End-of-Summer Update
So, I’ve been away not only from Substack but more or less from social media and seeing anyone who doesn’t live with me. I have excuses, but that’s more of an in-person conversation. I will say that, having avoided it for years, Susan and I finally got COVID which, as many of you know, tends to take the bounce out of your step. In my own defense, I fought. I forced down food and water and kept moving to keep my lungs clear. My personal mantra for about a week was, “F*** you, COVID.”
Anyway. I’m back to about 95 percent fully operational. Suze and I got YMCA memberships to stay in shape during the cold months. Also, I’ve been writing fiction, and although it sometimes feels like pulling my own molars with a pair of needle-nose pliers, I’m making progress on what has become a novella. I focused on stories in the past, I think because it’s a great feeling to publish something, and short fiction allows a writer to do that more often. I have innumerable pages of notes for two novels, but until now I’ve never focused on finishing a longer work.
Finishing. That’s the key word for me. My hard drive is full of incomplete stories, ideas, and outlines, which is fine. But I’ve got to finish what I start. Part of this shift is a dawning realization that I’m fast approaching six decades of life. The harsh reality is that time is running out to accomplish literary dreams before I’m “old and full of days.”
The novella started as a short story idea I took a few notes on a couple of years ago and forgot. I picked it up again thinking it might be a “quick victory” to knock it out and submit it to an SF magazine. Then I’d turn to face the unfinished novel I’ve been avoiding for years. But the idea kept growing, and I hit 15,000 words with no inclination to stop. But enough on that—talking about writing is not writing.
One consequence of focusing on the work was more or less forgetting to post here. Also, with the Dark One’s conquest and transformation of what was once Twitter into a fascist cesspool, I’ve felt a bit alienated by social media.
I used Twitter (And Twitter used me.) for over 11 years, and it used to be a place for having smart conversations and getting instant news. What happened to Twitter felt like having my favorite pub overrun by a white supremacist cult whose lobotomized members trashed the scenery, chased away the interesting people, and won’t drink anything but lukewarm Bud Lite from the bottle-shaped aluminum can.
I experimented with Mastodon and Hive but found little of interest. Threads is interesting and lively, and I’ll stick around there for a while.
Bluesky, after waiting months for an invitation to join, seems a lot like the Twitter of old. My Bluesky feed mostly consists of posts by writers, editors, and artists in other media, which is exactly what I’m looking for.
If Twitter taught me anything, it’s never again to subject myself to such ugliness on a social media channel. I want creativity, decency, and thoughtful conversation with intelligent people. On Bluesky, so far-so good.
In other summer news, we put down our 11-year-old dog, Dexter; our car broke down on the way back from Kentucky; our house has a new roof, we’ve taken to kayaking on Lake Hickory, and we discovered a previously hidden room in our attic (not creepy at all).
Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter.
Keep in touch. I’ll be back.