Pine-Fresh Start

Ever since I started feeling better, I’ve been attacking dust bunnies vigorously. I’ve got a ton of writing, editing, and game design to do and more than a few creative projects and trips planned. Not to mention, we’re getting ready to celebrate the fifteen-year anniversary of Dork Stork Press. But, to reduce my stress level and increase my mental productivity, I feel I have to start with a clean house and office. I’ve removed *coughs* several bags of miscellany and I’m almost to the point where, once that’s done, I can dive into that joy of joys — filing.

That doesn’t mean that I’m not working when I’m fending off another Dust Bunny of Enormous Size. While I’m scrubbing and swiping away my messes, I’m posturing mental revisions, so I can put the finishing touches on another Lovecraft tale. (Edit: I’m also forcing myself to write a page a day. Forgot about that!) I was hoping to deliver it sooner rather than later, but I screwed up and then I got sick on top of that. It feels awful because this is a rare occurrence for me, but the way forward is? Forward.

After I get the office sorted, which will likely be either today or early tomorrow, I’ll have a few major projects left to do and a day of running errands. The dreaded basement has… Well, they’re no longer dust bunnies. They’ve morphed and multiplied like tribbles on acid. Thankfully, that’s a joint project. Heh, heh.

I’m about two to three weeks behind schedule, but thankfully, catching up on housework has opened the door to a lot of possibilities story-wise. My fiction, the original sort that’s not based on another property, tends to be more atmospheric. But good ambiance does not a story make. While I have caught myself on a number of occasions, it’s still important to identify a few milestones. I don’t really like outlines persay because in the service of a story something may change. That doesn’t mean I won’t work with them. They can be an immense help. Here, I’m merely talking those occasions where I’ve been besieged by a story and I have to write it down. A couple of guideposts, Conflict with a Capital C, are crucial to reducing revision-time for me. Without a clear antagonist or mystery to chew on, then my rough draft prose makes me yawn. Hey, if you’ve downloaded The Queen of Crows, you’ve “seen” my rough draft!

Hrmmm…maybe I should post another rough draft sample for you. Interested?

    Mood: Tired with a side of exhausted.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: More bubbles than I care to admit.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: House, house, baby.
    In My Ears: Evisceration by Carfax Abbey
    Game Last Played: Tetris
    Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter collection
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press



Monica Valentinelli is an author, artist, and narrative designer who writes about magic, mystery, and mayhem. Her portfolio includes stories, games, comics, essays, and pop culture books.

In addition to her own worlds, she has worked on a number of different properties including Vampire: the Masquerade, Shadowrun, Hunter: the Vigil, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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