by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Repeatedly during this years-long process of developing and writing these planned six novels, I’ve felt like just following everyone’s advice. You know the advice where people tell you to just “shut up and write.”
I really want to do that. I really do. And, yet, I’m kind of isolated at the moment and don’t have a wife or a girlfriend to talk to about this project so, here I am. I’m such an extrovert that whatever is on my mind, I’m going to talk about or write about — in the extreme.
So, even if I vow to myself to just “shut up and write” inevitably, I’m going to get drunk and say screw it, I’m going to write a 1,000 word blog post about the state of the six novel project. I really vacillate wildly within my mind about all of this. I suppose it boils down to you take yourself wherever you go and it’s not like I would be happy if I wasn’t producing meta-text about working on a novel. That’s who I am.
And, really, as best I can tell, it’s a very no harm no foul type of situation. As long as I continue move forward with the novels, I don’t see any problem with writing and talking a lot about what I’m doing. I know A LOT of people find it all very annoying because they find the whole subject narcissistic and pointless if there’s nothing to read.
After way too much conspicuous talking and writing about writing a novel, things are finally beginning to lurch forward. I should wrap up a solid first draft in a few weeks and be on course to going through the Beta Reader process around April or May 2023.
In other words, things are starting to get exciting.
