A Place Beyond

I have always been amazed by the role of the muse in my writing. It is no secret that I wrote my first novel in nine days. The muse has always been there, regurgitating its stuff on the page, whether by handwriting or typing. Writing is an amazing experience.

I started my new novel, "A Place Beyond", yesterday. I am currently 12,000 words into it. Like most novels, I have an idea about where it is going - usually a couple of sentences. As usual, it goes in a completely different direction. I could never write anything as good as my muse. I don't know if people understand how deeply profound an experience writing fiction is. The muse unlocks all those inner secrets of the mind, things I believe I am not capable of writing. I constantly ask my muse, even when I am not writing, to produce exceptional work; writing that transcends even my own goals. Every day, I improve.

I am up to the point in my writing where I can knock out a first draft in 2-4 weeks, with a minimum of 2,000 words an hour. I no longer think about the story, or even what I am writing. I never stop the writing process. My fingers are constantly hitting the keyboard and at it is a rare moment (and I mean moment) when I stop to think about what it is I am writing. It is usually because I have forgotten a character trait, or need to refer to my character sheet, ie, did so-and-so have the scar on the left or right cheek? I love doing the first draft. It is a magical experience.

So, a new journey for "A Place Beyond" commences. I am already enjoying the experience. I have always wanted a signature for writing: tension on every page. It is the most difficult thing to do, but "A Place Beyond" is certainly capturing this. Can you tell I'm excited about the whole process?!

More importantly, my first drafts are no longer haggard pieces of work with half-baked ideas. When writing, the muse is refining itself. The first draft of Mr Hat for example, came out more like a second draft. It was already refined and much more exact. I am looking forward to "A Place Beyond", especially what will happen next. I am its first reader, after all.