Ever hear of MOOCs? MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses, and they are essentially free online courses from universities around the world that are offered to anyone with an internet connection and a desire to learn. I did a little research on them today, based on this webpage.
There are also self-paced writing ones. Here’s the main page. I plan to bookmark it and check again to see when courses I really wanted but had already happened might come around again.
Well, I had hopes of finishing the fantasy novel this year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the view) I am off on another story I hadn’t expected, but is proving to be very fun to write. I’ll see how long this one takes and if I have time to work on the other later this year.
You know, if I had a dollar for every time my writing plans were hijacked by creative spurts like this one, that come from (seemingly) nowhere, I probably would make far more than I ever have selling stories. Not that I write to sell stories, I don’t. I write because the stories come and I think some of them are good enough to write down for posterity. Most writers probably do that. Most average writers, anyway.
Every time I go to Smashwords, I see new novels from writers who had to get their stories down, too, and then decided to share just for fun, like me. I am grateful I live in an age where we can do this, as the majority of us would probably be cut down in the normal publishing channels and our stories would never get a chance to see the light of day.
What would it be like to be a big-name writer who actually has contracts or deadlines, where the focus must remain on what is needed rather than on what creativity slips into random day dreams? I cannot imagine, and I actually hope I never will. It’s too much fun being a little guy. There’s freedom in having your plans go awry and giving creativity full rein so you can see where it takes you.
It’s not profitable, of course, but it sure is fun.
Happy writing!
The novella is now published on Smashwords.com. You can find more information about it on my Books page or on the Smashwords page. Hope you enjoy it. 
Several tales in Stories from the Hut were suspenseful and creepy. This is not because I actively look for suspenseful and creepy storylines to pursue, but because I do enjoy asking my friends for prompts during September and October to see if I can’t write something to entertain them. Most of these shorts turn out strange and wild because of the season, but there are some exceptions.
This year, one very dear friend gave me a three word prompt (thrift store scarf) that turned into an unexpected novella that was a very great pleasure to write. I love action and adventure and this little book had both in abundance. I am hoping to post it on Smashwords next week and will put a link in this blog when I do.
It’s January, and many people I know make resolutions to get in shape or organize their lives. Over the years I’ve noticed that if I am not specific I will lose my way on the path to changing for the better. This is probably because my goals were not clearly defined and because I let things take time from me. Now that I have made progress with improving physically, it’s time to take charge of the other things on my to-do list. Writing is definitely high on the list.
I’m sitting here with a fantasy novel that is not quite finished (about 2/3 done), a novella that is done but needs polishing/editing, and some short stories that need some help before I consider them good enough to share. This means I have some work to do in 2015. Because the novella is done and only needs editing, I believe that will be first on the list – especially as I have already created the cover art for it. Then I might tackle a few of the shorts so I can start compiling a second anthology. Come April, I hope to be in a position to take on the goal of finishing the fantasy novel this year. I recently stumbled on a website that looked like it might help me in this. I know this article definitely got me in the mood to set my ducks in a row so I can keep the momentum going.
So what goals do you have for the year and in what order will you take them on?