February 18, 2008 - High Hopes

A publisher has finally requested a manuscript of The Token. Now I enter a different phase of the journey. It will probably months before I hear back from them and then the odds are I may not like what they have to say. Now I press on with The Source. This novel is about 90% complete before all the editing begins. Who knows how long it will be before anyone shows interest in it. So, I put my hope in Christ and continue to write. If you would like a little teaser about The Source visit SavantDoorway.

January 24,2008 - And the Beat Goes On

Just when I felt I was going into a writer's slide I find out three more of my short stories are due for publication within the next month. When they are out, I will let you know. A first for me was Editor's Choice in the Master's Division at FaithWriters.com. While all true writer's write because it is who they are, a little validation doesn't hurt. Maybe there's someone in your life who could you a pat on the back or a well done. Think about it.

November 27 - Lessons from a Ball Game

My oldest son and I just got back from the LSU-Arkansas football game. It was everything a college football game should be: pre-game tradition, 92,000 fans, cold, excitement. Like all good novels the day had three acts.

Act One: The protagonist and storyworld are introduced. The Tigers (of course) were the heroes. I've pulled for them through good times and bad for all of my adult life. The campus is a storyworld to itself. It's a fantasy world where the characters all dress in purple and gold, wear ridiculous outfits, and speak a language only characters from that world could fully understand. There is also an antagonist (the Hogs of Arkansas). Though vastly inferior, they still have their own powers (Darren McFadden) which can destroy the heroes if they are not careful. One is pursuing a national title while the other strives to grasp the Heisman Trophy. And then, after a faced-paced introduction the heroes reach their first doorway (the kickoff). There's no turning back now. The game has started and must be finished.

Acts Two: As in all good novels, this second act occupies the majority of the work. For four hours protagonist and antagonist engage in a battle of epic proportions. There are lows (the first half) in which neither seems worthy of much attention. There are highs (the second half) in which both hero and villain prove worthy of our time and attention. By now, all in attendance are part of the storyworld. Even the novice sitting behind me who has never been to a college game is screaming passionately for the demise of the antagonist.

My wife, who seldom watches football, calls me from Florida to ask how I'm holding up. My youngest son calls from Niagara Falls, of all places, to see how the game is going. Why are these strangers calling me? I have no time for either. They are not part of my world at this moment. All that exists is myself, my son, the team, and the 92,ooo other characters in this tale of good vs evil. A second doorway approaches (overtime). Resolution to this conflict must be found. And soon!

Act Three: Though brief compared to the first two acts, these last pages bring the story to a conclusion none could have anticipated when it began. Three overtimes ensue. Who will win? Who will lose? Is the hero worthy of our admiration and passion? Is the villain really so evil? Touchdowns are made and then called back. Thousands boo and cheer in one collective voice. And then one last pass falls to the ground and the place grows silent. We are number one no more. LSU has lost. A hundred miles later when my son and I can finally talk about the story we realize something. While it didn't have the predictable ending we had hoped for, it sure was one wail of a story. One to remember for a long time to come. ough

August 5, 2007 - Time to Let Go

One of the hardest things to do in writing is to let your story go. By that, I don’t mean to throw it away (though that temptation does come from time to time). What I mean is to trust it to others and time.

When our sons reached adulthood my wife and I had to let them go. Let them go to their own dreams and directions. Let them go to their future wives and extended families. Let them go to a future we had no control over. Since then their story has changed somewhat from the way I would have written it. There’s been a lot of editing and revision in their life. But as time passes I can see the value of those changes.

Now I have sent my first-born novel on its way to an outside editor. Can I trust the story to another who did not birth it and raise it? Time will tell. But if a novel is like children, I had better. In my infant journey as a writer I have already learned the publishing world is filled with strange twists and turns. It is fraught with elevated hopes, dashed promises, delays, victories and bitter rejections. It is a journey that requires perseverance, patience, and humility.

And so its time to let The Token go. Perhaps one day soon you will see it on the shelf of your local bookstore. Of course, even if you do, it may well have a different name and look somewhat different from what it does now. Or it may forever remain in my heart to be shared a few close friends have embraced it as well. That’s all in God’s hands. I have to let the story go to a future I cannot control.