The Sweetest Reward
Six Bits
I started my novel, Six Bits, on Oct. 24, 2004, and completed it in early April 2011. Because I also have a demanding full-time job, having to write part-time was a more difficult task than I had anticipated. There were plenty of moments my anxiety levels shot through the roof because I was eager to write but unalbe to get in front of the computer. Another source of anxiety during this project was keeping the story and the characters a secret from my wife, Teresa, of 10 years.
She knew I was writing, of course, but had no idea of the concept or characters involved. That was by design. Teresa, who is a family practice physician, has read more books than anyone I've ever known. She's read for pleasure, instruction and education. With all she has read, I was certain she, above all others, would know the difference between a good book and a poorly written one.
When the time finally arrived to allow her to see the manuscript - what I considered at that point to be my best effort - I passed the book into her hands and waited. There is nothing more nerve racking than hoping to get approval from the one you love most.
I was in my office working on a few edits one afternoon, and noticed Teresa enter through the corner of my eye. She was holding my manuscript against her chest and crying. The first thought that raced through my mind was that 1980s movie "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase. In that movie, Chevy and his wife move to the country so he can write the next great American novel. For their anniversary, Chevy gives a copy of the first chapter to his wife. Long story short, she reads it, beging to cry because she hates it, then tells him to burn it. When I saw my wife crying, I thought I was in trouble.
Lucky for me, her reaction was quite the opposite. When she was able to speak through her tears, she told me how she never imagined me writing a story with such depth and complexity, then went on to describe how the story pulled out her every emotion and kept her wanting to turn the page. Seeing the expression on her face as she described the book, its characters, and what it meant to her personally, was the sweetest reward yet.
I started my novel, Six Bits, on Oct. 24, 2004, and completed it in early April 2011. Because I also have a demanding full-time job, having to write part-time was a more difficult task than I had anticipated. There were plenty of moments my anxiety levels shot through the roof because I was eager to write but unalbe to get in front of the computer. Another source of anxiety during this project was keeping the story and the characters a secret from my wife, Teresa, of 10 years.
She knew I was writing, of course, but had no idea of the concept or characters involved. That was by design. Teresa, who is a family practice physician, has read more books than anyone I've ever known. She's read for pleasure, instruction and education. With all she has read, I was certain she, above all others, would know the difference between a good book and a poorly written one.
When the time finally arrived to allow her to see the manuscript - what I considered at that point to be my best effort - I passed the book into her hands and waited. There is nothing more nerve racking than hoping to get approval from the one you love most.
I was in my office working on a few edits one afternoon, and noticed Teresa enter through the corner of my eye. She was holding my manuscript against her chest and crying. The first thought that raced through my mind was that 1980s movie "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase. In that movie, Chevy and his wife move to the country so he can write the next great American novel. For their anniversary, Chevy gives a copy of the first chapter to his wife. Long story short, she reads it, beging to cry because she hates it, then tells him to burn it. When I saw my wife crying, I thought I was in trouble.
Lucky for me, her reaction was quite the opposite. When she was able to speak through her tears, she told me how she never imagined me writing a story with such depth and complexity, then went on to describe how the story pulled out her every emotion and kept her wanting to turn the page. Seeing the expression on her face as she described the book, its characters, and what it meant to her personally, was the sweetest reward yet.
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