I printed out the first half of my latest novel today. It's a sequel to THE AQUANAUTS and I've been working on it since its predecessor was published six years ago. Like so many other writers, I've had to make a living along the way. Then there was stopping along the way to write a childhood memoir and now raising the family and spending a deal of my writing energy on a blog. Looking at these 200 pages I can almost see the end and it feels pretty good. Last fall I got a hard and very blunt critique from an honest friend on the first section and it set me on a rewrite that has made a much better book. I'd gotten lost in the weeds and the jolt she gave me sparked a tighter, better paced narrative. (thanks Jackie).
This evening I read the opening to Tio. He liked it and asked me to keep reading for over an hour. Maybe he's an easy audience, but he can be discerning and it was a pleasure to read. I still see lumps and places to rewrite but i like the way it reads, too.
Not an easy thing, writing a novel. Especially such a complex story. It takes time and patience and the end result could be a complete busto. But today's milestone inspires me to move on and get it done and off to my agent and publisher.
Here we go. It was a dark and stormy night...
