Why Stories are Important Now
I’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of story. How can a story help the world? How can a story help the individual?
Posts tagged ‘Writers’
Aug 19
Jul 1
The Progress of Goals for 2025 So Far…
We’re now half-way through 2025 and I thought it would be good to look at how my goals for the year are coming along. Some goals got away from me, but some I am trying my best to be consistent.
May 15
Mid-May Catch Up 2025
Not much movement from me since my last post. One thing about being a writer, the days tend to repeat themselves. I’m still getting used to my Return To Office (RTO) at my job. My new schedule has me getting up an hour earlier and going back to my hour and change commute. However, it’s only for two days a week (which I’m grateful) and I’ve been getting up at the same time to get my body used to the new work schedule.
One thing I have been doing is reading more. I’m still behind for the year, but I’m reading more than I did last year. One of my goals for 2025 was to read 2 books a month. So far, I’m only at 1 book a month (a total of five so far this year), but I’m glad I’m reading more. Last year, I think I read maybe 3 (?) books. Abysmal. So I need to step up my game. I definitely want to read James this year, now that it has won the Pulitzer. I knew it was a buzzed about book, and the prize is just one more reason to read it.
On the writing note: I did pull out my story that I worked on last December. Rereading it, I thought it was much better than I remember. There was one sticky area that I fixed and now it is off on submission. I’m really glad I got that out the door. One of my bad habits is to let my stories languish in rewriting hell. The story in question is one I wrote way back in 2018. So, it needs to be out the door.
I still have two more that need attention. I’m hoping to get them both finished this month and submitted. One is from early 2023 and the other is a story I started on January 2025. If I can get those done and out the door this month, I will feel accomplished.
Then I have to get started on my paid tier on Substack, which should only require me to spend an afternoon sitting my butt down in a chair and doing it. The stories are all written and I have the cover images. I just need to sit down and do it.
Finally, the last thing on my agenda is to start the rewrite of my novel. I feel a bit overwhelmed by it, but I have to remember to just take it one chapter at a time. I’m hoping all this rewriting of my stories, gears me up for this novel rewrite. Sometimes when I think about it, I am exhausted before I even start. Sometimes, I get really excited.
Ah the life of a writer. So boring on the outside. So exciting on the inside.
Hope everyone’s writing is going well.
Apr 6
March 2025 Recap – Writing, Day Job, and Publishing
Ya know you blink and time just floats right by. I can’t believe it is April already!
So, let’s catch up.
In the beginning of March, I finished the first draft of my novel. It clocked in at only 30K words, but that is the longest writing piece I have written in decades. I’m proud of myself for finishing this draft, even if it took longer than I would have liked. Right now, my novel has a beginning, middle, and ending. I have words on the page to work with and now is just a question of how much more do I want to add. Certainly there are sections that need revision, but I’m not sure it will (or should) be a standard length of modern novel. AKA 80,000 -100,000 words.
I’ve been reminded recently that shorter novels are coming back, so I’m going to aim for 60,000 words and if it needs more, I’ll add. If not, then maybe my novel will end up being a novella instead.
Also, around the beginning of March, I was informed by my company that I will have to return to the office a few days a week. It’s not as bad as others, who have to come back five days a week, but the commute is tough some days. One day, it took me two hours to get home. That’s nearly double how long it usually takes. It was good to see everyone face to face again. I’ve done hybrid schedules before, so I can do it again. I just wish my commute was a little quicker.
While I give my novel some space, I have been working on a new short story. I also have two other stories to revise. I plan to work on those and then take up the novel again. My 2025 plan is still in effect. I want a submittable version of my novel by July 1, 2025.
Reading has also taken a hit. I’m far behind where I should be, but in fairness, writing trumps reading in my world. When I’m writing a lot, I end up reading less. I have a huge TBR pile (like any good writer), but I find myself not having the time like I used to. Between work, writing, YouTube channel, and getting out in the world to spend time with friends and family, reading has been down on the priorities list. But summer is coming and perhaps I need to pick up some of those short novels I was talking about earlier.
Finally, I have been thinking a lot about how to handle my writing in the current cultural landscape. Earlier this year, some big companies rolled back their DEI initiatives. Amazon was one of them. I have several short stories up for sale on Amazon, and I don’t plan on taking them down. However, I don’t want to discourage those who want to pull money away from a big monopoly.
Amazon, along with Target, Walmart (and others) are huge billion dollar companies. I’ve never been a fan of Walmart (I haven’t been inside one in years.) and I’ve pulled back on shopping at Target (mostly to be better at spending my dollars). But as an author, I understand how hard it is to divest from Amazon. Often small presses, indie authors, and authors with smaller followings, are not available at the local bookstores. I’ve always tried to buy from the marketplace sellers when I buy books, but I don’t think I can fully stop. So, I’m leaving my stories up for sale.
But I’m also planning on offering an alternative. I’ve started up my Substack and sometime this month, I’ll set up a paid tier where folks can have access to all my short stories (and hopefully other content like novel excerpts, cover art, etc. in the future) without using Amazon. I think this is a good alternative to Amazon, but I do want to eventually put my work on other platforms (like Kobo, Nook, etc.). That takes time, and since my Substack is already set up, that what I’m working on first.
That’s the update. I have a lot to keep me busy. Hope everyone is having a good spring. Everyone stay safe out there!
Dec 1
Burnout
We’re coming to the end of 2024. For some, the end of the year is exciting, but for other, it can be stressful. Did you accomplish all that you set out to do back in January? Did you move forward with your goals? Just thinking about it may conjure exhaustion, and you wouldn’t be alone. I’ve been hearing and seeing a few people online and IRL, who are feeling the burnout.
I had my own phase back in 2022. If you scroll back, you’ll see that I wrote in January 2022 that I was going to finish my novel by March 2022, or quit the book all together. I didn’t even make it to March. By February, I was done and I limped to my March deadline with no interest in the book. I then decided I needed a few months to reassess and decide what I wanted to do with my writing career. I never thought I would quit writing, like I did in 1997 or 2008, but I needed to take a step back. Did I want to really pursue serious publication to build a sustainable writing career, or did I want to just keep this a hobby?
I spent six months thinking about it. I tried reselling and exploring other parts of my life. I wasn’t just a writer. No one should be all one thing. I learned a lot about myself, like that I wasn’t lazy (I had the hustle mentality to hit the thrift stores every weekend, list the clothing, and then drive 3-4 times a week to the post office) and that trying new things can lead to new interests and surprises. Around September 2022, I got an idea for a new short story and, with that, I eased my way back into writing.
I spend 2023 working on new material, got a promotion at my job, and by the end of the year, a new idea for a new novel. This novel is what I’m working on now and I hope to finish the first draft by the end of this year.
I have a friend who was experiencing burnout and I suggested that she live a little more life. I hate that writing is sometimes romanticized into a mysterious act that one can only do when they are locked away from the world. The reality is usually very different. People are writing on their lunch breaks, early in the morning before work or school, late at night after kids have down for the night, or only on the weekends because weekdays are way too hectic. The luxury of solitude and peace happens in spurts, not an everyday thing.
So if you are feeling burnout, live a little life. Get curious about the world around you. I believe that curiosity feeds creativity, so learn, or do, something new. It can be a small as trying a new restaurant, or as big as trying to start a business. You will learn about yourself and maybe have a fresh perspective on whatever you are in the middle of. I know that is easier said than done, but try. I think you will be better for it.
I hope all your writing projects are going well and you are taking care of yourself.
Christina Keller's Blog 