A New Lease!

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
~ Walt Disney

So I finished a new story this morning, have sent it off to my editors, and will hit it again this afternoon. My deadline is today and I will get it in just under the wire.

The name of the story (right now anyway) is New Lease and is a sort of vacation story, going to an anthology at DSP called Two Tickets to Paradise. Here is the blurb for the anthology:

A vacation is exactly what these men need to find love in their lives. It may be about looking for a little fun, gaining a fresh perspective after a breakup, or building up the nerve to take the plunge. Whether they travel by plane, train, or automobile, none of them want to go it alone. They’re hoping romance will be the ticket to finding paradise in another man’s arms.

I hope it fits the bill. It is far more about new chances and healing old pains and finding love than it is a vacation. If it turns out not to be right for them, they have another anthology coming in about a year called Snow on Top that it is very appropriate for!

The important thing is that I am writing again. Months of overtime through me into a completely exhausted depression where I couldn’t even clean house, not even the bathroom or dishes, let alone write.

I love love love love to write, it fulfills me like nothing else, but what a lot of non-writers do not get is that writing is work. A considerable amount of it.

Take New Lease. I would write and then hack out whole sections and then write and repeat. I had to keep the story focused on what was important and not all the side story lines that tried to make the short story a novella or more. I have diarrhea of the keyboard, wanting over and over to make a story much, much longer than it needs to be. I love long short stories and novellas, both to read and write. I want to know more, and I have to learn which will get my point across better; a plethora of words, or a bare minimum. So while some of the side story lines were interesting, I knew in this case they were not what the story was about and to stick to the point.

The story is sweet and sad but has a doubly sweet and hopeful ending. I will keep you informed as to what happens with it.

Next ~ I just can’t resist it despite my reticence to write for anthologies anymore ~ is at least one story for Men of Steel (once again for DSP). My whole life until maybe the last decade was comic books and I still adore a good superhero movie. Iron Man, Thor and Captain America were awesome examples of superhero storytelling and I have always wanted to do a gay superhero. As it write it and not “do” a superhero. Although come to think of it…

The story will keep me from attacking my novel full force (and it is going to be a good one), it will fulfill a long fantasy of mine. A whole part of having a super power has always been the aspect of feeling left out and different. Imagine gaining such a power and being gay as well, a double whammy. At least this circumstance leaves you able to help your fellow gay man.

So thanks for listening. Hope to have lots of good news for you soon. And don’t forget, is now available!
Much love,
B.G.

UPDATE! Story has been edited by my wondrous betas Sal and Chris, I have worked on the final draft, and just this minute hit the SEND button. Wish me luck!