I guess the question we need to start with is: who’s doing the screaming? Me or my characters?
Both.
I’ve been using September as a catch-up and prep month, and in doing so have gotten dangerously close to burnout. As I write this, my leg is twitching, my chest is tight, and I’ve taken both my meds and a spoonful of hot sauce to keep the anxiety at bay. But everything’s fine.
Taking time off back in July threw off the timing for many of my plans, so I’ve been getting back on track with things like book merch and audiobook planning this month. If you haven’t seen my multiple posts about these on social media yet, this is your warning that big stuff is coming soon – by the end of the year at least.
In addition to all of this, at the beginning of September I took on some additional volunteer work with the Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue. And although it doesn’t add too much extra work onto my day, I also covered someone else’s roles and responsibilities within the rescue while they were on vacation. Thankfully, today is my last day of the extra stuff because I sure have been working some long hours these past few weeks.
On the prep side of things, some of you may have already seen that I’ve posted my October events schedule. Between personal, professional, and volunteer work my weekends are now completely filled up, as well as some of my weekdays. But based on what I learned last October, I think I’ve set myself up for a productive and rewarding spooky season. I’m bracing for the business, but I’m confident things are going to go well. And yes, I will take a bit of time off in November so that I can actually have some sort of a break.
Amidst all this planning and prepping, did I manage to get any writing done? Somehow, yes.
Part of my September catch-up and October prep means finishing draft 1 of GOATS. I am SO CLOSE to finishing. So far, I am on track to have that draft done by the end of the day on September 30th. This story has taken so much longer to write than I originally thought, mostly because it’s such an emotionally and mentally exhausting project. It’s all vibes, no plot folk horror with trippy and gruesome elements and I love it so much. At this stage, the best way I can describe it is if you combined the The Last House on the Left with elements of The VVitch and Clay McLeoad Chapman’s Ghost Eaters. Plus a heaping helping of my own personal traumas, of course. After I let the story rest for a few months, it will likely require a lot of edits once I return to it with fresh eyes. But that’s a problem for later Stephanie.
As of October 1st, it’s time for new writing projects. It’s time for research, and loose outlines, and sequels. That’s all I’ll say about my October writing projects for now. Until then, stay tuned, and stay spooky!
