Final notes on printed pages, wearing the same sweater for the 3rd day… this is what it looks like to be close to the end of a first draft
Your circle matters
I met a writer recently. She’s hugely talented and motivated, willing to do the work. But her husband isn’t a fan of the writing. He thinks it’s a waste of time, the odds too much against her. I don’t want that to matter for her, but it does. It matters so much to have the support at home… for the days when it’s hard. And there are a lot of those days.
Unexpected hobbies
One thing to come out of the pandemic is that I’ve learned to bake bread. I even have my own sourdough starter. And when the news is all bad and the world is shutdown, fresh bread tastes pretty darn good.
Dark Humor
With the pandemic seeming to stretch into forever, I’m finding my humor is growing increasingly dark. I could see this mug in my cabinet. But I guess the good news is that I’m still laughing…for now
Giving back
Like many of us, I’ve been deeply impressed by the medical community’s efforts during the pandemic and while I write from the point of view of a medical doctor, I’m certainly not one myself. (I veered off the course of medical school early on to try to be a writer.) But, I have recently become a volunteer at our local hospital and it feels really good to be involved in some small way.
The final stage
There is nothing quite like holding your completed book in your hands. But this final stage, the page proofs, is its own bit of thrill. There’s the excitement at how close the final version is, but also a true sense of nervousness that this it the very last chance to catch any errors and typos that have snuck through uncaught.
What happened to the bride?
Saw this bouquet abandoned during a stop in a small town on a driving trip last week. A cold wind and a slate sky, the scene was eerie. I started to wonder…
Where is the bride? Why leave your bouquet behind? What happened to you?
Celebrating the draft
Soon, there will be edits and rewrites and another book to write. But today, I celebrate the completion of book two of the Badlands Thriller Series, Far Gone. With blue champagne, to boot.
