Hi. It's ... been a while. The process of art is a mix of unpredictable, haphazard, and finicky. I changed careers a few years ago. I did it because I was miserable doing what I used to do, but also because I wanted to free up some time in my life for the important things. Family. Friends. And, of course, art. The last post made on this website was over 3 years ago, right before I made the move. Since then, my life has changed in many ways. My wife and I bought a house. My kids got older. Three years older, I think. And I tackled some health issues I had been dealing with for a very long time – mental, mostly.
I hadn't written much in those three years, contrary to the entire point of making a career change at 30. I read a lot. Scribbled some bullshit I pretended was writing. But it – the proverbial it – had left me for a bit. I knew it would come back to me and I to it, but no matter what I was up to, I couldn't force it no matter how much I wanted to.
So I waited. I waited for it to come naturally. I trusted my intuition. And it did.
In early summer I exploded in words all over a brand new Word document. But what I was writing wasn't necessarily for anyone else to read. It was an exercise in both scraping the rust off while also clearing my headspace for new work. A lot of it was filled with residual crap that my psychiatrist (or medications) couldn't shake loose. I needed an outlet and I found it in Old Faithful. I spewed tens of thousands of words at lightning speed, a cork popped and pressure released. So I took advantage – I grabbed a copy of The Committed, did my homework, and continued work on the sequel. I alternated between that and my journalistic, stream-of-consciousness document, working on whatever felt more important to me at the time.
As I wrote, a friend of mine pointed out that NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, was fast approaching. I had an idea that I'd been ruminating over for a little while and decided this would be the perfect way to execute it. I also think I'm in the perfect state of mind for this story. So I'm going to do this the opposite of how I would normally. Normally I write the manuscript, sit on it a little while then hire an editor who lets me know whether or not any of it makes sense or if it's a pile of shit (I wish I'd hired a real editor for my first book, but I digress). Then I go over it again. I re-write parts. I send it out again for a second round of edits. Again, I labor meticulously over every word in the manuscript. Finally, I have another editor go over it for grammar, syntax, typos, etc. The next step is formatting it for print/e-print, designing a cover, writing a synopsis, and then publishing.
I'm going to do it backwards this time. NaNoWriMo starts at 12:01 a.m. on November 1, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on November 30. The goal is 50,000 words or it's a failure. More is fine. So I have not written a single word yet. I've outlined in my head, as I usually do. Jotted down some notes. But there is nothing in existence as of 10:08 p.m. on October 31.
As I'm doing this backwards, I will announce the title and cover of the book first. As the month goes, I will update accordingly. I feel like it's a fun way to hold myself accountable and engage with anyone who reads my work. And, because I am announcing the book, I will be sure to follow through, regardless if I finish on time or not. I'd at least owe that to anyone looking forward to the work.
So, without further ado, the book.
attc_cover
That's it for now. No synopsis. No hints. Not yet. But soon. I won't wait until the end to give you a synopsis or a book trailer. You'll just have to be patient and take the ride with me. I'll update on here (actually, on a new website I'm working on) and on Instagram (www.instagram.com/justinmerm)
By the way, for anyone aspiring to write something, NaNoWriMo is fantastic. You can check it out by clicking the links I've inserted or by simply going to www.nanowrimo.org. Fiction, non-fiction, amateur, whatever. It doesn't matter. And it's fun.
Talk soon. Much sooner than last time.