June was a fun writing month for me. I took on an extra day of work in my day job, so I knew I had to shake up my writing habits if I was going to keep any kind of momentum. I think it was the unexpected jolt I needed, in all honestly. I’ve been feeling a bit stagnant recently, experiencing days where I had free hours stretching ahead of me – a perfect day for a writing spree. But I just didn’t have the motivation to create anything new. I would wake up with the best intentions, only to find that three YouTube Unexplained Mystery videos, lunch out, a movie, and a long hot bubble bath later, that it was time for bed and I hadn’t managed to write a word! Having the extra day away from my computer really made me value the time I did have with my imaginary worlds. I missed them, as I knew I would, because I didn’t have the option anymore.
It just so happened to fall that a number of open short story calls were coming to a close on 30th June. With my restricted free time and a looming deadline, I actually managed to get my butt in gear and create four new stories to suit the submission requests. I was inspired by the themes, and I was thrilled to see so many fantastic horror opportunities this month! Horror inspires me like no other genre, so I thoroughly enjoyed planning, creating, and writing my attempts.
That said, I’m pretty sure three out of the four don’t stand much of a chance. There is one that I’m keeping a quiet hope burning for, but we shall see. Even if none of them get selected this time around, that’s four new stories that might be suitable for other placements later in the year, on weeks where I really don’t feel like writing, so it still feels like an accomplished month.
July is going to be all about the second edit of my full-length work in progress. I’ve got a number of chapter insertions to make, a timeline to perfect, and I’m sure a few plot-holes to iron out! I had a fantastic night out with my girlfriends on Saturday, which absolutely blew the cobwebs off! I’m still recovering from it, I have to admit, but it was a lot of fun letting our hair down, sinking a few wines, and having a good old girly catch up. For me, the night out heralded the end of my June goals. I gave them a good solid crack, and I guess it remains to be seen how successful the month’s work will be in terms of publication. But no matter what the outcome, I gave it my best shot. That’s all we writers can do! And, as I said on Saturday night, “I’ll drink to that!”