The Strange New Direction

I've been feeling the pull recently to actually do something that I've often threatened to do. I wanted to write a novel that used the summer after my senior year in Hich School as it's foundation. At the time I had just read "The Rum Diary" by Hunter S. Thompson. I don't think anyone ever accused that of being a great book, except me perhaps, and I was so enamored with Hunter Thompson at the time that my judgement is way cloudy. All I know is that I've read it over and over, I love that book. I loved it from first read, which happened to occur during that summer of my life. I would later in life when I was feeling somewhat down fill a bath tub with water, a bucket full of ice and beer and sit in the tub and read "The Rum Diary". Part of my attraction to it has been that in form it reminds me of two other favorite books, "The Great Gatsby" and "The Sun Also Rises". There is something about describing a new setting and then taking a journey in each of them that shows up as a commonality. Perhaps what struck me always about "The Rum Diary", and this is more than likely completely incorrect and really very arrogant, but I always thought that after reading it that I could do this. I could write a book like this. This was my motivation. It is no coincidence that the title I chose for this book has another liquor in the title.

I've now began writing in earnest. I am 6 chapters deep. I am suffering a total lack of confidence that what I've written is worth writing or reading, but I keep writing. I want so bad to actually finish this, because I want to write another one after it. This one is juvenile and dark and really rather disturbing, but so is mis-spent youth.

I have really wanted to not tell anyone that I'm working on it. I started the first chapter back in November of 2008, but I only got about 13 paraghraphs in. This past week, having finally felt it was time I've really gotten down to business.

I am hoping to hold out and finish it and edit it once myself before sharing. I have deicided I have to talk about the fact that I'm doing it as I do it, so I keep going. So help me here and there. Make sure I keep writing. I'll keep updating, for the eternal external record. :)