Thursday, March 10, 2011

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.

3 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Tom, good luck with the story. AS for the grad school thing, just be aware that "every" grad student goes through that moment where you want to toss it in. You feel like it'll save your life. I went through it more than once. Just think it through carefully after getting some good sleep.

Tom Doolan said...

I think the problem is, I didn't take any kind of break after finishing undergrad. I'm not sure where I will go after this, but I do know I need to take a break.

bowiefan said...

I'm so proud of you!