tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post4868184394471089642..comments2010-04-09T11:59:19.244-05:00Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055198588873817320noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post-16113446028030195312009-12-03T13:14:58.450-06:002009-12-03T13:14:58.450-06:00Cate - Don&#39;t we all.<br><br>Margaret - Thanks for the comment, I&#39;ve struggled with what I wanted to be as a writer for the better part of the last 18 months. In part thanks to an abandoned thesis that&#39;s become a novel-in-progress, a new thesis that was actually completed, a matter of questioning what my writing priorities and goals were, and making an effort to immerse myself in good writing (be it what I&#39;m reading or trying to cobble together on my own). I realize I have a very long way to go, but at least for now some it is seeming to make sense when I sit down at the keyboard.Erik Smetananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post-57074368744992900282009-12-03T12:54:23.775-06:002009-12-03T12:54:23.775-06:00Great thoughts and post- I&#39;m starting to feel that writers are always moving through these stages of improvement, of learning and becoming more comfortable in the game. All of which you articulate really well with this.margositahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432497140892679276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post-64273362840452219222009-12-03T10:20:22.336-06:002009-12-03T10:20:22.336-06:00Oh, I&#39;m still churning out crap, it&#39;s just that I&#39;m recognizing it better now. And I&#39;m more reluctant to send it out into the world until I&#39;ve my best to clean it up into something I&#39;d be proud of. I think spending a few years solely focused on horror fiction (that I didn&#39;t really read recreationally in the first place) put me in a mind set of churn and turn with little regard for the market or what I was producing. I haven&#39;t written anything I could really describe as horror since my Borderlands story (so over a year ago). In that time, I&#39;ve worked on my novel, a thesis, and a handful of short stories. Those shorts (at least the ones I&#39;m putting through the ringer and submitting as opposed to the ones I look back on and toss into the trunk of forgotten tales) are finding homes in places that I&#39;m pleased about. Now I just need to focus on writing more (and designating writing time each day). <br><br>And thanks for the comment on the background. Do you think the header still looks okay with it (you are the designer after all)?Erik Smetananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post-67705359366249440472009-12-03T10:17:24.365-06:002009-12-03T10:17:24.365-06:00I continue to learn and chase after improvement.Cate Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634397106201021055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2907594437790336450.post-68525313104700149272009-12-03T09:20:59.738-06:002009-12-03T09:20:59.738-06:00Bully for you. I don&#39;t know if I&#39;ve reached the point yet where I feel like I&#39;m not churning out crap, but I&#39;m glad you&#39;re there.<br><br>BTW, love the green wallpaper.John Hornorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773389211713070794noreply@blogger.com