Update: A Personal Milestone - Some Good News (Patreon)

Hey hey! 

I have a bit of news that I wanted to share because quite frankly it's got me very excited and is most definitely a personal milestone that's been a long time coming.

Backstory: It's been forever since I've written anything that I've really liked. To be honest, it's been forever since I've written anything (fiction-wise) at all. Almost six years to be exact. Not exactly forever, but feels like it.

There were a couple anthologies along the way, but they were invites, so that's a different kind of vibe. 

What I've been wanting to write are complete stories in their entirety, where I dream up a cast of characters, the world they live in, and then the story they're going to tell. There have been so many false starts, and so many more jotted down ideas, but nothing actually finished. The stories were in my head. The writing part eluded me entirely.

Until a few months ago, that is, when various things began to coalesce and I discovered a time managing app that has been quite the eye opener. I decided I was going to write five stories by the end of the year (stories I loved, nothing half-assed), and I was going to submit them to five markets. If I get rejected, that's totally fine. All I can do is write a story I adore and send it off. So many other factors play into whether or not it gets published anywhere or not. 

So I started. I found an anthology that looked really neat and circled the deadline on the calendar and got to work. That was painful. Incredibly so. I ended up writing through the night to make the deadline because I was so rusty. But I squeaked in under the wire. The first round of rejections will be coming out this week, I believe. Fine, fine, if I get the ol' "It's Not For Us" email. I genuinely like the story itself and would like to work on it more. So I'm okay with it coming back. Just waiting, atm.Next I found a second market that also looked perfectly wonderful and circled that deadline. This time the story went a little easier. I also submitted it the day *before* the deadline. This story I very much loved. 

The next day I received an email from one of the editors saying I'd been shortlisted. They also loved the story. ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ 

Full stop. 

That's all I needed. *wipes tear* Do mean I still have a little mojo left? I can do this writing thing *cue imposter syndrome*

But the *real* news is that last night before I fell asleep I checked my email and there was the same editor saying congratulations, I'd been accepted into the anthology. ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪ 

And ooo~boy was that the shot in the arm I needed. I can't say details yet. They're not releasing the table of contents until later in the month. So mum's the word until then. But I was given the go-ahead to 'vague' tweet/book/post. As soon as they release the details, I'll let you know. It looks like it's going to be quite good.

I've got my third anthology already picked out and that third deadline circled on the calendar. Then the next two (I already know what I'll write about), I'll send to regular markets. There.That Five Story Goal I made came with a part two, too. Once I finish that, then I'll sit down and write a book. A long form book. Either one of the middle grade books I've got all outlined (and started) or an adult novel, which I have also very roughly thought out (and started). 

It's just about prioritizing my day and To Do List and then sitting down to do the work. Not after the floors are washed or plants repotted, but now. 

I hope everyone has a much easier time of caring for their dreams, nurturing them, and working on them diligently. It's so easy to become distracted. XO, 

terrie

P.S. Artwork is ai expressing my sheer joy. Yeah, that about nails it. 

P.P.S. I have also gotten the incredible itch to start *gasp* blogging* again. Short little whatevers over on thersamatsuura.com. I already put up one post that explains why. 

Patreon is exactly blog friendly and I don't want to annoy anyone with my rando posts. So if you're a lover of rando posts, thersamatsuura.com is the place to be　😂

*what's that?