Revenge of the Fifth...

Ooops... forgot to post this morning.

Yesterday was May 4th. We attended a small gathering at the Library for May the Fourth Be With You. Sean Williams, who has written several Star Wars books, did a reading of Fatal Alliance. Our daughter loved it and managed to score a signed copy of the book he read from. I first met Sean back in the early 90s when he frequented the many fan conventions. He is a genuinely great guy, friendly and willing to engage with his readers. Wonderful to see! (Go buy his books!) My husband is also a fan and got a charictiture signed. I had happy campers in the household last night!

Writing wise, I managed to finish the first complete draft of my gaslamp short story. Most of the originally planned elements have remained intact but do need trimming by almost two hundred words to keep within the required word limit. 

I have mentioned previously that writing is liking extracting a piece of my soul. However, though I get emotionally attached to some of my ideas, and even some sentences, I know how important editing is. There is nothing worse than watching a badly edited movie. It is the same with novels or short stories. Editing is an important part of the process. I have one element that hints to the main characters actions in the final paragraphs. While I love this glimpse into to her personal life, it may well have to be culled for length. 

All is not lost. I keep culled ideas in a specific file (one on the computer and one in a handwritten file) ... just in case they may prove useful for a follow up short story or is reshaped into part of a new story. I would love to revisit this character some time in the future as she still has a lot to reveal about herself yet! 

I have enjoyed this week which has been very productive. Though art is a long term love of mine, I really, really enjoy the writing process - the cognitive challenge and fun of creating characters and plots, the words creating the personalities of the characters and the emotional connection with their escapades. I even enjoy the editing, though it is gut wrenching at times, to produce the final prose. Most of all, I love it when it is read and especially if it is enjoyed.  Ah, the bliss!