May 2024 Writing Update

The past month has been hectic, to say the least. But, we’re still chugging away at editing that murder mystery of mine. And, simultaneously, I’ve started a new project. It’s certainly slowed down my editing process, yes, but I’ve found that when I don’t actively write something knew, I feel like I’m losing a step. Sort of like Russel Westbrook in the series against the Mavericks this year, or Embiid as he tries to play through his recently-surgeried knee (I’ve been watching a lot of playoff basketball too). Regardless, this other project, which is starkly different in story and tone than the mystery, has been a lot of fun. It provides a breath of fresh air from editing at times, a productive use of my writing brain where I don’t need to confront the choices of my former self.

And on days when I don’t really have the creative juice? The editing percentage of the workload gets a little higher, and that in turn provides a necessary break from the creation of the new. Is this system perfect? No, honestly. It’s probably deeply flawed. In fact, I’m sure I’m well on my way to turning into that one villain from Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius who is unable to finish any of his creations. But, hey, at least I’m self aware, right?

No, but seriously. The system isn’t perfect, but it does keep me enjoying the processes of editing and writing every day when I sit down to do them. So that has to count for something. Progress is slow, and chopping material out is still as tough as ever, but it’s become less foreign to me, so there’s less hesitation to each highlight-and-delete. We’re chugging along, not at a blazing speed, but at one we can keep up. And that’s a good thing.

What’s not so good, though, is that I am getting far too many ideas for new stories stuck in my head lately. What am I supposed to do with these? I don’t have the hours in the day. Someone needs to do something about that pesky full time job of mine...