I have so many quotes that I write down and so many articles or web sites that I’ve bookmarked to one day share that I never get around to sharing on here because I feel this need to put words around them and somehow add to the conversation.

Whereas I think if I were on Twitter I’d just put the link and say, “Yes, this.”  Or, “Good advice.”

But I’m not.  And I won’t be anytime soon.  Why?  Because some small part of me suspects that’s a gaping vortex I will never be able to escape once I’m in there.  And what I need to do most is WRITE.  Stories, novels, what-have-you.  I need to spend my waking hours on developing my craft and moving forward while I have the freedom to do so.

I’m in the midst of a little experiment.  Under a different pen name I’ve been trying to release a 5,000-word short each week.  And this week I finally felt what it’s like to HAVE to write something that pleases your readers.  See, it’s one thing to sit down and write something.

I’m lucky in that I can write 2,000 words without much effort.  But to write something that will please the people who’ve already bought your other stuff?  Oh, Nellie.  That’s a completely different ballgame altogether.

I tried once and that story was clearly going to run about 10,000 words.  I tried twice and that story was clearly going to be too different from what I’d written before to fit with the series.  So, 6,000 words later, I found myself no closer to writing what I needed to write that week.

Take three worked, thankfully, or I would’ve missed my self-imposed deadline.

Since we’re already off-topic, I have to say that I’m still a firm believer that trade publishing is the best way for me to go for my novels, but I am so glad I’ve ventured into self-publishing with the short stories and non-fiction.  It’s taught me so much about writing that I would’ve eventually learned, but not near as fast as I have.  And about marketing.  And about readers and writers and…It’s been good for me.  Not monetarily, although that’s getting better, but in terms of my growth as a writer.

Okay, randomness done.  Time to get off here and feed the pup.  And then to WRITE.