Desktop Dynamo

I have two more segments of No Cognitive Defect to post, and then I'm taking a break. I've hit a point where I'm starting to slog through it and struggle a bit, and that means I've got to let it percolate a little. That approach worked out pretty well the last time I took a short hiatus from NCD. By the time I started posting it again, I had three segments in the can, one underway, and a head full of ideas.

This shouldn't be a very long break because I know where things are going with the story. I just need to shift gears for a bit and work on a few other things. It should give me a fresh perspective when I start writing NCD again. In the meantime, from a fiction perspective I'll be returning to From the Sky. I'll also do some submitting and queries to editors (the "business" end of writing). I also have an interesting piece from my brother Tony which I plan to post. I've got plenty to keep me busy.

As to NCD...it's been different writing a novel versus the short stories I'm used to working on. By the time I post a short story at this site they're fairly polished, and maybe just one or two re-writes short of "submission quality." With NCD, my first true novel, it's reading more like a first draft. I think it is because I'm covering so much ground. I have to keep moving things forward or I'll get bogged down in the details and abandon it. I'm starting to understand why authors "finish" a novel, then start all over with the first of heaven knows how many re-writes. The devil's not in the draft...it's in the rewrites!

So, yes, a break on NCD is looming, but it will be a short one. I'll try to keep you all entertained with some other material in the meantime.