Sep 10, 2015

While I revise, I should also mention a very important part to how I was able to even write this novel to begin with. I'm an adjunct professor. My life is hectic and I barely have time to myself. So, when Rosemont College, where I earned my MFA (and the grad program I would later teach Graphic Novel Studies for) announced a Write-a-Thon, I was game. The first write-a-thon, I wrote like 13,000 words. Yeah. I had a lot in me. I wasn't even planning on writing Sin's Requiem that day. I had nothing planned, just a loose idea and outline. I didn't even know what the "sin" was at that point. I just put on my writing music, and before I knew it, 12 hours had passed and I was emotionally drained and someone handed me a tote bag of cool stuff. And then I had no time to write more. Luckily, 5 months later, Rosemont held a second Write-a-Thon, and I finished the first draft--another 12,000 words. So, if you are doing the math. I wrote the 25,000 (more, actually) in 2 days. And yes, I have a lot more to do and I am adding probably 5000 words in new chapters. I'm realizing that I have more to tell of Patrick and Aeneas. But I would have never gotten this far into the story if Rosemont didn't host those Write-a-Thons. I can't wait for another one.

And if you ever see one at your school or community, be sure to attend. Just being among other writers, everyone pouring their creative energies forth, is a magical experience. It's like the outside world no longer exists and everyone in that library (where it was hosted) existed only on an Astral Plane of Creativity. It's wonderful.