My Mind's all Over the Place, But is that Really a Bad Thing?

On Tuesday, I started and finished a 5,600 word short story. I just sat down, pounded it out over a few hours, and it was done. Voila. That was a mighty productive day. Thus, I hoped it would carry over.

It sort of has, sort of hasn't. In the last two days, I've started six different stories, going various length into them before moving onto something else. It isn't exactly intentional; I don't crave to can the story in favor of another one just to repeat the process later on. My writing is just very stubborn. I have to want to write it. And when I get that new idea in my head, it's like my fingers refuse to type anything else.

I'm hoping that I'll one day get the urge to return to these stories; some of them are pretty promising and two of them are for anthologies whose deadlines are coming up.

Writers, does this ever happen to you? Do you have trouble sticking to one story at a time? Does inspiration take hold of you at the most random moment and dictate what you will and will not write?

Note; this is far from the first time this has happened to me, and yes, I've finished every story before now. So no worries on that front.

Publishing News!

Good evening, everyone. Just thought I'd let the news slip of a couple acceptances I've received the last few days. Let's begin.

My short story "Flesh And Bone" was accepted into an anthology by the name of Strange Vacations from Horrified Press, the Sinister Saints division to be particular. This is run by Rich Dodgin, a good guy who I like sending stories to. Release date as of yet unknown.

My short story "The Funeral" was accepted into an anthology by the name of Weird Ales from KnightWatch Press. This is a great opportunity and one of my personal favorite stories. Hype. Look out for this one next January.

That's all. Now I have a birthday party to get ready for, so, yeah. Here's a random GIF, something that you've all no doubt come to expect from me.

It's okay to eat fish because they don't have feelings.

Now that that's out of the way, an update.

My old ass just turned 24 yesterday. God. Talk about a kick in the ass to get some important things done with my life. A lot of people say 24 is too young to talk like that, but I remember my 12th birthday like it was yesterday. So, pretty soon, I'll be 36, 48, 60, 72, 84... You see where I'm going with this. Get it while it's good, ladies and gentlemen. As Drake once said, "Yolo."

RJ (my editor, the great guy that he is) is sending my manuscript to me on September 17th. Really looking forward to him tearing me a new ass.

A more somber update; Beyond Imagination Magazine and Beyond Science Fiction Magazine have closed to submissions, both magazines releasing their final issues on September 1st. I've worked with Dayne Edmonson since March of this year, and I think we really got out some great issues in the last six months. His reasons for their discontinuation are completely personal, and I'd like to thank him for the experience that I garnered from being their editor for the last half-year.

Finished a few short stories, edited them, and have them waiting with a few different anthologies. Waiting on them to tell me I suck so that I can send them somewhere else.

I think that's it. Here's the coolest GIF ever.

Cover art for a new anthology I'm featured in, coming out September 30th. Trippy.

I'm now a proud Affiliate of The Horror Writers Association!

Go me, huh?!

Sanitarium's 35th issue has been released!

My story "Beyond Redemption," my self-proclaimed darkest story yet, was published in this issue, so don't hesitate to buy it (no pressure)! Here's the link to all of the places you can get your hands on one of these bad boys. http://sanitariummagazine.com/blog/2015/07/30/sanitarium-magazine-issue-35-is-out/

Seriously, check it out!

Just a few updates on my life. Nothing too interesting.

I recently tried my hand at ghost-writing. This wasn't a satisfactory experiment by any means. It was very short-lived. I discovered that if I'm not writing it, it's not one of my ideas, and/or I don't like what I'm writing, I'm not going to write it. I tried, but my brain told me, "Craig, you've got too much shit in your own head to try to write other people's ideas. Focus on you. Do you, mate." I said, "Thanks, brain," and decided to cut my short-lived ghost-writing career, well, short. I'm feeling really good about this. No deadlines to worry about now, and I can focus on my own work. Feels good, man.

Also, got my short story "Pieces Of Me" published with Creepy Campfire Quarterly. This is old news (if you follow me on any other kind of social media, that is), but I somehow forgot to share the news on my website. My apologies. Also, the amount of money I'm making from this sale is enough to get me into the Horror Writer's Association at the Affiliate level. So, yeah. Neat.

My editor, the esteemed RJ Cavender, is still working on my full-length novel and he should have it back to me by the middle of September. I'm very stoked for this. This guy has worked with/for every badass in the horror genre and I can't wait to see what he does with my work.

Until next time, friends. This has been Craig Steven.

Story/Interview posted.

Hey, everyone. In case you haven't seen it yet, I've recently had both an interview and a short story posted at Theme Of Absence. Go check them both out if you'd like.

http://www.themeofabsence.com/2015/07/may-this-be-love-by-craig-steven/

http://www.themeofabsence.com/2015/07/author-interview-craig-steven/

Well, this is depressing.

