Hi, there. It’s been a little bit.
I’ve spent the better part of two months making excuses about not being productive. Of course, moving halfway across the state of Iowa, uprooting most of your life, and setting down into a brand-new community is a drain on the reserves, no matter what type of reserves you’re talking about.
However, the main part of the process has wrapped up in the two weeks since I finished my last “official” newsletter, so I am cautiously optimistic… no, I am insisting upon myself that the drop in writing productivity now reaching into its second month is going to finally resolve itself.
Enough preliminaries; let’s get everyone caught up (me included).
The Home Front
I am now, officially, a resident of Fort Madison, Iowa. It even says so on my driver’s license, at my bank, and even on Google Maps1. My wife joked to me this morning we’re now back to where we were, in a sense, 25-plus years ago, living in an apartment, just the two of us, no kids around. We’ll look for a more permanent home eventually, but that search is going to be a next year thing. Until then, we’re finding living in our former school classroom home to be quite charming.
Now I’m in a slight bit of transition time, since I am still finishing out my contract at my previous school district near where I used to live. So, I’ll be living at home during the weekends and holidays and in a hotel during the week. This started for me this past week, so I might have a better handle on what hotel living is like in a couple weeks. It’s been actually pretty effective writing on the road for the most part.
What I’ve Been Writing
For once, I didn’t think this title was a true contradiction in terms.
I actually put together a short story as part of a collection of dark romance fiction. It ended up being Part 1 of a two-part story. As soon as it pops up on Amazon I’ll let everyone know how to find it and the Part 2 which I still have to write. I’ll let you know more about it when I have a link to promote, but my contribution was a meet cute set in present-day New York between a young female werewolf and potential werewolf syndicate wife and an immortal former Roman centurion.
I am planning to actually write something in my next book in The Yank Striker series this coming week. Even if I have to literally lock myself in my hotel room later this week2. I’m still hoping to have part 2 out this year, if not in the summer when I was hoping to have it.
And I do plan to try to get caught up to a better place with productivity, not that I’m going to get into numbers here. However, I am going to have to get caught up to what I want to produce this year, and for the first time in a couple of years, I’m going to be trying to catch up. More of a motivation for me, I guess3.
What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing
This week I’m going to sit down, look around at my schedule for the past year when I book toured, and see what might be a possibility for appearances and book fairs.
Due to scheduling conflicts and other issues, I was not able to attend a couple of the events I was able to attend last year, such as the book fairs sponsored by the Badger and Johnston, Iowa libraries. However, I do have a list of other locations, and plan to try and make this events.
Also, since I’m not located in southeastern Iowa, there might be some events in west Illinois and northern Missouri that might be possibilities as well. I want to make sure whatever I invest in such activities, whether financial or timewise.
I have to say I learned quite a bit from some of my fellow writers I got to know in Des Moines, especially Amara Clay and Dennis Mauslby, when it comes to how to present myself at book events. I want to try and put some of this into practice this year and see what happens as far as general engagement and sales. I’ll pass some of the items I learned about in my next newsletter in two weeks.
Writing Quote of the Week:
Those who put a lot of thought into revising and editing will know the truth of this statement. 😊
I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter. (Letter 16, 1657)
Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters
Final Thoughts
Well, I'm glad I got this out, but I am hoping to have some more to read in the weeks and month to come. My plan for upcoming sessions:
Weekend of 24 February 2024: Poetry Night at the Writing Life. Subjects might include hotels and train depots, among other possibilities.
The Writing Life, 3 March 2024: Newsletter #1 for March, hope to announce some upcoming events, new work, maybe a piece of writing advice or two.
Weekend of March 9, 2024: Prose Night at the Writing Life. I think this edition might end up being some nonfiction. I’ll surprise you.
The Writing Life, 16 March 2024: Newsletter #2 for March. What will be in it: 🤷🏼♀️
Weekend of 23 March 2024: Yet another Poetry Night at the Writing Life. If nothing else, this practice has gotten me more productive at producing more poetry. I might have enough for my own collection pretty soon.
Weekend of 30 March 2024: My birthday weekend, so I’m taking the weekend off.
Be seeing everyone around.
-30-
I’m referring to the “home” designation you can set on the program.
Apparently, the publisher of one of my literary heroes, Douglas Adams, literally did this to Adams to make sure he got one of his books completed (So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish).
Sorry this is so short again. It doesn’t feel right to be writing a lot if I’m not otherwise being productive.