To be perfectly honest, the writing has been rather sporatic.   A thing called life has come up that hasn't allowed me to write everyday.  I can say that the days I have written have been very productive.  Carl's back story is really starting to take shape.  I do have to tell you, I wasn't completely aware of Carl's back story until it was written.    Carl does find a love interest, which wasn't originally part of his history.  It's been fun writing for him.  I have been laying down an extremely rough draft of the story line.  As the creativity strikes me, I feel it best to get it down in words and go back and refine the text later.



I received favorable responses from the two persons I had critique it.  They definitely felt the story should be finished, and my wife was grilling me wanting me to tell her what happens with Carl's character next.    This excites me because I know Carl's character will take many twists and turns before the conclusion of the story.  Some of them you may be able to anticipate, but others I hope will blow the reader out of the water.



I am dabbling with the idea of posting excerpts of the novel unto my website.  Keep you eyes peeled for this possible development!

This morning proved to be a great morning for writing.  Carl, the main character of the story, is really starting to come into his own.  Like  any character in a novel, it takes a while for the character to develop any depth.  Because of the lack of dialogue in the first three chapters, it seemed difficult to flesh out Carl's persona.  As I have gotten into chapter four and five, I am really beginning to get a feel for Carl and how he reacts to certain situations.  I was very excited this morning how the words just poured out.  Of course, tomorrow I will probably read it and wonder what the heck I was thinking.

I had made a decision early on that once I reached 10,000 words I would have a couple of people read over what I had so far to see what they thought.  I want to see if the story draws them in and leaves them wanting more.  My wife loves to proofread, and she has graciously volunteered to read through it.  I think  the curiousity has gotten the better of her.  I greatly appreciate her willingness to read through it though.  I need a good editor.  A colleague and a good friend has also offered to give it a look.  I value his opinion a lot as well, so I will have good input.

Keep checking back.... more posting will follow.

What an interesting feeling it is to be sitting down and writing again. I haven't done any serious writing since I collaberated with Paul in the writing of "Truth in Honor". "The Freedom Within" is a project that started about 20 years ago. I originally wrote it as a play for a class in high school. I've decided to expound upon the concept into a novel format. Then it will be adapted into a screenplay for filming later.







The process of writing for this character has been quite an ordeal. The main character of the novel has an insideous dark side that seems to consume his personality at times. I find myself having to really dig deep, and exploit the animal urges that we all have within us. His character signifies those dark portions of our soul that we all neatly tuck away. He languishes in the insecurities that we so cleverly try to control. Writing for such a dark character has been a trying experience.







I do appreciate how the story has been coming along though. It almost seems to write itself. There is a lot of hidden symbolism in the writing. I also put considerable foreshadowing in the earlier chapters. There are also some interesting reoccurring themes (or stitchwork as I call it) throughout the novel so far. There is lots more development to be had. I am still in the early stages of the book. Check back later for more details.