The Indie Author's Journey: A Retrospective (Pt. 3)

Yes, I know the first two parts of this were called Introspective, not Retrospective. But it took me until this post to realize that retro was the more appropriate prefix; also, I'm too lazy to change the titles of the previous installments, so . . . consider this post's title a retcon. Like how Jason Todd started out as just another circus acrobat orphan (albeit a redhead), or the way J.A.R.V.I.S. was essentially a carbon copy (read: ripoff) of Alfred Pennyworth before going AI.

Okay, digression, complete. Back to business. Last time we spoke, I was in the middle of the end of the beginning of Curfew—Book One. So let's dive back in!

At this point in our story, I've harvested a good amount of raw material from the prototype of the first TEEN JUSTICE adventure and have crafted a narrative that will satisfy all the core elements of a story: introduce and develop compelling characters, build their world, and set up the primary conflict that will (hopefully) provide enough steam to power my creative engine to churn out many stories to come. It should also be noted that, by this time in my life, I've been a (sometimes part-time, sometimes full-time) community college student for three years. I switched majors several times—from criminology to English to dance to liberal studies and back to criminology—but, and this is critical, I grew exponentially as a writer.

I had the honor of learning composition, critical thinking, and literary criticism from the late, great Dorothy "Arlie" Zolynas 😞, who gave me a passing grade for turning in one of the worst essays about the Caped Crusader that has ever been crafted😅 I remember vividly telling Arlie that I would write a series of novels and create a journalism award named after her, and I'm happy to say that I did. (In Justice Has a Curfew—Books One and Two, it's a paltry monument to the legacy of a truly inspirational educator. But it's a tribute nonetheless.)

Okay, so junior college, awesome English teacher, and—-this part is critical—a job as a Student Navigator on campus in the Library & Information Hub. In between assisting my fellow students with locating reference books and troubleshooting various copy/print issues, I had the opportunity to sit in front of a computer for six to eight hours three days a week. A computer equipped with MS Word, and, later, access to the new Google Docs. Here's where Justice Has a Curfew—Book One really starts to take shape. Interestingly enough, I wrote the ending first, mimicking the approach of many contemporary Cape and Mask movies, where the ending is a montage that sets up new beginnings. In my case, I wrote four separate POV endings that collide with my main character's fifth perspective, and that last scene of my first series would serve as the first scene of the next one.

Then my grandfather died, and my entire world changed. For the worse and the better.

Without giving away too many spoilers, I had long ago determined that the characters in my story needed a Thomas and Martha Wayne/Uncle Ben catalyst to push them over the edge into perpetual Hero-ness. That's a tried and true trope in comic books—Superheroes 101, if you will. So I had toyed around with writing about losing someone, but from the glorious position of the uninitiated, a twenty-three year-old kid who had never experienced the death of a significant loved one. And Perry Gordon, my mother's father—and, in a very real way, my father for as long as I could remember—was absolutely, without equivocation, the most important person in my life. So losing him wrecked me, almost beyond repair.

But . . . I've heard and read that art is pain, so I channeled my anguish into creativity. And I promise you this: some of the most honest emotions about death that I've ever experienced will be expressed in Justice Has a Curfew—Book Three, which is currently in development.

A few years after Granddad died, I met the love of my life and got married. Then we moved, and we moved again . . . and we moved again. A few years after that, a totally real pandemic occurred, which gave a lot of creatives like me an unfettered opportunity to pursue our endeavors from conception to execution (an expression I've already used, but is still so perfect😁 )

Aaaaaand that's where we end this post. The next time we meet, I'll dive into the drafting and submission process. Until then, take care, and be sure to grab your copy of TEEN JUSTICE: Justice Has a Curfew—Book One and Book Two, available NOW!