So, some good news. In the last week I've sold two short stories. It feels good to finally get this affirmation after making the decision earlier this year to become a full-time writer. I signed the first of the contracts today. It is a pittance, but it is something. For the last 6 months I feel like I've been taking a cram-course on writing fiction in order to get up to speed in core competencies of story construction. I write constantly, and participate in three critique groups to help others and get multiple stories critiqued in order to make them stronger.

One of the stories was submitted to a magazine that had a special call for fictional advertisements. It just so happened that I had written a fictional Craigslist ad on a whim one day. I quickly submitted it, and the story was accepted within a week--unheard of in the publishing world. It was the only publisher I submitted this story to.

The other story came to me just as I turned off the light next to my bed so I could go to sleep. Within a few seconds and idea popped into my head. I sat up, turned the light back on, grabbed my computer, and vomited out the first rough draft of a story about two best friends who get into a fight over bad news.

My current focus is to get a collection of short stories out on the market by the end of January, 2014. I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace toward that goal, but other writers have told me that I am making fast progress. All of the stories will be new.

Writing has always been easy for me, it is good writing that is difficult. I don't think I'm alone there. Rough drafts come out fast, but rewrites and self-editing are a pain. I can easily write a rough draft of a short story in a day, but it might take 3 or 4 weeks to get it to where I am proud of the work. Sometimes I'm still not happy with it, so it goes into my own personal slush-pile. I love the term slush-pile. It aptly describes work that is almost refuse, the just-not-quite-good-enough works all writers must confront.

I have been debating whether or not to remain anonymous on this blog. Perhaps nobody cares. Iwill need to let the world know when my book is ready. If someone wants to know how to get the book or where to read my soon-to-be-published stories, drop me a line, and I will let you know where to find them.