johnpender.net » On Writing » Gonna Start Writing Again
Gonna Start Writing Again
Methinks I might start writing again. Years ago I wrote a bunch of short stories. A lot of them got scrapped because I couldn’t get past the first couple of pages. Such is the case with authors. For every masterpiece, there are a hundred complete and utter failures.
Unless you’re Stephen King or Michael Crichton.
Some of the stories I kept with the intent of compiling them into one single book of short stories, ala Stephen King’s Everything’s Eventual. That might be where I start. I don’t have it in me just yet to actually write a novel. If I had the time, a year off, to devote to it I think I could do it. There’s more to writing than just writing. There’s research, research, and um…research. That takes a lot of time.
I’ve edited each of the stories several times and I just can’t seem to come to a version that I’m actually happy with. Every time I think I’ve completed it I read it again and make even more edits.
It’s a vicious cycle. Having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder does little to help the cause. I just can’t let them go unless they’re perfect and I just can’t ever seem to reach that level of perfection that satisfies me.
All of my stories are Stephen King-esque in nature. The horror genre fascinates me and that’s all I can create. Everything else just comes out…dumb.
Luckily I’ve found Lulu.com, where I can self publish. Maybe I’ll compose that book and publish a handful of copies and get them out there. My closest friends will receive free copies in exchange for telling their friends where they can buy their own copy.
…assuming I can actually reach that level of perfection I have yet to reach and actually get my damned stories finished.
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Filed under: On Writing








Sounds like a great idea! You should post some stories!
you should post some of your stories, i'd love to read them!
Haha! Thanks. I'm better now. I mean, not 100% better, but better than I was.