Real life intervened last week, again and again and again. Accomplished very little, other than getting some mss back into circulation and doing some prep work for MileHiCon. I’ve figured out what I’ll be reading; now I need to rehearse it a bit. And since I’m moderating two panels–including a marathon two-hour session on creativity (gulp!)–I guess I’d better start working on those.
And of course, Petra isn’t going to mail itself.
I didn’t place in the Codex Halloween Contest, but then, I wasn’t expecting to. In truth, my story did better than I thought it might, finishing in the top five out of fourteen entries. It’s a pretty nasty piece of work, this one–and yet, it might mushroom into my next novel. For 2009, I had planned to write the third Petra installment. But you know, it was pretty dumb of me to write the second installment, given that I haven’t even submitted the first yet. This didn’t bother me at the time I was drafting Petra Released, as I didn’t have anything else burning a hole in my brain at the time. But now a new project has thrown its hat into the ring. Maybe I should see if the publishing industry has the slightest interest in my prison world before I do anything more with it.
This other project, should I decide to go ahead with it, will be a complete break–urban fantasy/horror instead of SF. I’ve never written any novel-length stuff that wasn’t SF, so I have a little trepidation there. And something else to consider: my short fantasy hasn’t done anywhere near as well as my short SF. I don’t know what that means, exactly. It could simply be a function of the marketplace; there are a lot more markets for short SF than short fantasy. All the same, I have to wonder if I have a greater facility for SF. What minuscule name recognition I have in publishing certainly doesn’t involve fantasy.
It’s weird, having these thoughts. And possibly counterproductive. It may be way too early in the game for me to consider such stuff. I dunno, gang. How exactly should the aspiring professional balance a developing brand with the vicissitudes of the muse?
If I ever figure that one out, I’ll be sure to let you know. I welcome your input.
No updates for Write Club.
Meanwhile, Denver beckons . . .
