{"id":4,"date":"2014-04-25T16:26:05","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T16:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/?p=4"},"modified":"2014-04-25T19:07:37","modified_gmt":"2014-04-25T19:07:37","slug":"angels-of-mercy-musings-on-writing-my-first-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=4","title":{"rendered":"Angels of Mercy – Musings On Writing My First Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authors Note<\/strong>: I’ve moved to a self hosted WP from the web development integrated version of my blog. This was originally posted on 04.15.14 @6:49 pm\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

So here\u2019s the deal with writing: It\u2019s one of the most excruciating and transformative processes I think you can go through. Excruciating because you feel like you\u2019ve just laid your privates on the chopping block and don\u2019t know if it\u2019s gonna get whacked or not, and transformative in that through the process you discover something about yourself.<br><\/p>\n

Angels of Mercy<\/b><\/a> was a fluke for me. You see I have like seven such novel series already outlined (complete with character studies and general location maps all ready and set to go). I just have to find the time (with a full time job tugging at my sleeve cause there\u2019s something about keeping a roof over your head and food in the tummy that\u2019s mighty encouraging to keep doing it) to write the damned things.<br><\/p>\n

Okay, I shouldn\u2019t say damned<\/i>. Because I love<\/i> my stories – even if<\/i> they\u2019re still bottled up in my noggin\u2019 and are fighting each other for their blessed release. It\u2019s also made me innately aware of other people\u2019s writings. And not just in print, either (\u2018e\u2019 or otherwise).<br><\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to think that I\u2019m constantly growing as a writer. I mean, I\u2019ve been doing it one way or another since I was a kid. Now on the cusp of my 50th year (yeah, I\u2019m a total late bloomer where the aspiring novelist is concerned), I find I am really taking stock of what people say (or don\u2019t say). How they use their words. And the revelations have been rather fascinating. <br><\/p>\n

But you didn\u2019t start to read this for my bumbling stream of consciousness regarding everyone else\u2019s writings. So what happened to me while I wrote my little book? I tossed and turned a lot in bed, I can tell you that. And no, not because the hubby was frisky (though there\u2019s plenty of that from his quarter) – no, it was because I was overwrought with \u2018was I doing my boys justice in telling their story the way I was doing it?\u2019 <br><\/p>\n

That was the burning question for me. Now that the baby is with a potential publisher. I waffle even more. Did I do everything I could? Are my guys represented the way I wanted them to be? Or did I seriously just fuck it all up? I mean, I love a good mystery as much as the next guy – but I want this one solved – PRONTO! Alas, I have to wait the two long months (at minimum) for the review process to occur. It\u2019s nothing short of maddening. Still, I press on with volume 2.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authors Note: I’ve moved to a self hosted WP from the web development integrated version of my blog. This was originally posted on 04.15.14 @6:49 pm\u00a0 So here\u2019s the deal with writing: It\u2019s one of the most excruciating and transformative processes I think you can go through. Excruciating because you feel like you\u2019ve just laid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,3],"tags":[31,30,17,728],"class_list":["post-4","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-what-the-fuck-on-the-media","category-novel-writing","tag-confidence","tag-into-the-deep-end","tag-novel","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75tPU-4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1088,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=1088","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":0},"title":"Our Dirty Little Secrets – Part 2","author":"S A Collins","date":"November 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Our Dirty Little Secrets - Part 2 \u00a0 \u00a0 My on-going conversation with Savannah Smythe\/Jayne Lockwood on the craft of writing, how gay authors are under represented in our own literary house, and my forthcoming novel - Angels of Mercy. Check them out over at the following locations - Savannah\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"Author pal - Jayne Lockwood\/Savannah Smythe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jayneicon_orig.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1443,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=1443","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":1},"title":"Angels of Mercy – The Print Edition Cover Reveal","author":"S A Collins","date":"March 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Angels of Mercy - The Print Edition Cover Reveal \u00a0 I've waffled enough on this. To release it or not. Look for a lit agent or not. Traditional pub or not. I went back and forth so many times I started to see myself coming. I've tugged on my beta\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover artwork for Angels of Mercy - Volume One: Elliot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/AoMPrintCoverMaster-1024x705.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1860,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=1860","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":2},"title":"Embracing the Improbable","author":"S A Collins","date":"February 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Embracing the Improbable It shouldn't exist. I never intended it to exist, yet, there it is. \u00a0 \u00a0 What am I babbling about now? My next release - Angels of Mercy \u2013 Phoenix in the Fire\u00a0(due March 2016). The book ostensibly is a work of fiction in and of itself.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/els01_500px.jpg?fit=378%2C500&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":88,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=88","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":3},"title":"How much gay sex is too much?","author":"S A Collins","date":"April 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"So the hubby sent me an article that proved to be a bit enlightening (and informative from a historical standpoint). Read it here... It gave me pause for thought. While I have my first novel in the can (so to speak - still working out the kinks in edits), it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Giving Back"","block_context":{"text":"Giving Back","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=48"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=24","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":4},"title":"Feeling a bit vulnerable with my shit out there…","author":"S A Collins","date":"April 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Author's Note: \u00a0This is a converted blog post. It originally was published on 04.17.14 @ 7:53pm, US Pacific. So here\u2019s my deal with the whole writing thing that is so fucking out there scary. I mean - it\u2019s my shit, and well... it\u2019s out there, on the internet. While it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Media Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Media Musings","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1771,"url":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?p=1771","url_meta":{"origin":4,"position":5},"title":"Words and Errata – The Vocal Edition Ep 002","author":"S A Collins","date":"May 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Words and Errata - The Vocal Edition Ep 002 \u00a0 \u00a0 So episode two of the Words and Errata blog (the audio edition) are up on SoundCloud now. \u00a0 https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/sacollins\/words-and-errata-ep-002 \u00a0 And it's rather an interesting thing to post these. I've always been a talker - getting up in front\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Authors Voices"","block_context":{"text":"Authors Voices","link":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/?cat=377"},"img":{"alt_text":"SA Collins - Words and Errata - The Vocal Edition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biz141.inmotionhosting.com\/~akweko6\/sacollins.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/PodcastIcon_SC1400_100pxsac-1024x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions\/73"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sacollins.com\/blog-wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}