A Hot Spell

The heatwave that hit the East Coast wasn't fun. Temperatures shot up over 100 degrees, even in my backyard, which is shaded by a good many tall trees. Since it was too hot to work outdoors, I was forced to stay inside. And being a dyed-in-the-wool writer, what did I do? I wrote, naturally.

First, I worked on a short story I wrote several years ago and promptly lost. As usual, I had stumbled across the first draft while searching for something else---which, of course, I didn't find. Is there some kind of unwritten law about this?

Anyway, the short story is a vampire-themed urban fantasy, not horror. And no, it's nothing like Twilight! After writing a second draft of the short, I started working on another novel, this time a space opera, also begun several years ago. The title is Galaxy Rand, and this book is going to be a far cry from my Tartarus books. But I think Galaxy will end up being a fun read in itself.

The rough draft of Malkis of Tartarus, the first prequel to the Tartarus Trilogy, is finished, and as usual, I'm letting it "marinate" for a while. When I get back to it, I should be able to evaluate the novel with fresh eyes: add, delete, correct, etc. I may go through several drafts before I'm entirely satisfied.

So a spell of intense summer heat can lead to a spell of productive writing---as can winter snowstorms! But at least I don't have to go out and shovel heat.

All for now,

MRTighe

Do I Write Short Stories?

To answer that question honestly-- yes, I've written a few. And there are a couple I'm rather fond of. But all in all, I'm just too dang long-winded to be an accomplished short story writer, which is why I write novels. First of all, it takes me a really long time to come up with an idea that's worth investing months, even years, of my life sweating over. And it takes an even longer time to develop that idea into a story I'm happy with.

It takes me many pages to flesh out a plot and develop characters; I like to take my time to get to know them in depth--their back-history, their flaws, their speech patterns, etc. Then as I go on I develop the settings as background for the action, though I usually have at least a vague sense of the background to start with.. I just can't seem to do all this in a few short pages! More power to those writers who can--I rather envy them!

All for now. Take care,

MRTighe