The long and winding road...

I've been getting a bit done with my new novel draft, which is good. Not a ton, but bits and pieces are coming together, and as a friend of mine says: it is all about "progress and not perfection."

I've never been one to really outline a story. There's nothing wrong with that method, but for me, it ends up getting to entrenched in my mind. Then, when something unexpected happens, and the story takes a quick right-hand turn for some reason, I can struggle with letting go of what I thought the story should be.

To be honest, after I wrote "Darkstar Rising" I wasted about three years trying to write a trilogy out of a story that may never have been meant to be one. Nothing I did made it work and the more frustrated I got, the more doggedly I hung onto that trilogy idea. It got to the point where I realized I had to let the whole story go and accept that it was never meant to be forced into the mold I wanted it to be in.

I still have a printed draft of my last version tucked away on a shelf. Maybe someday I'll get back to it.

But that's one reason I'll only do a little outlining. Enough to keep me generally going in the direction I want but not so much detail that I paint myself into a corner.

In the new story, I have a character named Matt and he's a necromancer. He isn't the main character but he's a key supporting one, but as I've written a few scenes with him, more ideas about his backstory and what he can do within the world I'm creating have popped into my head. And yes, they somewhat alter what I originally had in mind, but I think it will be for the better.

So, I will continue to amble down

my long and winding road to a first draft, and I will make sure I enjoy the trip, take in the sights, and be willing to take the fork in the road.

Because Frost was right. It can make all of the difference.

Photos courtesy of Unsplash by Wolfgang Hasselmann and Kristaps Grundsteins