So, there’s this novel I’ve
written and will be trying to sell this weekend. If you know me at all, this is not news. That said, if this is your first time here,
ALOHA! Welcome aboard!
My oldest daughter is now
enthusiastically reading my novel, The Last Good Day. I didn’t force her to or anything but I’m glad
she was interested to try it as she’s smack in the middle of the target
audience. I’m also more glad, relieved in
fact that now that she’s plowed through ¼ of it, she likes it and is engaged in
the story.
She’s finding more typos
than I would like, but at this point, I’m still too close to it to even see
them. And it’s been really encouraging
to talk to her about what she likes and what she thinks about the
characters. She knows that there are
some conglomerations of real people and events in the story and she keeps
inquiring about who people are and if certain things actually happened. No spoilers, but there was one anecdote told
in the protagonists’ backstory that actually happened to me in sixth grade
which she found confusing based on knowing me now, but we talked it out.
While it’s been really
fun and reassuring to have her respond positively to the story, I find it
equally if not more exciting that on some level, whether or not this book ever
gets released, I feel like I’m modeling something positive for her and her
siblings. “Bird” as we sometimes call
her loves to write and is working on her own book. When she talks about her publishing future it’s,
“When I publish my books” and not, like I tend to think most of the time, “If I
can convince someone to read the whole thing then maybe…” Her head is in the right place and she writes
for the joy of it. I needed that
reminder this week as regardless of what happens in Philadelphia, I wrote this
book not only out of a need to tell the story but because it was fun to do. There were times that the characters really surprised
me and others where they made me laugh out loud. One way or another it will soon be time for
me to move on from these characters and work on something else. I’ve been wrapped up in this narrative for
over six years now and it is definitely time for them to get out into the
world. I hope I’ll have the opportunity
to share their story with you formally.
Whatever happens with my
pitches this weekend, there’s a reason they call it the writing process. This part is obviously very different from
the heady days when those first thirty pages come flying out faster than you
can type and those amazing moments when your Beta Readers tell you they like it
and give concrete feedback and suggestions to make it better, and then it
does! This part is where I have the
chance to advocate not only for my book but for the characters themselves. They’ve done their part and now, it’s my turn. I hope I don’t let them down.
I’m pretty sure my
daughter is proud of me and that’s very important to me, and so far she likes
it. If my writing never amounts to much
at the very least, it’s given me a chance to connect with her creatively. If it never gets published, I’ll still have
been a model of trying something difficult.
I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t get a chance to find an audience
beyond my household and friends as, I really believe in it. But, should the industry pass and I joins
other projects back on the shelf, then I’ll get to model to my children what a
mature person (not something I’m often accused of being) does when something
doesn’t go their way.
I’ll get to work on the
next thing. And that’s not a bad thing
either. I know my good friend Freddy
Pinkerton is waiting for me to get back to his story…
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to peruse the other columns
here-they aren’t all about writing. Many
of them cover our years in Hawaii, Craft Beer, my family, Sports, and of course
there are “The Duster Chronicles” from a few years ago. Feel free to contact me through the comments
as well. Mahalo for now!
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