Picked up some writing music yesterday, as work on my stand-alone novel (was “Jihad,” now is the more all-inclusive “God’s War”) petered out earlier this year and needs to get back on track so I can have a finished book by year’s end.
Going through the library catalogue to get more research books. There’s jack shit at the public library, but Jenn’s got access to the Northwestern U library, which is a great resource.
Also typing up a story I’ve started working on longhand, which I’d like to get in the mail at the end of the month. I’ve gotta get some new stuff out. I feel like I’m drowning, and I know a lot of my low-feeling the last few months has to do with the fact that not much fiction’s getting written while my job’s been throwing me around the country and the rejection slips have been piling up. Creating new worlds, running through stories, I just feel a hell of a lot better when I’m doing it. I’ve gotten sidetracked, discouraged, and it’s time to get better.
I think getting the second agent reject for the fantasy novel (only two actually asked for the 50 pages – the rest were flat rejects) really bit me. Sometimes, you just want to stay low for awhile, clear out your system, before you start again. I’ve been losing a lot of my self confidence.
And still, I write. And submit.
Cause if I’m gonna do it anyway, I want to get paid for it.
