As the summer sun begins to set too early again and the autumn air bothers me more and more, I think it’s time to share how my literary undertakings have been unfolding these past few months.
At the start of summer, I had grand ambitions. “Write every day,” I told myself, but early on life kept showing itself from its not so sweet side. My intended writing schedule became more of a looming shadow over me than something pleasant during my holiday. Sorry to say, I guess I’m still human (and it’s still not a 100% good thing) and sometimes the biggest obstacle in my path is, well, me (sometimes, but most of the times it’s all the other humans). Let’s be honest – it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Life has a tendency to throw the occasional giant wrench into the works, and while I’ve learned to take these disruptions in stride in my day-to-day life, somehow they still always (which is not an exaggeration) interrupt my flow as a living being. My natural life flow is slow and simple, but the world is not made that way, which means that constantly find myself in a landslide, trying not to get underneath it.
Despite me being me and all the other humans being themselves, I’ve been making steady progress on my magnum opus (you don’t know—it could very well be so) – a fantasy mystery trilogy exploring the intricate weavings of identity, ageing, friendship, and sexuality. It’s a project close to my heart, and it is shaping up beautifully and slowly but surely coming to life.
A new side project
I’ve also embarked on a side project titled “The importance of being me”. Yes, the Wildean echo is intentional—because why not inject a little wit into the proceedings? This project has been loitering in the back of my mind for quite some time. As I, with increasingly higher speed, approach the age of 60 (and my brakes are apparently shot), I’ve become acutely annoyed over the disparity between how others perceive me and who I truly am. It’s fascinating, really, how the saying “do not judge the book by its cover,” does not seem to apply to anyone—at all. Anyway, this side project provides a much-needed mental cleanser when writing the trilogy becomes overwhelming.
Glancing forward
As summer draws to a close, I find myself both excited and a touch apprehensive about what lies ahead. My initial goal of completing the first draft by this September has proven to be optimistic in the same way a child sees winter’s first snowflakes and thinks, “yay, let’s build a snowman right now!” More realistically (or perhaps still optimistically), September 2025 is more likely. But you know what? That’s fine. Writing can’t be rushed, and I’d rather take the time to do justice to these characters and their stories than rush to meet an arbitrary deadline.
Last, I’m going to the Stockholm Writers Festival in ten days’ time. I do not know what to expect (other than what’s on the itinerary), but it’ll hopefully be fun and educational. And perhaps I’ll meet people there who are interesting and don’t talk too much if they are not entertaining.