It goes like this. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a writer. So that’s what I’ve done since I was a kid. Been a writer. Getting up early a majority of days to hit my desk, chasing down leads, and dreaming up ideas to pitch. There have been times when I’ve taken a break or said that I was done with this whole being a writer thing. I’ve always come back, though. Returned to the keyword or journal and continued down the road to being the writer I want to be.
I’ve also always wanted to switch out of the retail job world that I had spent most of my working life in. I wanted to find a career that was both creative and for the public. In other words, I wanted a steady paycheck in the creative field. So, all the while, I’ve been working on my writing game, I’ve also been building my portfolio and shaping my skills to land jobs in the marketing and communications realm. Getting that type of experience is crucial to me reaching the levels I want to in my career.
Eventually, I want to land a job as a narrative designer or director with a company. That’s not my ultimate career goal, but the next highest peak on the journey. Along that journey, there’s publishing goals and writing feats that I will attempt in an effort to better myself and my craft because at the heart of this is my dream of being a writer. Working as a narrative designer, leading a story’s vision from beginning to end, makes me excited. I’d love to land that position in a game company, either video, table-top, or other.
Like I’ve said in the past, being a writer consists of more than just being a writer. At least for me. When I think of my dream writing life, I’m doing more than just writing stories, I’ve got my hands in tons of pots and am leading the curve in creative projects on other fronts. For me, I want my creative projects to feed my well. A new type of ad campaign will lead to me coming up with a new way to advertise a new book or insight into a character. Running data analytics on demographics could lead me to realizing an intersection of interests and themes that I haven’t realized.
Just like how retail and customer service work has helped me get a grasp on character, multitasking, and people, my work in communications will lead me to growing in ways that I haven’t even realized yet.
With the new job, I’m going to be shifting gears to what I’ll be focusing on in my writing. I’m going to discontinue my Patreon for now and suspend charges. If you want to support me in the future, you can still pledge a tier, but you won’t get charged until a later date when I start up the Patreon again. I also won’t pitch as many articles to place as I used to. I want to continue growing my credits, so I will send out some pitches to certain markets and still submit my short stories. I’ll also still take on assignments and projects but on a per-project basis. My classes and courses are still in the works, and I have plans to set up online classes for people who aren’t local. Editing biz is still going, but also on a per-project basis.
My books, both Out of the Machine and Monsters I Have Known, have been put on a pause while I do on-boarding for the new job and get more comfortable in my new work from home routine. I’m writing when I can and still have some projects and contracts in the works for short pieces of fiction. My writing routine is a bit messed at the moment, so I haven’t been putting out as much as I would like, but I’ve been celebrating the big wins in my life as they come. Like today, I reached out to Rich Larson, one of my favorite writers, just to say thanks and get an idea on how he edits and sharpens stories.
It makes me want to try a new way with my stories and see how that works when it comes to getting more ‘yes’s and less ‘no’s.
Clarion West update, I didn’t get in and was super bummed, but that is only adding to my fire and will to become a better writer. It led me to designing a dream workshop with one of my local colleges that is going to run this summer. Super excited about that!
I’ve accomplished a lot of the goals I set out to or am on the way to completing them, so to call this year a full win, I’d like to see Out of the Machine in the submission grind and Monsters I have Known rewritten and in editing stages.
Aigner Loren Wilson Writer & Editor 