March Newsletter

Hello all!

It’s been another productive month, at least by my standards. I finished and published At First Sight (my Blackwater story) early in the month, then started a piece for the Macabre Monday writing contest. The first draft is nearly at the climax, but it’s also a hot mess. Hopefully I can get it finished and edited in time to submit it. If not, I’ll just publish it here whenever I’m done. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that it’s based on a famous work of classical music with a pretty crazy backstory.

I’ve also started drafting an outline for my still unnamed novella. I’m not used to working with an outline, but a longer story probably needs one if I want to stay on track plotwise. My current plan is to release the MM story, then the medieval story that I swear I haven’t forgotten about, and then start working full time on the novella.

The reason I’ve made more progress than normal this month is because I’ve been experimenting with some new writing techniques, with the goal of speeding up the process without sacrificing too much quality. These techniques include free writing first for ten minutes, limiting how much I edit during the first draft, and writing by hand to help discourage said editing. I’ve definitely written a lot more words this month than usual, but the results have also been much sloppier. The real question is how much more editing I’ll need to get the results I want. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

What I’m Reading:

• All Systems Red, by Martha Wells

  • A pretty fun little read, although there’s a bit too much snarky, self-referential humor for my taste. The climax was somewhat disappointing, although I did like the ending. It’s rare for me to read an entire series, so I don’t know if I’ll stick with this one.

• Dark Invasion: Germany’s Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America, by Howard Blum

  • Another nonfiction book I became strangely invested in. This one’s about WWI. It reads a lot like a spy thriller, but with all the weird false starts and turns of fate that only real life can supply. I like that it draws from both American and German sources. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like spoilers (even for real events), I’d recommend going in blind.

• The Spite House, by Johnny Compton

  • I read the first six chapters of this one but sadly ended up abandoning it. I liked the story concept and the southern Gothic vibe, but just wasn’t very invested in the plot or characters. Oh well.