National Author’s Day
Monday, November 1st, was National Author’s Day. I won’t officially become an author for another two weeks, National Author’s Day had a real meaning this year. On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, I will release my debut novel on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It has been almost ten years since I began this journey.
April 5, 2014
I printed a note to myself: I’m going to write a novel and get it published. I’m going to do it because writing a novel is worthwhile and because I have the talent to do it. I’m going to do it because I have something important to say to the world. I refuse to let anything get in my way.
I printed it out, signed it, and posted it on the bulletin board above my desk at home. Though I don’t know where I got the idea, it served as a reminder to me when I got stuck or didn’t know how to proceed. I would write every day during lunch at work. The first 40,000 words poured onto the page as I wrote long-hand in a spiral notebook. Then I got stuck. I knew how the story started and ended, but I didn’t know how to flesh out the story to make it a novel. But, the note reminded me of my goal.
Getting Unstuck
I bought a book, Writing Fiction for Dummies, (https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Dummies-Randy-Ingermanson/dp/0470530707), which introduced me to Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. (https://www.ingermanson.com/) It helped me organize my thoughts and the plot into a story that could become a novel. During the downtime on writing, I copied the hand-written manuscript to the computer, though I still had difficulty finding the time to write. When I retired from my job, I still only had about 40,000 words, though I had developed a Character Bible and other background information for the story. Since my retirement nearly three years ago, the novel has expanded to over 80,000 words.
Finished Product
I have edited and rewritten it several times. Critique partners, beta readers, editors, and a proofreader have all read it and made suggestions. I have documented some of this journey in previous blogs (Book Update and Website Changes), and now I stand on the threshold of becoming a published author. I may not have taken on writing a novel if I had realized how much work learning how to write involved. But with the constant reminder of the note above my desk and the encouragement of my wife and others, my first novel is complete.
Now, I am both excited about the release and afraid that no one will buy it.
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