WRITING DETOUR

I can’t believe I finished my third novel in The Dudley Files series. And I know I always say this is my best one ever, but really, this one is. It came out great. It told the story within the story. It carried on from Sold Out Without The Holdout and Burp Gun Bandit, the first two books. And it revealed all. My heart and soul went into it. I laughed and cried while writing it. But inside I smiled. It made me fell alive. It told a story and shed light on many important things.

I named it: Called Home.

But then I took a detour. Life got in the way. Many things happened. Lots of things touched my heart. I had second thoughts. I decided I loved the first half of the book but decided to rewrite the second half of the book. Something took over me, took over my mind and creativity. Called Home was in revision.

Confusion set in. Distractions were abundant. But the creativity was there. The energy was sufficient. I moved forward with the rewrite. And the title was changed to Soul Heeler.

I got almost to the end and asked myself, what are you doing? You had a perfectly viable manuscript. Why are you forcing something when deep down inside, you know you shouldn’t?

I was right of course. I did some soul searching. Some drinking. Smoked a few cigars. I really thought about what I was doing. Maybe I should divide the one book into two?

Finally, I decided to keep the original manuscript. Why mess with a good thing? I worked hard on it. It obviously was terrific. I reverted back to my original idea and tweaked it. But I did change the cover and changed the name from Called Home to Soul Heeler.

At first I thought I wasted a lot of time and energy during this process. This little detour cost me months. But it wasn’t a waste. And it wasn’t a mistake. I learned a lot. It opened my mind to new possibilities and maybe some new stories to write about. But I did learn that doubting oneself is human nature and can be a distraction as well as enlightening.

So, my detour is over. It’s straight ahead for Soul Heeler. I know it’s a catchy title and the cover is pretty fine. My little detour turned out just great. I’m sure I’ll take some more detours later on. You see, while writing this blog, I formed book four of The Dudley Files. And it will be even better than the first three.

Self-doubt is just a vehicle to better yourself and your manuscript. It can be an aid to your journey. It was for me.

Enjoy the new cover. Soul Heeler will be out soon. You’ll love it!