Adriana Kantcheva
Dispatches from a writer of what-ifs.
Hello, ,
It's officially autumn, my favorite time of the year. I'm not sure why. It's perhaps because I was born in autumn, or I like the gold and crimson on the trees, or it's the scent of change floating in the air. Change of season, change of life... you never know. I always feel that in liminal times and places, everything is possible.
What I’ve been up to
I'm back from the Milford workshop, where I received groundbreaking (and a little intimidating) feedback on my current novel project. If I act on it, I'll need to restructure the whole manuscript. Yes, for a while there, I had to sit down and take a couple of deep breaths. But now that I've been pondering the suggestion for some time, I feel it's the right thing to do for the story I want to tell. This might set back my plan to start querying by the end of the year by a few months, but once I'm ready, I feel I'll have a much stronger manuscript to show.
While I've been brooding over the novel (brooding, not yet revising), I used the time to focus on short story writing. I've been quite productive in this. The first story is already out on submission, and I hope the other two go out by the end of the year.
Have you checked out my new drabble?
If you haven't visited Story Street Review for some excellent compressed fiction, it's never too late. My drabble "Moth in the Heart" about someone who refuses to propagate the trajectory of generational trauma was selected as a runner-up in their summer contest.
A recent snapshot
One reason I love autumn (and spring) is that, for a while, the days are of the exact right length for me to witness sunrise just when I need to get out of the house. That is, before the dreaded (by me) daylight-savings time shift. Sometimes life sweeps me into the maelstrom of the mundane, but it is sights like this one that jerk me awake and remind me never to forget to notice and enjoy beauty.
Reading and music
Reading: Casual by Koji A. Dae. I might be partial to this novel because it takes place in Sofia, which is the city of my birth. However, Casual was also nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. The story transports the reader to a future Sofia, where some citizens live in a new, modern city under Vitosha Mountain, while others still dwell in old Sofia. Valya uses a gaming implant to manage debilitating depression and anxiety, but when she gets pregnant, the implant might have to come out. This novel examines mental illness from a visceral, insider point of view, which left me thinking about this book for a long time afterward.
Music: On the way to Milford, I stayed with a friend who, apart from being an accomplished writer and folk singer, also represents various international folk music groups. While I stayed with her, I met the Australian/NZ duo We Mavericks. During the several times we sat to eat dinner together, they never boasted how amazing their sound is. I had to find them on YouTube to figure that out. My mind is blown away. I can't imagine two voices more suited to sing together.
Until next time!
Adriana
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