I said some time ago that I’d returned to the draft of an early novel. Many months and several drafts later, it’s done! The characters have sharpened up their acts, the plot has twisted like a corkscrew into a reasonable Malbec and the one-liners have dutifully presented themselves for inspection. That’s my opinion. Now it’s time to see if people of judgement think it’s worthy of winning their competition. I’ll keep you posted.
Although writing this novel has been a hefty commitment it’s also been a lot of fun. Being taken by surprise by the characters made me chuckle more than once. Tying loose ends was a sneaky pleasure. And the smell of red herrings stirred into the plot was always a guilty delight. Did I say this was a crime novel?
Actually finishing the novel was also very satisfying. Those who’ve been encouraging me will no doubt be breathing deep sighs of relief and going about their slightly less-cluttered lives. But the trusted friends who acted as terrific constructive critics during the gestation period aren’t quite off the hook yet: I want them to read the whole thing again. Sshhh!