Reached the midpoint on the first draft of my next stand-alone thriller, Cold Storage. Woohoo.

Every author has their own writing style and speed. Their own process. I don’t really like my process and I wish I wrote faster, but the end results seem to be worth the trouble.

I love thinking up a new thriller, but I hate putting the first words on paper, because I know how much work is between the first word and the last.

I usually don’t get into rhythm with any novel until about midway through. So, the first half is partly fulfilling my initial vision and partly discovery of the story itself. As I fill in the gaps between idea and execution, I uncover more about my characters, their paths, their challenges, their weaknesses and their secrets.

Once the rhythm starts and I gain momentum, then I get frustrated by the same discovery process that I needed in the first half to flesh things out. Now, all the new stuff only gets in the way of me getting to the finish line.

Yet, while fighting daily between the pros and cons, my greatest satisfaction comes from crafting a story and, when published, holding the book in my hand.

It’s something tangible. Like my creativity birthed a piece of art that didn’t exist before.

Having reached the midpoint of Cold Storage, I am both excited to rush to the end while cautious about how the writing process will detour my path.

But, instead of complaining, I’ll take a minute to enjoy reaching the milestone of drafting half a story. LOL. Then I’ll get back to work.