The summer is winding down, it’s been unseasonably cool here after some periods of intense heat. We’ve had long dry stretches and one massive storm that caused flooding like we rarely see here. It has been a strange August, made stranger by something I got to do at Terrificon in Connecticut. 

I got to sign autographs. 

It is a strange and awkward feeling, to sign my name in a book that I contributed to. I mean, who cares? It’s just me! No one recognizes me, no one is lined up because I’m there. But when I approach the Wayward Raven Media booth, suddenly there is attention being paid to me. Mostly from Mark and Alex, but still, they’re genuinely happy to see me and, what’s more, to have me sign books.  

I do have this strange ability to show up right as someone is considering buying We Suck at Comics (but you already have a copy of Volume One, right?), and upon seeing me Mark is quick to add that if they buy it, “That guy right there will sign it for you.” And I must smile confidently, proudly pointing to my name on the page, and promise an autograph to go along with the others. And I am proud. I worked hard on that story and it came out better than I anticipated. But as I stand there, trying to be the deciding factor in their decision to buy a copy, I am hiding my embarrassment and my incredulity. Because, again, it is just me! But they do buy a copy and Mark will hand me a sharpie and I will sign my name in the appointed spot.  

This time was a little different though. This time, my wife and son were watching me sign. And that made it feel so much better. They were so happy for me, so proud of me, that the self-consciousness ebbed before it could really set in. Of course, when I returned to sign a bunch of copies for them, it was without a potential reader standing nearby, but there was the added pressure of being photographed and recorded for Facebook. I’m afraid I froze up a little and my video was, well, not the best. If they get me on camera again, I will do a much better job. Hopefully, my discomfort will not be so evident. 

On to less personal things. I had a decent writing month, though I am ending August a little behind where I would like to be. I have entered the biggest section of book 2 in my YA series and it has been slow-going as I try to find the right cadence and sound for some of the new characters we meet in that part. I have a good grasp on some, but others are not coming as easily. But I press on, knowing that I can come back later and change things to match the dialogue of the later stages. Still, it does slow me down. 

Speaking of slow – editing book one has come to a standstill for various reasons. The main culprit is the lack of time I need to do it right. I am at a point where I want to read it out loud, and that is best done when no one else is around. I have had a dearth of solitude the last few weeks as I spend more time being spent with my family as the year races towards September and our vacation comes to an end; It has been a fun time as we attended a concert and a convention, visited a museum, an aquarium, and a handful of small bookstores, rode on boats large and small(er) and enjoyed the last few days of summer break. And I would not change a moment of it. But that has also meant putting aside a project that was already taking up a lot of time. I will return to that once the school year resumes and hopefully I will find a better rhythm. 

New writing outside of that has been light. I wrote a short and less labor-intensive epistolary tale of sorts for my local writing group. Entitled A Buglers Final Note, it deals with the subject of surrender. I got to do a bunch of research for a short (around 750 words) story that involves the origins of a famous military quote. I also found another project which has piqued my interest. I have scrap of an idea and a theme, but I am still developing it. I will probably attack that on my lunch breaks when I return to work. 

Much like summer, this post is coming to a close. With the return to school and autumn lurking just a few weeks away, my focus will be slowly turning towards November and the NaNoWriMo challenge. If you are a writer and have not tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It is great motivation and it can help a great deal with helping refine your skills. I will probably write a post about that closer to the beginning of November. Until then, keep writing! I’ll end with my goal summary for the year so far. 

1 – I want finish editing book one of my YA series to the point that I consider it good enough for publication (it probably won’t be, but I want to get it as far as I can take it). I can’t lie, I am way, way behind on where I wanted to be on this. Between writing dialogue for book 2, picking up other writing projects, and not having enough time to read out loud (it is much easier to find errors, awkward bits, and dialogue mistakes that way) I just haven’t been able to get much traction on this goal. I still think I can do it, but it will mean shelving some other things. 

2 – I want to begin querying agents to see if I can publish that book, and its sequels, traditionally. My query letters are as good as I can get them. I may shell out a little money to see if I can get some professional assistance with this. 

3 – I want to finish the first draft of book 2 in that series and begin outlining book 3 with an aim at starting the writing process this year as well. I am progressing well with this, but I still have a long way to go. This was my main project for the summer. I have a lot of dialogue written but I am still off the mark on this. I have until Halloween to get through most of it. 

4 – I want to have at least 2 short stories accepted for publication (not ones I submitted in 2023). Success! Blade of Glass and Repercussions have both been accepted, which means this goal is COMPLETE! Wow. 

5 – I want to extend my visibility as far as social interactions and publicity goes. The Facebook needle is pointing in a positive direction. This goal was vague, since I don’t know how to measure it except by “followers” and that number has grown since the beginning of the year. I will say this goal will be met by the end of the year.