Where Have I Been?

Why revising of course! In January I had a major critique of the novel and received several helpful suggestions. Between February and June I have been pondering what I have learned, not only about the book, but about myself. More than anything else this has been an intense personal journey that has demanded that I sacrifice some ideas and conclusions that are very dear to me.

But that sacrifice liberated my characters and once again they became deeper and even more alive in a plot that never ceases to surprise me. Writing a novel is like skydiving at night in a fogbank. Disorienting, frightening, provoking panic with every change, the process of revision is not for the faint of heart. It’s what seperates the writer from success. Between 2007 and 2011 I struggled to assemble the parts for this tale. Only now is it apparent that I have all the neccessary parts. It is in the assembly and wiring that the device will animate itself.

I have had a wonderful summer with my family, traveling to Jamaica and spending time with Judith, Pauline, Diann, Miss Martha, Robbie and Ann in Roaring River, a small village near Petersfield 45 minutes from Negril. I will be back in Jamaica in October.

Now as the school year approaches, (San Francisco Unified begins on the 15 of August) we are gearing up for the academic challenges ahead. I am trying to work as hard as I can for my wife helps me out in many ways in revising the book. I do bounce ideas off her and she is amazing in her talent and uncanny ability to understand human nature. In many ways, she is my key to understanding.