Nothing like a fresh canvasPOSTED MAY 23, 2012

This last year has been an eventful one for my first novel . There were a lot of new edits ahead of its November re-release, then supplimentary material to support the commercial Splashdown version: three features for other people's blogs , the trailer on YouTube , and even "director's commentary" that I hope to release in the future (for the novel, I mean, not its trailer). Finally, there is the film treatment in progress. With the Lord's blessing, Caffeine will have a movie based on it. This is the first step toward that goal.

The process of writing my second novel, The Day The Rain Came Back (DRCB for short), is proving much rougher than Caffeine's had been. Perhaps because I raised the bar on myself. Progress stalled last July and I determined that I needed another approach to the story. The aforementioned work for Caffeine's release made sure DRCB wouldn't get any more time in 2011. Finally, though, those clouds are clearing and I can't wait to get started. Such excitement is definitely a good sign.

As a painter starts with a fresh canvas, brimming with potential, so does a novelist. The latter, however, paints a portrait in far more than two dimensions. You don't get a single scene or character to portray, but an entire universe: limits beyond even film. And I like my stories big. Short stories and such just aren't roomy enough to really flesh things out from multiple angles. A novel can be as long as it needs to be.

Work on DRCB resumes Monday, the writing stage itself on June 1. There is little I can keep from my 2011 work, but this is okay. The old work helped me sort out the direction the story needed to go. It wasn't for naught.

Stay tuned. Don't forget to "like" Caffeine's Facebook Page , where I will track the progress of The Day The Rain Came Back.

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