Updates:

Welcome to the month of love, my nugs. I hope everyone survived their various forms of January weather and is prepared to make it through February. If you’ve been working on New Year’s Resolutions, I hope you’ve been able to stick with them. Keep working on those goals, even if you start today. Build the habit, lock in the new lifestyle, and achieve your dreams. I’ve been working hard to bring you more of my writing, though you won’t see any of the new fiction in the next month.

Work in Progress:

January, for me, has been a month of short stories, serial fiction, and novel writing. I’ve used the Story Engine product I mentioned in an earlier post to generate short story ideas and went from there. I struggle to create short story ideas, or if I do, they always turn into full-blown novels. So, I’ve tried to use January to build my stock of short stories, and plan to continue this into February. I’ve put some good work into the serial fiction story Please Subscribe and have 11 episodes written. I’m excited by this unique concept and want to make sure it works well before I publish any posts. As I get closer to the completion of the storyline, I’ll offer more information.

For my current novel, I’m working on the Wands and Wandless book 1 Scroll of Stone. This is a fantasy novel with four primary magic systems and four realms separated by continuity barriers. Maelon Stant thinks he’s ready to take over his father’s inn when a strange illness takes hold and he discovers he has only a year left to live. Giselle leaves the home she’s known for twenty years as a trade in magic. Nolan struggles with the reality of his world that keeps dying at a younger age. When the new average arrives, Nolan feels a responsibility to find out why the population is dying so young. You’ll meet Diaphaney in the Chromanthis a city run by the primary color families that have supported her humanitarian efforts until a new infection plagues her creations. Please note that any of this description could change depending on how the novel develops.

It probably seems all over the place right now, but as I write the story further, I’ll be able to give you a clearer image. But yeah, that’s what I’ve been working on in January, and what you can expect me to continue working on into February.

What to Expect:

With this year focusing on honing your craft, I’ll break down the year into the different Elements of Fiction and work through those. You can expect to find the following posts to help you this month. An Introduction to Plot, Elements of Plot, Plot Development, and Outlining your Plot. I hope you enjoy these, and if those post titles inspired any questions please add them below.

My First Book

The other day I had some family over to see the new house and to go out to dinner. My dad surprised me with a copy of what is technically my very first book. Seahorse Troubles written and illustrated by yours truly. It brought back so many memories and honestly, in fourth grade, I was more excited about the art than the writing. But I think it still solidified my desire to always work creatively.

Everyone in our class was required to write a story and I honestly can’t remember anyone else’s work, but I had, and still have, much pride in that short book. I laugh at using my little brother’s names and I remember I made one of them a seahorse because he always wore shoes that made him “run faster.” I remember how adamant our teacher was that we needed to type out the moral of the story at the end. But I think sometimes we forget that simple act as writers. Keeping that ultimate point of the story in mind keeps our writing focused.

I’ve scanned and attached the book below for your enjoyment! Thank you for your continued support! As always, keep writing, keep learning, and stay fresh, my nugs!

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Next: March Newsletter