A confession of a literary scholar: my whole life I've desperately wanted to write "weird fiction," the term I use for science-fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction. It's true. I've always, always, always wanted to be a writer but, like many other pragmatic folks, I've never completely committed to it for fear of failure. Well, I'm approaching thirty and realize I need to get to it. I'm ready to try. And fail. And try again. And fail again. Why the change of heart?
Over the past year I began setting aside some time each day for creative writing (as opposed to the academic writing I do, which is an important and major part of my life). Since Spring of this year, I've written seven short stories. I'll be honest: they're not the best. They need some spit and polish. But, hey!, I've actually produced something! A sculptor needs a brick of marble to chisel his masterpiece.
As the end of the year approaches, I can look back on some substantive literary output. And it has inspired me to make writing creatively an important part of my life.
I don't write too often. My goal right now is 15 minutes per day. I'm currently 10,000 words into a novella, my first attempt at the form. But alongside working on my dissertation, I do indeed aim to develop and hone my craft.
I'm a strong believer that literary endeavors are never undertaken in isolation. There is a widely disseminated myth of the writer as an isolated individual, all alone, sitting in their attic typing away at a type-writer.
This is all wrong. Writers need each other for a variety of reasons:
I don't write too often. My goal right now is 15 minutes per day. I'm currently 10,000 words into a novella, my first attempt at the form. But alongside working on my dissertation, I do indeed aim to develop and hone my craft.
I'm a strong believer that literary endeavors are never undertaken in isolation. There is a widely disseminated myth of the writer as an isolated individual, all alone, sitting in their attic typing away at a type-writer.
This is all wrong. Writers need each other for a variety of reasons:
- to serve as sources of inspiration
- to serve as readers
- to serve as editors
- to serve as references to relevant literature and other professional resources
- to serve as companions in the struggle!
Ancillary to this primary goal of this blog is a desire that fuels it: I want to be a published writer. A short story? a novella? a novel? I don't care. As long as its published. I want to share my demented imaginings, my characters, my fantasies, with the world.
And so, I offer you the following invitation: if you've ever wanted to write science-fiction, fantasy, or horror; if you've ever, in a passing moment of fancy, wanted to create a "secondary world" where you can create characters that have amazing adventures; if, say, you've read widely in these genres and have itched to engage with them on a more fundamental, creative way... THEN... join me! Let's talk about science-fiction, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and horror together! Let's talk about characters, settings, plot structures, styles, literary market-places together! Let's write together! (Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points.)
A disclaimer/post-script: although I want to become a published writer, that is not the goal of this blog. The goal is to write, to meet writers, and hone and develop my craft with them. The success condition of this blog is seperate from the desire that fuels it.
And so, I offer you the following invitation: if you've ever wanted to write science-fiction, fantasy, or horror; if you've ever, in a passing moment of fancy, wanted to create a "secondary world" where you can create characters that have amazing adventures; if, say, you've read widely in these genres and have itched to engage with them on a more fundamental, creative way... THEN... join me! Let's talk about science-fiction, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and horror together! Let's talk about characters, settings, plot structures, styles, literary market-places together! Let's write together! (Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points.)
A disclaimer/post-script: although I want to become a published writer, that is not the goal of this blog. The goal is to write, to meet writers, and hone and develop my craft with them. The success condition of this blog is seperate from the desire that fuels it.
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