MONDAY (ANOTHER ONE): I'M STILL HERE

Yes, I am, I promise. I’m just very busy, not much time or energy, emotional and physical, for posting anything. Here’s why.

I’m in the final phase of publishing my first novel, Return to Rainbow Ridge. It sounds simple, but I’m finding the final edit of a novel is by far the hardest part of writing a book. I’ve written about that before. It goes beyond just correcting errors and conflicting scenes. In a way, I’m writing a new novel. H, the characters, plot, settinfgs, and ending are pretty much the same, but all the details that fill in all the spaces between are subject to revision, sunstitution, or outright removal.

For me, it’s not just the nature of the choices to be made but the sheer volume of them. Everything is up for grabs. And my editor’s feedback cause me to quesiton much—most—of it.

Add to that the fact that this will be the last chance I ahve to get it right. No one else is ehre to twell me yes or no in the final decisions I’m making. It will be the readers, if any, who will do that from here on.

On top of that, I’m working on the second book, Rule Number One. I’m not only writing the first draft for review by my critique group, but I have just a few days left to ready my submittal of it for the annual Oklahoma writing contest.

And, oh yes, there’s the rest of my life to add on top of that, the more or less “normal” part. It makes for a sizeable “to-do” list. I wish I had more time, or more precisely, more energy. But—I do what I can with the resources I have.

Moving forward, that’s the secret—no matter how slowly.