The idea for Tendrils to the Moon came to me on February 10, 2017. I remember the date because I wrote it at the top of the handwritten outline that I made at the time. When I finished writing the outline, I folded it up, stuck it in my wallet, and basically didn't think about it for a year.
My wife Deborah is a wonderful woman and very supportive of me. She knows what my dreams are and she wants to help me achieve them. In 2017, it came up a few times in our discussions when--and how--I was going to get serious about writing. As I look back on those discussions, I can't recall them leading to any big decisions or revelations, but they put me in the frame of mind to write--and not just when it suited me--but like a professional.
I also discovered a YouTuber and self-published author named David V. Stewart. This thoughtful man, through his vlogs about writing and his reviews of books and movies, really encouraged me to engage the creative process of writing a novel. (I recommend both fantasy books of his that I've read, Needle Ash and Water of Awakening.)
What really put the fire in my belly, though, was looking at that outline again. There I was, on January 30, 2018, looking over the outline that I had written a year ago, with nothing to show for it since. I became furious with myself for doing nothing with it, and I dread that I would end up as one of those countless "aspiring writers" with lots of ideas for books that he never writes. That same day I sat down and started writing the first scene in chapter 1. I do not recommend dread as a state of mind, but in some people it can be an effective motivator.
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