Updates:

I thought I’d start off with some exciting news for myself. The first draft of Wasted Away, a fantasy short story, is complete. I haven’t finished a short story since I wrote one for a competition that they didn’t even give me the auto-reply rejection letter. It’s almost felt like I couldn’t narrow my vision to a 2,000-5,000 word story. At the end of my attempted short stories, I just want to continue the story. I finished another chapter’s rough draft for my fantasy WIP that I’ll slowly reveal more about as the year goes on. I’m currently reading an ARC of my friend’s novel and I’ll update you with more on that as I get more information on the release date and such. Don’t forget to go back and read last month’s posts if you’ve fallen behind. I always look forward to the feedback via comments and private messages sent from my contact page.

What to Expect:

This month you can look forward to posts about Making Your New Year Resolution for Writing Happen, A Year of Honing your Craft, and Understanding the Craft of Writing. This year I wanted to focus on the craft of writing and some things that sometimes even seasoned writers forget. As the military like to remind its service members, there are certain sets of perishable skills that make the difference when the battle comes. For writers, that’s our craft, and the battle is our pen on the paper (or digital equivalents.)

There are two Indie Authors that are potentially releasing the sequels to their first books in January. I don’t have the dates currently, but look forward to sharing those with you. The first is Project Vortex by Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh, following up the superhero sci-fi Trouble in the Floating City. If you haven’t read the book review yet, check it out here. Michal’s book is expected to release mid-late January. The second is A Voice of Fire by Aaron Scott Wickel, following up the fantasy novel A Whisper of Wind. I’ve been reading the ARC for A Voice of Fire‘s and it’s awesome to see Aaron’s growth as a writer. Again, if you missed the review on the first book, check back here. Aaron’s second novel is expected around the end of January. I’ll update you on any date changes as I receive them.

Starting Off Your Writing Year Right:

Getting off on the right foot can make the difference between a good year and an exceptional year of writing. I hope everyone achieved what they wanted to last year. Now is the time to reflect on the previous years’ writing achievements and struggles to prepare for the 2023 writing life. Whatever project you’re working on right now, try to have fun. That could mean writing a quick short story that’s completely different from your WIP, or it could be a side story with a background character that seems really interesting to you. Another idea, take your main character and putting them in a modern setting if you’re writing a story set in older times, or vice versa.

Don’t forget that we write because we love to write. There are so many things that can influence our other decisions to write, but sometimes, to get started right, you need to have some fun. Knock out a 500 word story today and you might or might not have a story there without realizing it.

December Newsletter

February Newsletter