I’m not done, but I am ready.

The past couple of months, I’ve been working on a project, one that has (unfortunately) taken years to get this far.  But, I’m close.  Really close to being done.

But that’s not what this blog is about.  This blog is about me.

This month, I would focus on why I’ve been blogging about a time period some of my readers may have never seen.   As you will see here, here, here, and here, I’ve barely entered this century to talk about myself.  While that could seem strange, it’s more because of what I shared here regarding the book:  that it was written a while back.

And while I’ve published the book, it’s not actually ‘finished.’  Most of what I’ve shared was with regards what it took to get that much of the book completed since that’s what is available for you to read.  The rest is still with me.

Shortly after overcoming writer’s block (featured here), I restarted the novel and finished the rough draft.  My goal was a ‘novel,’ so I wanted the story to be of sufficient breadth and depth to involve the characters I had created.  I wanted each of them to have a stage on which to perform.  And while the timeframe was very brief for the entire novel (less than 2 months, fact), a lot happened in that two months.

For me though, this was several years of contemplation and plot hole resolving.  I realized that although the main characters had their storylines, I also recognized some of the other characters might need something, too.  Most of those storylines I worked up would never see the light of day because they were just too mundane.  And I already had a lot planned for the few main characters as it was, beyond the ‘completed’ book.

The problem, though, is I had finally finished the book, but a lot had changed by the point in time.  I wasn’t the same person I was when I started the book.  I didn’t feel the same way as the kid who started writing it, regarding many of the things covered in the book.  And life experiences had even changed where I thought the focus should be.  I could notice even in the final portion of the novel how this affected Richards’ view of the whole situation with The Silent Invader.  The story didn’t change though; I did.

This led to an epiphany: Do I go back and rewrite the entire novel?  Do I start over? (actually, I tried that already–that didn’t work). Do I just… go with it?

I decided that I would focus on ensuring the story was preserved, rather than reinterpreting my vision.  I think this was the better option since it allows Richard to reflect the maturity the situation would force him to attain.  I actually had to get old in order to appreciate what Richard would learn in a matter of weeks.  That kid (me) started this adventure I’m on now.  I can now applaud his imagination and drive, along with the support of my family and friends along the way to get to this far.

But I’ve grown up, and so somebody else finished that adventure for him.  From now on, we’re going to focus on that guy (but, bizarrely, still not Me.  I’ll explain at a later date, I’m sure), since he would take over the heavy lifting on the project started in the 20th century.

Next week, let me share what I’ve been working on.

Thanks again for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads (I do a few book giveaways there, so you may want to check it out for that).  Your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.