The Quick Background

The hardest decision I ever made was to follow my dream. I was lucky. The school board, my employee for one year, indirectly made the decision for me. When I finished my Master's degree, I was suddenly too expensive for them. I got the permanent pink slip and a ticket to unemployment. As I have no desire to return to my previous call-center job, I found myself struggling between what is logical and what is fun.

During the first week of my job-less status, I finished a rewrite on my first book, a sci-fi/fantasy story that has been pseudo-finished but rejected by agents for a couple years. I gutted the story, ripping out my rambling backstories and pasting them all into individual files for expansion later. After a little tweaking, I finally had a functional, linear plot with one protagonist I could focus on and some supporting characters that weren't painfully forced into the story. 

The one problem I encountered with this new draft was that it wasn't Book One anymore. I'd shuffled it into sequel status before the edit was finished. Now, the content called for a new novel. I'd get to use the main character's gutted backstory to write a brand-new novel that would fit neatly into my story. I already had a functional outline for the first part of this book from a graphic novel script I'd written and never made. 

So here we go, approaching November... the official National Novel Writing Month (See www.nanowrimo.org/ for more info). I have a few days before our annual Halloween party, and a few days to plan the content. Then I'll be writing a full rough draft for a new novel. I'm excited.

Just a note: Any writer or artist who tells you they're doing it just for themselves is lying. :) As much as I am making the story just the way I want it, I intend to pursue publication to the fullest extent. I'll post what works for me and will graciously receive any advice or comments you have. Don't worry. I don't bite!