(July 13 – 19)

I’ve taken yet another break from the novel in order to write a new short story. I’ve had this idea bouncing around for some time about an underground phenomenon that turns out to be a portal into another universe/dimension (but think Event Horizon more than Stargate). For at time, I was struggling to find the right setting and premise for the story–it ranged from undersea drilling, military operations, abandoned mines until–I finally remembered a visit to Giant’s Cave last year. That gave me the setting, and the premise slotted into place quite nicely after that.

It’s turning out to be a different kind of story for me. A bit of a slow burn, more about the place than the characters, and with not a whole lot of plot. It’s a fun challenge and I’m enjoying what I’ve come up with so far, though I’m going quite heavy on the edit.

This is for a submission deadline that’s happening on July 31, so fingers crossed I can get it done in time.

One good thing

I know I’ve been talking a lot more about things I’ve watched lately, rather than reflecting on things I’ve learned, or things I can improve, but I want to give a quick shout out to Relic, which is an amazing Australian horror film.

I won’t say too much about it as I don’t want to spoil it but it does an absolutely remarkable job of representing the horror of dementia. And it is bloody scary in the bargain.