Concentrate on what you can control

I sat down to start this blog fighting the temptation to comment on the political upheaval here in Madison, WI. I avoid political discussion wherever possible, at least on a deep level. However, on Facebook, this whole fiasco has cost me a couple of friendships. Mainly because some people don’t understand that just because you CAN say something doesn’t mean you SHOULD say it.

Anyways, in light of that, I have decided to talk about some things that I actually can control.

I got some great news the other day. I was invited to write a story for an anthology! I’m not sure how much I can discuss it, so I will leave it at that. Suffice it to say, I am ecstatic about this opportunity. And nervous. I’ve never had a single piece of fiction published before, so I have that normal fear of “What if I suck?” But, I understand that most, if not all, writers go through this. And not just in the beginning of their careers. In the end, all I can do is write the best story I can, rely on my editor to help me polish it up, and hope that readers enjoy it. The deadline is probably going to be about 12-14 months. I’ve already started the story.

In other fiction news, I’ve decided to enter my Orc Love Story into a fiction contest. Never done that before, so this could be a new experience. Assuming it doesn’t just get turned right down. Either way, I am also exploring other markets for the few other stories I have complete. I figure I need to start getting those rejections out of the way, so I can start getting acceptances.

Being Green (my Orc RPG) has been put on hiatus for the time being, as I am waiting for some much needed outside feedback. I liked where it was going personally, but I need some outside feedback on whether it was actually going anywhere or not, and if I was missing some stops along the way. I’ve only given it out to a couple of people so far, but if anyone else would like to review a copy, let me know. I’d be happy to send you a copy.

I’ve also been asked by a friend for advice and ideas about producing an MMO for mobile devices. Apparently there are already a few of these, so it’s doable. My experience is really only with desktop games, so I’m not 100% sure how much help I can be. But I will give it my best, and hope it’s a success for them.

Speaking of MMOs, I am game-free right now. Well, aside from Warhammer Online, which is free-to-play. But, I have very little invested in that, and really only play it for about 15 minutes before I get bored and turn it off. This is a good thing, as it will allow more time for writing.

And finally, I am changing my school goals. The psychology classes are interesting, but I am struggling with them. I’m also not so sure that I want to follow that path to a career. And my thought is, if I question it, I probably shouldn’t do it. It’s a huge commitment (both in time and money), so I don’t want to finish and then regret doing it. I already kind of feel that way about my Bachelor’s degree. But that one was more about getting the actual degree than it was about what the degree was in. So, I will be dropping my grad school for a few months. I am considering some other options, but I’m not sure yet. We’ll see how that all goes. In the meantime, it reduces my stressors even more. And I really need that right now, I think.