Three hours and 2500 words later, I emerge from Borders with chapter one of An American Symphony finished. I smell of coffee, my eyes and hands hurt, and I bask in the glow of completion.

I wrote more than I was expecting tonight, and rounded out the first chapter with a nice balance between sorrow and love. Plus, the second half of the chapter, which takes place when Audi is four years old, is complete enough in itself to be used as a short story. I'm taking a page from Mike's book (well, not literally) and using the novel as source material for separate short stories. And I'm doing a sort-of reverse of that for the second half of chapter three; it'll be the events of "Little Miracles" told from Audi's point of view.

Man, finishing a chapter. It's the second-best feeling in the world.

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Now Reading:
Nowhere Near Milkwood by Rhys Hughes

Stories Out to Publishers:
11

Novel Word Count:
15,400