What’s Up Wednesday

I’ve not been around the blogs as much over the past few weeks, so I thought I’d join the WUW meme this week so those who are curious can find out what I’ve been up to. Not that there’s a whole lot to tell, but just so you know… If you want to join in too, go visit the hosts, Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Not only will they tell you how to participate, but they have the linky widget you can use to visit other WUW-ers.

What I’ve Been Reading

I completed Volume Two of my three-volume edition of WAR AND PEACE, so I’m taking a little bit of a W&P break before I jump into the final part. I also finished DISSONANCE by Erica O’Rourke which was excellent. I reviewed it on the blog yesterday so you can find my thoughts about it there. This novel is the first in a new series by Erica, and it’s about parallel worlds, and a girl who can walk between them, and what happens when she falls for a guy in an alternative universe. Sound cool? It is, trust me! I’m currently reading some short stories, because…

What I’ve Been Writing

… I finished the first draft of a short story, and I need to orient my mind toward the right kind of feel and voice for the story as I revise. This first draft has all the essential elements of the story–the characters, the structure, the plot, and so on. What’s missing is craft: tuning the voice, shaping the words and phrases, adding flesh and color to the bones. Reading published short stories–especially in the same genre–helps a great deal with this. My plan is to submit this for publication when finished, so I want it to be as polished as possible. I might even throw it in front of some Beta Readers, if anyone’s interested.

What Inspires Me Right Now

The fact that I’ve actually managed to write a short story after saying for so long I’m going to write one! And this one came rather quickly. I sketched out a basic plot with paper and pen, then wrote it up. Of course, it’s only the first draft so there’s still a lot of work to do. But at least I have something to work with.

What Else I’ve Been Up To

Nothing particularly strange or startling. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve not been as active on the blogs or Twitter recently. That’s partly because I’ve been investing more time reading and doing other things that don’t necessarily require an Internet connection. Also, the new Sunday School year is fast approaching, so I’ve started studying for that. We’ll be picking up with the Revelation study in a little over two weeks, and I’ve got a lot of preparation to do. It’s work, but it’s fun work, which is always the best kind.

So, how have you been?