I've had folks message me over the past couple weeks, asking if I'm still around and if I'm ever going to finish the stories I've started. Yes, I'm still here, and yes, I'm going to finish. When? As soon as I can.
I know it's difficult to understand sometimes, but, for many of us, this isn't our full time job. I'm not a professional writer. I wish I was, but I'm not. I have a different full time job doing really boring stuff that I'd rather not be doing, but, unfortunately for me, it's what pays the bills, and it's been taking up most of my free time lately. Not all of it but most of it.
So, what the hell have I been doing then? Reading, mostly. Combing the archives for gems. Seeking inspiration. And yes, I've been writing too. A little. Not the stuff I've posted here, but other stuff. Other stories that I feel compelled to write down, because I can't write anything else until I do.
Most who've written me have asked about The Facility. I'm almost done with that one. Four more chapters, some editing, and it's done. I know it sounds simple. Just write the damn thing and post it already. I get it. But simple isn't as easy as it sounds.
Other writers out there will know what I'm talking about, but I want to take a moment to address the non-writers out there who wonder why so many stories go unfinished.
Turning ideas into words and weaving those words into a compelling story is really hard for a lot of us. Sure, there are a few freaks out there who can churn out millions of words a year and publish multiple books like it's nothing, god bless you fuckers, you know who you are, but they're the exception and not the rule. For the vast majority of us, this is a part-time endeavor and a labor of love. We do it, not for money or for the recognition, but because we have a story to tell and we feel compelled to tell it.
Sometime, however, inspiration wanes. It's not that we lose interest in a story. Hell no. But, sometimes, the well simply runs dry. We suck out everything that's in there, and we need to wait for it to replenish before we can continue. In the meantime, while we sit idle, twiddling our thumbs, other wells, wells brimming to the top, lay waiting. So we draw on those wells for a while as we wait for the others to refill.
Good lord, talk about a strained metaphor.
Anyway, my point is, sometimes you just need to sit back and wait for something to finish. And it finishes when it finishes. And you're not going to rush it, no matter how much you want it to be done. Unless, of course, you don't care about quality and just want to crank out middling shit, in which case, sure. But that's not me. It has to be right.
So, in the most roundabout and long-winded way possible, this is my way of saying that I'm watching the dough rise, and I think it's almost ready, but I'm not totally sure just yet. And while I'm patiently waiting, I've got a couple of other shorter works going right now that may post first, or maybe later. But, rest assured, I'm going to finish what I've started. Just as soon as it lets me.
Later perverts. Love you all.