by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I’m really growing to like both the tactical beginning of the first novel I’m working on and the strategic beginning of this planned six novel project. The tactical beginning is strong because it opens with a huge question — why is this person in this situation?
It’s take me a very long time to stumble across this specific beginning and it could definitely still change. But, for the time being, I’m pleased with what I’ve managed to come up with. It is kind of embarrassing how many months I wasted with various other versions of this novel. And I like to think, at least, that if I had a wife or girlfriend maybe the process would have been sped up considerably.
Meanwhile, the strategic beginning is cool because there’s a lot — A LOT — of room for growing and development. I easily have six total novels I can map out if I try to sell this first novel, set 25 years ago. Everything is pretty sorted out in my mind, I just have to knock out the remaining five novels in the series (and beyond.)
Of course, a lot could go wrong. And they say if you’re querying your first novel, you need to be working on something else while you’re doing it. I’m not getting any younger and I really need to put up or shut up one way or another.
But, in general, the whole experience continues to a lot of fun — if a lot of hard work.
