Work in Progress #33: Progress Report, May 2026

Well, hello there, fellow travelers!  It’s been a little while since we’ve talked, how have y’all been?  What’s new in the world?

Oh.  The world is on fire a bit.  Let’s narrow the focus.  What’s new with all of you?

I’ve been heavily focused on the edit for my next project, and it’s taking shape nicely!  I’m about two-thirds of the way through on this pass, and that means it’s time for a hair update.  It’s still growing, even though I got it cut and shaped a bit.  But as warm weather approaches, I’m going to lock in and get this edit done.  Hair in the summertime is not fun.

Okay, in all seriousness, here’s what’s going on over the next month:

-       I’m re-doing the outline of a short story I had previously been working on.  I’m playing with the idea of a town that extracts everything about you from you—your culture, your music, your food, your individuality—and then discards you once it’s all done.  Hopefully I can get a draft started soon, this idea is pretty exciting!

-       I’m working my way through an absurdly long TBR queue.  Some books are great, some are slogs, and some are surprises.  I’ll have a bunch of reviews up soon.

-       I’m taking an alternative route to studying how stories are told, and as part of that self-education, I’m listening to a bunch of podcasts, both fiction and non-fiction.  I’ve found that there are some pretty good stories being told with just a voice, and I’m eager to explore it and share.

-       And, of course, I’m whittling my way through the Empire Towers edit.  As I’ve gone through this story, I’ve found spots to really expand the story and enrich the world, and the result is that it’s gotten… longer.  There will be a trimming pass next.  I like where the story is going, though, and it is really cool to see the changes in who I’ve been as a writer between the first draft and now.

A couple of things before I go: summer’s here, wear sunscreen.  Your skin will thank you for it.  Shout out to the New York Knicks for dominating the last three playoff games they’ve played, with an average point differential of 40.  Shout out to the Yankees for being the Yankees.  And a rare shout out to the NBA, who in the last month or two, paved the way to correcting an egregious wrong by awarding Seattle an expansion franchise.  This basketball-crazy city is excited to have its beloved Sonics back, and I’m happy about it, both for the city (they got hosed, and now they’re getting it back) and for the very personal desire to not have to drive all the way to Portland when the Knicks are in town.  In a sea of things sports leagues get wrong, the NBA got this right.  Not so sure about Vegas, though.

Anyway, y’all.  Thanks for stopping by.  Let’s go get it.