I Don’t Even

It’s June 7th of 2020, and I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to a thought process. Right now, here, on this page, all of my focus is on not breaking out into a profanity-filled rant.

So I’ll keep it simple.

The bottom line is that I don’t want to add to the noise. There’s far too much of that already. My goal, what I see as my place in the world when it comes to creating any kind of art, is to create something positive. I want to be a person that creates little islands of sanity so that people might visit them and find a moment to catch their breath. There are times when I get a little confused, where all of the noise leaks into my own mind and attempts to sway me in different directions. Lots of voices telling me what I’m “supposed to do.”

But I’m not going to have it. I will make my islands, and they’ll either succeed in their role and flourish (if I do well), or they’ll be swallowed by the sea and never be found again (if I don’t do well). Either way, so be it.

The first island, Far to the North, continues to sit at a state of 99% complete. The line editing has been finished and sent back. All that’s left is to go through the changes and incorporate them, learn how to format for ebooks, create a cover and upload. With everything that’s going on, I haven’t been too interested in pushing to the finish line, but I’ll get there.

The second island, lovingly referred to as ‘Book 2’ on my desktop, is bubbling up to the surface. Where Far to the North is darker and aimed at being a horror novel, Book 2 is the opposite. Though set in the same world as Far to the North, this story is going to be an adventure built on the firm foundation of silliness. My goal for Book 2 is to write in a style that is much closer to who I am. You see, something strange happens when I sit down to write: I start taking it very seriously. And while I think that seriousness is probably a byproduct of my trying my best to write a story worth reading, I do think there’s an element of trying to be something I’m “supposed to be” rather than being who I am.

And as I said before, I’m not going to have it.

So there you are, an update that pales when compared with the events of the world, but an update all the same. If you’re reading this, please be safe and calm and rational. 2020 is a hell of a ride, and we’re barely reaching the halfway point. We still have a couple more free-falls to get through on this roller coaster.