I’m having a quiet day today. Vacation season in Prague means I’m teaching a lot fewer lessons (I earn my bread and butter teaching English, mostly to children), so I’m enjoying a bit of a break.
I’ve been wanting to post here more regularly, but wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take this. I had a writing blog a long time ago, but could never quite decide what I wanted to post there, and eventually abandoned it. (You can still see it here if you’re curious.) Author blogs are tricky if you’re not already a steady seller. You have to decide if your blog is for your readers or for other writers, and there’s not a lot of crossover between the two styles. Plus blogs aren’t quite as much a thing now as they were ten years ago. So I think this is just going to be whatever it wants to be, at least for now.
Today I’m doing a little of this and that. I resubmitted a short story that had been rejected, and decided to trunk another one that wasn’t doing well. Short stories are something I’ve been working on. Since I work in novel form (and not short novels, either), I have trouble fleshing out a character and delivering a strong plot within a few thousand words. I started a new piece last night with that thought in mind, and and it feels promising, but it also has the potential to become another monster. Oh, well. Monsters have their place.
I’m also working on my ongoing novel project, THE VOID AND THE RAVEN. This is going to be a real doorstopper of a book, and will probably be take years to complete. It’s high fantasy (if we can call it that with no elves) and I’m really enjoying writing it, but I do sometimes feel as if I’m painting a cathedral with a very small brush. It’s good to have a chunk of time to work on it.
Some inspiration:
-Competitive reality TV shows about art and design. I feel a little silly to be binging these, but it’s really satisfying to see professional artists being driven to create the best thing they can as efficiently as possible. So far I’ve seen one season each of Blown Away, Interior Design Masters, and Next in Fashion. (Many thanks to my girlfriend for letting me mooch off her Netflix account.)
–A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. I’m maybe a tenth of the way through this behemoth, but I love it so far I love it. It’s such beautiful writing that it really makes me want to elevate my craft. I wish I could carry it outside without needing a suitcase to carry it in.
So that’s Friday in Prague for me. How have you been lately?
Katherine Traylor 