What I’m working on: This week, in relation to a webinar I took on anthologies (more below on that), I finished up a short story and got it submitted! Hooray! The crowd goes wild! Feeling quite good about that. I’ve also started reading my next (hopefully) submission out loud to give a good, rounding polish. This is the phase I really enjoy–the trimming and smoothing pass. So I’m hoping I’ll get that nearly done by the end of the week, if not done and out the door (*fingers crossed*). After that gets out the door, I might take a look at another short story I need to review and make notes on, but it will also be about time for me to dive back into the novel and see what’s good and what’s not so good yet. YET. It’ll get there. There’s work to do, but we’ll get there.
What’s inspiring me: I took a great course on submitting to anthologies with writer Shanna Germain via the Reach Your Apex webinar series this past week. It was incredibly encouraging and inspiring. If you’re interested in increasing the amount you submit (hey-o! *waves*), this is a great course to arm yourself with. Germain, an author whose publications number in the hundreds as well as the editor of several anthologies, provides an abundance of intel to help you decide what anthologies are a good fit for you and your style, how to make your ideas stand out from the crowd, and how to track submissions and other business-of-writing information that I found incredibly helpful. A solid course with a great instructor for a reasonable price. I’m not sure when this course will come around again, but if it does, definitely check it out. See all of what Reach Your Apex has to offer on their site!
I finished a crazy amount of books last week (really dug into that Polyreader’s note about what I could probably wrap up already). I’ve definitely got some thoughts on HOW TO KEEP HOUSE WHILE DROWNING, and really enjoyed A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES and DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD. I’m seeing a trend in these titles… Hmm… Also finished SLEWFOOT, which I’ve got some thoughts on things I picked up regarding plot, conflict, and villains. Brom is always a bit of an education, plot-wise.
I also finished SELFIE, all about the modern (or is it?) obsession with the self and self-actualizing and perfectionism (also, the ways in which culture drives suicide numbers, so you’ve been warned…), which was strangely poignant and painful to get through, and left me with a lot of feelings I haven’t quite sorted yet about the state of the world and the state of my own relationship with the self-esteem movement I spent a good chunk of my childhood stuck in. Participation trophies! You can do aaaaaanything! Just believe in yourself! Insights galore, arguments debated, and a general sense of buh. Kind of like dragging yourself out of a pool: you had a good time, but now you’re wet and feel like you’re standing on Jupiter. Still processing this one.
I’ve been playing a lot of Stardew Valley again, as Thing 2 has discovered two-player mode and likes to “pretend we’re sisters,” even though his interest in actually progressing in the game is very, very, VERY short-lived. I’ve also gotten a little bit into Animal Crossing, again because Thing 2 decided he wanted to spend some remaining Xmas/Bday money on it, though having a four year old as your resident representative is a little challenging for every other player… Can you tell I’ve been leaning hard into the comfort games?
I suspect that’s because construction continues. And continues. And continues. Every week it seems like THIS WILL BE THE WEEK that everything is wrapped up, and then…it’s not. It’s made us all cranky, realizing how much we’re gunning for that finish line. AND YET HE GAINS. (We also watched The Princess Bride and Top Gun: Maverick with Thing 1, who’s finally old enough to enjoy more grown-up movies. It’s been fun introducing him to things we love!)
In other movies, Andy and I have been on a Friday Fright Night kick lately. We watched Talk to Me (creepy ghost/possession) a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it (I only watched some of the scenes through jalousied fingers). We’ve also watched The Omen (antichrist horror), The Fog (John Carpenter horror), Out of Darkness (caveman horror), Backcountry (bear horror), and Don’t Breathe (twist on the “robbing the blindman” trope).
Also read “On the Wing” by Lindz McLeod in Flash Fiction Online and found its imagery and mood captivating. If you need a short, beautiful read, check it out!
What’s coming up: Eclipse, baby! And Spring Break at the end of next month, which will likely mean very little work gets done. I’ll probably be aiming to finish my own read-through of the novel and gather up all my notes and edit plans BEFORE that week, since it’s going to be a crapshoot. But for now, I’ve got time, and I’ve got my eyes on a couple other anthology calls. I’m definitely going to try to submit something to Flash Fiction Online’s Weird Horror call by April 21st, so I’m brainstorming on that this week and using Shanna Germain’s tips! I’m also chomping at the bit to start reading ANNIE BOT by Sierra Greer, so I’ll probably crack the cover on that this week. I’m also reading an ARC for CALVARIA FELL by Cat Sparks and Kaaron Warren, which I’m really enjoying so far! Look for an interview with Sparks and Warren in the coming months. I’m also craving some short Junji Ito, too, so that may be something I pick up in the next couple of weeks… Also, have I mentioned how obsessed I am with ‘zines still? I picked up a few the other week, and may need to post about them, soon. I really, really want to make my own, and I’ve got entirely too many ideas. I need to get some out of my head so I can focus on the novel for a while.