I love it when my writing clicks. I’ll spend an hour forcing myself to press one key after another and then suddenly the whole story opens before me. These are the moments that make me love writing. Fortunately, this month was full of those.

Short Stories

Last month, I mentioned that I was working on a weird fiction story entitled “The Sorcerer of J’hyd”, using H.P. Lovecraft’s method. I foresee that I’ll write my fiction this way from now on. Unfortunately, I was still experimenting when I wrote it, and it suffered because of that.

Lovecraft stresses atmosphere over action. I must admit that I don’t consciously think about atmosphere as I write. It’s either present or not. But trying to force it ruined an otherwise promising story. Still, I don’t think “Sorcerer” was a waste, but rather a great learning experience.

Instead, I moved on to a different story. An anthology called for holiday-themed horror, and an exciting idea came to mind. Using Lovecraft’s weird fiction model (much more successfully this time), I composed a story entitled “The Last Earth Day”. It’s my favorite piece that I’ve written so far this year.

I planned to submit two stories in June, but with the way things worked out, I only had time for one. Obviously, I chose “The Last Earth Day”. Hopefully, the publisher can see my enthusiasm.

Stories From the Infinite City

I said I was losing momentum as I edited this project. That’s an understatement. There is so much wrong with this collection. I could put in the hours, polish it as best I could, but do I want to? I plan to send it off to my editor for his opinion.

Before you say I’m giving up, I should point out that this has happened many times over my writing “career”. I’m obsessed with a large project for six months, that wanes, and I put it down for another. Six months later, I’ll come across it again, my enthusiasm restored, and I’ll work on it more. Eventually, the projects all get finished.

It’s a system that can infuriate editors, but it’s how my brain works.

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In my experience, what goes up must come down. Still, as I continue writing, I’ve learned to fight through the rough patches and savor the inspiration.

Tchau,

Zé