LIVE!!!

TODAY, I truly NEED to write an entry.
This morning at 7:35 AM I finished the first draft of my next novel ENCOUNTER.  Hear the roar of applause!! ENCOUNTER follows the genre of psychological thriller, except the main character is without Sami. I know, I know... I’m intending on creating a PERFECT series for Sami too, including her dear friend Drew. Titles like A PERFECT WIFE, A PERFECT PLAN, and A PERFECT SETUP all are brewing in the writer's space... my mind.
But, today we celebrate ENCOUNTER!!! Which, in fact, had its birth several years ago when I first introduced Detective Dan Hammer, my macho alter-ego in a novel called NOTHING SACRED.  Charleston, South Carolina provided the perfect backdrop for that twisted, historical and brutal story. My agent assured me it was a labor of love, nothing more, so I quickly shelved it and went about doing what I do best -- begin anew. I wanted my new novel to take place in San Francisco, a City I love, but haven't visited too often. I also wanted to push the envelope a bit with male sexual addiction, escapism and compulsion. Light topics.  My plan: hide ENCOUNTER away for a couple of weeks… no thoughts, no triggers... no rewrites. I'll wait, hold tight, and then begin the major overhaul... (what does that mean?) I've written several novels where each page had to be 'the perfect writer,' correct grammar, correct description, correct everything!  You probably understand the scenario. It's a perfectionist nightmare.  ENOUGH! The most important tool I've learned from being a writer is consistency. Showing up. On time. Being at your computer every day at whatever time works for you. There have been days I woke feeling energized, a genius, a miraculous human link of shared celestial information- and then... there are days when I literally have nothing to give to the page. The characters literally walk from point A to point B. I still print out the pages, proud of my progress and dilegently move on. Next day, new chapter, new ideas... 
This blog is called the Walker's Blog. I walk approximately three miles each morning after I finish writing. Southern California is perfect for this kind of exercise. While hiking around Hancock Park I process what I just wrote, where the plot’s going, what I'll write the next day, sometimes whole new character immerge. It is one of the main reasons I continue writing. 
I love how the human mind can drop, in a split second, a penny of illumination. Fix a problem, solve a situation, and allow me to have a good night's sleep… all at the same time!
This blog will be about THE REWRITE. I will personally take you through the day-in, day-out, ups-and-downs of preparing my new manuscript for submission.  Stay tuned!