Catching Up

I can’t believe my last post was in November.

In case anyone has been worried, yes, I’m still here, and yes, I’m still working on the book.

I was talking to my mother tonight, and she mentioned she would like to see a new blog post. I told her that at some point, I ran out of anything to say other than, “Still working on the book.”

Writing a book is many things, but glamorous isn’t one of them. It’s mostly just me, sitting at my computer, alone, usually late at night, writing, writing, and writing some more.

To the outside observer, it can be a little like watching grass grow. You don’t notice much from day to day, but progress is being made.

There are weeks when I can write a number of evenings in a row. And then days or even a whole week can go by when I don’t have time to write at all.

But as my friend Cliff says, the story is always there when you come back to it. In fact, it’s on my mind even on days when I don’t write. I can be folding laundry or driving down the road, and something about the book will pop into my mind. Maybe some dialogue between characters or a plot point working itself out.

This happened over the weekend, when I realized that something I had put in a chapter was going to come to play in a later chapter. And I didn’t even do that on purpose, but I love it when things work out like that.

I wish there was a short cut, a simpler way to get what’s in my mind onto the page. But there is no secret to writing. You just have to show up and do it. Little by little.

Cliff was right when he said that writing is a battle won by inches, not miles. Tonight I spent a little over an hour writing and had around 850 words to show for it. That was only 3 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper.

This brings my grand total so far to 13,848 words and 38 pages. Most novels run around 80,000 – 90,000 words. So, I still have a ways to go. But thanks to my outline, I have an idea of where I am going, and that makes getting there a little easier, more attainable.

I’ll try to think of something to update you guys on again soon. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!