I probably should have saved that title for next month and Talk Like a Pirate Day. But as I was making notes for this post, looking back at August (and the year so far), it struck me how much of what I do revolves around writing. A bunch of things don’t even make it to these monthly updates. I rarely discuss how much time I spend brainstorming, doing extensive research (could be a bunch of blog posts all on its own), and scouring the interwebs looking for places that might me open to publishing my stories. I carry a small black notebook almost everywhere; if it’s not with me, its because I have access to all my typical writing tools. I have to deal with rejection and delays, and I crave those rare moments of praise. There is so much more that goes into being an author than just writing. While you are thinking about that, I am going to sum up my month.
Bad news first. Silver Thaw was not selected for the anthology I submitted it to. This is a bummer for two reasons. I spent an inordinate amount of time editing the story (see May 2026 Writing Update – A Healthy Obsession and June 2026 Writing Update – One Step Forward, Another Back for a little more on that), and I never actually received a rejection. The publisher simply posted a list of the accepted stories on their site. I get that people are busy, but I really feel like it was a little lazy on their part. I had to go look to find my own rejection, and somehow that made it worse! The ‘silver lining’, so to speak, is that I think I know where the weakness in the story is. I had to cut down part of the beginning to make it fit. At the time I thought it stood on its own well enough, but now I think I need to rework and reinsert that opening to get the piece where it needs to be.
(I also learned a new shortcut for linking to my own blog posts!)
The Athenaeum of Lost Words is still in a holding pattern. The publisher did reach out and say that they are holding it for consideration, so I will take that as a maybe. I really liked writing that one, so I hope they take it.
On one of my hunts for open calls I found a pair I liked and already had pieces fitting the themes, so I fired off submissions of two older short stories. One was a fairy tale magazine with a theme of food, so I polished up Just Deserts and sent it out. The second involved vampires and The Sinner seemed like a perfect fit. The fun part for me is both of those stories were written for my writing group.
And speaking of that group, we had a guest who is also a publisher memoirist at our last meeting. Her book “I and the Village” is available on Amazon. I plan on purchasing and reading that sometime soon. From the bits that she shared with us, I think you should too!
In honor of that, I decided to write something autobiographical, just with a speculative spin. My prompt was antiques. The story I wrote is called Playing for Time, and it centers around a game of cribbage on an old board. A lot of what I used, including the antique board, is real and very important to me. It was tricky to write and, should I ever decide to do anything with it, it will need a lot of work, but the reception was good and they all felt my connection to the board but were honest in telling me where it was lacking. I sprinkled in some nautical metaphors and played with the therapeutic technique of talking to an empty chair. If you are unfamiliar with it, here’s a summary of what it is.
And wrapping up, my progress on the YA series is slow but consistent. I finished my first pass through book 2 yesterday. I will let it rest and go back for a second pass starting in mid-to-late October. I trimmed more than three thousand words, but I also added some in places that I felt were insufficient, so in total it went down by around two thousand. I do have part of the climax that needs to be expanded for clarity and impact. The second pass is a read-aloud exercise. It is a slow process and it’s not easy to find the quiet, private time to do it, but I hope to have that done by the end of the year.
Book 3 is stuck on page one. The good news is that I know why. I have fallen victim to a common writing issue – I am trying to make the first draft perfect. That’s a huge mistake. Almost any author will tell you that the first draft is ugly. The goal is simply to get the story out of your mind and onto the page. Grammar and wit and perfection come later. My stumbling block is simply a matter of connection. The main character, Gideon, is in a different place mentally and emotionally than we have seen him through the first two books. I am having some difficulty getting into his head and finding his voice this time around. I am reluctant to let him loose, but that is what I need to do. Once I clear that internal hurdle, it will start to flow. I have half of the outline done, so I can get to the story as soon as I do.
Okay, that wraps it up. You can look back and find more of the little tidbits and chores that come with being a writer. But do not for a moment should you believe that I don’t love it. I feel blessed that I can write well enough that others enjoy it. It is a much rarer gift than A.I or the plethora of self-published writers would make you think. My stories are my treasure, not to be buried but to be shared.
1 – Finish writing book 2 with at least two full rounds of edits. First round done. I will let it sit for a month or two, then go in for the second round
2 – Be at least halfway through writing book 3. That blank page is still taunting me (see this month’s post, if for some reason you skipped it & just read this part).
3 – Have at least two short stories accepted for publication. Three submissions pending. I also have a piece in The Quiet Children exhibit.
4 – Expand my search for someone to publish these YA stories. I have some trepidation about this. I have some publishers in mind but it feels different from querying agents. I need to grow a backbone and just hit send.
5 – Average two additional blog posts a month outside of monthly updates and publication announcements. Why do I torture myself with this? Seriously, why?
6 – Read 36 books. August reads: “Not Bad for a Human” by Lance Henriksen & Joseph Maddrey. (total for the year – 8)