Salt, Success, and An Announcement

Why Do I Keep Mentioning Salt?

Salt is the reason we are the world we are now. Truly, actually.

Salt preserves food, allowing people to stock up, to feed larger populations, for longer periods of time, even in the off seasons. Salt provides nutrition, keeping us strong. It vitalizes food, inviting new recipes, new ways of coming together for a meal. Salt deposits included other important minerals, like Lithium, which lead to power, energy sources, and life saving medications. Salt melts ice on the road, letting us drive in winter the day after a storm that would have incapacitated our ancestors for a month.

Salt does a lot. There’s more, that, I frankly don’t feel like listing.

It’s started plenty of wars, too.

And, all salt comes from the sea. Even those Utah salt flats, and the mines deep in mountains across the world — these deposits exist, because one day long ago, our world was different. Oceans stretched.

I found myself lamenting the loss of these oceans, and the life that teemed in them, but something else replaced that: an appreciation that whatever powers that be in our universe are kind. Kind enough to let the effect of these long-gone forces to still be seen, to still be used. To still be relevant.

The only constant is change.

Get to the point, you poetic disaster!

The development of the salt trade has become the backbone of a fantasy book about change, growth, and what we owe one another. And boy, I just don’t care if I am the only one in the world who finds that interesting.

A fantasy story of which, the first draft is completed, I might add.

DRAFT #1 IS DONE YEAAAAH

That’s right folks. I,,, finished something. It’s not perfect, but January 2024 Elyse would be so impressed with the current version of me. 124,000 words (hopefully chopping that down quite a bit), a lot of Big Questions, and even more tomfoolery.

It is exciting to have completed a feat.

What lies ahead is daunting though. The multiple following drafts, the sharing it with friends, family, strangers, the querying, the agent-hunting, the marketing, the hoping for success, the defining of success — it all feels like a big cloud over me.

But I get to ground myself with next steps. Small next steps.

• 1: I am going to take a break. I have a novella I hope to work on in the meantime, as I let this book sit.
• 2: I am going to write this blog post, telling the tens of people that read tghis that I have accomplished something, and I am so happy and also so thankful for you.
• 3: I am going to slowly look at publishing options, but moreover,
• 4: I am going in to draft 2 believing in myself, and the stories that I will tell in the future.

So much of this writing thing is a gamble, but the way I look at myself and develop my talents and voice isn’t. So let’s keep on growing together 🙂

Want the Tea?

Anyways, the people reading this I typically,,,know. SO, if you want some insider info, I’ve constructed a World of the Story powerpoint, and a developmental plot synposis. (There’s drawings, maps, spoilers, SALT FACTS GALORE! Oh My!) Text, email, or comment below if you wish for the tea, and I’ll see what I can do 😉

Hopefully, working name “Sage Advice” is going to be on a shelf someday.

Love ya.