[flickr id=”5585130717″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]In the middle of edits, both for Changing Tracks,  which I need to turn in for final edits; and for Masked Hearts, which I need to prepare for submission.  I’m also critiquing words for Mary and Fi in my spare time, and even occasionally Jenn (who is crazy-busy with all of her new releases).

This all leads to a ton of editing.

I’m cross-eyed and confused half the time.

I needed an escape and it came in the form of a submission call at a small pub (Das Krakenhaus) for an anthology they’re doing.  The small pub is run by an old high school friend of mine, and they are awesome, so I thought I’d take a look.  After seeing what they were looking for, I thought the apocalyptic would be perfect as a prequel to another series I’d been thinking about.

Over the next couple of days the idea solidified and I started writing it last night.

I’m uncomfortable and feeling stretched beyond my limits.

1 – it’s SHORT. I’ve written a flash piece (500 words) that got pubbed in Siren’s Call.  But I’ve never written anything with significance that would be bigger than that, but shorter than 12k.  I’m so verbose this is a challenge.

2 – it’s not romance.  While not my soul focus (that flash piece was horror, after all) – romance is mostly what I’ve done, what I do. The closest I’ve come to stepping out of that comfort zone was to write a paranormal rom over a historical western rom.  This?  It’s a contemporary, destruction of the world type of piece. No romance.

3 – it’s in 1st person POV. Not sure why, just know that it is.  To the point that we never know the name of the person who we’re living the story through.

4 – it’s a male POV. While I’ve done male POV before, it always freaks me out.

All of this is good.  It’s stretching my limits, stretching my capabilities.  That is always good.

It’s giving me a break from the mind-numbing endless edits.  That is a huge relief and breath of fresh air.

But it’s slow going.  I only have under 12k to learn this guys voice to figure him out and let all of the action happen that should happen. I have very clear and gorgeous pictures in my head about what will happen and those must get on the page in a male’s POV.

So I’m learning as I go, but it’s an uncomfortable stretch. One that will improve as I work – I hope.