"The Between" at 10K

It's not a Nano (NaNoWriMo--national novel writers month, for the uninitiated) pace, but that has never been my process. It's my target pace--1K a day, for a 5K a week average. And returning to the discipline of a novel in progress feels like coming home after a long, long journey.

The characters of Lydia, Clive, and Aileen are pulling into focus, as is the politics and society of the Fey. I feel like I'm able to take a common mythology and twist it into something new and different. I'm still in the rush of the beginning, where each day is a surprise of discovery . Very much like a new relationship.

The hard part is ahead. I know this. Middles have always been the toughest part of the write for me, both logistically and emotionally. What makes it easier to face is that I've been here before. I've written through soggy middles four times now and knowing I will agonize about the plot is part of the deal.

There is great comfort in having that perspective. Even if none of my previous novels get past my hard drive, I will appreciate them for the gift of perspective and confidence they have given me. I'm certainly past the half-million word mark. Adding in all the poetry and non-fiction I have written in the past decade, perhaps even near or past the one million mark.

The more I write, the more confident I become in the process of writing.

Does that mean I never have doubts? That I have silenced that terrible inner critic? Sadly, no. But I also think that is part of the process. Having a deep vein of skepticism that runs through me helps to keep me honest and grounded. No, this is not the best thing since sliced bread. It's a story. With any luck it will be a good story. People will read it and enjoy it.

That's all I have ever wanted.