Halfway & speeding to the end

      A couple of people asked me why the halfway mark on Murder by the Acre was so significant to me, besides the obvious.
      Yeah, it was big deal to me. I finally felt that I would actually complete the book. Yes, I know I've talked about nothing other than writing the thing, but I had my doubts. Having to lose nearly 40,000 words made me sick. I honestly felt dizzy for a couple of days after I made that decision. Of course, the new rewritten material was much better than the old discarded material, but still I had doubts that the story would finally come together. Then I was truly sick most of January with the flu and lost days and days of writing time.
      But when I reached the halfway point, I could see the story to the end. I knew where it was going and (mostly) how we were going to get there. The characters and the story stepped up and began to fill my mind with new scenes with sharper dialogue and clearer action. So it was big deal when I crossed the halfway point on Friday.
      I gave myself Saturday off. No writing, no computing. Chores, errands, and getting out in the glorious sunshine filled my day. As I walked around my neighborhood or drove to Staples, my mind worked out new scenes. I found myself speaking lines of dialogue at the stoplight and acting out scenes while washing the dishes. Ryton was reaching out to me all the way to the real world.
      Anyway, it was a very good feeling. And I appreciate that I had my readers and friends on this blog to share it with. I confess that I miss getting to talk and share with other writers. Other than Jean, most other writers -- including my professional friends -- don't have much to say to me about my self-publishing efforts. They disapprove, of course. And the fact I'm making money off the first one and going to publish a second book seems to only increase their disdain.
      To paraphrase one of them: By devoting my time to self-publishing, I am stealing time from writing a book that a "real" publisher might buy. I tried to explain that 1) I haven't given up on traditional publishing and have two books (Darkness, Oklahoma and Dragons Gather) that will be finished and sent off to agents and publishers; 2) my self-publishing is making me money now, and now is when I need it; and 3) after all these long years of submitting and getting close and watching lesser writers make it because of luck and connections, I'm finally getting validation of my writing by readers. Murder by Dewey Decimal continues to sell online even though I have mostly stopped my publicity for it. It's received decent unsolicited reviews and sold to people as far away as Germany. No, it's not supporting me, and I've yet to make the money that most authors receive from their advances from traditional publishers, but I'm not complaining. Money is money, and the MBDD checks have helped pay for my diabetes medicine for several months.
      Even if it hadn't made money -- and thank the Good Lord, it has -- I learned a lot about publicity and what works and what doesn't. And the thrill of holding the book in my hands ranks right up there in my list of great moments.
      In June, there will be a second book in the series. Bernard's and Lisa's story will continue in Murder by the Acre. With this book, they've grown funnier and smarter, more like people I'd want to hang out with. Ryton itself wants its story -- its conflicts and successes, its quirky people with all their faults, feuds, and follies -- told. And I'm going to tell those stories for a while.
      Anyway, that's where I'm at now. Hope things are going well for you. Talk to you tomorrow.