Short Stories, CICADA, and Pre-NaNo Craze

So it's September again. Nearing the end, albeit, but still September. The summer is over and everyone has settled back into school, watching the leaves turn (and the wind blow said leaves to afar).

With September's come, for me, at least, there is also a rise in time to be on the computer. (Ah joy to online school). This means I have more time to write during my breaks, since I have an excuse to stay where I am. I've been using this time on the computer to write, edit, and prepare a short story for publishing in Cicada Magazine.

It's really quite interesting, that mini journey that short stories take us on. As if reading (and understanding) one was hard enough, writing (and understanding) one is exceptionally harder. Anyone who has ever been annoyed by having to pick apart a meaningful short story in English class should really try writing one as such. English class is nothing to complain about. (Although to be fair, writing is much more desirable in general).

Cicada, a magazine that publishes work by teens and young adults, has rejected me before. No biggie - it was a terrible story anyway. All action and no plot. Quite silly and frivolous now that I look back on it. The story that I have now is definitely better. I took quite a lot of time editing the first draft, had it proofread by three people (one of whom is my English teacher), and then edited it again. Now I finally have the finished product. I'll look at it once or twice more before I submit, but from there, I hope things go well. And by well, I mean "I hope I get published." One more good thing to list on a query.

That said, let's look to the not-so-far future.

NaNoWriMo!

My NaNo plans are, so far, quite jerky and seem almost as if they are being sabotaged. I've sort-of settled on a plot centered around Hades' kidanpping and falling-in-love-with Persephone, which means I'll finally get a chance to write from the POV of all those ridiculously animated Greek gods. Oh boy!
On the other hand... it almost seems like a fanfiction. I want whatever I write to be original... but does this count? I am very torn.
The other three or so ideas are just as readily available to be written, but they're either "not right" or it's "not time yet"... It's a very tough Muse vs. Writer battle. And it's been ongoing. ...I need cookies...

Anyway, it's an interesting world out there. So much to do just by writing. I'll make my mark on it one way or another!

Hopefully famous one day,
~Silvermist

P.S. Check out some of my recent art! (Now all of this is original).