Since my last post about just doing it, I’ve been doing exactly that—especially when it comes to my writing.
In the past few weeks, I’ve drafted an outline for my novel, developed a general theme, and carefully considered which of my existing works could be edited and woven into the story. I’ve also explored what new material I might add to bring these separate pieces together into a cohesive narrative.
As it stands, I have roughly 14,000 words typed out toward my 80,000-word goal. 4,400 words come from reworking and refining two pieces I had previously written and heavily edited. Another 10,00 words are from my 100-page childhood novel. I’m not sure how much, if any, of that early work will make it into the final draft, but I’ve always wanted it in digital form. Revisiting it has been a trip—bringing me back to when I was twelve, full of inspiration and motivation. The story and dialogue are unmistakably those of a pre-teen boy obsessed with hockey, passionate about drawing, and newly in love with writing. But there’s something special about those words—something that speaks to little Blaise of 1985-1986.
In just a couple of months, baseball season will be in full swing for our family. Registration and planning are already well underway for our executive team, which means writing will inevitably slow down come mid-May. But how great would it feel to enter the final days of summer with a solid foundation to carry me through the winter?
I picture myself a year from now, sitting in my childhood arena on Super Saturday, soaking in the energy of the games, a 95% finished novel in my bag—just looking for that final spark of inspiration to bring the last chapter to life.
That seems like a satisfying goal. But is it realistic? Does it even matter? It’s still better than the one I had a few weeks ago.
The longer days, the return of sunshine, the snow now all melted, and the shift from bitter cold to warmth—along with seeing so many more people out during my walks with the dog—have all lifted my spirits. And this sense of accomplishment? It’s helping, too.
Enough chatter. Time to get back to work.
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