I flew to Kentucky this weekend, to do research for this novel. I spent a lot of time in airports and airplanes.

What else was I supposed to do but write?

The novel is currently only about 53,000 words long. I’m already adding to it, however. Added one of the missing scenes tonight, have at least two-three other missing scenes that I’ll have to add before I declare the second draft finished, and the novel, no longer broken.

This is a novel I must read out loud before I send it to any beta/first readers. So much of this book is all about the Voice, and it has to be right. So I’ll take the time I need to get it to sound right, every line.

I’m pleased with this novel, how it turned out. The middle is messy, and will take some fixing, but I’m not afraid of it. I’ve already worked through most of the issues that cause that mess, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to fix them. Plus, I’ll still be putting in three hours per day for writing.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with this novel, with the new process I’ve discovered, with how my writing feels. I feel as though I’ve reached a new level, and it’s kind of awesome. This isn’t to say that I can’t improve, I know I can. But I have a feeling that this novel doesn’t suck, which is a good thing.