Delay of Game

Being a writer means taking an honest look at yourself, your words, and the way you communicate in all aspects of your craft. It can be cool, but also a bit humbling. Okay, quite humbling.

I am editing the first third of In the Name of Duty over the next week or so. Now, I began this story years ago but set it on hiatus as other aspects of my life took over the "writing" part of my brain. (I don't get it either, entirely, but I can't argue with my cortex. Okay, I can, but I don't.) I was really pleased with how the dialogue ran and so on, and felt it would just be a matter of refreshing my memory on the times and seasons involved in the novel to pick it up and continue typing.

I was in error.

It's not that I wasn't a good writer before – I believe I was. It's just that my sense of structure has (I hope) improved and matured over the time this story has been waiting for me. I find myself editing instead of just reading. I printed out the entire first third of this novel, hole-punched it and tucked it into a brand-new binder complete with a "cover" to keep me focused. Once I am finished inking up this draft, I plan on continuing this. I believe it will be novel number twenty-five. I think.

All of which is to say that I am really relieved that this story will be getting the SandiLayne 4.2 upgrade. It will be a better story because of the delay I had between beginning and ending. If you are feeling discouraged by a delay of game in your writing (or other artistic endeavor) try to shake it off. The delay could be the best thing to have happened.