Steps into the Beyond

How's your week going? Mine is going along all right. It's been dreary and chilly a lot over this way. Reminds me a lot of Portland. I think it's time to put the A/C away for the year. Heaters have been kicking on in the evenings and kitties and humans are both glad to have the influx of warmth. If the weather doesn't improve, it's going to be a miserable weekend up at the observatory. It's our last nights with moon out of the way, so I'd love to get some viewing in.

Writing is going well. I have one more half-written story to finish up then I want to do some serious edits to a finished story. No word on anything. Nothing about short stories. Nothing about novels.

I'm still reading novel#2. The novice writing makes me cringe and has me itching to get at it, but I'm forcing myself to be patient. It's important to just read and immerse myself back in the world I created. Yet I dream about editing. I fix sentences in my sleep. Maybe that's why sleep has been hard to come by this week.

Started on research for the next book, too. I'm not sure which of the two ideas I'm going with yet. I'm reading Weird Oregon, Physics of the Impossible, books on places of power and spirituality, books on Stonehenge and places like it, and I'm reading a steampunk novel. I have another sci-fi novel using Stonehenge to read when done with the steampunk. Since the sci-fi novel teeters on an idea I'm toying with, I should read what someone else wrote. Weird Oregon is giving me great fodder for novel#3. It even includes alien encounters near Millican where I plan on setting novel#3. Excellent. And now I have the ghost of Kent, too [see Tuesday's post]. I wish I could write both novels at the same time, but that would not work out well.

This Sunday is Second Sunday at the Bend Public Library. It's their 6th birthday. The program begins at 2:00 p.m. If there is open mic, I will be reading a new story, 'Exposed', set here in Central Oregon. If not, I will just enjoy their celebration and save the story for October. This program has become invaluable to me for reaching a live audience, winning fans, practicing reading aloud in a friendly atmosphere and meeting other writers. My reading aloud has already improved.

Are there pockets of opportunity where you live? What are they? If you're not taking advantage of their existence already, you should get at it.

So how are things progressing for you? Last fall I implemented my 'get out there and get visible' campaign. It has been very rewarding. Step by step, I keep building. Even if you have nothing to sell/show yet, you should get out there and let people know you're out there. There's a learning curve to a lot of things and I think it's best to get that curve out of the way. Be ready to rumble. When your time comes, be ready.

If you need help in getting started, I'd be happy to help. We can talk about ideas for getting out there and getting ready. I dare you to plan and implement one step.

So tell me, what are your plans and what are you going to do?