Some observations.
— Things are moving along well.
— Worried the heroine is a little TOO exotic
— Still worried about someone stealing a march on me in any number of ways, but the story itself is so personal, so semi-autobiographical, that a litteral “stealing of the concept” seems a bit difficult.
— Writing a novel takes time.
— If you talk about a novel, people assume they can read it immediately.
— Still struggling with what happens in the first part of the second act. Pretty much clueless at this point, but I can feel the pressure of creativity pushing up against the blockage in my mind. Once that dam bursts, things should start to move fast again.
— The method I’m using of developing a lot then writing works well for my writing style. Helps me to know the story really well as I actually write it.
— I’m on track to maybe trying to sell a completed spec novel at some point in late 2020, early 2021.
— The success of this novel will depend not only on my ability to tell a great yarn, but the state of politics in the broader world if, and when, it should ever come out.
— Debating on an “outsider” who pops up in full force in the beginning of the second act. But I don’t know yet who the person would be and / or what purpose they would serve.