I have done a fair amount of writing the past couple of day after not writing on my novel for about a week. This seems to be a good lead in to discuss both my procrastination and my current living arrangements. Both have an impact on my writing.
Procrastination has been my constant companion as well as my life long nemesis. I am sure that this surprises absolutely no one who is reading a blog about a novel I have been writing for over a decade. Once I begin to write, I usually enjoy it intensely, often on a truly spiritual level. Getting started is always the hard part. Even in the midst of a particularly euphoric stretch of writing, I hesitate to get back to the keyboard lest I find that the magic has disappeared. Sometimes the writing is pure work, although it never sinks to the level of drudgery. At those time, I require even more effort to get back to work. Somehow I cling to the fear in spite of the fact that the magic always shows up pretty quickly once I begin.
Procrastination has really had the upper hand on this chapter. Chapter 37, by contrast, gushed forth almost on its own. That joyful state of affairs came to a crashing halt the instant I tried to begin Chapter 38. 38 is one of those chapters that you need in order to get from one point in the story to the next, a square that needs to be filled. Those are always hard for me to write. To make matters worse, I had a choice between two characters that I could use for this purpose, neither of which inspire me to warm and fuzzy feelings. I ultimately chose a minor character that reminds me all too much of who I once was rather than the story's primary villain. That decision has made the chapter less pleasant to write, but has allowed me to explore some important character issues (both in the minor character and in myself).
As I mentioned in my initial post, I am currently attempting to sell a house in Alamogordo, New Mexico, by owner. My wife and I purchased the house not quite one year ago with intentions of living there, at least part time. As it often does, life intervened, and we have found ourselves irrevocably tied to Texas for the foreseeable future. My wife and I decided that we should sell the Alamogordo house by owner, even though that meant that I would have to be here alone a good deal of the time. By the way, I am supposed to finish the novel while I am here. At any rate, one wonderful reason for my week long hiatus from writing was a week long visit from my wife and our grandson.
I supose that I have let this blog distract me from the real work to be done for long enough, so I will close for now. Thanks for listening.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
My Novel So Far
The seeds of my novel were planted over three decades ago while I served as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force. Parts of what I wanted to write about came from my job, but these parts were primarily background. The heart of the story, especially as it evolved in later years, came from what I shall euphemistically refer to as extracurricular activities. So many years have passed since I first put pen to paper that I cannot accurately date the beginning. Suffice it to say, I have been writing this book sporadically for at least ten years. Lest it appear that I will never finish, I need to add that almost one third of my total output has come inn the last three months.
One might wonder why I would take writing time away from the novel itself to write this blog, especially given my track record of procrastination. The short answer is that I believe that writing this blog will help more than hurt. For one thing, this project will help me keep the novel front and center of my overly wandering attention. Second, I do not always have something for the novel, but I need to keep in the habit of writing. At any rate, I look forward to your help keeping me focused and breaking me loose when I get stuck. Even after the first draft is finished, which I hope will be when this blog is still new, there will be much for both readers and me to do. There will be at least wo re-writes and then the truly difficult part, getting it published. I will need all the help I can get.
When I began my novel, I believed that the main character would be a psychopathic Air Force officer disenchanted with his marriage. His problem is that he fears the results of a custody battle should he divorce her. I should note here that the story is set in the 1980's, a time when the judicial preference for awarding custody to the mother was still almost unshakable.I originally envisioned the wife as an utter shrew. The slow pace of my writing turned out to be a blessing; as I grew and evolved, so did my understanding of my character, to the point that the book is now more about the wife.
Grant Adamson, the husband, is a pilot in the United States Air Force, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Grant is one of the best pilots on the planet (if you don't believe me, just ask him). He is also, in Air Force jargon, a "fast burner", meaning that he is advancing through the ranks at a faster pace than normal. He is cold, analytical and devoid of conscience. Although highly intelligent, Grant lacks wisdom, and is thus quite capable of outsmarting himself. This trait figures prominently in his plan for dealing with his marriage dilemma.
Candi Adamson, Grant's wife, is a former exotic dancer who suffers from a sexual addiction centered far more on the approval of men than on physical pleasure. At the beginning of the story, her addiction is being held in check by her love for her preschool aged son, Grant Jr. However, she soon recognizes the need for a more permanent solution. She finds an ally in Felicity Franklin, a recovering cocaine addict and former campus radical. Along the way on her journey to recovery, Candi gets shot, and, as a result, holds Grant's future in her hands. She is currently deciding what to do with that power.
That is a very brief summary of 37 completed chapters, but I do not want to spoil the book for anyone. I will provide more details as I go along, especially when asking for help.
One might wonder why I would take writing time away from the novel itself to write this blog, especially given my track record of procrastination. The short answer is that I believe that writing this blog will help more than hurt. For one thing, this project will help me keep the novel front and center of my overly wandering attention. Second, I do not always have something for the novel, but I need to keep in the habit of writing. At any rate, I look forward to your help keeping me focused and breaking me loose when I get stuck. Even after the first draft is finished, which I hope will be when this blog is still new, there will be much for both readers and me to do. There will be at least wo re-writes and then the truly difficult part, getting it published. I will need all the help I can get.
