I finally started writing a novel yesterday, after three years of practice on this daily blog. It’s been on my list of unfulfilled new year resolutions for even more years. I wrote an unpublished novel about 30 years ago titled “Thank God There’s An Ocean.” (See Post #295). It was as addictive as any video game. Inventing and maneuvering all the characters was intoxicating, keeping me up late some nights, in addition to my full time Marketing career. Often times, I would find myself working on that project when I should have been doing my job. As I think about it, there was that edgy thrill of getting caught or fired, but also the satisfaction of being paid to write.

At that time in my life, I was looking for an escape from reality. I always imagined having nothing else to do but write. When retirement finally came along, I had grand plans about spending my time at the keyboard, churning out book after book and living on the royalties while traveling the world. The first step was to start this blog that has gotten me into the habit of writing every day. It seemed logical that this would eventually evolve into something greater, but here I am 1,313 posts later without a profitable idea. My friends are taking up new constructive hobbies, finishing projects in their yards, spending time with their grandchildren, and unselfishly volunteering their time. With the COVID-19 crisis, everyone has more time on their hands, and some are using it more effectively than others. Travel is currently not an option and boredom has set-in. I finally started to put words to page. 

When I sit down to write everyday, I don’t always know where it will lead. Sometimes, that’s all to obvious considering all my silly ramblings. Yet, somehow I felt that I needed a carefully constructed outline to write a novel, restraining me from moving forward. With my first effort, I at least had a map that I could follow to create stories of a cross-country journey. I want this particular work to be a murder mystery, in line with my favorite authors to read. I personally have no experience with murder so it’s challenging to plot one, let alone a series of them. You build the characters based on yourself and people you know to begin with, and then carefully disguise them to be strangers that are capable of evil. This is where it takes on the appeal of a video game because you can make them do anything. 

I will continue to start each day with a run and this daily feature. They keep me sane in these stay-at-home times of self-isolation and physical distancing. I’ll probably do a lot of switching back and forth between book and blog as I face issues like writer’s block and inevitable dead-ends. As I strive to make the story as real as possible, it will also require some extensive research. I might even have to kill someone to get the job done right. Maybe, you’ve had enough of this game of dodging the invisible virus? Any volunteers? The plot thickens!