Of Cows and Turtles

Two ODD Writing Milestones

Turtles are generally quiet and slow-moving creatures, at least on land. Here, I’ve been very quiet for several weeks, slow-moving, too. Perhaps at heart I’m a turtle, an awkward turtle at that. I had every intention of posting something ODD every two weeks, regularly and religiously. Some of my favourite writers do this. For example, Terry Fallis is my hero: he’s written ten comic novels, a genre I love and that I strive to write myself, and he posts here every two weeks.

But as with my irregular religious practices, it’s perhaps the case that I’m an irregular writer. Like the old dog I am, perhaps my dumps must be irregular. My apologies. At least I’m not yet incontinent, dumping at embarrassing times in inappropriate places. In today’s Old Dog Dump, I’m happy to share two writing milestones I reached in the past month.

Milksop Edited

October 30—just in time for me to celebrate Halloween and eat lots of candy because no kids come to our house in the country—I completed all the edits my publisher, Alanna Rusnak of Chicken House Press, called for. For weeks, I had cows on the brain. They visited me in my sleep, mooing loudly.

In case you missed it, I shared in an earlier post the good news that Alanna had acquired Milksop: Today’s ODDity: I’m Publishing My Debut Novel. I’m 64.

There are still several steps to go before Milksop comes out next spring: stay tuned for more updates!

Awkward Turtles: First Draft Done

While editing has kept me busy with cows, the creative part of my brain has been preoccupied with turtles. Yesterday, I completed a first draft of my second novel, tentatively titled Awkward Turtles. It’s a sequel to Milksop in that it focuses on the same main character, Evan Mulder, in the same fictional universe. Without going into detail at this point, I’ll just share that it’s essentially a friend-reunion story centred around the Labour Day weekend of 2004—what leads up to it and the chaos that ensues in Evan’s life for years afterward.

This novel is a long way away from publication. After I do one complete read through in the coming days, my plan is to set aside the manuscript for a full month and come back to it—likely at the beginning of January—with fresh eyes to see what the story needs. (As with Milksop, I drafted Awkward Turtles with the support of the great programming and community at The Novelry, which has become very much my writing home: this setting aside of the manuscript is a key step.)

It’s important to me that this novel gets published for a couple of reasons. First, having retired, I no longer have a desk with drawers: if Awkward Turtles languishes without a publishing home, I’ll have nowhere to put it. Second (and one of the reasons I no longer have drawers), my wife and I live in a house with eight adults in total, including besides us my mother-in-law, two of my adult children and their partners, and my daughter-in-law’s brother. Add to that her toddler (our granddaughter). Then, throw into the mix a second granddaughter who’s planning to be born next month. We’re at capacity. I need to sell some books to pay for this craziness, possibly build an addition. Or, if necessary, my wife and I need to find another home before our children evict us.

All of which is to say that I’m amazed I completed a first draft of Awkward Turtles in this beautiful domestic chaos. On top of that, I did it with a torn meniscus in my right knee. I’d like to say it was caused by a marathon writing session or by training for an actual marathon, but no. My doctor said simply, “It’s your age.” (It’s one of the reasons I’ve been a slow-moving turtle since the middle of August—and another reason I need to sell books: to pay for physiotherapy, having now exceeded what my insurance will cover.)

Chickens, Chickens Everywhere

If you were fond of the chickens who appeared in my first story collection, Moonshine Promises, you’ll be happy to know that chickens are part of the supporting cast in both Milksop and Awkward Turtles. Look for them!

Thanks for reading my most recent ODDity. Please feel free to share it. Your interest and support are much appreciated. If you don’t already subscribe, know that my posts will always be free and irregular. Up with irregularity, I say!

Photo by Michael Williams on Unsplash