2022: The Damage in Review

Another year is soon coming to a close and you know what this means. Yes, it’s time for another news update. Although, at this point, it’d be more honest if I renamed this section of my site “annual musings”, or something of that sort.

What a year 2022 has been! And I’m not even talking about the global shitshow that’s still unfolding on multiple fronts. Somehow, the older I get and the deeper I delve into the craft of writing, the more I am vexed by global news; by how sloppily they are written. I understand the need and uses of propaganda. I get that the freedom the Western world is so boastful about is but a thinly veiled illusion; a lie we keep repeating to ourselves through TV whispers, fueled by consumerism, as we piously offer our devotions at the altar of conformism. In this soul-neutering parody of reality, personal feelings are enshrined higher than intellect, and quiet virtue has been replaced by loud virtue signaling. I don’t have a problem accepting any of that. It’s not like I was expecting anything better. What bothers me though is that the creators of this dominant narrative are doing a sloppy job at it. It’s riddled with so many plot holes and it requires so many leaps of faith to make any sense that it’s mind-boggling. Hire a damn writer already. We’re a dime a dozen.

But, in any case, you’re not here to read my rants about the sorry state of our world but for the excitement and thrill of my writing news.

As all of you undoubtedly recall from my post last year, I was supposed to publish two brand new novels this year, through two different publishers. Yeah, that’s not happening. Why? Well, I don’t think the details are important at this point. Suffice to say that it was for reasons beyond my control. For my part, I seized the day, put in the work, met the deadlines, was all hyped and ready to rock n’ roll but, ultimately, it was out of my hand.

In my twenty years as a published writer I’ve only opted for the subsidy publishing route twice. Once in 2017 and once in 2021. Both times I was bitterly disappointed and basically scammed out of my money. At least in the first case a paperback novel did come out, though poorly edited and even more poorly distributed, for a very limited period of time. I never received any royalties from it and the only time that publisher contacted me was to try and trick me into giving them more money so that my novel would be part of a book fair in Germany. The second time was even worse. The publisher just took my money, didn’t do any editing at all and, from what I understand, never intended (nor was able) to publish or promote anything. Big time con.

I’m not complaining though. I blame myself really. And, sure, I feel like a damn fool for trusting these vultures without doing any research on them first. In retrospect, I should have never allowed myself to be talked into trying the subsidy publishing alternative in the first place. Instead, I should have stuck to my original guns. Sometimes being adaptable and “going with the times” is a very bad idea. At least now I know. I wasn’t a stuck up elitist for mistrusting subsidy publishers; I was right. Better late than never, I guess. From now on, I’ll avoid them like the plague. And that’s my most important New Year’s resolution.

Though 2022 has been quite the expectations-crushing year in terms of publications for me, it has been one of the most productive ones in terms of writing. Most of my time is taken up by academic and professional writing these days, but I’m still going strong on the creative writing front as well. I’m particularly focusing on screenplays, lyrics, and fiction ghostwriting. At the same, time I’m also secretly fleshing out an epic sci fi novel I’ve been chipping at for two years now.

If anything, the past year’s adversities have renewed my focus on what is important in the writing craft and steeled my determination to create captivating and original adventure stories. Not to mention they helped me internalize a gigantic middle finger to expectations and embrace work as its own reward.

And on that note, I would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a lovely New Year!