OMG! Is 2017 Actually Coming To An End? You Didn't Meet Your Writing Goals Did You?

It seems like yesterday was January 1st, 2017. 

Now January 1st, 2018 is upon us. OMG!

I can say this much about 2017... I failed miserably with my writing goals. Maybe... God forbid... you're like me... I spent day after day saying, "Tomorrow... I'll have time tomorrow..."

Ha! tomorrow is here. I wrote some notes... filled a few pages in a spiral notebook. But, didn't finish that novel.

Also... If you are an aspiring writer... you MUST READ! If you write poetry... Read poetry. If you write short stories... Read short stories, etc.

I read some. I wrote some... But, I did neither in the volume I should have as an aspiring writer. Let's not sugar coat it or go all snowflake and blame someone else for my poor decisions. 

I blew it. I didn't work on my craft enough to actually call it a craft. A truism: you can't call yourself a writer if you don't actually WRITE!

I know... tough love. But, I'm a father of five. I'm a tough love kind of guy because I know it pays dividends. 

Moving forward, what does that mean??? First of all, after correcting one of my children, doling out whatever punishments were necessary, then it'd be time for restoring harmony. 

What does that mean? You can rebuke yourself for falling short. Fine. Then... a restorative measure is necessary. Restore the creative process. Otherwise how can you move forward?

Forgive yourself for blowing it. Then... GET OVER IT. Get back to writing.

Set new resolutions. Maybe this time scale them back a bit and make them more realistic... or shoot for the moon, but, bring in a friend to keep you accountable.

Bottom line: Get back on the horse. Write. Start with one word. Then two; then 20; then 100... Keep going.

2017 may be at an end. You may not have accomplished what you wanted. .. But, 2018 is around the corner. Now's your time. Make it happen this year.

You can do it.

The Worst Thing You Can Think As A Writer: I'm A Pretender...

Can you relate to this?:

You have always thought you have the talent, ideas, ability to write fiction. You have read something and said, "I could do that... And better!"

Maybe you have actually started writing something: a short story, novel, etc.

But then something happened. And that something was life. You got married. You got a new job. You lost a job. You learned you were about to be a father/mother.... 

Your writing took a back seat to what was facing you two inches from your nose.

A year later.... five years later.... a decade later.... two decades later, during you're next move forced by a divorce, you come across a single piece of paper with your words on it. Those words expressed so enthusiastically how you were going to write, and every word  was filled with naive optimism about your obvious literary future success.

I was a college junior in 1992. This was where I was. Now... I'm looking back at my collegiate writings and wondering what went wrong.

But what if I'm looking at it the wrong way?

In the time between 1992 and the present day, 2017, a lot has happened.

I served in the Army.

I earned a Bachelor's Degree... a Master's Degree.

I would marry... and divorce... and marry again... be a father to five children... but divorce, unfortunately, again.

I wrote thousands of articles as a newspaper journalist.

In short, I experienced life. 

Now at 47, I'm encountered with the musings of my 22-year-old self. As tempted as I am to be angry or disappointed with myself for not following through with my aspirations from nearly two decades ago, I realized something.

MORE TOMORROW ON MY REVELATIONS THAT HELPED ME START WRITING AGAIN

NEW! Second Part of Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series Released

I just posted the latest addition to the Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Short Story Series. Readers can check it out for FREE at Wattpad.

The latest addition is PART TWO in the THIRTEEN-PART short story series that focuses on the battle between angels and demons at a modern-day shopping mall. The story, "Swift To Sin, Swift To Shed Blood" follows PART ONE, "Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee (A folk story retold)."

After showing the second story to a few readers, I looked again at the end - in particular, the last scene with Lily. Some said they thought it was "too creepy." So, I'm wondering what others might think.

Is the final part of "Swift To Sin, Swift To Shed Blood" too creepy?

Let me know. Comments and e-mail messages are always welcome.

COMING NEXT: PART THREE in the Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series.
(If you like what you see, please feel free to make a donation using the "Donate" button at the top right of this blog.

Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series: Second Story Coming Soon

Despite all the emotional drama that I'm having to deal with (parent in the hospital), I am still going to hit my deadline for the second short story in my Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series. There are 13 parts to the series. I will be releasing subsequent parts about every two weeks.

You can always check back to my Pedro Is Writing blog for updates.

I will be traveling over the next couple of weeks, but armed with my netbook, I'll be plugging away at the drafts.

If you haven't noticed, I've added a few new features to the blog. One key addition is a Donation button. If you like the Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series, please feel free to make a donation - even a $1 will be appreciated.

If you have comments about the Mall Demon Urban Fantasy Series, please share them here or on the Wattpad site.

Poetry Fest!

As I continue editing my novel, hammer out short stories, and read, read, read, I am also finding myself drawn back to poetry. I look back at my first attempts at writing - all poetry - and shudder. But, I can still see more than 20 years later the energy with which I wrote.

Now as a father, I am helping my daughter with a poetry writing project for school. She has to write several poems and illustrate them. In college, I had a similar project.

Then the other day a student stopped me in the halls to tell me he'd read one of his poems recently during an open mike session. It was his first public reading, and I could tell he was excited about it. I still remember my excitement from my first public readings. It's a great feeling. He sent me a link to his YouTube video. So, here it is...