Crunch Time
Posted Sunday, 02/06/22
It's crunch time for Blood & Soul. My scattered inserts and notes finally came together, and now the book is fully assembled and ready for edit mode. It will surely increase my Word Counts by tenfold.
Jerry found a box of old dot matrix computer paper during a recent cleaning spree. It was perfect for printing the edit copy of Blood & Soul. The document came to 90,249 words. However, it may grow less or more as I edit the first draft. Thankfully, I have a hefty supply of pens, highlighters and sticky notes to help me on my way. I literally run the ink dry in a ballpoint pen about every ten days.
I also created a new logo for the Bloodline Trilogy, which is meant to portray the "Triple Goddess" as coming full circle. In other words, the cycle has been broken by the birth of a male child. You'll have to read Blood & Soul to understand the connotation.
As I've mentioned before, writing a book comes in various stages for me. It begins as wonderful and free-flowing, then becomes complicated when trying to keep it all consistent, then enters the "crap" stage as I believe it can't be done, which eventually turns into satisfaction as I pull it all together.
I meant to be finished with Blood & Soul last October, but a health issue stopped me in my tracks for a few months. I began to feel off-kilter in mid-to-late August 2021, my focus all but disappearing and my energy level reaching an all-time low. I blamed my symptoms on the summer heat, which was inescapable. I lost all interest in writing, reading, and everything else in general. As time went on, I slept more and ate less, hardly a fit recipe for healthy living. My fingers and toes were always cold, turning purplish on occasion. It wasn't until November that I finally went to the doctor, who ordered a battery of blood tests to get to the bottom of my malaise.
Come to find out, my circulation was restricted as the result of blood clots in my leg and lungs. If I had perhaps waited a week longer, more or less, I might not be here relating my woes. The two clots in my lungs were small and not interrupting blood flow to my heart, but the diagnosis was scary nonetheless. I am now on a three-month regimen of blood thinners, which has already helped considerably, giving me a new energy and a slow return of my usual focus. I've also learned not to take one moment of time for granted, including loved ones.
Tell them you love them every day.
