by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
It appears that I MIGHT have a pretty good path to wrapping up the first act of the third draft of this novel pretty soon. The third draft might also be too long to the point that it needs to be cut into two novels connected by a cliffhanger.
Maybe.
I’m not prepared to do that just yet. The macro structure of the novel has changed so much that I have no idea how long it will ultimately be.
But all of this is happening as I grow creatively restless. I continue to have a lingering desire to have a second creative track that I can turn to whenever working on the main novel turns into too much of a chore.
I have at least three other really strong novels that I could turn to. But all of this is happening in the context of my turning 50 and a lingering concern about what is going to happen in the United States starting in late 2024, early 2025. I have a real fear that just as I’m querying my first novel that the entire world could go tits up in a rather dramatic manner.
Or any number of other things could happen that would make finishing may main novel a lot more difficult. The key thing is — I’m in put up or shut up mode now. I just have to finish something and start to begin the post-production, pre-querying stage of things. I’m not going to live forever.
