What I'm Reading
Since last week I've read The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly and finally gave up on A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan after three weeks of slogging through it. Both of these books were only okay. I reviewed The Little Women Letters on Goodreads here for anyone interested in my thoughts, and while I think I might return to A Natural History of Dragons at some point in future for now I want to concentrate on books I actually enjoy.
Today I'm hoping to make a start on my Winter TBR! I'm either going to pick up A Winter Flame or Burial Rites first, not sure which one just yet!
What I'm Writing
After a long break I'm finally starting to get back in the mood to work on Bloodroot and Bracken again, which is awesome.
Other than that I haven't been writing a whole lot, but I'm still jotting down ideas for one of my SNIs, a mix up of Sci-Fi and Contemporary Romance that I've mentioned before. I had a little brainwave this week regarding one of the characters, and because I'm in such a Christmassy mood it's accidentally turned into a Christmassy story. Probably because my favourite Christmas song is A Spaceman Came Travelling!
What Works For Me
I feel like this is going to make me sound really narcissistic, but sometimes I like to imagine that my WIP has been published and I'm being interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Book Club. Imagining what questions I could get asked about my characters and my writing process often helps me to solve something I'm struggling with. Weird, I know.
What Else Is New
I'm officially a published author! On Monday my science fiction short story, Beam Me Up, was published in the latest issue of Nebula Rift. It's only a short story, but I'm still really pleased - I've never had anything published before and it's a wonderful feeling!
And today I had a job interview with an independent publishing house based in South Wales. It's for a six month job as an administrative/marketing assistant. I do have another job waiting for me in January if I want it, but right now I'm keeping my options open. Of course if this company decide to offer me the job I need to make a decision, and when it comes to these kinds of decisions I hate making them.
I've also started working on my PhD applications. Fun stuff!
Other than that I've just been Christmas shopping and wrapping the presents I do have. I'm desperate to have all my presents so I can wrap them all and make them all look pretty; I think I love giving people presents more than I like receiving them, to be honest!
What's new with you?
Congratulations on your first publication, Jess! Woot! That's fantastic! And, I don't think imagining that you're being interviewed about your book is weird at all. On the contrary, I think it's a wonderful way to get into the right kind of energy! Good luck with everything you've got on the go, and I hope you have a lovely week! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gisele! =)
DeleteCongratulations on the short story! I view short stories as incredibly difficult to get right. Every word counts and needs to be meaningful. I've read some great short stories, but I find them difficult to write.
ReplyDeleteThank you. =) Short stories can be really tricky. I find the more I delve into longer fiction the trickier I find short stories to write!
DeleteCongratulations on your publication! How exciting! :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your publication! :) Best of luck with the job, and all the decision-making!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that sounds narcissistic at all. Imagining the desired outcome is a strategy that lots of people use to reach their goal. :-) It's not all that different than people dream-casting their WiPs before they're even finished. Awesome that you've been able to get back into your WiP again! And about the publication. Woohoo! That's very cool. Hope you have a wonderful week, Jess!
ReplyDeleteWow! Congratulations on having your short story published! That's very exciting! It's also exciting that you had brainwave for your SNI. Love it when that happens!
ReplyDeleteI think imagining yourself being interviewed is actually a really smart idea. It's a great way to pinpoint and summarize the important aspects of your story--not unlike preparing an elevator pitch, actually. Sounds like an exercise everyone should try!
Good luck with your job descriptions and working on those SNIs!
Oops! That should say job decisions. My brain is mush today lol.
DeleteGosh, you are busy! Huge congratulations on the publication :D
ReplyDelete