When I write, I generally keep a scene outline at the bottom of my document. As I figure things out and make edits, this outline tends to accumulate into a chapter outline, then a section outline, then eventually a book outline. It looms beneath my cursor like some sort of stupid, static dirigible, feeding me hints as I encroach on its content, and bumping itself down obediently as I progress.
But today I polished off the epilogue of my project (KMDC) and, for the first time in ever, I encountered the end of my document. It was the oddest thing. I knew that small gray margin was down there somewhere, signifying the bottom-most border of this project, but to find it? Very very unsettling. I didn’t like it. I almost inserted a page break because I was so upset.
Then I sent off a compressed file of the story to a friend, who’s going to review it on their luxurious trip to Mexico. I’d be jealous that he’s going, and I’m not, but in a way I sort of will be in attendance. At least my ideas will be, and they’ll monopolize lots of this friend’s time, so in a way I am still the center of attention and therefore pleased.
I’ve been poking through other indie writer blogs/spaces, and looking up people who are debuting soon, and it’s giving me some idea of what I want to do next. DC will be in revisions for a little bit but, while I’m collecting myself on that I think it’d be a good idea to compile some short stories and release them into some contests. Or publications. One already won an award from my university (and was then turned down by The New Yorker but, then again, I spelled the publication’s name wrong in my document), so sprucing that up would be fun.
Or I’m going to right a novella because, truthfully, it’s what’s got my attention right now.
Hint: high fantasy, new adult, and really, really LGBTQ friendly.