After 2 years and so many drafts, I finally finished my first novel. I technically finished the last draft a year ago but I let it sit before I made final touches. You can find it through Amazon in print and digital…….
In late 2013 I was ice fishing with my dad when I saw this massive tree just hanging over the ice. I began to wonder what would happen if the tree just fell into the water? On January 1st of 2014 I began to write a story.
Honestly I had no fucking idea what I was doing. I had only written short stories to this prior. The idea of trying to pen up 80,000 words was insane for me. So when I was not writing I was planning. Every free second I had I kept envisioning chapters and building new characters and it all became a confusing mess….then I quit.
Let me backtrack a bit. The previous summer I went through some hell. Tore up some heart strings, had a bit of a mental breakdown, followed by a month bout of Mono that lead to vicodin lucid nightmares…..I was a bit of a mess…on the inside. So fast forward to that winter and all that stress was still eating away at me. Add the novel on top and I fell apart. I quit. I never wanted to write.
In the past I had placed in young authors twice (Disqualified once) and even helped making a script that one critic’s choice at a film fest. I knew all these things but just felt like a broken boy. Any dreams that I had, any love, any trust, or ambition was all just ashes in the air. I felt like a failure….and the only thing i had was whiskey.
Drinking. Now this lead me down a path of destruction and peace. It was an awkward balance and I spent most days with a hangover and most nights I just drank it away. On one of these faithful barstool nights I started chatting with this bartender a couple nights a week. For months I kept my hate all bottled up inside…..and for some reason I told her everything…..Not that it was weird (She told me a lot of stuff too) It was nice to tell someone who didn’t know me on any other level except as a customer. (I think)
She picked me up. Her words were wisdom that I took to heart. (Carpe Magicus) She taught me the definition of perfect and to look at things from a brighter point of view. I took from it to go back to all of that hate and put it in words. After writing it all out…..I was ready to go back to the novel. November 2014 I began a brand new draft. By May 2015 the whole book was written. I let it sit for a bit and went back to it, revised it, then published in on Amazon.
It took me awhile (Mostly because I hate editing) But I got it done. At the same time I read a bunch and wrote a few stories.
I do have some issues with it. Grammar errors. You just can’t find all of those pesky pricks….. Also I did a bad job of separating chapters in the paperback. (I’ll figure it out soon!)
Warning: To anyone who knows me really well…if you find anything in the novel that reflects my real life it is probably a coincidence….or maybe it is not. I honestly don’t fucking remember.
I have a hidden joke in my novel…it’s very dark and so far no one has caught on to it…..if anyone has any guesses…let me know!
Now that I know what I am doing…the next novel will be out much sooner! (Maybe)
(Nick did a great job on this!)
In The Spider's Web 