I did a little freelance work this morning, and then I actually sat down and started revising and working on my novel.

Welcome to the State of Beck Address. Here are my talking points:

• I’m going through a midlife crisis. I’m turning 42 in a few months, so this should surprise no one.
• I’ve got two submissions pending, one to an anthology and one to a magazine. I expect to be rejected by both of them. But it’s been about 8 weeks and still nothing, so I’m getting that Rejection Anticipation Anxiety.
• I’ve decided that after all that’s done, I need to step away from writing short stories until I finish my book. I have my hands in too many things, and I’m distracted by all my projects. I must focus on one thing, so I’m going to do so.

That’s that. Maybe I’ll post a video of myself actually giving an address, but it’s not going to happen today.

B