Hello friends! Making a quick post to get back in touch with you as I’ve got an announcement. I know it’s been a few weeks since my last post but for good reason. Namely, the reason is that your Writing Fisherman has, at long last, typed those precious words that every writer looks forward to…”The End.”
Thank you for the applause, you’re very kind and making me blush.
Man what a trip it’s been! Technically, I started this journey six years ago while I was still living in Japan. That’s when I first got the idea to expand on an old urban legend I was familiar with. Things happened and got in the way, as things often do for writers, and I moved back to the States so it went into hiatus. In 2015, I began to get the itch again as I became a grandpa and realized I still hadn’t fulfilled a lifelong dream. I tinkered with it again that Summer and got some advice from a newfound writer friend, Roger Colby, to look for a local writers group for more support. I found one and things began to happen.
After a few months that Fall of mostly rewriting the first couple of chapters, I entered NaNoWriMo and didn’t look back which was good, and bad. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the process and I finally got the crux of the story done at just over 50k words, but man what a pile of crap! Ha ha ha!
I spent most of 2016 rewriting some of the earlier chapters and fleshing out details and minor plot lines but didn’t get as much accomplished as I’d hoped. Big lesson learned here, don’t announce your novel will be available in a few months if it’s not done yet! Yikes, what a snafu that was! Should’ve listened to my wife.
2017 kicked off much better as I gained new perspective and motivation with the book. I pressed on with getting chapters fleshed out fuller than before, and with better focus. It really did look like I’d get it done over the Summer and said as much in my first ever podcast interview as an author on the Prolific Writer Podcast with Ryan Pelton. Again, things got in the way, like a second job for instance, but I eventually got adjusted to the schedule and pressed on determined to finish.
That brings us to today, or rather last night to be honest when I reached the end of this journey. Nine Mile Bridge currently sits at 110,000 words which is estimated at 400+ words as it sits but it will not be staying there for sure. I’m thinking 85k-90k will tell this story just fine and I know there are a couple of parts coming out and a minor plot line that isn’t needed any longer but honestly, I can’t look at it anymore! The book is going out to a couple of readers along with a form I’m putting together with questions I need answered.With any luck, I’ll be editing again in a few weeks with an eye for publication before this year is up. For now, I’m enjoying this victory cigar along with a beer and some Blues while I contemplate the next step and the next novel. Then tomorrow, this writing fisherman may go fishing for the first time in quite a while. I think I’ve earned it!
Jason A. Meuschke 