Ooops. I forgot to click the PUBLISH button on Wednesday.

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a writer and how much the profession has changed since I started publishing, which was already way different than when I dedicated myself to being a writer in my early 20s. Unfortunately, any nuggets of true wisdom escape me. I just gotta keep on keeping on -- one word at a time, one sentence at a time. That's the writing part, and I don't have any trouble making the words happen. I'm good at writing. Sometimes I dare say that I'm great at it.

It's the being a writer part of the equation that's challenging for me. I have a bunch of books, stories, and poems written that remain unpublished, as of yet. I suppose I should work on that. The big trouble with the being a writer bit is that part of the equation isn't interesting to me. It used to be, but that was back when I thought writing and being a writer were the same thing. They aren't. I know plenty of people who are phenomenal at being a writer yet aren't overly impressive at writing. I also know far too many people who are better at writing than I am, yet wallow in obscurity because they are even worse than I am at being a writer.

The more I study and explore what writing is, the less and less time I spend developing the skills and knowledge of being a writer. What a conundrum, am I write?

Anyway... Let's check in with what I've been up to this week. Over the weekend, I went up to Kirkwood for a little getaway with my partner and a bit of a micro writing retreat. Other than that, things have been going about the same as usual.

WRITING

• The Sharpened Edge of Fate - The fifth book in the Tears of Rage sequence is starting strong. Except for that new character I introduced at the end of Dance Among the Lightning Bolts. Luckily, my little getaway offered me the space to work through how I'm going to introduce the new guy into the narrative and what's going to happen with him in the book's endgame.
• Short Story a Week - I'm really happy with how Story #1 turned out. It started as an homage to 1980's cyberpunk with all its neon and chrome, but then things got weird-er. I had no idea where the story was going but kept writing anyway. It's an amazing feeling to be able to trust that my skill and story instincts have me covered, even if my conscious mind might not have a clue. I think it turned out well. You can check it out by joining my Patreon for FREE. Subscribing members get to suggest titles. I'll be posting another of these each Saturday.
• Epistolary Stories - Speaking of Patreon stories. I have a new thing I'm doing with it that I'm starting this month. Lower rank patrons will get PDFs of the stories. Higher ranks will get them in the mail. (Along with their notice of rank. Oh, and thank-you notes from their favorite Gallowglas characters.) These episodic stories will last a year. This first one starts with a letter written by one Nathanial Hayze to inform his brother that he has been pressed into naval service. I'm super excited for patrons to see where this one is going each month.
• Poem a Day - Loving most of these. Thinking I'll catch up on Camoes II and Recycled Imagination on Patreon to finish out last year's work. Then, I'll post most of this project's poems throughout the week, and supporters will vote on which poems I'll do as a video reading.

READING

• More Harlan Ellison. I'm looking at a bunch of his early stuff, from way back in the 1950s. He was young, talented, and full of chutzpah. Loving it. The quality of the work fluctuates, but then, that's how it goes. Some of the poems I've already written this year won't see the light of day.
• Wonderworks - This book continues to blow me away. It doesn't just talk about the greatest literary devices we've ever come up with... It breaks them down into what they are, how great masters developed them, and the reasons WHY they work in storytelling. This is required reading for any writer.
• In This Burning World, by Mary Mackey - Poems of love and apocalypse. I had the pleasure of hearing Mary read from this book last week at Poetry in Davis. At the reading, she talked about her Karmasutra of Kindness. The very concept floored me. It's the kind of thing I wish I had come up with. She gave a solid reading, and I'm enjoying this book very much.

WATCHING

• ANDOR - Breathtaking. An amazing end that makes the end of Rogue One even more tragic, and hopeful. Between Andor and The Mandalorian, I've fallen back in love with Star Wars. I know some people like to nitpick The Mandalorian, but I had a good time with all three seasons. The original trilogy is not without it's flaws. Well... excepting Empire. That's a nearly flawless movie.
• WWE - I'm rather bummed we're getting so little build with the John Cena - R Truth mini fued for Saturday Night's Main Event. Unless we're getting a slow build to something more, but I don't think Cena has enough appearances in his final run to give this the justice it deserves. UNLESS... the whole point is to have Truth take the belt off him. Or... maybe... Cena will squash R Truth so badly that we'll get a Ron "The Truth" Killings run in WWE at last. I'm digging the various names gunning for the Heavyweight Championship. Not only does it make the championship mean more than it has previously, but it also gives weight to Jay Uso's run as the champ.
• Superman - I watched the full trailer for James Gunn's take on the Man of Steel. For the first time in forever, I'm actively interested in Superman since Christopher Reeve. Fingers crossed.
• Buffy reboot - Today, I saw a clip of Sarah Michelle Gellar telling the new slayer she got the part. I got all misty-eyed. Here's hoping this one is good, and not just a play for nostalgia money. I am optimistic.

Creatively, life is going pretty well. I'm doing some great writing, if I do say so myself. I'm excited to share the good bits with everyone. Every month, it seems like bits of all those years in school are clicking together in new and interesting ways, which gives me the power to tell new stories in cool and interesting ways. Most of my personal life is solid too, with one exception. Not quite ready to Alexander Hamilton that one yet, so we'll leave it with please send some good energy my way,