Week in Review: Sunday Special - Aug. 1-5, 2022
What I've Written, What I'm Reading, What's Next
That’s another week in the books, folks. Another week of writing, reading, learning, failing, and planning all within seven days. While I write these short weekly summaries for accountability, I also wish to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how someone with no talent for writing can grow week after week and improve.
Too many people let fear dictate their lives. They fear their family will ridicule or their friends will not support them. They fear they will write a bad story or have “wasted their time” writing because the they haven’t achieved quality. Writing doesn’t have to be hard work. You can have fun with the creative process if you give yourself permission to produce bad work in the beginning.
That’s all it takes. Permitting yourself to make mistakes and be bad. Don’t let the bad stories stop you from pursuing your art either. No one starts this path producing top-notch stuff. It’s all good practice that serves the long game. Remember I’m giving myself 10-20 years of dedicated practice to get to the professional level.
If you aspire to be a professional, then you must put in the time to practice. Plain and simple.
What I’ve Written
Another short story around 1200 words. My shortest one yet but a fun one to write. Remember the secret is to keep this fun! Tomorrow I begin another story though I’m not sure what the next one will be. Brief copy edit and then off to a pro-magazine market!
What I’m Reading
I have a soft spot for hardboiled detectives and crime pulps. Reading them is an absolute pleasure. If you also enjoy crime fiction or want to read some but don’t know where to start, pick up an old copy of American Pulp.
Ed McBain, Leigh Brackett, Richard Matheson, Mickey Spillane and more talented storytellers in this fantastic volume of short crime fiction. If you can find a copy online or in a used book store, BUY IT!
What I’m Watching
With the craziness of this challenge, it gets harder for me to just be a couch potato for the evening and plop in front of the TV. But this weekend I started the second season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal.
Loosely inspired by pulp legend Robert E. Howard’s short story Spear and Fang, comes a fantastic story of a caveman and T-Rex, who after enduring the similar personal tragedy, must band together to survive the dangerous primitive world. Beautiful animation, minimal dialogue, and fantastical elements make this a treat for me. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Tartakovsky since Samurai Jack and haven’t been disappointment by his work on Primal. Go check it out if you get the chance.
What’s Next?
I’ll be experiment with dictation this week to see if it will up my word count production. I’ve picked up a craft book titled “Techniques of the Selling Writer” by Dwight V. Swain which I’ll start soon.
That’s all folks. A brief review of the week. Onto a fresh, new start.