Herding Commas, Phase II

Forgive me, readers (if you are still out there), it has been almost four years since my last post...

Lately, though, that little voice in my head has been encouraging me to go back online. I first heard it at the end of June, and recorded the idea in my June 29th morning pages: "The past few days, my intuitive voice has been urging me to create a forum, probably a blog, through which I can capture this writing journey -- the experience of writing a novel for the first time -- and share it with whomever cares to read about my writing adventures, mis-adventures, and a-ha moments. A way to start a dialogue with my friends about what my writing work is like, or a way to start up a dialogue among other writers who are on a similar path."

Not sure whether this was just a new way for me to procrastinate (i.e. avoid the hard work of writing a novel) or a legitimate (ooh, that word is charged now thanks to a certain congressman) creative urge, I settled for recording my reflections on the journey in my writer's notebook to see if it would persist or fade away.

Almost two months later, the voice is still there. Still chattering away about how I should (re-)launch the blog. So this morning, having reached my goal of writing 30,000 words over a 10-week period just yesterday, and wondering how to commemorate the occasion, I decided to listen.

I agreed to bring my reflections on the journey out of the notebook, at least for a little while, to see how it feels. But not before making a promise to myself that the moment this begins to feel like a daily performance -- like last time, when each entry began to feel like a neatly packaged essay I was writing for English class -- it's back to the notebook.

I want these entries to be a celebration of the messy, dynamic, ever-evolving process I engage in for four hours every morning. I want my words to provide whoever is watching a glimpse of that elusive beast called the writing process in all its wildness. And I want to remember what this process of writing a novel felt like along the way.

And if anyone out there wants to come along for the ride, I would love the company.