Progress: 119,636 words, Twelve Chapters (Eight second draft, Four first draft)

A quiet anniversary went by as I continue to edit my ever-expanding novel. It has been one year since I first began my journey as a novelist.

Over one year ago I typed the first words of Father’s Creed, words that have not survived the editing process. While this is not a milestone of importance for the book, it is one for me as a writer.

I set out to write a book, and I did. After 251 days, I completed a first draft. Then I took a break, started a second novel, then came back to begin editing Father’s Creed.

I am not published. By all accounts, I have not “completed” writing a book to be considered for publication. Nonetheless, I feel accomplished. The editing process is tiring, and is taking longer than I would like, but I’m closer to the end of a second draft.

It’s a different experience from writing the first draft, and now that I’m deep in the process, I feel like that much more of a writer. This blog was created so that I can share my writing journey with all of you, and with this one year mark, I am reflecting on my growth, and it feels substantial.

I get it. I get what it takes to write. The planning, the crafting, the awareness of emotion and plot and leading the reader. I understand when something is working and when it’s not. I am comfortable with objective reading so that I can edit without fear. I have matured as a writer, (The gray beard should have told you that), and I’m still in love with it. After one year on a project, I still have a passion for it. That says enough.

There are still new parts of the writing process to learn and share, but I have built up some confidence now, and hopefully some competence to go with it. I’m very excited to share the book with readers soon, (That’s still a few weeks away), and I’m looking forward to writing query letters, and seeking agents, and getting rejections and considerations. I’m looking forward to holding my work in my hands and see people I never knew before reading my words. I am committed to being a writer and I see a future in this for me.

Thank you as always for your support.

Thanks for reading. Also, be sure to Subscribe and follow.