Many writers throw their first novels out thinking them beyond redemption. I’ve taken the “dog-with-a-bone” approach and I just won’t let go of it. Every lesson I’ve learned has been through the lens of this novel. And every draft that isn’t good enough yet, is just a draft that needs more revision, or re-writing. For me, I just have to like my characters enough to stick with them. The story can change, my point-of-view can change, but I have to want to spend the time with the characters. And even they can change as I shape and mould my story into something someone else would like to read. Every problem is just looking for a solution. Read more
It’s the journey, not the destination—I keep reminding myself. And it’s a long journey, or at least I’m making it one. It was about a year ago that I decided to re-write the novel that I’d already written seven times. I was going back to scratch. I’d hoped it would take me three months, but now I’m hoping I’ll be done before the end of this year.
Writing a novel is really like putting a puzzle together. Characters, plot, setting, theme, dialogue, emotion. Or perhaps it’s more like cooking a stew.
It was a balmy twenty seven degrees centigrade in late October in Venice, Italy; birthplace of Casanova and often referred to as the most beautiful and romantic city in the world. I was lounging in a café, sipping cappuccino and watching the world go by. Gondolas and river taxis glided past and the canal water gently lapped at the edge of the patio, a scant three feet away. Tourists stopped to pose for photos on the iconic Rialto Bridge.