In recent days, I crossed another writing milestone. The Novel has a count of more than 30,000 words. It would have had more, but after writing a scene I realized it didn't settle well with me and I edited most of it out of existence, salvaging what I could. It meant I shifted from 32,000 words back down to just over 30,000, but I felt better about the story. I believe in-the-moment edits are worthwhile, as long as they are not distracting. If the problems are glaring enough during this most initial phase of writing, I may as well put the time into making it right now instead of later, when the ideas and inspiration aren't as fresh.
I'm at a point in The Novel where I've deviated from the main Point of View characters to introduce another perspective. Potentially there will be two new POV characters, but I haven't decided yet if one of the chapters will stay where it is (or be removed all together); I may move it further up in the order necessitating another chapter or two from that character before reaching the conclusion of "Act I".
Sometime during the past week, I've had two people ask me about The Novel and present the inevitable question of "What are you writing about?" This is always a wonderful question to ask, and it delights me when people take the time to show genuine interest in my writing. In some ways it's encouraging, and a boost to keep writing and keep adding those words to the total. But it always has the down side as well. Just as magicians never reveal their secrets, most authors aren't going to tell you the what too far in advance. It's like having a really really really really great secret. Once it's told, the secret isn't as awesome because it's out there, in the open.
Spilling the beans too early means the desire or the need to keep writing goes away. If I give the premise of the story away, there's no real reason to continue spending hours a day writing.
By the same token, I know there have been a lot of people keeping an eye on where this is going and I appreciate all the support. I hope that one day I can write one of those amazing acknowledgements that gives me the opportunity to thank my friends for the support during the creation of The Novel. For now, a generic thank you is presented to all of you, and because so many people are curious, I've decided to share a sample from The Novel. I'm not telling you anything of the context, the character or the part of the story that this takes place, but here you go:
He was a stranger to this place and the despair he
felt was all his own.
Hope you enjoyed your preview of The Novel. Some day, maybe you'll come across that sentence again, and you'll remember when you first read it here. Until then, keep doing what you do, and be excellent to one another!
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
Maya Angelou
