2021
11/17/2021: My short story “Walking Down” has been published by the Baltimore Review! You can read the whole story online for free, and it will be available as part of their collected 2022 print edition next summer. It feels good to see my writing in print again, and I’ve even received nice compliments from a few readers. As for other updates…
Writing: Things have slowed, basically due to being busy. The novel is still the main focus.
Art: I managed to complete the October daily drawing challenge I was doing (#Folktober). I even managed to finish on time! I also finally added a gallery of artwork to the website. It’s mostly art from the October challenges over the last couple of years, plus a few random pieces.
Other: The Missing Movie Club podcast is going strong. We have 2 full episodes up now, and will release our third in a couple of weeks. I’m definitely improving in terms of my Audacity skillset, plus doing the social media, etc. for the podcast is giving me additional practice with Krita.
10/22/2021: I’m pleased to report my creative work has been going really well, as of late!
On the writing front, I’ve been working on a short story and have also made some good progress on a novel. I’ve also had a story accepted for publication, which hasn’t happened in a few years. To be fair, that happens when you don’t submit anywhere for a few years!
On the art front, I’m in the midst of doing an October daily drawing challenge for the third year in a row. I’ve been really experimenting with Krita and various brushes. I’d like to build up to writing and illustrating some sort of book, but that’s a big project.
In addition to that, myself, my wife, and two friends have started a podcast called The Missing Movie Club. We watch a movie one or more of us hasn’t seen, and then discuss the movie. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m also learning a lot from it — particularly getting more comfortable editing in Audacity.
8/2/2021: I’ve been doing a variety of creative things over the past few months, with no intense focus on any one. I’ve written a couple of songs and recorded one, learning how to better use Audacity in the process. I’ve been doing quite a bit of digital drawing using Krita as well, and am getting pretty comfortable working in it. The picture below is one example, a piece of fan art I made for Critical Role. Not much on the writing front other than some planning and outlining for a couple of potential graphic narrative/comic projects.
4/23/2021: After 5 years of service, I’ll be moving on from my current employer in a couple of weeks. I’ve accepted a new, exciting role at a local economic development organization and can’t wait to get started. Creatively, I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things. It hasn’t moved as fast as I’d like, but it is what it is.
1/27/2021: We’re almost a full month into 2021 and this year is already faring far better than the last on basically every level. I have some new creative tools at my disposal and good things are happening. No specifics to share yet, but I think it’s safe to say my creativity is on a positive trajectory. At this point it’s more of a question of deciding which course of action to pursue first than building momentum
2020
12/28/2020: Thankfully 2020 is almost over, along with the cavalcade of misery that rode in on its coat-tails. Suffice to say it was full of loss and I’m ready to move on. It was maybe the least creative year of my life, though there were a couple of bright spots. I completed a 31-day “Spooktober” daily drawing challenge on Instagram in October. I also managed to do an 11-day daily drawing challenge (of my own creation) right before Christmas. It was supposed to be 12 days, but at least I got close! My goal for 2021 is to reignite my creativity and improve my skills and output as an artist, writer, and musician. I have a plan, and am determined to see it fully realized.
2/18/2020: Things have finally started to settle, which has helped me get back on track. Pleased to report I’ve done some writing and have a specific project in the works. It feels good to get some words down on paper. Outside of writing, I’ve been doing some little drawings here and there. For Christmas, my wife gifted me supplies for oil painting, so I plan to give that a try this year. I’ve never really worked with paint, but it’s something I’ve always been interested in attempting.
2019
11/22/2019: Life has thrown me some serious emotional/logistical curveballs over the last month, and they’re going to take a while to work through. As such, writing is on the backburner for the time being. On the plus side, before everything hit I had an excellent time at the River Pretty Writers Retreat and got some serious planning done on my alt history novel. I also took part in Inktober this year on Instagram, which rekindled my interest in drawing/cartooning. I’ve fallen in love with Tombow brush markers, and am working with them when I have time.
8/19/2019: Busy, busy, busy. Haven’t done much writing, but that’s typical of summer. I’m still focused on short stories when I do write (or think/plan writing). Still tinkering with poetry a little bit, too. The River Pretty Writers Retreat is just over a month away, and I know that will give me a boost.
4/30/2019: Recently attended my 15th session of the River Pretty Writers Retreat, and it was excellent as always. I’ve decided to put all novel-related work on the back-burner for the time being. It’s a time and focus issue. In exchange, I’m redirecting all my efforts into a collection of short stories tentatively titled “Damned Fools.” I’ve almost completed the first story.
1/30/2019: Writing is happening. Also, I rebuilt the publications page because the plugin I was using got weird. I also removed the word tracker in the footer for reasons. Possibly because I didn’t realize it was part of the aforementioned plugin, and stubborn pride is keeping me from reinstalling that massive, flawed plugin for the only feature that seemed to work.
Possibly. No one really cares about that, though. That’s why I started with the important bit about how writing is happening. Still have submissions out, too. Got some rejections, sent some more out. The usual.
1/7/2019: Rejections are coming in slowly, and I just keep sending things back out. Biggest news is that I finally got a new desk chair for my home office, so I am set to dig back in now that the holidays (and a week of being sick) are behind me. No major updates to the website or progress on the novel, but they will happen. Looking forward to a good year!
2018
9/5/2018: I’ve started submitting my work to literary journals for consideration again after a two year hiatus. It feels good to get back out there. The River Pretty Writers Retreat is just a few weeks away, and I’m registered and ready to go. No major updates to the website or progress on the novel. I have been seriously looking at low-residencyMFA programs again, with an eye toward starting in January 2020.
7/11/2018: Writing on the book slowed slightly in June, largely due to the heat. Hard to write in my preferred place (front porch) when it’s 100 degrees, even with a fan! Still making progress, though. It should pick up after the current chapter is complete, plot-wise. I also started a non-fiction piece. Not sure if I’ll finish it. The website is still unfinished — I got sidetracked with work, yardwork, and finally getting my vinyl collection organized (but not quite done yet).
6/12/2018: I’ve completely overhauled the website, and pleased with how it turned out. There are a few things on the interest and publications pages under construction. In non-website news, writing is still moving on, albeit a little slower than before. I’ve passed the 20,000 word mark though, and I’m fairly confident this novel will be complete sometime this fall.
