Editing Freedom

A bit over two weeks ago, I wrote the last words of the last chapter of the first draft of Bruce and the Road to Freedom—the fifth (and last) book in my "Bruce and Friends" children's series! It was most assuredly a day of celebration. I've worked on this book, on and off,  for . . . years. In a post here on February of 2015, I wrote:

"I've also come back to work on Bruce and the Road to Freedom, which is turning out to be more challenging than I anticipated. Freedom is not an easy concept, and it has different meanings for different people and depending on context. I think it will be an interesting and fun story, and I'm happy to say that some of the earlier characters who haven't been seen in a while will reappear."

Finishing the first draft is a distance from having a completed novel, but at least now I know the plot of the story and how it ends.* I sent the draft, ragged as parts of it were, to my editor, the gracious Jim Campbell, who will tell me what stays and what goes, what's good and what's not, and point out grammatical errors to make the manuscript become better. More than any of my earlier novels, this one needs a firm hand. I'm looking forward to Jim's red pen in the margins.

While I wait, I'm working on edits and updates to The Art of Pickleball.​ This much-needed revision is going well. 

For those who've waited with me while Bruce and the Road to Freedom unfolded, thanks for your patience. Printed copies should be ready by the end of the year. 
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* Authors generally write books in one of two ways: they plot them from start to finish and then begin writing, or they start writing and discover the plot of the story as they go. I've done it both ways. This book was a combination of the two methods. I knew roughly where the characters would go and what they would do, but the outline was truly "bare bones." When I fleshed it out, elements of the story emerged that were unplanned, and those changed the direction of the drama. All worked out in the end, though.