Before I retired I churned out thousands of pages of expository writing. Shortly before retirement, a work colleague and friend (since 1979) suggested I put my writing skills to good use and write a novel.
Since I had worked for the government you could say I was already proficient in writing fiction, but there is such a vast difference between expository writing and creating a plot, scenery, characters, etc.
Dialogue, what’s that? Didn’t have to do that either. So I’ve completed an online dynamic dialogue course, bought several books related to fiction and dug in.
Since I was already accustomed to creating outlines, putting one together for my first novel came natural. I had a general idea what I wanted to write about, where the story would take place, and the anticipated outcome. Sounds simple, right? My outline is still my bible, keeping me on track, but I do modify it on a regular basis to keep in line with necessary changes.
One thing for certain–this is a journey, one that I’m glad I’ve started.
