Yes, I'm still here. And still plugging away. A lot has happened in the past couple of months. More so in my life than in my writing. A couple of road trips (pleasurable), family illnesses of both immediate and extended family (not so pleasurable), the selling and purchasing of vehicles (both pleasurable and not so pleasurable) and the routine time burners of day-to-day life. Come back soon. I may have a couple of additions on my Freebies page...and I might have an excerpt or two from my novel. Who knows? I might even have my novel!

I recently read a Paul Simon interview.  He said:

"A lot of people believe first idea, best idea, but I don't. I'll sing a song many, many times before I get the vocal I want. I re-write songs, not because I'm trying to make them more commercial, but because there's something about them that's unsatisfying to me. My thought is that the ear always goes to the irritant and, eventually, you find the thing you don't like in a song and that's got to go. Sometimes it takes me a year or two. I'll be in denial about it. But once it goes, then I'll try and fix it."

Paul put into words (perfectly) why I am so frustrated with my writing...and why I have taken so long to publish this novel. Each time I reread one of my manuscripts, making edits as I go, I tell myself I've done a great job...it's ready for publication...but, just to be sure, I'll give it one more read. And then, like Paul said, "my ear goes to the irritant" and I find myself changing tons of wrong that seemed so right.

For those of you have been reading my blog, I apologize for taking so long to make another entry...and especially for taking so long to publish my novel. Life has gotten in the way...partly unavoidable, and partly because I've allowed it to do so. Believe it or not, I am getting closer. In fact, I am very close. (In the meantime...if you haven't already done so...go to my Freebies page. There, you'll find a few examples of my writing...a couple of travel memoirs and a short story.)

Well, it's obvious I did not meet my self-imposed March "deadline," but I hope to get it done by the end of April or middle of May. I PROMISE I'm working on it, and feeling very good about its status. One more read of the manuscript (maybe two) and I'll convert it into a book. (In the meantime, visit my freebies page where you'll find several examples of my writing efforts.)

I'm almost ready to move from the editing stage to the publishing stage. Won't make it in February, though. Hopefully by the end of March. (Please visit my Freebies page, where you'll find examples of my writing efforts.)

Well, the Holidays are behind me. So, what's my excuse now? Perhaps the fact writing...or should I say editing?...takes a lot more time than I realized. But I'm getting there. So soon. Maybe. I hope. (Please visit my Freebies page, where you'll find examples of my writing efforts.) 

Please bear with me. I had hoped to have one of my novels published by the end of this year; however, with family issues, and the Holidays coming up, it will probably be early next year before I have something new to share with you. (In the meantime, visit my Freebies page, where you'll find some examples of my writing efforts.)

I have added Catherine's War, a short story, to the Freebies section. Please read it, and, if you enjoy it, share the link to my website with your friends. 

Finally! If you would like to read some examples of my work, click on the Freebies page. I have placed links to a couple of my travelogue/memoirs there, and, in a day or two, will add a link to one of my short stories.

Again, I apologize for the delay. Check back in 3 weeks. I promise I'll have something for you to read by then. And here's a bonus: it will be free! (I may get something posted even earlier, so visit my blog again, oh, say, around the  21st.. Until then...) 

It's amazing how life can get in the way. Sickness in the family...my new-found obsession with genealogy... preparation for, and the taking of, a lengthy vacation road-trip...

One more read of my book. After that, I promise I'll "compile" it, put a cover on it, and place it on the market. 

My, how time flies! I'm getting closer, so please check back in a couple of weeks.

It's amazing how an empty calendar gets filled in. Didn't make a lot of progress this past week, but I did identify some time wasters and improve my "game plan." Check back soon. I still hope to have my first book online within a couple of months.

My goal for the upcoming week is to make improvements to my website and, of course, continue working on the novels I hope to publish within the next couple of months. Unlike the past few weeks,, my calendar for this week is relatively clear,  so I hope to make considerable progress.

Welcome to my blog. I started writing at the age of 16. For the most part, I simply recorded plot ideas to be developed at some point later in my life...at the age of 40, I decided I had reached that point...and I've been writing, on average, an hour or two every day since then. It has been a slow process, but I feel several of my projects, as well as my writing skills, are knocking on the door of being "publish ready." Just how I'm going to get published is yet to be determined, but I'm only a month or two away from tackling the process in earnest. STAY TUNED! Come back and read my blog. I'll keep you up to date on the status of my writing and publishing efforts.