It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve done a writer’s update! Wow! I’ve been writing like a madman (in more ways than one) and have a number of projects on the go.

Schism is going through the workshopping process and we’re at the end of the third section. That means there are two more sections left, so we should be done during the summer this year. Maybe. It’s a long haul because it’s such a long novel! I don’t exactly know the route I’m taking it when we’re done, whether I’ll take it to a publisher or self-publish. It’s so long that most publishers wouldn’t take it until I am a more established author, but the story is as long as it is. Some stories are just long that way.

I finished The Goat Man last year, and it’s gone through a rudimentary editing process. I’ve sent it off to a few publishers, and we’ll see what they say. I’m planning on workshopping it as well, but that might be a ways in the future.

I’ve also finished the first draft of a novel called The Mystagogue. It’s a strange little story about a strange girl in a strange bookstore. I’m really happy with it, and I have a test reader looking at it now. I’ve sent it out to a few publishers as well, and we’ll see how it goes!

What? A third novel in the works? Yes! I’ve completed the first draft of a novel called The Psychedelic Postman. I took it from a comic script that I created, although I only ever finished the first issue. It’s a good thing, too, as the novel is so much better than the comic would have been! I need to do a rewrite as I want to go through and reassess my narrator, but it should be ready for first reads in a couple months.

I’ve focused the last few writing sessions on short stories. I’ve written a 15000 word story called The Rathskeller and it’s my first attempt at a ghost story. I’m pretty happy with it, and I’m getting a reader to go over it to see how successful I was. I might send that one out for contests, as there are often horror short story contests out there. Otherwise I’ll add it to my collection for my next book of short stories. I’ve also just started another short story for a collection the Inkhorn Society is going to be collaborating on, but I’m playing this one a little close to the chest so I’ll let you know what it’s about later. Like, maybe a year from now.

Otherwise we’re workshopping like crazy in the Inkhorn Society, we’re going to be restarting the podcast after our little break for the Xmas season, and I’m being a productive writer, so that makes me happy! I wrote that piece on ‘writing instead of being a writer’ and it’s really the truth for me. The process is so important to my mental health and my happiness. Of course, hanging around downstairs listening to records, chilling with my basement friends Warren, Margeritte, and the Plague Doctor, and feeling good about myself are all bonuses of good writing!