First and foremost, I've decided to abandon my online novel. Simply put, it sucks. I've put no effort into outlining in advance or spending the time needed to make it worthwhile. As such, it's nowhere near my potential, and I'm loathe to continue working on a novel that gives people the impression that my writing is shit. This could make people think the rest of my work is shit, and that's not something a writer who depends on quality wants people to think.
I plan to go back and look at it, parsing it here and there, saying what stinks about it and what I've learned. That shouldn't be too hard since it's easy to learn from bad work.
As an adjunct to this, I've also decided to stop doing Short Story Friday. I don't know yet what will replace it, but the quality I like just isn't there. It was easy in the beginning since I already had a few short stories done, and they could be copied and pasted into the blog. Unfortunately, as time wore on and I had to come up with new short stories, the quality suffered. I stopped outlining and editing as the demands of time pushed me down. I just started throwing things against the wall, and it felt like a chore. If I've learned anything, it's not to write when it's not enjoyable.
On other news, there may be a year delay in the release of Akeldama. Originally set to come out in May 2016, I think I'm going to have to push that back to May of 2017. The reason for this is that I think my job will take me away from the country for a year starting next summer. I won't return until the summer of 2016, and I want about a full year to finish putting together the business aspects of my work, as well as marketing it. Don't worry - I think I'll be able to continue this blog from my new, and temporary, home, but it'll make putting something out difficult. If any of that changes, you'll be the first to know.
I plan to go back and look at it, parsing it here and there, saying what stinks about it and what I've learned. That shouldn't be too hard since it's easy to learn from bad work.
As an adjunct to this, I've also decided to stop doing Short Story Friday. I don't know yet what will replace it, but the quality I like just isn't there. It was easy in the beginning since I already had a few short stories done, and they could be copied and pasted into the blog. Unfortunately, as time wore on and I had to come up with new short stories, the quality suffered. I stopped outlining and editing as the demands of time pushed me down. I just started throwing things against the wall, and it felt like a chore. If I've learned anything, it's not to write when it's not enjoyable.
On other news, there may be a year delay in the release of Akeldama. Originally set to come out in May 2016, I think I'm going to have to push that back to May of 2017. The reason for this is that I think my job will take me away from the country for a year starting next summer. I won't return until the summer of 2016, and I want about a full year to finish putting together the business aspects of my work, as well as marketing it. Don't worry - I think I'll be able to continue this blog from my new, and temporary, home, but it'll make putting something out difficult. If any of that changes, you'll be the first to know.
I just found this post! For me, I had to quit my weekly writing prompt and contributing to it, creatively, because it just dominated my mind and energy to the point where it was a chore I actually DREADED. I think prioritizing your energy level is a very very good idea!
ReplyDeleteYeah, when it becomes a chore rather than a joy, it's time to re-evaluate it.
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