7/16/2016

Summer 2016 Update!


Summer is racing by, and it occurs to me that I haven't posted to my blog in a while ... so here we go.

Big changes are afoot in my world. Thanks to decades of hard work on her part, and a fantastic job opportunity, my wife will soon be the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Landmark College, in Putney, Vermont. We're selling our house and moving to nearby Westmoreland, NH.

As a natural result of this change, I resigned from my teaching position of nearly 20 years with the Lake Placid Central School District. Managing the move and buying/selling houses is a busy and stressful process.


My previous pattern of writing my novels in the summertime won't work this time around, Gail and I knew that going into the changes that face our family, but I can't (and don't want to) stop my practice of regular writing.

To that end, I've been working on a series of shorter works, and my plan is to release a collection of short stories and novellas (and maybe some poems). I find that I'm better able to hold focus, and write to completion, on pieces with smaller scope.

The fantastic side-benefit I've found while exploring this kind of writing more recently is that I can give my imagination freer rein (or reign), and write about subjects I might not otherwise wander through.


I've written a couple of pieces about dogs and living in the Adirondacks, am working on a few cyberpunk and tech ideas, and have one creepy medical/parasitology story (with a few more on the way).

I'm finding that the gremlins in the dark alleys of my mind are adapting to this new pattern/practice by serving up a host of new ideas that I ordinarily would dismiss, but now funnel into my memory dump (aka Google Keep) for internal percolation and organization and development.
The thing I'm finding hardest about the prospect of moving is leaving the writing and reading group that I helped form a few years ago, and that is just now coming into its own. I'm not by nature an outgoing person, but the work/play of exploring great books on writing, taking chances on writing activities, and discussing the similarities and differences in our processes with this wonderful group of creative people here in my corner of the Adirondacks has opened up twin experiences to me: friendships within and about the world of writing, and a new depth to my understanding of how and why I write.


I will truly miss all of the people and activities I've been able to enjoy through the Adirondack Writers Guild for the last few years, and can only hope that I can plug into a similar group in our new digs, once we've moved south and east from here.

I'll still be active in the Adirondacks, even after we move. So much of my writing and writing world is here that I couldn't simply walk away, even if I wanted to, which I don't. I've got bookclubs and library readings and artwalks and signings and other events throughout the summer and fall;  I'd love to keep dropping into AWG events for as long as they'll let me.

All of my Tyler Cunningham books are set in the Adirondacks, and this region will always be a part of my writing, and my life ... that being said, I'm really excited for the next thing, and will keep you all posted on developments as they occur.

Thanks,

Jamie