I'll admit that I'm not always good at following through with things. There are moments when I have such a high level of attention and dedication to a project that I will put nearly all of my energy to working on it until I feel it's finished. I've been that way with many of my stories. Once they're completed, I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride from my level of focus driven by the power of creativity.
However, I often find myself not producing work for extended periods of time. The reasons are numerous. I get busy with work, I don't feel inspired, I don't have new ideas, or I just don't do it. I find it impossible to write at least 2,000 words every single day. I'm not a machine. Writing is an important part of my life, but it's not the sole thing that drives me day to day. I want to enjoy life and not spend the bulk of my time at a desk writing about it. First we live and then we take time to reflect on it. I'm not a magical wordsmith. Writing isn't always easy. Here's how I see it: if writing is always easy for you, you're probably doing something wrong.
This year has been full of happenings. In January, I published my latest novel "Mochi Boy." The first draft was written for NaNoWriMo. I enjoyed the process of once again being under a more restrictive timeline that kept me disciplined.
I proposed to my girlfriend in May. She said yes. We've set a date for October of next year.
My most recent publication is a novelette that continues the story of Kai, the protagonist of "The Other Side of Grand" and "Mochi Boy."
Just last week, I started a new job. It's another step up in my career. Although I'm very busy, I'll get the hang of it and eventually start on another endeavor as an author.
The next project I have in mind is a novel and it will be my first not to feature Kai. This will allow me to have greater room for different plots and conflicts. It's still in the planning stages. Essentially, I want to write a novel that is episodic like a TV show. The whole idea is for the book to be like a miniseries. This format allows for very interesting storytelling and the idea I have in mind would work well in this episodic format.
This proposed novel will address themes of the modern Asian American experience and will be set in the Phoenix area, like many of my previous works. It will be filled with drama, sex, violence, plots of intrigue, and occasional cliffhangers. I'm excited just thinking about building this world. So much is still so possible.
