One always hopes to have fabulous news to report, but, as for most mere mortals, some of my weeks are more thrilling and report-worthy than others. So, I must be honest: nothing big has happened to me, writing-wise, in the past couple of days.

And yet, isn’t the work really an incremental process? and isn’t the victory or progress really gained in those weeks and moments when one is inching along, putting words on the screen or paint on the canvas or numbers in the database or whatever, isn’t that the actual accomplishment and not the moment when someone else says “Good job”? So why not celebrate, or at least acknowledge, the work that goes on inbetween whatever moments of recognition one is fortunate enough to receive?

This also, conveniently, gives me something to post about on a semi-regular basis, when other things do not offer themselves.

So, in that spirit, I reveal the topic I will post about when I don’t have other stuff to post about. A status report, of sorts.

Words in:

• I’ve been reading a lot about French balloonists and lighter-than-air flight in the 19th century. Also about anoxia.
• Read the new issue of The Dark. Quality writing throughout, but I especially liked Sandra McDonald’s “Welcome to Argentia”. Such clean and masterful prose. And interesting to see a story in which the land is the main character.
• I’ve been reading submissions for Apex Magazine for a few months now. It’s always a mixed bag—some stories I love, some I like, some that aren’t quite there yet. But it’s always interesting, always a privilege.

Words out:

• In October I started this story about two teenaged girls trying to work things out with the devil. Finished it mid-January (after a few breaks) and have now picked it up again to edit. For some reason this one’s hard for me, can’t get my head around it. But I got a good feeling.
• The diss grows, paragraph by paragraph. Currently I’m writing about the balloonists.

All right, my little audience. Hope your week is full of victories, large and small.