By the title, you can probably guess that there will be some pimping going on in this post. You would be right, but that isn’t the sole purpose of the post.
The good folks at Every Photo Tells have a very interesting premise for their short story podcast. Every month they post a new photo on the site as inspiration for all us writers. Authors are encouraged to write a story (between 1,000 and 5,000 words) based on the picture and send it in. If the story is accepted, they do an edit and podcast it.
I’ve been meaning to do this for some time but always managed to miss the deadline. This past month I finally wrote a story and sent it in. It will be posted on their site this week.
I like the premise of this whole thing. Pictures can mean different things to different people so, when presented with the same image, you will almost always get stories that are completely different. In fact, the stories people write may not even be in the same genre.
A question I sometimes get (and I know other authors get too) is where do I get my ideas? The simple answer is, everywhere. In songs, in scents, in people I see, situations and…pictures. I never know what will trigger a story idea.
That’s the fun thing about ideas and being a writer. Ideas are all around us. What we do with them is what is challenging and exciting.
This is the first short story I’ve written in quite a while. I always seem to be working on a novel or anthology or podcast lately and don’t make the time to write shorter fiction. Don’t get me wrong, short fiction does not equate to less important to me. I just have contracted work that has to take precedence.
I had fun writing this story. It’s different from anything I’ve written before and I am excited to share it with you all.
Update
You can find my story at: http://everyphototells.com/2013/03/episode-113-you-can-never-go-home-again/
Life has a way of testing a person, sometimes continually. As I am typing this, I realize that the difficulties I have faced in my life are trivial to what others have faced and it feels a little bit like whining to me.
Still, we all get used to a certain lifestyle. When we are removed from that lifestyle for something less, it is jarring. It is a test to see how we will react. Will we adapt to the new life, will we struggle and fight our way back to where we were (or beyond) or will we roll over and die.
I would like to think that I will fight my way back up to former glories and then continue on to new ones. Still, even adapting can be daunting.
I have found myself being tested the past while. Many of the tests have been around my own mental and emotion toughness. There have been many days where I’ve struggled to meet the challenges. But I remind myself that I have writing commitments to finish, not to mention a family to support and a life to live.
And, so I have been doing all of those things.
I will confess, the writing has been more difficult. I haven’t felt the same level of excitement that I had been. Still, the words are flowing and that adds some level of comfort. It also gets me ever closer to finishing that first draft of Mik Murdoch and the Power Within. As I type the title, I realize how apt it is. I too am trying to find that inner power that will allow me to rise to former heights and beyond.
Is that what truly makes me a writer? I don’t honestly know the answer to that. All I do know is that I must write and in the process of doing so, I am stronger.
I hope I can pass this test.
I’ve spent the past few months working on editing A Method to the Madness: A Guide to the Super Evil. When I first considered putting an anthology out, I thought it would be an easy way to get another book out with my name on the cover. After all, I would only be writing one of the many stories for the anthology. How hard would it be?
Yeah, every time I say something like that, I come to regret mouthing the words. Editing is not my natural state and it was a LOT of work. Just ask my co-editor, Jeffrey Hite. He will tell you.
What ended up happening is, I spent lots of time editing and very little time writing. I lost my writing rhythm.
That really frustrated my muse, especially when I am DYING to get the next Mik Murdoch written.
So, when we wrapped up the editing of the anthology, I started writing again. It feels great!
So, I am now back to writing daily. I am averaging over 1,000 words per day for the past week. Mik Murdoch, which has been sitting at 20% complete (first draft) is now over 27% complete and growing. I am on track to finishing it in March. Good times are being had again on the writing front.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved doing the anthology. In fact, with some of the promotional pieces we are setting up, there is still a lot of fun to be had. I’m looking forward to promotion more than ever before.
But it isn’t writing.
Now I am churning out new material and the sun seems to be shining just a little bit brighter.
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