The Home Stretch

As I’ve mentioned lately, I’m almost done with my latest novel. There will be a few more edits and touchups, but that’s it. At times, it has been a very challenging journey to get to this point, more so than any previous book other than the first one. I’ve battled against fatigue, depression, doubt, imposter syndrome, and the usual ton of existential dread. However, sitting here today, I can tell you I feel alright.

What they say is true: writing is a marathon, not a sprint. While I’ve never run a marathon, I used to do long-distance biking, so I think I understand it. It’s easy to get excited when you first start out on the journey, but not so easy when you’re at the halfway point and starting to doubt your stamina. To make it worse, I had allowed my writing muscle to atrophy this time before I started the book. It wasn’t entirely my fault, but the holidays led to some medical issues for my family. Before I realized it, I hadn’t written in months. So that’s the equivalent of starting a long-distance biking or marathon without training. Luckily, with writing, I can work my muscles into shape as I write. The downside to that was that the end of the first draft came out much better than the start. Not that any of it was that bad, but the early chapters required much more work to raise it to the proper level of quality.

To prevent this type of atrophy, I started writing this blog. Even if I’m not writing a story at the time, it will give me some writing to do and keep me in practice. There is nothing like a deadline to keep you moving.
I’ve also endeavored to break a bad habit I tend to have. After I finish a novel, I, almost without fail, take a break. Usually, I only plan to take a few weeks or a month off. But every time, it ends up being far longer than I had planned. Now, I’m the first to say we need to practice self-care and take time for ourselves, but at the same time, this particular situation works against me in several ways. First, I end up feeling stressed about needing to release another book. Second, it causes my writing muscles to grow rusty. Inevitably, that leads to an uneven manuscript and more time spent smoothing everything out. So, yeah, no more breaks. Not that I won’t take time to rest; I just won’t let it turn into a months-long writing drought.

Also, I’m starting to receive feedback from my ARC readers about “The Silent Death.” Let’s just say they are very excited. It’s fantastic to release a book out into the wild and then hear back from readers who absolutely love it. I don’t have to tell fellow authors what a significant weight that lifts off your shoulders. Because I wrote the book and liked it, you never know what other people will think. Thankfully, they agree with me so far.

Every book has been a learning experience as I continue my author journey. This book has been no different. I’ve learned my lessons and grown as an author and person. Now, I’m in the home stretch, and in a few short weeks, I’ll be able to share the results of my hard work with all of you. I can’t wait.

– Ryan