I ran into a quote from Alex Haley, author of Roots, that I wish I could find again. It pointed out that it was better to love writing than to love being a writer, because when you love being a writer, you're in love with the trappings of fame and money.
And that's what happened to me -- I fell in love with chasing publication, with chasing a vision of fame. And, not finding it, I wanted to let my writing go.
I'm finally starting to get back into writing again. Just in time to go on a trip where I'm not going to get much done.
I'm still working on a short story, Hands, about one of my characters in Prodigies. It's a background story, one of those "what influenced this character" ideas, but it also reflects some of today's issues with white nationalism. I have the bare bones all written (ok, mostly written) and put together into a Word file, and I now have to smooth and develop and finesse it. A lot like sitting over a finished first draft of a novel, but shorter. I've already written another from Prodigies, although it's more of a character sketch, called Tanabata.
Short stories aren't as "sexy" as novels. They don't become national best-sellers, and they don't make money. But they get my name out there, and they can give little drops of affirmation.
I'm also packing up for a road trip -- by train. It's my annual moulage gig for New York Hope. I think I've mentioned this before. But train travel is fun for writing -- either in the observation lounge where the scenery passes by, or in the sleeper car.
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