With all the time freed up by The Eight’s review, I ditched my original forecast for the next project. Initially, I planned on waiting a week after writing the ending to have a go at the first chapter. Excess nervous energy drove me back to the keyboard.

As it stands there’s a first chapter and a last, but no outline or concrete plan for a middle. This is unprecedented. Before on each project I sat down quite deliberately and devised plot points, and hashed out a synopsis. Not so here. It could be a short story; it could be a novella; it could be a novel. Word count will determine the final form. Since it’s a side project, I’m just going to let this story drive its own course. The only rule I’m imposing on the process is a time allotment. A maximum of sixty minutes per day until completion. In an act of blind faith, I’m not even looking at a calendar for this project, and have no idea how long it might take.

For reference purposes on the blog – it’s easier to recall something by name – the title is A Time for Dying. That’s the Internet safe “handle”. The real title is more fun. And ominous.