Today (or more accurately, as of the time of posting, yesterday) was my twenty-third birthday. This has been a year with a few ups, a few downs, and a handful of surprises. What's most obvious to me, though, is that I've been away for too long. Between moving away from my childhood home, looking for a job, and losing a longtime friend, I took a big step away from my writing and from this site.
I've been 'working' on the first chapter of Shadows for months without significant progress. Granted, the formatting/organization I have planned for this book justifies my taking more time than my usual chapters, but still. Not months of time.
(Although not to say that I haven't been developing a few other ideas, ideas that have excited me to no end.)
All in all, while I intend to make a full return to all my writerly duties, my priorities (beyond the usual health, home, and schooling) lie with Shadows, and then here. I will say, though, that I plan to very soon update the Bestiary blog posts on creatures that overlapped between Azra and Defender. So, that's something I am eager to expand. I also want to add at least one (1) story prompt post before December is done. If the word I am given fits, maybe I'll even make it Christmas-themed.
However, with a flurry of finals facing me as I approach the end of the Fall semester and a handful of other frustrations, maybe the story will revolve around that sort of thing. Take power from the things that drive me up the wall and all that feel-good, silver-lining nonsense.
Or Christmas.
Yeah. Christmas is good.
Michael