Housekeeping # 3
Things are a bit messy.
Songs of (Creative) Freedom
Any Bob Marley fans in the house? Of course there are… Redemption Song, like many of the Legend’s songs, bring me such a sense of calm and belonging. In moments like the one I’m in now I often find my way back to his music.
My declaration that I’m going to lean into more prose, and the belief in myself that preempted it, have allowed me the freedom I’ve been seeking. As I mentioned here, paywalled content is back and as a result I announced a shake up in my own approach to how I’ll be spending my creative time. I feel very confident about the last month of decision making and am glad I am moving in the direction I am; name change and all.
Flux
Aeon Flux is an under appreciated movie. The film, taking its name from the animated series, is set in a dystopian future where a deadly virus has wiped out most of the population. Aeon (Charlize Theron), an agile and skilled operative, is tasked with assassinating the leader of an oppressive government. Creatively, I can really relate to that movie right now.
In both my life and the film, there's a sense of navigating through a complex and changing landscape. A creative individual finds themselves grappling with new ideas, facing uncertainties, and challenging established norms in their creative process all the time. Just as Aeon confronts the oppressive regime in her world, creatives confront their own external constraints, or internal struggles, ultimately seeking to break free and forge a unique path in their artistic endeavors.
These past few weeks of trying to emancipate myself from imposter syndrome, self-pity, and other forms of mental slavery has felt like a slog and a half. If I’m being honest, I regretted stepping back into this space. But I’m here now, and dare I say, jammin’ once again.
Short Term Plans
I’ve got my first short story for The Nexus, formerly known The Prose, ready to go. It’ll hit your inboxes in a few days. The next round of The Vignettes are all ready as well. We’ll visit The Kingdom of Edhel and get a peek at some never before seen (by readers that is) magic usage. Some intrepid expeditionaries will venture to Ingenwia in search of a lost relic. There may or may not be a trip planned to The Shattered Gulf of Rhitia as well, you’ll just have to stayed tuned to see.
On the non-Ennead front, I have my eyes on a fantasy anthology that requires stories include dragons prominently in the tale. Thus far I’ve purposely steered clear of thr great winged beasts of fantasy lore and legend, but now is the time I try my hadn at bringing them to life.
Each entry can be between 1-5000 words and can only be submitted if it hasn’t been published anywhere else. Unfortunately, that means I can’t share it here early but rest assured if I make it into the book I’ll let you all know. If I don’t make it, you’ll get to read the entire thing here. Until then, a little teaser:
First, the seas rose. Then, the mountains trembled and split. And from those wounds poured rolling flame.
It wasn’t long then until the winged beasts tore free, and once again found the sky.
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Olivia ripped free from her stiff roughspun blanket. As her warm feet tumbled from her bed, she’d hoped to take flight. Instead, she found the cold, hard floor.Having grown accustomed to moving about in the dark, she felt her way to the washbasin. Wetting her face, gently cupping and pouring water in one hand onto the next, massaging her palms and temples- her customs still held. Here, buried underneath her captor’s keep, Olivia wouldn’t forsake her Patron.
Deep within, she knew she’d find herself free in time. This was not to be her fate. She had no business here; her place was beneath the open sky.
That’s still rough and has gone through zero rounds of edits (except for the bit of it I did to feel comfortable posting it here, of course) but I am excited for the potential.
Tell me what you think in the comments below. Also, feel free to make any guesses on where this one might be headed.
JL