Da Works

Well, it’s winding down to the end of the year and I could not let the new year pass without saying a few things about my journey of writing and what I’ve learned.

I meant what I said about writing novels now instead of novellas. And, like I always do, I am drifting between three separate novels. So here are my works in progress and my thinking behind them.

THE BIG SCI-FI BOOK – God, feels like this one has been going on forever and yet every time I come back to it, I am encouraged to time travel back to the 1940’s again and again. I’ve always wanted to write an immersive, exciting, mind-bender of a novel and I feel that this one is leaps and bounds better than what I’ve written in the past. I know its more ambitious because I’ve done a lot of research on it. But the main thread is to make the story enjoyable and not bogged down with facts. I’m trying to write it in such a way that once you’re done with the journey, you’ll want to read it again. (25,000 words in.)

WORKING WOES – This book is a memoir of my working life. The one I’ve always kept in the back of my mind and just now am I willing to brave the storm and write it. I say brave the storm because I’ve found that this is not just revisiting my work life from 2003-2014 but it has also become a poignant discovery of some extremely difficult times. I’m not very public with my feelings because I tend to be self-deprecating. I’m more willing to deal with depression or outright numbness through writing than to ask for help. Writing about my work life has become more therapeutic and cathartic than I ever imagined. It’s made me laugh at the fun times I had at jobs I liked and groan whenever I encountered an awkward situation or one of the many setbacks that were put in my way.  I find myself barreling through and breaking new ground and happy to say that this process has really given me closure. And if that inspires a person to tread carefully when entering the workforce, then I am grateful. (14,000 words in)

THE HOUSE – With each novel, I try to do something different. But I also like to set some of my stories in the past for nostalgic purposes. This one is set in the seventies. It’s kind of my take on the classic movie The Old Dark House. But it goes much deeper. There are twists and turns galore. I wanted to tap into a horror that was both psychological and suspenseful. I have no idea when this title will see the light of day. But I’m encouraged to write more because this is one of the few novels that I have fully mapped out in my head. And that’s really saying something. (4,000 words in.)

2018 was a heavy workload kind of year. I've narrated some wonderful works from Shirleen Davies, Mark Cisper, Jamie Davis, Morgan Cole, Washington Irving, Lao Tzu, Leslie North and Brian Knight. My daughter is growing up and she really loves reading! My business is growing and I'm learning new things every day. The house is still be fixed up but its almost finished. I'm excited to see who I will be narrating for next and what new stories I'll be able to conjure up.

New year means new goals.

So, for 2019, my new year's resolution will be to write a chapter a day.

Thanks for reading.