If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been busy — perhaps too busy.
Over the last few months I have really increased the intensity with which I approach my work as Liam Slade, writer of TG/TF Fic. You’ve seen a couple of stories from me, including Steven: A Love Story (which can now be downloaded for Free/Pay What You Want using the code Steven1 to get $.99 off the min price of $.99). You may be following my blog fic Sophomore Year which gets a new post nearly every week chronicling the life of Andrew Gillen who is trapped back in his teenage years in the body of a fellow student named Jessa. And maybe you’ve seen me on Deviant Art, my latest toy, where I post sketches and quick animations — I’m not the world’s greatest artist but I do enjoy playing with visuals.
All of these outlets have sparked a ton of inspiration for me. Maya Angelou has a quote that says “You can’t use up inspiration – the more you use it, the more you have” and that’s definitely true for me. Having a few people to bounce my thoughts and ideas off of on Twitter, and a few different outlets to try things, definitely spurs me to create more, more, more — more than I have time to do!
I’m still working on my first full-length novel, KRISTI’S MOM which is nearing completion in its first draft after a year of work and I hope to have ready for you in Summer 2021. In fact, just for the readers of this site I have uploaded the provisional first chapters of KRISTI’S MOM to get myself, and my readers, excited as I near the finish line (including a preview of one version of the cover. Yes, I have several ideas for that.)
I also still have tons of ideas for stories that I can post here, including a few I have started already (which is not ideal — usually when I am working on something I work on that and that alone until it’s done) and more ideas for longer, more immersive projects for when KRISTI’S MOM has been published, from stories to series to universes, to possibly a comic if I can convince myself that my drawings are up to snuff.
But it’s important to pace oneself and prioritize. I can’t seem to keep to just one thing at a time but I can definitely keep it limited to two big ones and two or three little diversions.
There are definitely days when I am not as “up” to the task as I’d like to be — when I feel like I’m faltering, losing it, not someone whose work is worth other peoples’ attention. Thanks to some good friends online, I’m glad to say those moments tend to pass (and I promise I am not out begging for pity and reassurance, it’s just nice to have them there to interact with.)
I believe in my writing. I believe in the tropes and themes that I work with here and I am fascinated to no end by them, which is why ideas continuously seem to come to me. There’s no shortage of spins I feel like I can put on the material, and I do feel like you, my dear readers, are just getting the tip of the iceberg. I hope that as time goes by I am able to provide more and more for you.
When I first conceived of this site, it was going to be a mix of reviews, thoughts, and creative content to keep Beyond Ourselves a busy place between big projects. It’s a little sad that most of that has fallen by the wayside but I’m glad to be focusing on what makes me happy and what I think will excite you the most.
Be Kind,
Liam