I’ve Finished Surviving Immortality

Christmas came a few days yearly this year. I’ve completed work on a project that began over six years ago when I was struck with an idea for a rather challenging novel.

I wanted to write a story that pitted man’s greed against his thirst for violence. That premise and the ideas for a set of characters and circumstances knocked about my head for three years before I put pen to paper and began outlining my thoughts.  As the outline took shape—something I worked with on and off for over a year—the theme metamorphosed into a saga that pitted greed and violence against integrity and compassion. It took me a year to write the first, rather long draft. Then the tedious job of editing/cutting began. Last spring I complete my five rounds of edits and sent the story to my publisher, who accepted the story but had several excellent suggestions. So began the task of working with my publisher, which turned into three more rounds of edits.

I’m happy to announce that I completed the last round of edits today. I’m now finished with the writing/editing phases. Nothing left to do but the final proofread before it goes to print in June. I will send the manuscript back to my publisher tomorrow. Six years of thoughts and conflicting ideas and writing and editing and living with my set of characters has come to an end. I’m finally free to move on.

Now the work of marketing begins. It’s a task I’m not at all accomplished at. It’s the only task having to do with writing/publishing that I don’t enjoy. But it is a necessary evil. Before that begins, however, I’m taking some time off to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from having produced a story I’m truly proud of.