Saturday, December 19, 2015

2015: A Personal Summation

by
Scott D. Parker

I had a two goals in 2015: write fiction every single day and publish one book.

Regarding the first, I’m batting 1.000. I have written some sort of fiction every day this year. Some days, I manage 8,000 words (back in August when I traveled to San Antonio and I wrote the entire 4-hour trip). Other days I managed 12. But the point was I did it: when I was tired, when I didn’t truly feel like it, etc. It’s fascinating that a habit can become so ingrained that I look forward to the writing so much that it’s no longer work.

Regarding the second, I’m also batting 1.000. Back in February, I published WADING INTO WAR, my first book. It was a novella that I had completed back in 2013. Then, I upped the ante by publishing a second novel, THE PHANTOM AUTOMOBILES, in May. Two books in a year! In addition to the two books, I published 3 western short stories under the Triple Action Western imprint. Coupled with that were two anthologies James Reasoner’s Rough Edges Press published—WEIRD MENACE and TALES FROM THE OTHERVERSE—in which I had a story each. Altogether, that was 2 books and 5 short stories.

All while holding down a day job.

The more 2015 went on, the more I realized that a person who wants to be a writer but also works a non-writing day job can write and publish stories. It’s doable. I hesitate to use the word ‘easy’ but it’s very straightforward. The only obstacle, really, is the will to do the work. If you’re willing, you can write and publish in this day and age.

And it’s incredibly liberating!

If 2013 got me back on the writing wagon and 2014 maintained it, 2015 was the year I wrote and published material. It was Year One of my second career. And its so much fun. It’s also a lot of work, but it’s fun work, work that no longer seems like work.

It’s a good place to be. I look forward to 2016 when I up the ante yet again.


On behalf of all of us here at DoSomeDamage, we wish you the happiest of holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.

1 comment:

seana graham said...

That's incredible, Scott. Congratulations! And it's also very inspiring. Thanks for posting this.