Writing Update: October 2008

A couple weeks ago, I completed the first draft of "Stranger On A Quiet Street" which is what I hope will be the first in a new series called "Worlds Collide." Since then, I've been vigorously editing the first draft and I'll probably have all my notes down by the end of this week. Next week, I'll get the edits into the manuscript and I'll have a pretty clean second draft that I can put aside for awhile.

Already, I've started considering what I'm going to write next. My mind continues to circle a concept that I discussed with a friend of mine (Doug Coning) years ago. The kernel of the idea was his so I didn't want to pursue it without at least chatting with him again and getting his blessing to go ahead with it and develop it to my satisfaction.

Last week, I wrote to him and he gave me the go-ahead. There are a lot of research aspects to the world-building that I will need to do and it sounds as if Doug is very interested in bouncing ideas around with me on the subject. So I'm looking forward to that. I'm sure Lori will have some input too and I'll be referring to some of her late father's related documents as well. That's all I'm going to say for now! I don't want to spoil the fun nor do I want to let the concept for the story to slip just yet.

In the meantime, and before I really get the ball rolling on the new story, I'm going to have to keep my editorial hat on for a few more weeks because I owe my publisher a new draft of "Hope For Tomorrow" (Fairlight #2) soon. I might as well get it out of the way so I don't have to interrupt the new story with it. So that will be next, once I finish the second draft of SOAQS.

So that's the update. "Chance For The Future" is still supposedly shooting for a February 2009 release in hard cover. Mass market paperback to follow after. I hope the schedule doesn't shift again.

Teaching Photoshop

Just a quick note to sorta toot my own horn. It appears that I've been selected to teach a class or two on Photoshop here at The Designory (my day job). Details are scant at this time, but it's something I know very well and it's a nice opportunity to get back into the speaking game.

Plus, I guess I get some extra vacation time for doing it. Never a bad thing.

A Blogging Fool

So, in addition to this blog that Lori and I contribute to together and the recently launched weekly Zooming Thru Life blog that I put together to bring my Zooming Thru Life articles to the Internet and promote the Zooming Thru Life series of books, Lori and I have launched another blog that is related to our worship and Bible-study ministry, Launch Pad.

So check out Launch Pad: The Blog. Each month, we'll post the teaching from our meeting and we'll probably have other Faith-related articles as well every once in awhile. I'm hoping for a once-a-week posting, so we'll see.

Celebrate The Milestone!

This week, I completed the first draft of my latest novel: "A Stranger on a Quiet Street" which is the first in what I hope will be a series called Worlds Collide.

It's been a bumpy road for this novel. It was started when my dad was still alive and we were living in Colorado. Since then, we've moved several times and the book has had many starts and stops.

Of course, as Ernest Hemingway said, "The first draft of anything is sh*t." So now the editing begins. Thankfully, despite the interruptions, I had an outline for the novel from the outset and never lost sight of it. I'm pretty sure it will still hold together nicely, even though I have since re-read portions of it that I don't even remember writing!

I'm pretty sure my publisher wants to see it when I have a polished draft, so all the more reason to get crackin.

So even though I'm celebrating the milestone of finishing the first draft, I'm not spending much time in the celebration. There's always more to do.