{nule.org}

Here’s an auspicious omen: sitting in a coffee shop, listening to the powerful finale of Holst’s Mars, The Bringer Of War as we sat and discussed the rough first draft of my novel, set to take place on that very same planet. Here I was, a humble computer geek without any formal training in writing and a real, published author was looking at my labor of eighteen months. She liked it.

The occasion was the Imagination writers conference at Cleveland State University. The week long conference featured a number of published authors and similarly illustrious people that presented lectures on various aspects of the art. In between we would meet in groups to discuss and workshop our own pieces or meet one on one with various authors to have our work critiqued.

All in all I met with two authors individually, and in a workshop with eight others and an author. There was also a public reading of one of the chapters of my book. The concensus seems to be that the piece was widely enjoyed, despite the rough edges that would be typical of any new author.

Here’s another omen: right in the middle of the conference J.K. Rowling’s newest book comes out. The Harry Potter books, more than just about anything else convinced me that I wanted to write a book in the first place. They’re not flawless books by any stretch, but she’s a great story teller and she clearly has fun with her work. Enjoying her work made me want to share the stories that were already in my head.

So where does this leave me? I have nearly completed the first draft of the novel. Many months of polishing it up to produce the second draft are ahead of me. By that time I think that it may be good enough to start showing agents. Who knows. Whether or not it’s good enough to show anybody else, I enjoy doing it.