Once upon a time, in 2001, a young professor, fresh out of graduate school, decided to see if she could still write fiction.
She could, and the writing that resulted from her experiment then grew into a very large, very elongated, very complicated story. She wrote one of the middle ones first, but she didn’t do it quite right. This wise man on top of a mountain told her to write the first one first. She stammered and stuttered a bit, but realized that there was wisdom in this. So she did.
Because writers are what they are, she had another couple of projects to finish, and a novella to take yet another crack at, and some short stories to make her feel less of a hermit to write and send out. She did these things too, and maybe that’s why she took 3 years from the time of the wise man’s words to the time she had actually finished the first book, almost exactly three years to the day she received that advice.
Today, I finished The Vessel of Ra, which is the first book of the Klaereon series. Oh, there’s still work to be done. Tomorrow I begin an out loud reading, followed by an application of the 10 percent solution, all the while looking for as many mistakes as I can. The book is there, finally, and I can make these kinds of changes.
Today, after 1:30, I took the rest of the day to walk and reflect. I’ve finished books before, but this book? These characters twisted me in all sorts of ways, and made me work hard. I am proud of this book. It is Gothic and the mythology is interesting. This is a story I wanted to tell, in my own voice. I am proud to put my name on this book.
Today, I am a satisfied and happy writer.
Hurrah and huzzar.