What I’m up to:

Fall is definitely a busy time of year for me. Between graduate school, my job, and seeing family I am pressed for time pretty much every day. Making time to write is absolutely essential, but I don’t get nearly as much done when I am juggling all my different activities.  The goal is to put in effort every single day. If I do that, I am confident the word count will take care of itself.

Right now I am working on a post-apoc novel and finishing up a short novel. I categorize a short novel as anything over 10,000 words but less than 50,000. This is novella or novelette territory for awards, but I don’t really see any difference between the three terms. Short novel is an easy categorization that perfectly displays what I'm writing, so that’s what I’m going to call it.

In the past I have written quite a few short novels and short stories (10,000 words or less) but little in the 50,000 words plus area. The novel length is something I’d like to explore more of, so I’ll be experimenting a bit with the next few books. It would be awesome to have a few post-apoc novels in a row and I think the world I have created is vast enough for a half dozen or more books. We shall see.

The other thing I am working on is reading more. Some people can blow through novels in a day but honestly I’m not one of them. I get a little OCD about reading and understanding every single word, so I tend to read for pleasure at a very slow pace. It’s easier when I’m reading through current events, work materials, or school books because I’m probably going to read multiple sources and don’t get concerned about things like, say, how the author is structuring their sentences to achieve an effect.

Right now, I’m reading The Hot Gate by John Ringo. I consider this “popcorn reading” because Ringo is one of the few authors I can read through in small chunks spread over time. Read a few paragraphs when I’ve got a couple minutes, go back to the other pressing matter. Small bites of solid entertainment always helps me relax.

As much as I love his books, I can’t do this with an author like Brandon Sanderson. His books are a siren’s call of layered complexity, puzzles, and fun. As awesome as they are, I end up needing to read carefully to try and figure out all the little plots he is weaving together before the big reveal.

Either way, more reading and writing this week. I’ll probably provide you all with an update or two next week.