Spring always feels like a time of waking up in my life. I deal with winter depression and in the darker, colder months, it sometimes feels as if I’m hibernating in my house, just trying to power through my to-do list, head down, eyes front. I feel as if very little new creativity comes out of me in the winter. And then boom. Spring comes and suddenly, I’m writing stories, coming up with new ideas for novels, finishing projects, getting excited again. This year, March came and it’s like the dam burst. I finally finished my novella-in-flash, Red Shirts Sometimes Survive, and sent it off to Off Topic Publishing with hopes of having that published this year.
My novel, ARTHUR UNDRESSED, came back from my agent with a glorious editorial letter, both deeply praiseful and also, full of a ton of work for me. That’s okay. I want this novel to be as perfect as possible. I’ve been powering through those edits and hope to have them finished by the end of this month.
And of course, because I don’t know how to not juggle several creative threads at once, I’ve also been writing and plotting new work. I’ve started working on my next novel. Thanks to a few sessions with my bestie and co-writer, Andrew Buckley, I have the new novel fully plotted. I love plotting but I always feel my map falls apart in the middle, so having a friend I can go to with a bunch of random ideas that he can help me form into a cohesive outline is wonderful. So now, the chapter outline is finished and I’ve written my first two chapters. Speaking of Andrew, we’re nearly done with our third collaborative book, this one a YA space pirates novel. Our queer Shakespeare series is currently being shopped, and we’ve written a proposal and chapter samples for a collaborative non-fiction book.
Meanwhile, last night I had the BEST IDEA for a new book… I made a few notes and left it alone because I need to finish these edits. Spring, man. Someone remind me of this next winter when I say, at some point, as I always do, I’ll NEVER be able to write anything ever again.
If you’re hoping to connect with me over the spring and summer of travel, please check out my website and subscribe to my mailing list. I’ve got in-person classes, conferences, and so very much travel. I’ll be teaching and speaking at several places in Canada over the spring and summer, and I’ll be in the UK again for the Flash Fiction Festival. Hope to see you!
Finnian Burnett 