The Second Coming of Angela

The earliest in life that I remember doing any writing was in middle school, Junior High. That was a long time ago. I had a crush on a girl and almost every day I wrote her a poem and handed it to her in the hall. I never asked her out, held her hand, or walked her home. I was too shy for that. I ran into her in a department store about 10 years later. The first words she said were; “I still have every poem you ever wrote for me. I keep them in a shoebox under my bed and often take them out to read them again”. I was surprised, to say the least, and flattered.

Over the years I would write when the idea struck. That’s the key for me. When the idea strikes, get writing. I could never sit down and write anything without that one thought that triggered the process. Once started, it just flowed. Free-flow writing. Nothing in the way, certainly not Scrivener with all of that complicated voodoo, or a wall full of yellow sticky notes. I know that works for a lot of people, and that is great, but not for me. Don’t need anything to interfere with my thought process, if you please. But that is just my process.

There were poems, song lyrics, and short stories. Every one of them was written free flow. I took a public speaking class in high school, from the same wonderful teacher who taught Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone. My reputation, one assumes, preceded me. Said reputation being, this boy never does homework, studies or prepares. It was true. I showed up at every class having totally forgotten there was a speech due and up a creek without a paddle, maybe. Knowing my rep, she called on me first, every class. Clearly, she wanted me first, so that I would not get any ideas from the work of others. Every class, I walked three steps to the podium, turned and delivered a flawless speech, and got an A. Free flow thought process.

I started writing The Second Coming of Angela in about 2005. I had written three chapters and, one day, a client asked if she could read what I had. I sent it home with her and the next day she brought those chapters back and asked for more. Every two or three days she would return for another two or three chapters. I finished the novel, at work, in less than a month and a half. Free-flow writing. Then I put the manuscript in a box to edit later. Let’s just say that things got in the way, including a six-year stint in Peru, and it took sixteen years before the editing began and a total of 17 years before it was finally edited and published. It is also being translated into Spanish and that will be published in the near future. The sequel to the novel is currently slightly more than half finished and edited. Just for fun I also published a very short book of short stories. Three Odd Tales.

If there is anything to be learned from me, it just might be that you have to have your process. Maybe it is the Scrivener route or loads of sticky notes everywhere. Then again, maybe it is just letting your mind speak for you. Whatever works for you, give it your best.

You also might not want to wait 17 years to publish. 🙂