Writing Endemic Rise of the Plague

Note: Previously posted to the Rise of the Plague website on 5/28/13

When I first made the decision to make my writing venture into a novel, it seemed like an organic evolution of the project. Little did I know what I was in for...

This had been the first time I’d written anything on this magnitude—involving so many characters and different settings. The outlining alone, took weeks and weeks to do. My first draft was laughable to say the least, and a measly 40K words. Bleck!

At that point, I contemplated sticking it in a file and shoving it into a drawer—not to be discovered again for three or four years. But alas, I did not do this. I strapped in, held on tight and decided to take this ride. I spent the next year battling with myself and my manuscript. It felt like I would have flashes of genius, followed by eternal pauses. At times, I felt like the manuscript was really on the move. Other times, it seemed as though the universe conspired to prevent me from progress. So many days went by when I didn’t even touch the thing. And yes, at that point it was a thing. What I had loved so much in the beginning, and in writing it—had all but dissolved.

I would hit a frustrating impasse and shelf the whole project for weeks at a time. Then, like past lover that one cannot escape, I would reacquaint myself back into its familiar settings and go at it again. It really was a love-hate relationship between me and this manuscript of mine. One day, I looked at my creation and decided that I had to make a choice. It had really become a relationship that I had built with my art, and I needed to look at it that way—either all in or all out.

Once I decided to look at my writing as something that I would nurture and shape into something that could bring entertainment to others, I began to love it again. With each revision, each edit
and each proofread—and there were many—my passion grew.

Endemic Rise of the Plague has been years in the making for me. Sending it out into the world for others to enjoy is a great honor, but it has been a bit difficult to let go of. I’m not sure if it is
something that each author experiences, but for me it feels a little like dropping my child off at school for the first time. It’s exciting to let it venture out into the world, but also terrifying at the same time—thinking of the hills and valleys that lie ahead.

In all, it has been a roller coaster adventure—like life I suppose. There have been ups and downs, loops and corkscrews, times where I could scream and times when I’ve been wordless. In the end, I’d say that this book has become a part of me. And this adventure is far from over.

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