The multiplicity of notes for my next project

Writing Update

A lot has happened since my last writing update.

If you recall, I had begun my first foray into horror, a novel-inside-a-novel entitled The Autobiography of M. Well, I finished the first draft. It was not all I wanted it to be, but still had promise that several more drafts could bring out.

Soon after finishing that first draft, however, I received a rejection email from Eraserhead Press for my novella The Preposterous Theater. I had expected this. It was not my best work. However, the email attached (written by Rose O’Keefe, the head honcho at Eraserhead) inspired me to return to bizarro. And so I put aside The Autobiography of M and started on a project that I’ve wanted to write for almost a decade.

This new novella is entitled The Dragon Amulet Sword of Generica and as you can probably guess, it’s a parody of the high fantasy genre. I realize that’s been done before, but not in this same way. The satire is anything but subtle, the concepts are on par with the weirdest bizarro fiction, and the fourth wall doesn’t stand a chance. The author is, in fact, the main character as he searches for the reason why this same clichéd story is told over and over again.

I made one crucial error in my process, however. Rather than jump into the writing and let the ideas come to me, I took two months to brainstorm, creating the most detailed outline I’ve ever made. And while I got some great material, the process robbed me of my enthusiasm before I even started writing it.

At the time of this post, I have written 11,967 words. I expect it to be between twenty-five to thirty thousand words by the end, after which I will submit it to rigorous editing and send it to the Eraserhead Press open submissions in June 2020.

My Hiatus

November will be a crazy month for me with travel and trying to finish this novella so I’ve decided to take the month off from online obligations. This means I will not be posting on my blog or on Twitter through November. Hopefully, this will recharge me and I’ll come back as strong as ever.

That said, there will be a post on November 2^nd. As some of you know, I’ve partnered with Blackthorn Blog Tours who have chosen me to review dark fiction for them. On the 2^nd I will post a review of Captivating Flames of Madness, a horror collection by Jim Parsons. This will be my first non-bizarre review on this blog, but I think you’ll enjoy it.

You can always reach me through the Contact page.

See you in December!

Tchau,

Zé