August and Ever After

August was a long, and yet short, month. Personal items kept me from updating this blog and reviewing some of the thoughts I dredged up at the end of July.  It was one of those months when I said, “Aside from a compulsion, why am I doing this? Why am I trying?”

The answer is this: I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t write, and I didn’t try to get something published.  So, I’m not going to stop.  Now, I know what you’re thinking:

And you might be right. But I think, despite it all, I’ve gotten a bit accomplished:

• I have a signed contract for publication in an on-line magazine (No date yet, but it is a paying gig)
• I actually made it to the second round of review for a very high profile magazine with one of my short stories
• I’ve completed Michael Stackpole’s 21 Days to a Novel course and generated a rough outline for Metaphysical Graffiti
• I edited and posted a third of Ivre – and I’ve got at least one person who wants to read it.
• I’ve been regularly writing and submitting flash fiction and short stories.

But I still have goals for this year:

• I’m going to complete editing and writing Ivre, or whatever it ends up being called.
• I’m going to have the outline for Metaphysical Graffiti in final form for November
• I’m going to actually try to write like a madman in November
• I’m going to write, revise and submit a story to the open call for Alien Artifacts & Were – two Kickstarter Anthologies – a great project to fund as well
• I’m going to keep submitting stories until I run out of markets.

Now, to just deal with my crippling social anxiety that turns every attempt at networking into a massive impostor syndrome assault. Or, put it simply: