The Sunday Circle: What Are You Working On This Week?

The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).

After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.

Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).

MY CHECK-IN

What am I working on this week?

I finished the draft on my ghost story last week, so it’s sitting fallow for a few days before I start redrafting. In its place, I’ve slotted a new story about Los Angeles, loneliness, and kaiju into the parts of my week where I work on short fiction, while my long-form block continues to be devoted to the first draft of a thesis novella.

The latter is giving me some issues, though–it’s ostensibly a Aliens-esque space marine story, but I’m not yet convinced that I’ve found the twist that makes it an interesting take on the genre. Since this tends to govern the voice I’m using, I’m going to be spending this week trying out several options. 

What’s inspiring me this week?

I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Bear‘s work in general, and Katherine Adderson’s Goblin Emperor has been one of the best fantasies I’ve read in years, so I sat down to read their co-written novella about Kit Marlowe with a great deal of interest. The Cobbler’s Boy proved to be a pleasant surprise–no fantasy elements, despite the background both writers have in the genre, but rather a historical crime/thriller with a young adult protagonist. 

It’s not a book that’s going to leap out and surprise you with pyrotechnics, just an incredibly solid and subtle tale that’s incredibly well done, and an absolute pleasure to read. 

What action do I need to take?

Exercise has swung back onto my priority list, along with the reminder that I’ve got a trio of health issues that will adversely affect my ability to get work done and all of them are exacerbated by inactivity and being overweight.

After a few weeks of trying to fit it into my evenings, I found myself walking in the mornings this weekend and kicking off the day with an hour of walking around the block before all the distractions start fraying my attention. Not sure how it will fit around the morning routine in my household, but I’m going to give it a try for the next week and see if I can find a solution that doesn’t disrupt my partner’s mornings or mine in adverse ways.