Been Busy Being a Busy Bee

I've neglected my blog horribly over the last six weeks as I focused my attention on editing the book, which I plan to have available on Kindle this Friday. The cover art is done. The rewrites are done. All I am doing over the next few days is playing Typo: Search and Destroy with the hope it will be as error-free as possible.

The response so far has been very positive. It feels like a child is leaving home - you can't shield it anymore and you probably screwed some things up, but you have to let it go and get on with things! (For example, the 2nd novel that is being outlined already ;) )

Belated Update: 1st Draft Done

Novel 1st draft - done!

I finished it last Sunday evening and have subsequently spent this entire week typing...and typing....and typing. And I'm still not done!

I've typed over 110 pages this week, in between work, family, and fun, and have about 30-40 more to go. Then it's on to editing and more editing.

Excited to see it coming together!

One Week Left: First Draft of Novel

I'm close enough now that I'm going to go out on a limb and say the first draft will be complete 1 week from today.

But immediately I have to put a caveat to that and say that it won't actually be readable that day because more than 1/2 of it will only be in a spiral-bound notebook that is rarely out of my sight.

It makes me more than a little nervous that I have 100 hand-written pages (closer to 125 when typed) that exist on paper only. I'm a product of this time - while I love the feel of pen and paper I only feel something is permanent when it's in an easily reproducible computer file.

So, one week until the draft is complete, at least another to type it up, a couple of weeks more to implement changes I already have in mind...might be ready for real editing at the end of June.

The pace is slower than I like but I know it would be a grave mistake to rush it out and not try to make it the best it can be. I've learned a lot from the short story and I want to make sure those lessons are put to good use.

1 week.

I wonder how long it will take to give it a real name? Calling it no-name-novel, or novel-of-40-names, is getting a bit awkward.