How many levels are there in life?

I like to think life is a little bit like a computer or a role-playing game. As you do things, you get better. Recent studies might have debunked the 10,000 hours to become a master at something (just do a web search for ‘how many hours to perfect something’), but that’s not to say it isn’t true. If you do the time, something something rhyme (you can master anything you put your mind to).

I think going on holiday in November was the best thing for me, it enabled me to clear my head a little, script out a main character story arc, read most of The Martian (for which I still haven’t finished, been busy writing).

Returning home, I called my editor, asked for his opinion of the chapter I had submitted, about two days before I left. I hadn’t had the chance to edit before I sent it to him, so it was a very well fleshed out chapter, but not polished. Turned out to be a full 45-minute discussion on how to improve my novel writing even more. MORE!!

Well, if it had been me a few years ago, I would have given up when I had that first discussion with my prospective editor, or maybe I wouldn’t have even shown it to anyone.

I think I have my Dad to help with that. He loved reading books so much; I had to show him the rough manuscript I had started. He gave me a push to write more of the story; he wanted to know how it would end. If it wasn’t for my father, and the constructive feedback from my publisher, I have to say I wouldn’t be on this road in my life right now.

Sadly, Dad passed away last year, two days after Fathers day. I spent the last few days in the hospital with him, and could only tell him between the drugs/sleep and the pain how much of the story I had developed. It really only covered the scene I was inspired to write and not much more. That scene is in the next book, so I have to wait until this book is complete before I can continue writing my inspired scene.

So back to the 45-minute discussion, my editor wanted more out of my writing. I reworked the whole chapter, gave it more than I had, pushed myself to give that More. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic story. {Insert protagonist name here} will be that person. Better than they were before. Better…stronger…faster.

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My goal is to have the best of this book written before March, with Editor edits then my new skills waved over the top, I hope to have my first publication released by the end of 2020.

This book release will be the original prologue from that first draft my Dad read last year, then the real story starts.

I’m looking forward to having that glowing hair and my first book in people’s hands. I can only hope critics will be kind, but pigs don’t fly, and they wouldn’t be critics if they weren’t critical.

It’s ok to have some downtime, but remember next time you turn on the games console or that streaming service, is it contributing to your life in any way? Life is a casino, don’t spend what you can’t afford; you might run out of credit tomorrow.

This is my Friday posting from last week and this week, so have a good weekend everyone.