I've never been one to suffer from writer's block. Every time a story fell flat, I would move onto something else and come back to it later on. However, in trying to write two different stories and outlining for a few more, I'm the one who's fallen flat on my face. Nothing is coming. In fact, besides a few Facebook messages, this post is the first thing I've been able to hammer out all day. How depressing. Here's hoping that I get over this slump, and fast.

Hot Heck!

All right, everyone! Some big news is in order, so why not share it with y'all?

First off, I have a short story appearing in an anthology that was just released! The anthology is called 'Growing Pains,' and it was released by Horrified Press. My short story "Shook Ones" is featured in it, and yes, it IS named after the song by Mobb Deep. A quick synopsis of the story: Dealing with both his parents' divorce and his constant bullying at school, Travis is content to roll with the punches, quite literally. One day, however, he snaps, and with the help of an odd street-side merchant, Travis fights back. Quite well, too.
You can purchase it from Lulu.com from this link (Right here), or you can purchase it from Horrified Press's website directly, which saves you about $5 since you don't have to pay shipping (Right here; scroll down to the middle of the homepage, and it's on the right). So yeah, there's that.

I finished my full-length novel! I know what you're thinking;

Truth be told, though, I'm right back at square one. I've gone through and done a massive edit on it. Do I still think it's not ready for publication? Of course! Nowhere near it! It's my baby, so I hate saying that, but it needs some work done. So I've contacted several professional editors, and after that, I'll be sending it out to a publishing house. Then I have to play the waiting game which, while I'm the most impatient person in the world, is a dire necessity one needs to grow used to when chasing down this dream.

Uhh, what else...... My flash fiction story "May This Be Love" is due to be published with 'Theme Of Absence' on July 10th. It's free to read, so definitely don't miss that. It'll also have an interview posted where I answer some important life-or-death questions.

During my downtime, I'm currently busting out several short stories for several anthologies/collections with nearing deadlines. It's fun to get back into the swing of short fiction after focusing on my full-length for the last month or so.

I'm pretty sure that's it. Thanks for reading, everyone, and remember, if you have any questions, concerns, or even if you just want to tell me how cool I am, hit my 'Contact' tab at the top of the page. Thanks for the love, everyone. 'Til next time.

Jitter Magazine published with a story of mine featured!

Here's the link! (http://prolificpress.com/bookstore/jitter-press-c-7/jitter-issue-3-p-120.html) Go check it out! Fun fact: I was featured in this magazine with Leslie Bohem, the man who wrote the screenplay for 'Nightmare On Elm Street: The Dream Child.' Support the arts!

Still going through the first round of edits for 'To Claim Hell.'

With about a hundred pages left, I've cut out 10,000 words. I was stoked about this, and still am, but it's a bittersweet feeling considering that that's about 5-8 days worth of work. No regerts.

My favorite song ever.

Published!

Good deal! Just found out that my short story, "Mess," will be published in an anthology from Horrified Press, entitled "Fugitives" sometime this year!

Crazy to think that I was bragging about this just 8 months ago. I now have 26 short stories, a novelette, and a novella under consideration. Suck on that, Craig from 8 months ago.

Seven short stories under consideration for publication right at this moment. You read that right. SEVEN.

— Craig S. Herndon Jr. (@WriterCraig) September 11, 2014

"The common room was rowdy. There was gambling, raucous laughter, and sexual harassment. It was a two star online review kind of inn."

— Awful Fantasy (@AwfulFantasy) September 16, 2014

Published!

Pleased to announce that my short story, "The Family Ruin," has been published with Asylum Ink Webzine. It's free to read, so go on over there and check it out! Follow the link HERE.

Published!

All right, cool! Just found out that my flash fiction piece, "May This Be Love," is going to be published by Theme Of Absence Magazine on July 10th. Good deal! Celebratory Pokemon GIF incoming!

All right, so, this is pretty weird.

So I'm writing a story about a married couple. Their names are Frankie and Alice. I'd written about 2,000 words of it before I said their names out loud. Frankie and Alice. Frankie. Alice. Frankie Alice. And then, a realization hit me; "I've heard that somewhere before." So I looked it up.

And there it was.

Now, I don't know if this is strictly coincidence, or if by some odd turn of events, I quickly scrolled past this movie on Netflix but my mind grasped onto that sequence of those names. How kookie. In any event, I don't think I want to change their names. I've grown fond of them. Still, though. Weird.

UPDATE:

Now that I think about it, I more than likely subconsciously thought of those names because of these two: That seems much more likely.

Also, in case any of you were wondering...

Here's an accurate portrayal of what it's like trying to become a well-established writer and make enough money off of it to live off of.