Milestone
This week I finished the first fraft of my 11th novel, tentatively entitled ‘Political Secret’.
Though I rarely drink alcohol, I bought a bottle of Jamaican Rum, and for mixing, a bottle of Coca Cola Zero. I wanted to have a celebratory drink with my wife, our youngest son, and a daughter-in-law. I also used the occasion to commiserate with the three characters I had to kill off.
One of those now deceased characters played an important part in the story and it wasn’t until the very end that I knew she wouldn’t survive, cold-blooded character killer that I’ve become.
I've only had tears in my eyes over that sort of thing when I wrote my first thriller, ‘Reversal Point’. Not this time though, much as I came to like Natalie.
With the first draft finished I now have to master my impatience about getting into revision. I’m facing the wait of two or three weeks that experts recommend. I’ve only ever been able to wait a week or less after finishing the first draft of my previous novels.
Luckily I have a business expenses and revenue spreadsheet to prepare for 2016/17 and two tax returns to do. I’ve also got a lot of emails to catch up on, most of them with tips about writing technique, including revision.
In two or three months I’ll be ready to send ‘Political Secret’ to Beta readers and a manuscript assessor.
[Comments on this post welcomed.]
P.S. ‘Rum and Coke’ always reminds me of ‘Happy Days’ style milkbars where, as a teenager, I used to frequently enjoy a drink of that name made in a tall glass from rum milkshake flavour and Coca Cola (with sugar). Ah, nostalgia!
Though I rarely drink alcohol, I bought a bottle of Jamaican Rum, and for mixing, a bottle of Coca Cola Zero. I wanted to have a celebratory drink with my wife, our youngest son, and a daughter-in-law. I also used the occasion to commiserate with the three characters I had to kill off.
One of those now deceased characters played an important part in the story and it wasn’t until the very end that I knew she wouldn’t survive, cold-blooded character killer that I’ve become.
I've only had tears in my eyes over that sort of thing when I wrote my first thriller, ‘Reversal Point’. Not this time though, much as I came to like Natalie.
With the first draft finished I now have to master my impatience about getting into revision. I’m facing the wait of two or three weeks that experts recommend. I’ve only ever been able to wait a week or less after finishing the first draft of my previous novels.
Luckily I have a business expenses and revenue spreadsheet to prepare for 2016/17 and two tax returns to do. I’ve also got a lot of emails to catch up on, most of them with tips about writing technique, including revision.
In two or three months I’ll be ready to send ‘Political Secret’ to Beta readers and a manuscript assessor.
[Comments on this post welcomed.]
P.S. ‘Rum and Coke’ always reminds me of ‘Happy Days’ style milkbars where, as a teenager, I used to frequently enjoy a drink of that name made in a tall glass from rum milkshake flavour and Coca Cola (with sugar). Ah, nostalgia!
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