And we're off

Things have been coming along quite nicely with the novel.  Michelle & I have been feverishly sending emails back and forth to each other with minor modifications and expansions on the outline.  We have also become experts in the track changes function of Microsoft word so that we are always on the same page of any edit.  Also, as of this evening, Michelle has written the first 1,000 words of the novel.  (She wrote half of Chapter 21.)  Seeing as a work only has to have 50,000 words to qualify as a novel, that means that we're somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/50th of the way done (give or take 100,000 words).

I had been concerned that working on the novel would be a costly distraction from my school work, but so far I actually believe it has been an asset.  (Although, as school hasn't actually started yet, maybe I should reserve judgment until September.)  Every day I spend a prescribed amount of time doing psychology research, and when that is finished, I work on research for the book.  Since I started doing this two weeks ago, I've found that my psych research ideas have greatly increased in quality.  Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I actually think that having time away from psychology is giving me a fresh perspective which makes my ideas better.  It's a fantastic, if unexpected, turn of events.

I have to admit that I'm slightly nervous about reading the first part of the book Michelle wrote.  It's not that I don't have 100% faith in her (she has always been a great writer), but this means that it's really really real now.  As long as it's still in our heads it's full of potential, and utterly perfect.  There's something comforting about that.  I've decided to wait until tomorrow to read it.  I'm a bit burned out from all of my research today anyway, and I want to be fresh when I do read it. 

I'm made a conscious effort to tell just about everyone that Michelle & I are writing a novel.  I never don't do anything that I've set my mind to, so I figured that if I told everyone that we were doing this, then that would ensure that the book would be completed.  I'm somewhat nervous about our publishing prospects, but there are two pieces of information that encourage me: (1) my brother recently found a publisher for his first novel, and he's only 20 years old, and (2) I know that the plot is as good as at least half the stuff on bookstore shelves.  I just can't wait until we have a publisher.  I know how it was when my brother was writing his first novel.  When someone tells you that they're writing a novel, you're like, "Isn't that cute?  So-and-so is actually expending the energy to write a novel.  What ego!"  However, the moment that they find a publisher, your attitude turns from bemusement and mild condescension, to reverence and awe.  That's another reason I've told just about everyone we know about the novel.  I want to see the look on their faces the moment they hear that we're actually getting our novel published.  I know that moment will be a thing of beauty.  Until then, though, we have 49,000 more words to write.