I last wrote something original in June. Since then, the second half of 2015 was spent revising my story for The Side of Good/The Side of Evil or Sherlock Holmes.By December 11, when I sent off Holmes to Steven Savile for his final polish, I was exhausted from school, grad school and revising. I swore I would rest and recharge, not tackling my next original work until January. (The good news is that Steve liked my new draft a lot so that’s something.)After ensuring I had my school work well in hand and before grad school started January 25, I had a nice window for the Planet of the Apes story. With Deb out of town, I had all of today set aside to work on the story, which I initially outlined back in the spring.
Sitting at the computer, jazz on the speakers, coffee at my side, I opened the document and reread my notes and the approved outline. I had previously watched “The Trap” the POTA episode that immediately preceded by tale and it remained fresh in my mind.I like writing. I like how things fall into place, intentional or not, how I can get into a character’s head. I may not be as talented as many of my peers, but I’m competent enough to deliver an entertaining piece. The words flowed, things felt good, so clearly the rest did me well.Today I managed a 4500 word first draft and can let it sit and marinate a few days before I give it a read and begin tweaking. The deadline is not for a while so I have the luxury of taking my time, hoping I can find new nuggets to add, new ways to say things and make this a strong entry in the forthcoming Titan Books anthology. I want to make my editors, Jim Beard and Rich Handley, proud. I want to make my readers happy. And then I want to take pride in the finished work.
#Tags: Jim Beard, Planet of the Apes, Rich Handley, Sherlock Holmes