The Moving Front

The bathroom is more or less done with a bit of spot cleaning left to be cleared off the deck. In the meantime between the two of us, we managed to pack most of our belongings or get them to a point where they can be packed. The bulk of our possessions are staged along the north wall in front of the door, ready to be whisked right on out into the U-Haul we’ll pick up on the 4th. Trinity packed up nearly half of the Pod after her semester ended a week before mine did.

Oh, I suspect Abbie the Evil Genius knows something is afoot.

We’ve been here at the Northland Lofts for three years more or less. We’ve had some good times, especially our parties, which turned out to be a bigger success than I thought they’d ever be. And we’ve had our rough times. Still, it is pretty clear to me that our time here is at an end. We’ve outgrown the Pod.

For one thing, it’d be nice to have a door I can close to an office or the bedroom. It’d be nice to have a real patio again and access to an apartment swimming pool. Basically, I think a change is overdue.

At this point, I believe the only thing I will really miss about the Pod are the large windows on the east side which reach from ceiling nearly to the floor. There is always ample light.

We’ll be moving up to my mom’s for a month and a half while we wait for the new place to open up. Mom and I have worked to get Dad’s old room ready. To be honest, Mom did most of the work but I did go and spend an afternoon painting up there so it isn’t like I was a total slacker. She’ll save us some money and aggravation by helping us to clear the apartment earlier than March 1st.

So it goes.

The Writing Front

I conducted a bit of a survey of the marketplace in an effort to figure out where I should focus my attention. I could continue what worked in 2007 and 2008 but I suspect that I am never going to write anything which will suit those markets. I do believe I have novels in me and I believe that if I am allowed to write a short story I actually enjoy, I can probably do that as well.

So I’ll be tweaking my efforts and focusing on two fronts.

First, I’m going to complete a novel. It may not be marketable but who cares? Writers write and I’ve got something workable.

Second, I’m going to send some short story proposals off to a media tie in market. I think my preference for combat scenes will serve me well in that regard. Further, I can generate a fair number of proposals in the same time it would take for me to finish one short story.

So it goes.

Happy New Year, folks.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri

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