Comments on: August Accomplishments

By: Abbie Taylor

Abbie Taylor — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:31:53 +0000

I don’t blame you for not wanting to write another novel. I published my first novel several years ago, and frankly, that wasn’t fun plus it hasn’t sold well. A couple of years later, I started another novel, but after about eighteen chapters, I got stuck and decided to make it into a short story. Ever since, like you, I’ve been concentrating on shorter projects. Last year, I published a collection of poems, which also isn’t selling well, and now, I’m concentrating on writing and submitting short stories and poems to literary magazines.

Abbie Johnson Taylor, Author of
We Shall Overcome
and
How to Build a Better Mousetrap:
Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver

By: kimberlychapman

kimberlychapman — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 00:58:53 +0000

Nothing wrong with preferring one style over another. I keep meaning to write short stories and/or poems and they always expand out to massive tomes. Because I’ve discovered that I find it unsatisfying to do anything short of creating an entire world with histories and religions and movements and whatnot. Even with “Finding Gaia”, which is set in mostly the real world, I’m compelled to write Jason’s full 400-year history to explain why he is the way he is.

And if you don’t enjoy a process, you probably won’t do well at it, so it’s always best to focus your energies on what works for you. Then it’ll work for your readers as well.