A New Profession
I’ve been publishing my own short stories, comics and poetry since I was a child. It’s in my blood or something. When I have something I want to share, I’ll print twenty or fifty or a hundred copies, sell enough to cover the cost and give the rest away. It’s not a hobby, but not a business venture either.
In May, I decided to write stories professionally. Since then, I’ve written the rough draft of a novel that’s been bubbling in my psyche for a couple years, and more books are starting to get their own folders as I write simple plot outlines, character sketches, setting descriptions and miscellaneous notes. I’ll be shopping these around to publishers and agents in the coming months. I’m also working on a short story or two.
Part of the dive is a new look at recent “classic” literature. Writers read, right? I bought “New York Public Library’s Books of the Century” at Barnes & Noble. The editors chose 159 of what they thought were the most significant works of the past hundred years. I plan to read as many of the recommendations as I can. I was surprised both at how many and at how few I’ve already read.
My first purchase was the “Early Works of Edna St. Vincent Millay“, which I absolutely adore. I passed up Marcel Proust for the moment and will likely “cheat” by starting with the graphic novel, hrrmph.