Believe it or not, I’m still writing. I’m still seeking out places to send my work to. And I’m still waiting for an answer back from this year’s Veteran’s Writing Program. Honestly, the waiting has put a bit of a slowdown on my other projects. Not because of writer’s block or anything like that, but because I’ve been studying a lot the past three months. I have been studying screenwriting, more approaches to short story form, and storytelling (and showing) in general.
Time keeps on slipping…
The wait is almost over. The Writer’s Guild Foundation will announce the writers accepted into this year’s mentorship program by April 19th. I may or may not be a part of that group, but I’m still hoping to make a trip to LA this summer if my muse should see fit to accompany me. Either way, I keep writing, studying, and creating. The fire of a thousand stories still burns in my belly. (I hope it wasn’t something I ate.)
At any rate, I have written some new stories. I revisited a real-world setting from my youth in Lake Forest, Illinois, for my most recent story. It’s a contemporary fantasy set in a fictionalized version of the far Northern suburbs of Chicago (for any of you unfamiliar with the area). I took some random elements and crafted some new characters with a magical background element that rushes to the forefront of one particular character’s life.
Add magic, and let the hijinks ensue. Poor kid isn’t even going to know what hit him. But that’s just the introduction of the fantastic to the story. There are more layers to peel back as I get into this new world, which is very different from Fantastic America, my Jack stories, or anything else I’ve been working on lately. At least the themes I intend to tackle are different, and the mechanics of the magic system are inherently different. I hope the humanity and reliability of the characters remain the same.
I’ll be sure to update the site next week with news of my acceptance to or rejection from the program.