Author’s Note: A lot has happened since we last spoke. Just as TNS went off to beta, I’d gotten news that shook my confidence pretty badly. I won’t go too deeply into detail, but it affected the way I’d approached the beta, which in turn led me to decide to reoutline TNS and start again from the ground up. The beta phase is still going on, of course, but I feel like I need to start from scratch to fix things up.
Which is why we’re here. I’ve decided that while the novel is still in beta, I’m going to work on shorts, sketches, things to ease me back into writing—and enjoying the whole process of writing, rather than writing with the goal of getting published in mind. I’m hoping that along the way, I’ll not only nail down certain weak points of the draft we’re on now (like Mick’s character, for one) but also find my way back to where I should be. Many of these sketches, notes, and so forth will be published through this newsletter as email exclusives, so you might see more of me beyond just the monthly update.
The following is the first of these new sketches: a short story from Mick’s perspective. It’s not only an effort to lay down some backstory for him and find his voice; it’s also something I wrote for catharsis, to half-describe what I was feeling not too long ago. I hope you enjoy the ride, and thank you so much for reading.