When indeed. We were sitting at the bar at Sir John A's on Elgin when Adam asked me that question, as perennial as grass. I grinned into my whisky and answered that I was working on something. I'm always "working on something"; it's the finishing that's eluded me. We laughed about my low rate of production then moved on to some other topic of conversation, but it stuck with me--or, more accurately, it came back to me after the hangover had subsided and I was back into the routine of the work week. When will anyone get to read anything?
I've taken up writing mysteries. I thought it would be easier than writing science fiction. How naive! If I'm honest with myself, it's been five years of trial and error, the last year spent reading crime novels and seriously studying their structure while working on different ideas and I've learned that puzzles, which is what a mystery is at it's most basic, are tricky things to craft, or at least craft well. Longer stories also need other things such as character development, best accomplished through sub-plot which must be skillfully woven into the weft and warp of the main plot. So far all my puzzles are too easy or, as is often the case, fall apart at the slightest nudge. It's been "back to the drawing board" a dozen times.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to writing. Other areas of my life that could stand some sprucing up are untouched by that benign curse, but writing often takes a while because if it's an important communication, it has to be right. I've made the mistake of letting something out of the oven that isn't ready and I've regretted it, so you can appreciate why I won't let anyone read a mystery of mine that might fall apart half-way through, so to solve the problem of low production, I've decided to start small with a short story, something around 7500 words, something I can break into manageable chunks and finish (relatively) quickly.
To answer Adam's question, "When am I gonna get to read something?" Soon. Maybe a month, if I can disable my "lazy" switch.
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