Hi Reader,
Noble Legacy will be the fourth and (possibly) the final book in the Emma Noble series. I'm not nearly as far along as I'd hoped to be.
I’ve started it four times. I think. I kinda lost count.
Sorry about that.
But don't worry. I've been thinking about it. And I heard someone once say that thinking about your story qualifies as writing.
Except... it's really not. Writing is writing.
I have excuses. Being caught in the emotional riptide of Kath's diagnosis made writing a lower-level priority.
Then there was the time-suck of getting Noble Reckoning out into the world.
And then there's the third excuse.
Procrastination.
I'd love to blame that one on something outside my control. Unfortunately, I can't.
So that's where things stand. Three novels complete and trying to get the fourth one in gear.
Again.
Welcome to my writing process.
Beginning a novel is kind of like building a stone wall across an empty field.
The problem is I'm never quite sure where my wall is going to begin. I just know I need stones. A lot of them.
Each morning I walk up the stairs into my writing room and look for a rock.
Not just any rock. The right rock. One that will make a solid foundation for everything that follows.
I spend time considering the size. The shape. Where to put it.
Eventually, I make my choice. Then I spend the rest of the day pushing, pulling, dragging, and rolling the damn thing across the field.
By late afternoon my brain hurts. I'm tired. But I'm also exhilarated. I've done it.
The first stone.
I stand back to admire my work.
Hmm.
It sure doesn't look like a stone wall. It looks like a big, stupid rock sitting in the middle of an empty field.
And now I begin to wonder.
Did I choose the right stone? Is it in the right place? Maybe I should have started with something smaller. Or bigger.
I'm not sure what the problem is, but I know it needs fixing.
So the next morning, instead of finding another rock to place beside the first, I decide to move it. Or start again and drag a different boulder to another corner of the field.
I can spend three months doing this. Check that. I usually spend three months doing this.
Hauling boulders around. Changing my mind. Starting again.
Eventually, I've got a field full of rocks, none of them particularly close to each other.
And not a wall in sight.
Excellent work, Andy.
All those boulders? They're attempts at the same thing.
Building the perfect Chapter One—trying to get the opening of a novel just right. Polishing sentences. Rearranging scenes. Making sure I've chosen the perfect place to begin.
Three months.
On one chapter.
And guess what happened to those beautifully polished beginnings?
Not one survived.
In all three novels, somewhere along the way, I discovered that the story needed to begin somewhere else.
The perfect first chapter turned out to be the wrong first chapter. That rock never belonged in that wall.
This week I caught myself doing the same thing at the beginning of Noble Legacy.
Looking for the perfect rock.
I have to admit, this is getting a little ridiculous.
Maybe it's time to try something different. So, I will. Instead of obsessing over where the wall begins, I'll just start laying stones and see where they take me.
I might end up tearing the whole thing apart.
Wouldn't be the first time.
So here we are. Kath's doing great. Noble Reckoning is out in the world. The launch is in the rearview mirror.
And I'm all out of excuses.
My butt is firmly planted in the chair above the garage and I'm writing again.
I'm behind schedule. I can't promise when the next Emma Noble novel will be finished.
But I may have learned something about how NOT to start one.
There's a rock out there in my field.
I'm not sure it's the right one.
Of course I'm not.
But I'm going to leave the damn thing alone.
And go find another.
Happy Friday!
Andy
P.S. Check out Syd's Corner below. She reviewed some great books this month.