When I began my novel, I believed that the main character would be a psychopathic Air Force officer disenchanted with his marriage. His problem is that he fears the results of a custody battle should he divorce her. I should note here that the story is set in the 1980's, a time when the judicial preference for awarding custody to the mother was still almost unshakable.I originally envisioned the wife as an utter shrew. The slow pace of my writing turned out to be a blessing; as I grew and evolved, so did my understanding of my character, to the point that the book is now more about the wife.
Grant Adamson, the husband, is a pilot in the United States Air Force, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Grant is one of the best pilots on the planet (if you don't believe me, just ask him). He is also, in Air Force jargon, a "fast burner", meaning that he is advancing through the ranks at a faster pace than normal. He is cold, analytical and devoid of conscience. Although highly intelligent, Grant lacks wisdom, and is thus quite capable of outsmarting himself. This trait figures prominently in his plan for dealing with his marriage dilemma.
Candi Adamson, Grant's wife, is a former exotic dancer who suffers from a sexual addiction centered far more on the approval of men than on physical pleasure. At the beginning of the story, her addiction is being held in check by her love for her preschool aged son, Grant Jr. However, she soon recognizes the need for a more permanent solution. She finds an ally in Felicity Franklin, a recovering cocaine addict and former campus radical. Along the way on her journey to recovery, Candi gets shot, and, as a result, holds Grant's future in her hands. She is currently deciding what to do with that power.
That is a very brief summary of 37 completed chapters, but I do not want to spoil the book for anyone. I will provide more details as I go along, especially when asking for help.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Welcome to my blog.
Welcome to "Rebirth of Innocence", my first serious attempt at sharing myself and the God who is reshaping me through the medium of blogging. I hope that I will have things to say that will challenge, entertain and help at least some of the readers who stumble across this blog. I begin this project unsure of what to fear most, the rejection of having no followers or the responsibility of fulfilling the expectations of a loyal following. I have missed too much already in life because of fear, so I will just jump on in and see what happens.
With an overwhelming number of blogs to choose from, you as a potential reader, are no doubt wondering what this particular blog will offer you. To begin with, I do not know the answer to that question with certainty, and the content will almost certainly evolve over time. For now, I plan to spend most of my blog time talking about my process of finishing my novel, which I tentatively call Rebirth of Innocence, hence the title of this blog. I have been working on this novel for more years than I am yet ready to admit, but it seems to be nearing an actual completion. Along the way, I will share my thoughts, opinions and feelings on just about anything that touches my heart, including politics, movies, television, books and the process of selling a house I really do not want to part with by owner. I hope to offer you a separate post about the novel to this point in the next day or so.
Since you have to decided whether or not to return to and/or recommend this blog, I should let you know something about me. I am a Christian, though some may wish to debate that in this space, especially if I start talking politics. If so, I welcome the discussion. I am also a recovering sex and love addict and a grateful Alanon. Age-wise, I suppose you could say I come from roughly the middle of the boomer generation. I am contentedly married, and my wife, Jean, and I are at least temporarily raising our grandson Zechariah. Zechariah resides somewhere in the Asperger's neighborhood of the autism spectrum. All of these things inform my writing and color how I experience life.
What, you may ask, do I want to gain from this blog? To be honest, I hope that some of you will want to read my novel when I finish it. I also want to share the benefit of my experience and insights, gained mostly from living through the consequences of a legion of bad decision I have made. Finally, I hope to learn from you. I welcome your feedback, so jump in whenever you believe I have it all wrong. From time to time, I may even have specific questions for you. Simply put, I invite you to become part of the process of putting this book, as well as my life, together.
With an overwhelming number of blogs to choose from, you as a potential reader, are no doubt wondering what this particular blog will offer you. To begin with, I do not know the answer to that question with certainty, and the content will almost certainly evolve over time. For now, I plan to spend most of my blog time talking about my process of finishing my novel, which I tentatively call Rebirth of Innocence, hence the title of this blog. I have been working on this novel for more years than I am yet ready to admit, but it seems to be nearing an actual completion. Along the way, I will share my thoughts, opinions and feelings on just about anything that touches my heart, including politics, movies, television, books and the process of selling a house I really do not want to part with by owner. I hope to offer you a separate post about the novel to this point in the next day or so.
Since you have to decided whether or not to return to and/or recommend this blog, I should let you know something about me. I am a Christian, though some may wish to debate that in this space, especially if I start talking politics. If so, I welcome the discussion. I am also a recovering sex and love addict and a grateful Alanon. Age-wise, I suppose you could say I come from roughly the middle of the boomer generation. I am contentedly married, and my wife, Jean, and I are at least temporarily raising our grandson Zechariah. Zechariah resides somewhere in the Asperger's neighborhood of the autism spectrum. All of these things inform my writing and color how I experience life.
What, you may ask, do I want to gain from this blog? To be honest, I hope that some of you will want to read my novel when I finish it. I also want to share the benefit of my experience and insights, gained mostly from living through the consequences of a legion of bad decision I have made. Finally, I hope to learn from you. I welcome your feedback, so jump in whenever you believe I have it all wrong. From time to time, I may even have specific questions for you. Simply put, I invite you to become part of the process of putting this book, as well as my life, together.
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