Did I do it?

I stewed about breaking down my third act with too many section breaks. I managed to smooth away a couple of these, but some have to remain.

Today, I wrapped the story up with a bittersweet ending. I left a glimmer of hope for the future in the last two paragraphs.

This one kicked my butt, and took me longer than most stories, but I really like it. I used some new techniques, and learned by doing. That’s the most profitable part of this gig. Being a self published author isn’t about money. (Other than the funds going out the door.) Learning, improving, and getting better at what I do motivates me.

I’m a little bummed that it came in at just under 63K words, but it’s a complete story. I don’t see any sense in legging it out if there isn’t something substantial for another 10K.

Something fun involves the senses. Back in Once Upon a Time in the Swamp, I decided to focus on senses that might not get enough attention when I write. There was a big focus on the sense of smell. If you want to know what I’m talking about, see the link in my sidebar. Those who risked it left me some wonderful reviews.

In Tracks of Infinity, I wanted to focus on sound. It plays a role in every story, but I added a side character who wants to be a foley artist. The last time I mentioned this, I got comments about not knowing what that is. Cody Hughes wants to be the guy that adds sound effects to various kinds of broadcasts. I’m really happy with his character arc, and how his part of the story wrapped.

I don’t know what I’ll do for the other senses. As a visual person, I don’t see the need to focus on sight at any time. I might have a difficult time making taste or touch a focal point in a future story, but I’m going to think about it. I’m not brave enough to write a blind character without having experience with those special needs. There is such a thing as a super taster, might have some merit.

Jenny, Cody’s mom, is the main character, and I also like her bittersweet ending. Bai is an interesting side character, and she gets a suitable arc as well.

In other news, Old What’s Her Face and I scored tickets to see Samantha Fish when she comes to Boise in July. I like some obscure things, when it comes to music. This one makes me want to start the next story about Lizzie and the hat this afternoon. I’ll start soon, but need a breather after finishing this story.

https://youtu.be/7deWpfw-sHg?si=9sklecMkb9rcPZ3z

https://youtu.be/HEMnrnIqaEM?si=x2w5WkeqSq2D329U

Okay, I need to get back to Lizzie and the Pythons PDQ.

Chipping away at it

Somehow, I managed today as my flex day. It hasn’t happened very often that I get a four day weekend out of the schedule, but I’m pretty stoked about it.

Tried my hand at some fiction this morning. It’s going slow. I’ve been dwelling on this story for years, but I still have to get post apocalyptic America on the page along with everything else. This involves things like transportation which is back to horse power, or in Mari’s case ox power.

It also involves a monetary system where barter is king, and salvage is a way of life. The currency exists in the form of quarters. These are more durable than old paper money, and people can sift through the rubble for them on occasion. Sometimes purchases are made by the coin count, other times by the pound. It’s +/- $20 per pound of coins. I looked it up.

I also have to work with geography and a few ideas from the fall of our modern society. For now, I’m sticking with “Once Upon a Time in the Swamp,” for a title. Something else may come to me as I write it out, but it functions for drafting purposes.

I’d like to start another Lizzie and the hat tale soon. Working on two projects at once really functions well for me. When I get in a bind on one, I can switch to the other and still earn word count out of the day.

I keep finding some pretty obscure music as part of my hat research. After so many volumes, I’ve covered a lot of tunes people are likely to recognize. I hate to use obscure stuff, but might have to start weaving some of that in.

This is something new from Samantha Fish. I think it’s a cover of an older song, but I can totally envision Lizzie and the Pythons playing it.

I’m thinking the working title for this story will be “Goodbye Old Paint.” That will probably be a line of dialog in the story. It will involve national security, and her being forced into helping. My motivator could go down in flames, though. It involves Lizzie’s unpaid student loans. If the president forgives those it might force me to change directions.

With any luck, I might start writing this one before the long weekend ends. Right now, Mari and the swamp need more of my attention.