A Novel Idea

Actually several novel ideas.

I am a writer. I know that now. I’ve said before that I think I’ve always known it. But it took me 50 years to find out that this is what I really want to be doing, what I’m supposed to be doing.

I’ve been working at it more seriously over the past few months. I have a goal. I have a deadline. I have a plan to be a full time writer within the next few years. If things work out as they should, that’s two years.

The last few months have been spent stepping up things here at The Write Side, working more at Richmond Bible Examiner, trying to do more at Bearing Drift. Then there are the clients that actually pay me to write. Those are taking priority.

So, my great American novel hasn’t seen much attention lately. But I’m about to change that.

I have for several years, since 2003 actually, participated or attempted to participate in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). The challenge there is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I have succeeded three times.

What I haven’t done is submit one of those for publishing.

I’m not exactly sure that one of those is my best work. I actually have somewhere between 8-10 finished, partially finished or well begun novels.

And now, we do something about it.

The family is heading to the beach in a couple of weeks. We’re going back to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our first time there since 2010. Last year we spent a great week at Virginia Beach. But we love the OBX.

I’m taking with me my novel drafts, my notes, flash drives and the laptop. Part of my project there is to make a choice. Which of those projects am I going to devote my time and attention to over the next 12 months?

Because at the end of that 12 months, if not before, I plan to have one of them ready to submit to a publisher.

I have a long way to go. I’ve got writer friends who are much further down the road than I. But their work has encouraged me.

I’m not sure if it was Confucius or Harvey MacKay who said “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” but it makes sense.

I’ve worked for over 30 years. Some of it I’ve loved. Some of it, most of it, has been work.

I’m not naïve enough to think that birthing a novel is going to be easy.

But I think I’ll love it.