It's mid-December and the sands are blowing outside my window. I'm just 70% above my writing target. I can now see the handful of scenes I need to write to complete the novel I'm writing, and I'm both thrilled and terrified at the same time. But overall, as of today anyway after completing a scene, I am beginning to feel a sense of relief that I am accomplishing the task I set out to do one year ago.
Recently, I thought of another couple books that have deeply influenced me and my writing: On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson, and Candide by Voltaire.
On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition
Winesburg, Ohio (Bantam Classic)
Candide (Dover Thrift Editions)
I have a week off to write instead of teach due to Al-Eid holiday in the UAE. So I am going to get as many scenes finished as possible while juggling my time with my family, especially since my super cool step-son Max (and personal investor) is coming to visit. Meanwhile, in the evenings I am reading my manuscript aloud to listen for anything that sounds stilted or wrong, and rewriting in the rare moments I have when I'm not power writing. I've also emailed the first batch of 50 words out to a few people. After the first polished draft is complete, I plan to ask as many of my friends as possible to review the manuscript while I am in Spain for a couple weeks in January researching my setting on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
By the way, I am pleased to announce that my nonfiction The Long Distance Relationship Guidebook has been doing well at the online bookstores.
The Long Distance Relationship Guidebook
Sylvia Shipp
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