Into the Light

My creative outlets have changed over the years — music, acting, filmmaking, content creating, painting and sketching. I’ve written all my life, but when I finally pulled focus and set out to write a novel, I realized that all of these modes of expression were feeding into my ability to tell stories in that form. In the process of writing The Hole, it felt like everything I had hoped to achieve in past endeavors came together on the page. In this way, while I’ve learned much about the craft of novel writing, novel writing has taught me a lot about myself. Not least, the incredible work ethic required to successfully master the craft.

And these two things, work ethic and mastery, have been at war in me from the start. At the beginning of 2023, I determined I would finish writing my thriller by August. My family was going to spend that month in Korea, and their absence presented an opportunity to read a printout of my finished novel aloud without anyone hearing. Having done that and made whatever final corrections there were to make, I planned to have my query package set and ready to go. As of the date I’m writing this, I am supposed to be at work on a second novel. I had all these deadlines set, because that was what my work ethic dictated. In the end, and because I have in fact worked diligently all the while, I can happily say I dispensed with the deadlines in favor of making The Hole the best damn thriller I can make it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and that makes me horribly excited, but the novel will be done when it’s done. And when the story is the best I can make it, what I’ll have when I step into the light will be worth all the time and effort.