21 (May 2022), followed by the publication of my poem “Pillar” in Polar Borealis 22 (July 2022).
In August, “Torvi, Viking Queen” was published in Pirating Pups, edited by Rhonda Parrish, from Tyche Books.
And, as I mentioned above, I had two poems published in Polar Starlight 7 in December. So, two stories and four poems.
This may not seem like a lot, but it was great for me. In 2021, I had one story and four poems published and in 2020, I had three poems and a reprinted poem published. Slow progress, yes, but progress, nonetheless.
Also, I signed a contract with Latitude 46 for my first solo poetry collection, to be published in April of 2024. That’s not nothing 🙂
Here are the annual stats:
Project
Goal
Actual
Percentage
Reality Bomb
Revise 50,000 words
Revised 79,517 words
159%
Alice in Thunderland
Write 90,000 words
Wrote 29,307 words
33%
Blog
Write 55,000 words
Wrote 67,405 words
123%
Short Fiction
Write 6,000 words
Wrote 2,915 words
49%
Revise 10,000 words
Revised 478 words
5%
Poetry
No goal
Wrote 20 new poems
—
As you can see, I undershot the most with respect to the short fiction. I only wrote one new story, revised a couple, and stalled out on the second short story I started.
I’m not counting Alice as an undershot because of the novella thing. I think it will probably come out between 40 and 50k by the time I’ve finished drafting it and revised it.
Here’s another look with a monthly breakdown:
This year, I’m giving myself ten months to revise RB down to my 100k goal length, and then I’ll work on a query and synopsis, and hit the trenches.
I’ll finish Alice by the end of March and revise her by the end of June.
Sometime in the spring, I’ll be working with an editor on my poetry collection. Not sure how long that will take, but I’m scheduling six months.
I’m hoping to write and revise 6,000 words (each) of short fiction this year. We’ll see how that goes.
I’m toying with a creative non-fiction project. Not going to talk about this too much until there’s something to talk about.
And I’ve chosen my NaNo project this year. More on that in the future.
Again, I think the goals I’ve set are reasonable ones, but that always changes as the year progresses.
Filling the well
I have to backpedal a bit to November. I signed up for Tiffany Yates Martin’s Prologues webinar through Jane Friedman and watched the replay. I always learn something from Tiffany’s webinars and she’s a great presenter.
On December 4th, I attended a Revisions workshop with Mary Robinette Kowal. Her approach really speaks to me. I’m learning a lot.
I signed up for another Jane Friedman webinar, this one from Allison K. Williams about writing your second draft.
And I signed up for an Authors Publish webinar about writing layered stories readers will love with Nev March.
I had my second call with Suzy on Dec 7th. Part of my assignment was to work on my protagonist’s “why,” but I wasn’t sure if the why I had established was compelling enough given the why of my antagonist. There’s some massaging to do, but we can make it work.
I received my next assignment, to reframe and reorganize the first 20 pages of my draft given her review of my first chapter. Our next meeting was on the 21st. Again, progress was made. I think I just have to learn to trust myself more. Our next meeting is January 19th.
I attended the in-person holiday get-together of the Sudbury Writers’ Guild on the 17th at Twigg’s. I had a lovely crab salad sandwich and London fog. And some cookies.
We lowkey celebrated Mom’s 79th birthday on the 20th. Chinese and cake.
Christmas was going to be at my mom’s on Boxing Day this year. Unfortunately, my brother- and sister-in-law got covid and we had to postpone. I’ll leave the decorations up until then, I think, though Phil says he wants to take down the railing garlands while the weather is mild.
Phil went full techie on my desktop, trying to keep things running well for as long as he can. I cannot afford a new computer right now.
I got a long-overdue haircut.
I also got my flu shot and had another meeting with my support group.
What I’m watching and reading
In the viewing department, Phil and I watched Wednesday. And we really enjoyed it. Jenna Ortega does an awesome job of letting us see what a teen Wednesday would be like. Yes, there were some overly complicated story beats.
Then, I watched The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special while putting my Christmas tree together. Silly, fluffy, and kind of dumb, but totally enjoyable for all that 🙂
I watched Spirited (Apple+). A fun take on A Christmas Carol. Old Marley runs a whole spirit division dedicated to reforming curmudgeons every year. The current ghost of Christmas present (Will Farrell) sets his eyes on an “unredeemable.” I won’t spoil the twist 😉 And really, Ryan Reynolds makes anything fun.
I received a holiday surprise 🙂 Fraggle Rock (Apple+) released a holiday special, too! Comfort/nostalgia viewing.
Black Adam (Crave) was next. It was a movie. Dwayne Johnson was fine, but I prefer his comedic roles. And Pierce Brosnan was a good Dr. Fate, but I really didn’t care about the other superhero characters and wasn’t given any reason to.
Then, I watched Wolf Walkers (Apple+). A balm to my pagan half-Irish soul. And beautiful. Just watch it, y’all.
I also watched Glass Onion (Netflix). As brilliant as Knives Out, but totally different. Janelle Monae was spectacular.
I decided to watch Guillermo Del Torro’s Pinocchio (Netflix). A dark and decidedly anti-fascist take on the traditional tale. The ending was bittersweet.
Then, I watched Slumberland (Netflix). A touching tale about grief and the power of dreams.
Phil and I watched the last season of His Dark Materials. Really good. Loved, in fact.
Moving on to the month in reading, I listened to The World We Made by N.K. Jemisin. Living cities versus eldritch horrors, vol. 2. Awesome. Robin Miles is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, and Simon & Schuster does a good job of the production.
Then, I finished Fevered Star, the second in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, by Rebecca Roanhorse. It was good, and I’m eager to read the third book.
I finally read Embers by Richard Wagamese. Brilliant and soulful. Teachings to return to.
I followed that up with another Wagamese book: One Story, One Song. The same as the above.
Then, and I think it was the weirdest read of the year, I read Bunny by Mona Awad. At first, I thought it was magical realism, then the body horror entered into the story, and then I wondered if everything was all in the protagonist’s head. It was a real trip, whatever it was. With thoughtful homage to, and feminist commentary on Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, fairy tales (Red Ridinghood, in particular), with a touch of Heathers and The Craft, Bunny was a wild critique (ha!) of MFA programs and the white privilege rampant in the university system.
Though it took me a while, I finished Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Real and the Unreal. There are a lot of stories in this collection, which was originally published in two volumes. A little Orsinia, a little Hainish, some science, and some whimsey. Good, but epic.
Next, I finally grabbed A Dead Djinn in Cairo, by P. Djèlí Clark. The missing piece of the Fatma puzzle! It explains a few things in Master of Djinn that were alluded to, but not fully fleshed out. Very good.
I finished Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John and the Hand of Devils. I didn’t realize how much of a lush Lord John was (!). Entertaining, and again, filled in a few gaps.
My favourite non-fiction read of the month was Chloé Hayden’s Different, not Less. Awesome to read about and autistic girl who received diagnosis and supports before she became an adult.
I didn’t quite meet my 2022 reading challenge. 55 books of my 60-book goal. Close, but no cigar. 92%. Not bad. This year, I’m taking my reading goal down to 40 books. Because I intent to do some close study/rereading this year, I don’t think I’ll be able to read many more.
And that was the month—and the year—in this writer’s life.
Until tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!
Welcome to November! This will be the last tipsday until December 13th (!) That’s right, I’m NaNoing again and foregoing curation until December. Get your fill of informal writerly learnings now!
You could always peruse the archives if you miss tipsday too much 😉
Always Looking Up 