News of All Sorts · 11:24pm Aug 11th, 2016
Duplicate Post from Unusual Things
Hey guys! I’m here with a few updates. News both good and bad (hence the “All Sorts” in the title).
So, the bad news first. Just going to get it out of the way right away. It’s not that bad … but it will likely be disappointing for many of you.
I’m going to Alaska for a few weeks. I leave tomorrow. I had a last-minute call from an old employer offering a single commercial halibut fishing trip, and after some debate, I chose to go (I basically had a mental version of this battle playing out). If all works out, I should leave tomorrow.
Now, for me I still see this as bad news, especially in the context of this site. Basically, the trip should last about a week, maybe plus another half, as it’s only one trip … but that still comes with about a week’s worth of days around it for cleaning, set-up, etc, plus travel. All in all, I’m likely to lose two-and-a-half weeks, maybe a few days more.
Which means … all of my writing projects will be on hold for that period of time. No editing on Colony. No writing. Nothing. More delays there. It also means that Being a Better Writer posts might get a little sparse for the next few weeks, or go on hold. I’ll be trying to get some posts up on a scheduled buffer … but with this job, I can make no promises, sadly.
Granted, it’s not for long, but it’s still not great. If not for the money, I’d have turned it down. But just expect things to be a little light over the next few weeks.
Now, onto the good news!
First up, you may remember that last week I posted a new short story—The Ride—that I entered into 4A Games’ Metro Fan-creation Contest? Well, the contest results are up, and The Ride took third place!
This makes me quite happy. I really enjoyed the Metro series of games, and was happy to dip my toes into that universe for a short time. And now it turns out that a lot of other people have enjoyed reading that toe-dipping!
So, if you want to take a look at the winning entry itself, it’s here on my writing sample page. And honestly, if you’ve not looked at it yet and its victory in the contest isn’t enough to sway you, I’d encourage you to take a look anyway simply for the unique style and voice. Once again I tried something new, and it turned out pretty well.
Okay, one other bit of good news. Some early responses for Shadow of an Empire‘s initial draft have been trickling in.
And they … are … positive.
Obviously it’s not perfect. There are a few small quibbles of detail to work out here and there, but so far it’s mostly little stuff like lead-line versus a picket line for a horse. But as far as the whole story itself goes, the feedback seems to be quite positive that I have nailed the western aesthetic.
This news comes with more good news, too. The better shape a book is in, the sooner I can get it out there. Right now (barring that fishing trip), Colony is the number-one priority and will be coming out next, but if Shadow feedback stays this clear, I could have it out by the end of the year.
Which would mean, yes, that I would have had three releases this year alone (Unusual Events, Colony, and Shadow) totaling in at around 750,000 words.
So yes, that’s definitely the goal. And the news. Outside of me not being writing for the next two-and-a-half weeks, everything is actually looking pretty awesome.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have got to go pack. I’ll try to bring back some pictures for you guys, and see if I can’t stir up a little content while I’m gone.
Congrats on the job.
Extra money is always welcome.
Be careful and be safe.
Is it possible to get some scenic pictures of Alaska?
Apologies if my request is nosy and or intrusive.
Go enjoy your trip and make sure not to lick the icebergs n_n
Have a good, productive, and hopefully uneventful trip. Well uneventful in all those ways the sea can be at times.
Your use of Schlock delights me to no end.
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Seconded. That little walk down memory lane cost me a delightful 20 minutes before I remembered that Sleep is supposedly a thing I should do regularly. At least I don't have any classes in the morning.
And remember: If you're leaving scorch marks, you need a bigger gun.
Grats on taking 3rd in that contest. I did enjoy your entry.
Pretty great to hear that SoaE is going smoothly so far, too.
Have a safe and lucrative fishing adventure!
Congrats on earning third place! I hope you have good trip.
Congrats on the story, I really enjoyed it. Is there a link to the finalists somewhere? I saw the Facebook link, but not to the actual stories.