Making Progress
I have finished my initial review of The Silent
Goodbye, first draft. I worked much of this
evening on the task and am pleased to say not only
that I have completed the review but also that I very
much enjoyed the novel, now that I am able to get a
little distance from it.
I won't spend much time on the self-praise but I was pleased with how well it flowed, how much action it contained and how much depth there was to the characters. I have since e-mailed the revised draft to my writing-group colleagues, Ross Pennie and John Hewson, to get their feedback on it as well. Patti continues to read it carefully for me and we've already had several very helpful conversations about her thoughts on the book.
It's a very exciting part of the writing process: receiving your first feedback from readers. I just love it. And Patti is a fab reader who notices things most others wouldn't, who is not afraid to question things that others might let slide, and who is willing to say good things too when they are merited. I'm looking forward to hearing more from her and also from John and Ross as well.
In the meantime, I've been enjoying reading the draft of Ross' second novel. I'm deep into the story now and find myself firmly caught up in the mystery. Ross plunges his reader into the detection process and I just love that. We're right there with the investigators as they work their way methodically through the evidence; we learn as they learn, make connections as they make connections. It's a very exciting way to tell a story.
I have also been reading Stieg Larsson's first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The first fifty pages or so were interesting but perhaps a little slow; now that Larsson's actually introduced the "Girl", however, it's really taking off. What a fascinating character she is and what an interesting relationship Larsson has created between the "Girl" and her boss. I'm still in the early stages of the book but it's got me well hooked.
It seems like a very busy time for me right now, what with the three writing/reading projects on top of a demanding full-time job and a family as well. But it feels really good too. I feel like I'm accomplishing things, both as a writer and as a reader. Who knows, maybe that excitement will help me get back to writing my next Phillip Gold novel, Luke.
I won't spend much time on the self-praise but I was pleased with how well it flowed, how much action it contained and how much depth there was to the characters. I have since e-mailed the revised draft to my writing-group colleagues, Ross Pennie and John Hewson, to get their feedback on it as well. Patti continues to read it carefully for me and we've already had several very helpful conversations about her thoughts on the book.
It's a very exciting part of the writing process: receiving your first feedback from readers. I just love it. And Patti is a fab reader who notices things most others wouldn't, who is not afraid to question things that others might let slide, and who is willing to say good things too when they are merited. I'm looking forward to hearing more from her and also from John and Ross as well.
In the meantime, I've been enjoying reading the draft of Ross' second novel. I'm deep into the story now and find myself firmly caught up in the mystery. Ross plunges his reader into the detection process and I just love that. We're right there with the investigators as they work their way methodically through the evidence; we learn as they learn, make connections as they make connections. It's a very exciting way to tell a story.
I have also been reading Stieg Larsson's first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The first fifty pages or so were interesting but perhaps a little slow; now that Larsson's actually introduced the "Girl", however, it's really taking off. What a fascinating character she is and what an interesting relationship Larsson has created between the "Girl" and her boss. I'm still in the early stages of the book but it's got me well hooked.
It seems like a very busy time for me right now, what with the three writing/reading projects on top of a demanding full-time job and a family as well. But it feels really good too. I feel like I'm accomplishing things, both as a writer and as a reader. Who knows, maybe that excitement will help me get back to writing my next Phillip Gold novel, Luke.