It’s easy to get down on myself. I don’t need to belabor the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve published, that my output has been comparatively scant in the past two years versus the previous four. There are reasons for that, some of which are concrete, some of which are more ephemeral.
I write. I am always writing, even when I’m not at a keyboard. I don’t have a doubt that one day you’ll read a new proper work by either Liam Slade or Logan Fournier. Even if my short stories stubbornly fight against being bent into the shape I want them in. Even as my larger works grow to untamed behemoths that make me wonder why I started. Even if, after everything I have done, I always wonder if I’ve spent all my inspiration and there’s no topping what I’ve put out.
I keep writing, and eventually something has got to get done.
But even if I don’t. Even if my interest in writing fades away and I move on to other endeavors, I should be proud.
I’ve put together quite the little body of work. All my novels, novellas and short stories, I believe I have given readers something they would never have had if I didn’t do them. I should be impressed with myself that I had the tenacity to write a novel like Kristi’s Mom, a novella like Both, a collection like Beyond Ourselves. People still find my works on Amazon and the many other retailers where they’re available.
I’ve contributed a phenomenal number of words to the Trading Post blog, creating characters and stories that resonate with people. Sometimes the kudos you get for something like that are fleeting, but one has a way of holding onto them, of remembering how a certain post captured something somebody felt and hadn’t seen properly reflected.
I’ve made a small, but real, impact on the world. And I think you’ll understand if I take a moment to think, that’s really frickin’ cool.
It might take a long, long time for my next work to make it to you. And that one might not be as deep and meaningful as the previous ones have. But any of them could be, and most importantly, more or all of them are. When I get down on myself, when it’s hard to find inspiration or motivation or enthusiasm to attack my projects, that helps to remember.
I’m a humble, self-deprecating guy. I go through a lot of self-doubt and second-guessing on my way to publishing the stories I’ve done, but it helps to look back and see the accomplishments for what they are.
Thanks for being with me through this, and being kind, and I hope there will be some more exciting news in the future!
-Liam