by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
This weekend, I’ve decided to start a new routine of reading a lot and doing development work on the other books in this series. So, as such, tonight I’m going to root around the plot of the second book in the series. Not that I’ve finished the second draft of the first book yet, at least writing it, but I want to switch things up by while still staying in-universe.
I have a great ending for the second book, but everything else at the moment is up in the air. I have a general idea of what happens, but it’s going to take some time to figure out the details. I know the basic building blocks of a thriller now I have to figure out how to put them together in a specific way so this second book is worth reading.
My hope is that I can come back to the first book with fresh eyes in about 24 hours and the writing will go a lot faster. The outline of the first novel is pretty stable at the moment, which makes me very happy. And, in real terms, having an ending established for the second book is a great cornerstone to finishing the novel up a lot faster than you might think.
But I definitely feel like I have a deadline. I want to have these five novels finished and ready to go no later than, say, around my 51 birthday. That will be the 20th anniversary year of me going to South Korea the first time and that changed my life — maybe finishing and selling five novels will change my life as well.
At least, that’s the plan. I’m just very self-aware of how old I am and my own mortality. Currently, my only claim to fame is a failed monthly magazine for expats in Seoul. I know, I just know, I can pull another rabbit out of my hat. I just have to work really hard, do a lot of reading and be as creative as I can when it comes to my writing.
Believe.
