Update: November 2023

Where has the year gone? It feels like we just started 2023; now we’re looking at the end of November! It’s been a tumultuous month for me, so there’s a lot to cover.

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“In the Web of Fate” continues to be my main focus. The first two scenes are done. In fact, I ended up merging them. The third is giving me trouble. While action and some tense dialogue loaded with subtext build a lot of momentum at the start, what is now the second scene relies on a lot of inner monologue and description in the beginning to set the stage for what’s coming. This slower pace is trickier to work with, especially given all the moving parts. There’s a sensual setting, sex, a steady rise in tension, a chase on foot, and three-on-one knife fight to finish things off.

Present Me curses Past Me for devising such a complicated scene.

Fortunately, it’s almost done. I’m near the end of the chase, and the fight might be the most straightforward part of the whole thing. Unfortunately, it’s taken the last half of October and all of November to make it this far. I have serious doubts over whether or not I’ll be able to finish the entire story by the end of December, which is the deadline for Magic and Mischief, my target anthology over at Three Ravens Publishing.

I do have some other markets in mind–Savage Realms in particular–so it’s not catastrophic if I don’t finish “In the Web of Fate” by New Year’s Eve, but I’d also like to dedicate all of 2024 to my romance novelization of “The Gale at Quiet Cove”. If writing doesn’t flow more smoothly once this scene is done, I may set the story aside at a scene break and come back later. Leaving major projects unfinished doesn’t sit well with me, but novels are a much better time investment from a career perspective.

If you follow this blog, you likely already know, but just in case you didn’t see the post, it seems Paperm!nd Press is no longer moving forward with the anthology that would’ve featured “What Good Fathers Do”. Devastating news, but at least my contract includes a rights reversion clause and allows me to keep all payments. I feel this story could sell to other pro-rate markets, but I’ll be happy to find it a home anywhere. It’s currently under consideration in Allegory‘s flash fiction contest. Fingers crossed!

Submissions in general have been rough this month. Lots of rejections along the lines of “This story is great, but we get more than we can take, so we had to make some hard choice. We hope you send us more!” Which is gratifying. Maybe the best way to get rejected. But it’s still a rejection. “Warden of the Wex Wood” doesn’t have many markets left. Adekon may yet take it for Brief Encounters, but if they don’t, I think my best shot is Sword & Sorcery Magazine.

On a brighter note, I did find a new market for “Good Boy”. They don’t open for submissions until January, but Gazmyk looks promising. If Nobilis Erotica seriously considered this one, it should have a decent shot at a brand new magazine.

Other than writing and submitting, I’ve also been overhauling my worldbuilding notes for Tales of the Watchers. Most of them date back to the very beginning of my writing career, so they don’t necessarily mesh with my current view of the setting. Tyrism received a revision earlier this year, so now I’m giving a similar treatment to the Faith of the Mother. Most of the broad strokes aren’t changing, but I want to add detail to make it more distinct from your average “Fantasy Christianity”. One of the bits I intend to hammer is the focus on creation as an act of worship, building on the idea of sub-creation advanced by Tolkien.

After revising the Faith, I intend to design a new map–geography has only come up in general terms–tinker with the notes on magic, and detail selkie culture for the first time. All of this will lay the groundwork for novelizing “The Gale at Quiet Cove”.

Paladin’s Faith is the fourth book in my favorite fantasy romance series, The Saint of Steel, and it’s coming out next week, so I decided to brush up on the World of the White Rat by reading Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine. I’m already done with the former and about two-thirds of the way through the latter. They lean more towards fantasy than romance, but romance maintains a very strong presence throughout both books. I’m really enjoying the “RPG-style adventuring party” vibes. I’d love to see more of them in fantasy romance. Paladin’s Strength and Paladin’s Hope come really close, but it would wonderful to see a slightly larger party across more of the traditional “classes”.

Hmm, maybe it’s something to look into writing myself.

Life outside of writing goes well enough, though not for astronomy. If it’s not cloudy, it’s cold! A shame, because the sun sets so early these days. I’m hoping we hit an unseasonably warm stretch with clear skies soon, especially since a couple eyepieces and a filter are on my Christmas list. The winter sky is lovely, so I really want to try them out!

One area I can’t complain is football. I came into this season expecting OSU, at best, barely make bowl eligibility. I hoped they could beat OU in the last Bedlam. Making a bowl, winning Bedlam, and making the Big XII Championship Game against Texas were never on my radar. Whatever happens Saturday, I consider this season a resounding success. Go Pokes!

Win or lose, I’ll be back with another update in December…if I’m not lost in writing, the holidays, and Paladin’s Faith!