After several years of starts, stops and disappointments, I finally finished a manuscript. So, pardon me while I say Yeah Me!Since publishing The Eden Effect a few years ago, I've started several projects but not been able to actually complete anything. I was starting to wonder if I could.
Most of these failed projects were intended as novels. I would start off like a house on fire but then burn out a few months down the road for various reasons. As I said in an earlier post, everyday life tends to get in the way. That's a bad excuse, I suppose. Every writer faces challenge, whether it's working a full-time job, raising a family or any number of other circumstances.
The net result, for me anyway, is that I felt like I needed to get a "win" under my belt. Combined with our family's May trip to Orlando and Cocoa Beach, and the idea for In the Sunshine was born. I initially intended for it to be a short story of about 8-10,000 words. It wound up just a shade under 15,000 when I wrote the final scene yesterday.
Most of the story was written in late May and over the past few weeks. In between, I was starting a new job and tending to my mother, who was in and out of the hospital twice. So now Sunshine is in the capable hands of editor Bryon Quertermous. I ran into Bryon over at the Writer's Cafe on KBoards and, as it turned out, we're practically neighbors.
I've instructed Bryon to be brutally blunt about Sunshine. As an industry vet, I trust him to give me the straight scoop about my writing. I'm nervous, of course, but also excited to get his take on my work, what my strengths and weaknesses are. My aim is to publish the story on Amazon and other platforms on Labor Day weekend.
That's almost besides the point. It just feels good to finish what I started for once.
Scotty, not only am I impressed with the new look of your blog, but I'm so excited to hear that you have a new project! Oh my goodness, I'm so proud of you, especially given all you have on your plate. I haven't written anything 'new' in such a long time--just polishing up my backlog. I will be first in line to read "The Sunshine" when you release it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, J.B. I'm pretty happy about it, too. I think the "romantic suspense" genre kind of fits for me. I like thriller/suspense, but I also like the main characters to have a little tension between them.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of debating what my next project should be. From a publishing stanpoint, novels are the way to go. Less than novel length simply doesn't sell that well if at all. But shorts kind of fit where my life is right now ... they're more "doable."
Thanks for the enouragement! I'll let you know when Sunshine is ready.
Email sign-up per your request, JB!
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