the mid-year update

I am no better about updating my personal journal than I am at updating this, trust me. But hello! Hi! I promise I'm still alive, I'm still writing, and despite it all I am still slowly releasing short works. But why update you all on this now? Long story short, my (late term) goal going forward is to keep myself more accountable of my writing. That means more succinct posts and more communication on my side, starting with this very post.

So let's try something new. Below you'll find my little mid-year update as well as what's next. Think of this as a tumblr-style blog, alright? And, as a treat, I'll add a little excerpt of my next project at the end. See? We're already totally getting a good grade in Posting ;). So without further ado...

What the Hell Has Francis Been Up To Since December (AKA Why I Haven't Been Posting):

• Let's talk about the big ol' elephant in the room. I graduated college!! And I was really struggling to figure out what that meant for me and my writing career. I jumped right into revising my current project (hint: it's got something to do with T4T enemies-to-lovers, evil white fathers, and the end of the world) and couldn't care less what would happen afterwards. Not the best mindset to be carrying around, yknow? So I've finally taken a break on that project, letting my body and mind reset and recharge before I work on lucky draft #3.

• I also got published... again! I was lucky to work with The Kolob Canyon Review once again as well as Stone Turkey Publishing, a new company located in northern Utah. Both journals have been an absolute pleasure to work with, but goodness---my writing reservoir has finally dried up! Now that all of my previous polished works are published, I gotta come up with new material... wish me luck, pals!

• I moved away from Cedar City, and have finally found work in my new location. If you know anything about my personal life, you know that my area of work is near and dear to my heart, but I refuse to let that get in the way of my writing! Now that I've got a somewhat consistent schedule (and budget), I'll be shifting my writing hours from the afternoon to the evening. RIP my sleep schedule :')

• Started doing musical theatre again. I know, how terrifying!! But goodness has it been excellent to get out of the house to dance and sing and mess around on a stage with a bunch of strangers. And if anything, it's been doing wonders for my creative expression. Who knows? Maybe I'll finally revisit a few of my theater horror story concepts locked up in the writing attic ;)

So What's Next?

• After some deep consideration, I've decided that I will be keeping this blog alive... though some changes may need to be made. I had hoped to do movie/film essays, but my confidence in my consistency is not where it needs to be to make that kind of commitment. What I'm hoping to do instead is a little more low-key... Each month, I'm gonna do a snappy essay-like review on something internet-adjacent. Think of it like a Sarah Z video essay or the world's most annoying Letterboxd review. Sometimes I may talk shop about film, other times it'll be about whatever books ended up in my lap. Sometimes it'll be personal. Sometimes it'll be academic. Either way, you won't be getting rid of me soon! If writing is a muscle, think of this page of Francis's jungle gym. I'd love for y'all to stay along for the ride, but I have no qualms with doing this gig just for myself. (But hey, if you do stick around... feel free to let me know, haha.)

• Outside of this blog, I also hope to continue my Big Apocalypse Novel this fall. It's been in the "pickling stage" for the past month, but you know what they say about distance and fondness. I miss my sweet, messy protagonists, and I can't wait to revisit them soon.

• Short stories, essays, oh my... As mentioned before, my reservoir has dried up! So will we be seeing any more cool Francis Pubs soon? Probably not. Hell, we might not even get any more this year! But does that mean I'll stop? You wish! I've got a couple short horror stories in my vault that I can't wait for you guys to view. If I'm not keeping you up with a nightlight on, am I even doing enough?

Thanks again, for sticking around, you guys. Your love, interest, and excitement mean more than I could ever express. Stay safe, sane, and sappy. Love y'all. <3