Prior to the writing of The Situation with Phillip, I had started five other projects that I considered novel attempts. I’d even say that I progressed far enough with four of them for them to be considered novel-length, 60,000 words.
There was Greener Grass; The Art of Building Tin Foil Houses; The Alleged Johnny Real; another attempt also titled The Alleged Johnny Real, with the same title character but a different setting; and The Beautiful Putrescence. Beginning in 1994, that’s how they came chronologically.
The first Johnny Real became redundant with the existence of the second, but I consider the other four of them to be works in progress. Still, for whatever reason, they are all incomplete at this time. Another way to say that is to say that at some point in time I quit what I had started. It’s not pretty, but it’s true.
And now, here we have The Situation with Phillip. I made it through three complete drafts, queried it, got a swift rejection, and now I haven’t mentioned it in about five weeks. That’s true, but, while I may not have mentioned the novel, its name, or actually doing work on it, I’ve been working on it here, on the website and with LinkedIn and piggy back rides on your social media accounts as well.
I’m doing the things the agent told me I need to do to make myself more viable in the publishing world, the growing of a network–which includes the technical writing job and any other publications.
Phillip is fine, and I’ll be getting back to the fourth draft when the process dictates.
One question I’ve been asked is if I’m planning to query the book out to other agents. Ultimately, if I don’t sign on with the first agent, I will; however, I kind of like the idea of working with that man. His email endeared me a bit to him, and it also gave me the impression that he wasn’t closed to the idea of further inquiry on my part, once I’ve become more established.
Right now, however, this is fun work. Hanging with you folks is cool. I published a piece yesterday and have another set to run soon. I’ll be beginning a second of those fintech (short speak for financial technology) assignments tomorrow and continuing to grow my online presence, and I’m all cool with that for right now. Then, when the time comes to wade back into that troubled world that Phillip and Jeffrey live in, I’ll be fresh from having stepped out of it for a spell and ready to knock out those last couple of drafts to see it completed.
Thanks so much for being part of this process, my friends. Keep asking your questions when you come in the bar; they help to keep me going.
Your Tuesday review should actually post on Tuesday this week. I won’t tell you what album it is, but I’ll give you a hint.
Think disco.
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