The Web Haunt of Ryan K Lindsay

It is just getting dark, and doing so early. The house is empty and dark, the oven light the only illumination in the kitchen, the bulb above me the other matching guide in the house. The Chili Peppers soothe out of my laptop, their newer work finally growing on me. I have hours until sleep and I aim to be productive. My first novel sits open next to me at my desk. It is a novel only in my own house. I printed off a copy and bound it myself, only to make it easier to proofread, not in some freak delusional hysteria to prove that I can be ‘published’. It’s in that cheap ring binding, but it keeps all the pages together, rather than them getting lost in the insanity that is my filing system; in the drawer, on the shelves, into the organisers on the shelves, into my diary, into my bag, next to me on my desk, on top of the printer, to name a few select places.

This novel was begun in September of 2008 and finished around the end of January in 2009, not a bad effort if I do say so myself. But, it was only a first draft. It needs proofing, I haven’t even read it all in one sitting yet. I gave the printed copy to my then girlfriend. She devoured it and loved it, it gave me hope but I knew I had to have a stab at it before anyone else’s eyes were scratched by the unfinished polish on it. I planned on doing it, but only in pencil, nothing was inked into my skin.

I then let my second novel, In Ten City (as it finally came to be known), get in the way. I started In Ten City in February of 2009 and finished it seven weeks later at the end of March. I sat back from it, did some other stuff, and then proofed it. I have ‘finished’ with that novel and sent it away for someone else’s consideration, but the first baby still sits there. Fatter than the next and more demanding, so what have I done? I have ignored it, until now.

I have so far kept myself busy with the beginnings of a science-fiction novel, of which I have completed around 50 pages and ostensibly planned until the very last page. It is an exciting story but I cannot go on writing more things and leaving this first one to rot and decay on my desk to my right. This first one is the one my now fiancée loves the most. She sees potential in the first one so I feel obligated to her, if nothing else or myself, to get it finished to send out to people for rejection.

I have also lately been toying with another idea. A high concept that I am typing more and more balloons to in the hope it will float, and then fly. It is coming along well and each day seems to give me another brightly coloured bubble of helium to add to it. I could happily sit down to write it right now but I know I shouldn’t. I have to proof the first book. And I will. I am setting myself the goal that I will get the first book proofed, at least one or two drafts, before I attempt word one on this new delight of mine, not to mention the sci-fi book that seems to be running a sad third. I am hoping to simply develop the main character of my highest concept, so that when I do sit down to do it I know those guys so well. And then so will my readers.

I have two weeks holidays coming up and I don’t want to touch the new idea, the highest concept, until I proof that first fat book of about 480 pages. It can be done, and I am about 45 pages into it, so I will diligently continue to improve. I am going to try and see how many chapters I can do in one day, then I will try to match/beat that the next day.

I will not eat my dessert until those green are mopped off the plate.

Hot damn, this will all be so much easier when I can do it as the day job and not have to leave the house for eight hours a day to earn real money.

Posted on June 28th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: Writing