I’ve decided to publish short stories here.

I do not write in a way that fits with current lit mag aesthetics, and every attempt to do so has been folly. When I write with that goal, I find I am no longer writing the way I want to. I am not writing for me, or for my CP, or for the same audience that my novels are meant to speak to. I am writing for a lit mag editor who I can already hear rejecting me as I put words on the page. I thought this was a good strategy to help me collect writing credits. It probably is, but in practice, I can’t. With the pressure to match a certain style, my writing grinds to a halt, and I am stuck in a cycle of revising and scrapping and starting over. That doesn’t happen when I’m writing what I want to write.

            So, when I receive my final rejection for my new short story, The Farnen, I will publish it here. I believe there is an audience for my work as it is. It may not be the same audience as the one that reads short stories in literary magazines, but it might be an audience that would like my novels. That’s what I’m really hoping for: to reach people who would enjoy my larger works, like my upcoming self-published novella, Webs and Iron. I am going to keep writing shorts to give glimpses into my style, my voice, and my fantasy world. I am going to publish them here so that you can read them and see if that world has anything to offer you.  

            I have not abandoned my dream of traditional publishing. I just hope to build a bit of a readership first. Maybe offering a few brief forays into my writing could help with that.

            There should be a new story here within a month. I’m so excited to share it with you.

Paul R Monarch