Okay, so I have cut various sections of the novel into parts and I arranged it into chronological order and I started to read. My observations….well, I think there are some parts that need to be removed so the cutting helped with that, but I still think I should start where I have been starting the novel. Not at the chronological beginning, but where the story begins for the characters. The book is called Lives Lived. Lives end, begin and change over time. This is the way we live. Gabrielle lives a life that throws curves at her. It isn’t the type of life that goes from point A to B. I can’t force normalcy onto a manuscript that won’t have it. I have the words, more than enough words for this novel to be done. There is a beginning, a middle and an ending, the characters are intact and I’ve spent a very long time writing this thing, rewriting, reading, re-reading and editing. It is time to be done. It’s 3 a.m. and I have no intention of going to sleep anytime soon. This is insanity. At some point, I need to go forward with this thing and that time is now.

So here is how it is going to go. We are going to start off in the present and not necessarily flashback but we will move in-between stages of Gabrielle’s life. We will not stay in chronological order because when has anything in my mind or life stayed in chronological order? Nothing is ever that cut and dry. I'm comfortable with being odd, different and I accept whatever that means for Lives Lived. This is my book and it will come from my mind, the way it was meant to be in my mind. That is that.

I was talking with a friend today and he said something I can’t argue with. He said, “If people don’t get your novel, then it’s not their novel to get.” He is, by far, one of the smartest, most creative brains I’ve ever come across. I find kinship with his brain because he is not of the norm. He says things that make sense and vibe with my beliefs. If people don’t get this book, I’m okay with that. William Faulkner wrote numerous books that some people claim to understand but really….what the heck is he talking about when Vardaman says that his mother is a fish? Google the reference and a million sites providing even more opinions and analysis will pop up. If you read Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, you will become so caught up in the story, the stream of consciousness and Faulkner’s writing that you won’t worry about why Varadaman’s mother is a fish. You will worry about how you can make that extraordinary novel last longer because you want to be caught up in that magnificent story that Faulkner has spun. Stories, the beauty of them is that they mean something different to all of us. That’s why I read. Because someone else’s words can touch me in a way they may have never intended. They might get something completely different from what I’ve written and make a connection on a level I would never expect.

Time is of the essence. It’s funny whom and what inspires you. I’ve been watching my friends make their dreams come true. It feels so wonderful to see people you care about bring to life the things you talk about on an everyday basis. At one point, you are talking about hopes and dreams. A few weeks or months later, those dreams are reality. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by some amazing, unique people. They’ve inspired me to make another major change in my life. Their bright-eyed, boundless dreams have challenged me to renew my faith in myself, and my writing. Move forward without hesitation. Make a way where there previously was none. It’s almost 3:30 in the morning. Lives Lived is next to me here in bed. Time to read.