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Like, two and a fourth more chapters....

I am listening to this song called "Tale Your Mama Out" by the Scissor Sisters. It's really tight. Too bad I haven't listened to the lyrics yet. It could be talking about killing blacks and homosexuals.

Anyway.....I haven't exactly been writing my butt off lately, due to honestly being worn out from one of the chapters I wrote last month and then school starting not too long after that. However, I have indeed been writing, and now I am almost finished with chapter 18 of novel #2.

Isn't that crazy? I've always been able to write fairly quickly (meaning, writing a major piece over the summer was never a major feat for me) but it's still kinda odd that I remain so on-schedule when it comes to writing, but the rest of my deadlines are in a shambles, ha ha ha. But seriously....

I have really enjoyed writing Novel #2. I like my characters. My main character from Novel #1 really grew and matured by #2, and I introduce a complex character, too. I am just really eager to get these works out there to the public -- I think I am a good writer, and each of my works is better than the next.

I sat down and figured out that I have about five novels in me with the existing characters. Primarily, these books will be about my original protagonist, but there will be some other standard characters. I wish I could speak about them more specifically, but you'll just have to wait!

My friends who have been reading my work (the women) all jokingly tell me what they wish would happen to the female character in my novel. Truth be told, although she is an extremely strong and vital character, my female lead is mostly a sidekick. Hey, I am no Terry McMillan -- I can't do justice to a story about black women. But I can definitely honor black women by putting a really strong one in my novel.

I don't want to go the E. Lynn Harris route. I believe his first two novels were vehicles for social change, but his later novels began to cater to black female audiences. I could no longer pick up his books and feel that they were for me anymore.

And that's fine, E. Lynn is making his money, I'm not mad at him. But I hope that my first five books will be the vehicles for change that pick up where E. Lynn left off. They reach a slightly younger audience, a smart audience, an audience that is familiar with and/or intrigued by Greek life; a female audience, but also a male audience. I am speaking to my gay, black brothers, but I am also speaking for them. I want people to read my novels and walk away thinking "I had never considered that before...."

So, we'll see.....I REALLY hope that I can share some good news in here in the next few weeks. Like, some REALLLLLLY good news.

But I shouldn't say more, don't wanna jinx it.

PEACE!

Posted by Rashid on September 5, 2004 2:29 PM