I'm a creative person.

That's not exactly a shock, considering the number of songs I've written.  But there was a time in my life when I pursued another interest; writing fiction.  Granted, it was back in high school, and what I wrote may not have been all that original, but it was a start.  Then music took over just about all my creative energy. 

But, I've had impulses to do other things, and have explored some.  My short lived podcast is a good example.  

 It feels like "The Eyes In My Dream" took forever.  Part of the process was learning to write a book.  But, I started with a thought. What if a kid found and bonded with a dogman pup?  If you don't know what a dogman is, feel free to Google it.  Briefly, It could be a large, intelligent wolf that can walk on two legs as easily as it can on four.  There's lots of mythology around it; I covered some on one of my podcast episodes.  

I took that germ of an idea and started writing.  Progress was slow for any number of  reasons, including no outline of any kind.  I suspect I'll never do that again.  I believe things will move along better if I take the time to plot things out in advance - have high points and a story arc in mind, that sort of thing.  That's not to say that I'll stick to it or be inflexible, but I think it will be better to start the journey with a destination in mind, along with some stops along the way.  

Once I thought I was finished the first time, the editorial process began.  

Sort of.

I did not pay anyone to help me edit the book.  I did seek feedback from a few people, including my now ex wife and her mother.  My ex was more helpful, but not nearly as much as an online acquaintance who is a published author.  He liked my first chapter, which is all he wound up reading, but talk about an eye opener.  Have you ever submitted a paper to a teacher and had it returned with all kinds of corrections, probably in red ink?  That's what it felt like.  He recommended a book called "Editor-Proof Your Writing: 21 Steps to the Clear Prose Publishers and Agents Crave (Great Books for Writers)."  It was exceptionally helpful.  But, it meant rewriting what I had.  Rather painfully.

Ultimately, I think the book and I are better for having gone through the the process.  I wound up rewriting at least twice, and maybe three times, if you count going through and making changes while recording the audio book.  

I expect to write more, and possibly revisit one of this book's characters. 

Enjoy.