Today’s offering marks my 2000th blog post since I began this journey in June 2016. A lot has happened in the interim.
At the time I opened the door into my imagination, I worked as a Technical Writer on the bleeding edge of technology. I also knew I was on the proverbial bubble when our group flopped over to yet another new manager. The writing was on the wall when they forced the oldest member of our group to retire. I was next. That was when my previously glowing performance reviews took a nosedive and my work found to be ‘lacking’. Their “official” reason was that I wasn’t working up to par. (My gut said otherwise, but I couldn’t prove any of it.) I still applied the same standards I always had. The only thing that’d changed was management. I knew then I needed to make plans for the future.
Thus, Tavern Tales was born. The idea had been to share the fiction I’ve written over the years. Because I read and write fantasy, a tavern seemed a good place to start. Six years later, I learned the name of that tavern is The Jaunty Mug. It came to me as a daily writing contest prompt on a website I frequent. In my imagination, the Mug serves as a hub between worlds of my imaginary multiverse.
A lot of my stories happen in my imaginary world of Adaran. Especially when I write to prompts on my favorite writing community website. I’ve had fun using those prompts to sketch out my characters. A lot of times, those snippets become part of their history.
Writing is a funny thing. The characters don’t reveal themselves to the author all at once. Some will jump right in and tell you about their lives with little to no prompting. A little like that stranger on the airplane that talks your ear off the entire flight. Then, there are the quiet ones. The ones that need to trust you before they open the door and let you in.
In the years since I launched this page, a lot has happened. I’ve struggled to find my niche, started and fizzled on a couple of stories. I gained a lot of followers when my partner and I lost our home to wildfire. Everyone loves a good disaster and recovery story, it seems. Most of the time, I try to find a quote from someone born on that day.
My biggest accomplishment has been completing my first (as yet unpublished) novel. I’m working through the fifth draft and most comprehensive edits to date. I found an editor who is as passionate about the story as I am. The best part is, her editing style is exactly what I needed. She makes so few direct edits that I know I got it wrong in those spots. Her superpower is in the questions she asks. I can already see how the novel has improved.
Today also commemorates my 950th consecutive post. As someone who retired a handful of years before I was ready, I knew I needed something to occupy my day. So, I began writing stories and posting a Random Quote of the Day. The quote isn’t always random. I look for a birthday person with something useful to say or that’s applicable to the times. When I finish this draft of my novel, my editor and I will go at it again to wring every bit of improvement we can put into it. Then, I’ll have to learn how to market my work. While all that’s happening, the next idea keeps reminding me it’s waiting in the wings.
What does the future hold? I’ll keep posting daily quotes and weekly fiction. It keeps me out of the bars. 😉 Besides, writing keeps my imagination active and mind sharp.
I want to thank those of you who visit daily. You keep me inspired. Here’s to the next 2000 posts. Cheers.
J.J. Shaun 