About seven months ago, I discovered an outline for a novel that I developed more than eight years earlier.
Over the years I would think about it, but assumed that it had been tossed during one of my moves. I was thrilled to find it while doing a deep clean of some old paperwork.
Sometimes the universe works in magical ways. At the time it was originally conceived, I don’t think I was ready to commit to the process of writing a novel – the amount of mental time it takes to think about developing characters and plot lines. Frankly, I’m not sure my writing was good enough back then to do it. Over the past ten years, I’ve worked at my craft – both professionally and personally – and developed my own style and voice that works perfectly for the main character.
Last night was the monthly meeting of a Creative Peer Review Group that I belong to. It’s a small group of creative friends from different disciplines who meet to discuss their work, solicit feedback, and gain alternate perspectives to creative problem solving. There’s a painter, architect, product designer, graphic designer, designer/photographer – and me, a writer. It’s also a great reason to have a cocktail, eat, and enjoy conversation with smart, funny people who pursue creative outlets.
At previous meetings, I discussed the existence of the outline for the book but never really talked about details. It’s a genre that I love and read almost exclusively: mystery. Perhaps it won’t be the next great American novel, but it will (hopefully) be a book that I would love to read.
So for the first time last night, I read aloud from the Moleskine that is with me at all times and contains rough notes and snippets of dialog. The group listened, laughed at the right moments, and seemed intrigued to learn more. They also asked some great questions and provided comments that I will take into consideration as I write. It’s exactly what I was hoping for and need this group to do as I make progress toward a finished novel.
I woke up this morning excited about the direction. I like the characters, which is a good thing since I’m going to be spending a fair amount of time with them over the next several months. The enormity of this project is both exciting and terrifying. Maybe only half jokingly, I said that perhaps it would turn out to be a short story instead of a novel.
Whatever it turns out to be, it’s no longer a pipe dream.
The group requested a more refined scene for next month’s meeting. I better get writing…