Back from the Dead, Again

So the question is, where does this guy go?

My blog postings have dropped dramatically in the last couple months. It's not that there isn't anything happening...quite the opposite, really. I look back at the months where I was posting ten, fifteen, even twenty entries, Mr. Happy Blogger Man, while my actual writing output more or less flatlined.

I've been working hard on the new novel that I started over two years ago, and have repeatedly set aside for more pressing (ie, bill-paying) projects...and I'm about to put it aside again. And this is okay. In the past I've been paranoid about setting these things to the side for fear of losing momentum, and while this is a legitimate concern, I'm not as worked up about it as I used to be. My change of philosophy is partly due to necessity -- you can't sign a book-contract with a deadline and ignore the thing to keep tinkering with your own little toy truck. But also, I've discovered, throughout the long pre-publication road for No Doors, No Windows, that some extra time, space and daylight can actually be beneficial for a work in progress. There was a time not so long ago when I thought that a book had to be written at roughly the same breakneck pace that you hoped it would be read, but I'm not sure that nostrum holds true for everything. In fact, I'm pretty sure it doesn't. So I'm letting the novel breathe for a couple months and taking a hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction. It'll be warming up soon and I'll be retreating to the basement office, seeking out cool shadows where the dark things dwell.

Meanwhile, the best way to keep current with me is on Facebook. If you haven't already joined me there, think about, maybe, huh?