Since early May of this year I've been neglecting 40k. Or rather, its priority has been downgraded, temporarily. I haven't been painting, modeling, gaming, anything...and it is frustrating because there is so much I want to do.
Last year I submitted a short story and two novel ideas to the Black Library using their submission guidelines. I had high hopes for them, but alas, nothing. Perhaps the writing was poor or perhaps they just didn't fit with Black Library's vision. I'll never know because they don't respond to rejected submissions.
While I was creating these submissions, my usual gaming partner, Badelaire, was writing his own novel, not for submission to Black Library, but an independent endeavor. The result is Killer Instincts, an vigilante justice thriller, which was just recently released:
Back to me. Once I had sent off my submissions to Black Library, my mind began to shift gears. I was already back into writing, but I rather than the 40k universe I was thinking about my own science fantasy world that I had created decades before. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, before the Interwebs became so distracting, I had written three novels. I submitted them to a handful of publishing companies, but I must admit that I didn't know what I was doing nor did I try very hard. Not surprisingly they were rejected (good thing too. When I started reading them to refresh my memory, I recoiled in horror at how terrible they are). Then came graduate school and real life took over, and my writing got shelved.
But now I was back in the writing groove, and with the self-publishing of ebooks earning legitimacy, I've decided to give it a go. I'm back writing a novel in my science-fantasy world, and have made some significant progress. In the past several months I've managed to write nearly 70,000 words, which I consider quite a feat since I'm working full time on an opposite work schedule from that of my wife so we will always have someone home to care for our two young children. Another 30,000 words and I should be done, and then comes all the editing. My goal is to complete the novel this year and publish it using Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing by the end of this year.
I will likely blog about the novel here even though its subject matter is not relevant to this blog's original purpose, because it will herald my return to the hobby. That and the fact that I won't be able to resist plugging it!
I've been into Warhammer 40k for some 25 years now, and this is the first time that haven't rushed out to purchase the rulebook soon after its release. I feel oddly guilty about it, but it can wait. I have a feeling that 40k will still be around when I decide to get back into it.
Once I'm done writing, getting back into the hobby will be my reward...
2 comments:
Good luck with it mate - happy scribbling!
Thanks Drax!
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