I don’t know that I’ve actually posted this up here, but I’m trying to get back into writing.  Now, this blog has such a small following that everyone who reads it may already know that particular factoid, but just thought I should get it out here.  The internet being the way it is, there’s always a chance someone I know but don’t talk to regularly will stumble onto this website and see this post and think, “Huh, I didn’t know Keri writes!”  On the other hand, I may never get anything finished and out there for the world to see.

 

So far in my life I’ve really only finished one or two stories.  The reason I can’t tell you if it’s one or two is because I just don’t remember with the first one if it ever got a final ending.  The other, however, I do remember.  It’s something I started writing when I was around 13 or so and by the time I hit about 18 I finally said “screw it” and slapped an ending on it.  I’ve read it once or twice since then, but no more recently than before my last two moves (so 5 years ago at the shortest).  I’ve never been completely satisfied with the story as a whole (partly because the majority of it was written in my 13 year old voice) and especially with the ending.  I just forced myself to end it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish something, but I don’t think I was really “feeling it” at the time.  Maybe if I go back now I could rewrite or edit it into something publishable, but I really don’t think so.  It would probably need a full rewrite and I’m not at that point in my writing “career”.

 

Right now I just need to write.  A lot.  And a lot more.  I am super rusty and probably don’t have any more skill than the average teen at writing fiction.  I just haven’t practiced and used that part of my brain in a long while.  Oh, sure, I’ve written a few things off and on since high school, but nothing I’ve gotten past a couple pages on, nothing I’ve come anywhere near finishing.  It’s always easy to start with a shiny new project, but slogging through till the finish is always a trick I have troubles with.

 

I shouldn’t say I’ve not finished anything since that one story long ago.  I have started writing again (hence this post), after spending many hours listening to a podcast called “I Should Be Writing”.  Mighty Mur Lafferty is my new favorite podcaster.  I had heard about her podcast several times and have really enjoyed listening to several of her stories played on EscapePod (a totally awesome scifi podcast) and finally decided to give her show a try.  After listening to 30 podcasts (about a year of her podcasting life) over the course of a month and a half, I finally decided to sit down and start writing again.

 

At first I just started typing.  The file I have started is not-so-creatively dubbed “new writing project” and is now just under 19,000 words.  I’m pretty sure it’s all crap, but it’s my crap and if I don’t get it out on the computer screen it’ll just sit in my head.  I’ve also worked on a couple other things (mostly when I’m feeling blocked on “new writing project” and need a break).  I finished a flash fiction piece and have been working on a short story that I think I could probably finish in the next week unless I’m working on my monolith.  Not sure what exactly I’m going to do with these, but at least I feel like I’m getting somewhere.

 

I’ll keep you updated.  Oh yeah, and I’ve promised myself that Macbook I’ve been drooling over for years (no, it’s not the same one I started drooling on, I want the new improved model).  My goal is 50,000 words, counting all of my fiction projects.  I’m just over halfway there….