Stories in Bloom

Now Playing: IN BLOOM by Nirvana
Just Read: TROUBLED BLOOD by Robert Galbraith--Such an intricate book, so much so that at times it was difficult to keep up. A main mystery and half a dozen ancillary mysteries, lots of liars, the knotted plotting this author is known for. Overall I greatly enjoyed it, though it took me some time to get there. 
Reading Now: BLUE MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson 

The second quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest just passed, with me submitting on the last possible day yet again. But I submitted! And that's the important part--you can't win if you don't write and submit.  I'm actually really pleased with the way this story turned out. It's been a year in the making, ever since I went on vacation last spring to the Outer Banks and learned a little bit about the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Three of the five stories I've been working on lately have been historical fantasy, which isn't necessarily my forte, but I've really enjoyed writing them. 

This WotF experience may be different than any before. Sadly, David Farland, the coordinating judge and writer of much epic fiction, passed away in January. Though I'd never met him, his death struck me. I'd always dreamed of learning from him in person, at the WotF winners' week, and now I'll never have that chance. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I've actually learned an extraordinary amount from him already. His advice in the WotF books, his videos on YouTube, and his Zoom meetings where he answered participants' questions (including mine!) were all incredibly helpful. His generosity to new writers is hard to quantify. I hope to be able to give back in a similar way one day. Even without meeting him, I will miss him. 

This week was the winners' week, and Friday was the awards gala, and another year passed without me being there. I expressed to my wife how depressing that was. I've been submitting to this contest for almost half my life! But she pointed out that I have only gone one quarter in the last several years without winning at least an Honorable Mention, and I've won four Silver Honorable Mentions--a reassuring sign that my fiction is indeed improving in quality, despite feeling sometimes like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. Nothing to do but keep writing and keep submitting. 

In other news, I'm working on edits for a novel manuscript I received in March. They have been super helpful--if daunting--so far, and I'm hopeful to finish another polished draft perhaps by the end of May, when this current doctoral semester is over and I have a little more time to dedicate to it. Lots on my plate! But honestly, it's been fun--it feels like I have a dozen stories in bloom this spring, and I'm excited to see where they go.