I will write again…These were the words I said to myself as I hit the send button on the final draft of my E publication Pacific Flyways. I spent an intensive couple of weeks getting my e publication off the ground and when it was done I sat back with a satisfied self-congratulation. Little did I know that the process of resuming fresh material would be so difficult.
After a couple of days of rest I sat down to take up my third novel, a nano-tech thriller, and sequel to Pacific Flyways. This book, tentatively titled Small Details was about 20K words in but I suddenly found myself floundering. The plot line petered out and notes I’d written seemed vague and aimless. I had stumbled into an immense writers block.
I’ve been told that when word crafting grinds to a gumbo of literary mush, one should read, read, and read. I retreated to one of my favorite authors, Lee Child. I got a hold of one of his titles, 61 Hours. After the first evenings read, I was awakened by a 4 AM epiphany. I made a few notes and with fresh vigor, the story has taken off again.
I wonder how many other authors have suffered the same dilemma after throwing their first book into the public market?
I recall exactly that, submitting to page after a 4 AM epiphany, words that finally made some sort of sense. Grabbing that last cup of coffee, and with a surge of literary genius, compiling phrases and story lines that flowed into one concise, all encompassing explanation of events that couldn’t make details clearer unless you had used a HD Camera. Then suddenly without warning, my head dropped yet again to the desk, where on this occasion, my lip caught the coffee cup spilling its’ contents on the four words of the report I was attempting to complete after my last midnight shift on a Sunday morning at now, 6:55 AM. Scalding my left hand which had fallen asleep holding my head to at least some degree. I once again have to face the stark reality that this effort will not only fall short of winning any literary award, it hasn’t a hope in hell of making it past the watch commander’s prevue!!!
Awaiting your most recent work Brock congrats…