It was Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 that I was able to type “THE END”.
It was finished, the first draft of my novel about Huram-Avi, the artist from Sur (Tyre) who was sent to Jerusalem to create the bronze objects for Shlomo (Solomon’s) Holy Temple.
It was such a wonderful feeling, to have it finally “out of my system”.
The first finished draft contains 120,000 words in 29 chapters. I began seriously researching in February 2008, wrote the first chapter the end of February, and finished 5 months later.
I did it, but know that it wasn’t my doing for…
It was God Who put the story in my heart
Mary Rosenblum, my wonderful teacher, taught me to write strong prose
And again it was the Lord who gave me the desire, will and stamina to work hard and get it all on paper.
But this isn’t it. More work needs to be done. Tons of work!
I have to let it rest for a while, begin another book in the meantime, then return to the manuscript and revise, revise, revise. Then have to find some people willing to proofread a historical novel, do some more revisions, and when it’s finally presentable, the long, arduous journey begins of finding a literary agent willing to present me.
I have to trust the Lord to open the doors, for it’s quite a jungle out there.
We’ll see. First I’ll take another, very critical look at the manuscript of the “Eliyahu and the widow of Zarephat”, for I’m sure that, after this novel course that is almost finished by now, there will be more revisions on the way…. Sigh. A writer’s life isn’t easy.
But how I love it!
