TWO BEAUTIFUL WORDS: THE END

I'm back after a few days of staring into space and wondering how to fit reality into the world of fiction. It's difficult for writers to disappear into their own heads and into the heads of fictional characters, become immersed in the lives of people who exist totally on paper. And then...come back out into reality and see that you still have a life to deal with on the outside. It's like spending the afternoon in a bar and coming out into the bright sunlight, eyes squinting to get used to the light on the outside world. Not that I spend afternoons in dark bars, but if the analogy fits, go with it. At any rate, I'm feeling renewed and ready to go into the final edits of ISLAND PASSAGE, and then off to the printer. Then, I'll go into the editing process again with DEVIL'S CHANGE, planning for that book to be out in 2011. Writing is difficult, no explanation needed as to the amount of work and mental fatigue it takes to produce a story that others will hopefully want to read. For writers, it is unusually difficult to put your head and heart into a project that no one sees until the finished product. This entails months and years of cyber copulation with your computer. Disgusting image, I suppose, but nonetheless the truth. Developing a story is no less than developing a relationship with characters, setting, plot and all the ingredients that must be taken into consideration. Sometimes this involves throwing some characters out into the snow and bringing other characters inside to perform the task needed to get to that ultimate climax in your story. The emotions needed to come to the end of your story is much the same as that give-and-take needed in any relationship. It takes patience and lots of nurturing to get to those last two words: THE END ...or happily ever after.