Hello, dreamers. It’s been a whirlwind of activity in writing for me lately, and there are no signs of it slowing down. I’m back to work on my WIP, prepping to query Pioneers, and there’s still more coming.

But first, I’d like to offer a personal note.

As I’ve been working on Aquarius 1 recently, one of the hardest chapters I’ve written was titled Perseverance. And as I wrote it, expanded it, struggled with it, and rewrote it, I realized the deep meaning behind the chapter’s name. Both for the story, and for all things. When I began writing, years ago, I had no clue what I was doing. I thought I knew the basics of writing fiction. Turns out I was mostly wrong. But I learned. I was helped along the way by some truly fantastic (and very patient) people. Among those I’d like to single out are Melissa Rose Rogers, who’s been an endless wellspring of insight. Also Jania Johnson, who I met through NaNoWriMo, and provided some of my best feedback for Pioneers. And I’d also like to thank my friend Sarah Hanes (who I still think of as “Harlow”), whose own writing journey has re-energized mine over and over again. I’d also like to thank my loyal beta readers, whose praise keeps me going, as well as the love of my life, who was instrumental in my website rebranding several years ago. And of course I’d like to thank the many people who’ve read and commented on my work, and somehow still choose to talk to me.

But, in the end, the one big factor in being a writer is perseverance. One of the first pieces of advice I give to writers starting out is that if I can do it, anyone can. Writing isn’t an ability, it’s a skill. Some have a natural talent for it, but that simply means they’ll advance more quickly than most. In the end, it takes time and patience. And, above all, it takes the will to be heard.

If you’re a writer, and as you read this you’re doubting yourself in any way, listen closely, because this is important. Your voice is valuable. Your story is important, because it’s yours. Someone out there wants to read it. Maybe it’ll make them laugh, or cry. Maybe it will change their mind. Maybe it will save their life. But no matter what, it will make them feel something. So you’re afraid others won’t like it. That they’ll say it’s bad. Don’t listen to them. Speak up. Shout if you have to. Above all, be yourself. And write yourself. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d read the hell out of that.

So without further ado, here’s what I’ll be working on this week:

Aquarius 1

After a rough patch and interruptions from other works, I’m finally back at it. This week I’ll be forging ahead with my current work-in-progress. And I’m looking forward to it.

My goal this week is simple: complete Phase 2. I’ve been a bit…hazy…on how, precisely, I want this phase to end. But I’m working it out, albeit slowly. I’m likely only a few chapters away at this point, though the next few will be taxing. Watch on Wednesday for my next WIP Wednesday post, where I’ll be going into greater detail on the MC of this book, marine biologist Karen Hernandez.

Pioneers

As of yesterday, I’ve finished a final revision pass through Pioneers. I ended up making a few minor changes I’d been considering, and decided against a few others. Though I plan to read through the book once more this week, I’m confident in saying I’ve changed all I’m going to change.

Once my final read-through is complete, I’ll be working on my query letter and synopses. After that, I will begin querying. That may not happen until early next month. But I feel ready. I’ve been both awaiting and dreading this moment for some time. This book has been revised, beta-read, revised again, edited, and on and on. It’s now or never. And I’m ready. To any literary agents representing spec-fic who may be reading this: I hope you’re ready, too. I’m gonna knock your socks off.

Website, Mailing List, and Other Projects

Amid everything going on, I’ve decided to suspend my efforts to launch a mailing list for the time being. The reasons for this include frustrations with MailChimp and their UI, and the simple fact that I have too much else going on. I’m building a new following here on WordPress, as well as on Twitter. For now, I’m going to focus on that. As a modern writer, it can feel like one is constantly juggling plates. At times, it feels hard to find time to actually write. So, for now, I’m going to write, and you can keep reading. How does that sound?

Website updates will continue. I have plans to revamp several more parts of my page, and intend to resume work on combing through past stories, either editing and re-posting them or simply removing them. For the time being, I plan to refocus my work here on blog posts and flash fiction. That means I still have no plans to resume my monthly short fiction posts.

However, I am still planning new self-pub pieces, most notably at least one novella and a compilation of my Beyond Pathfinder stories. And that’s all for now, dreamers. Keep reading, and as always, dare to dream. – MK