What happens to characters when their author stops writing them?

They go to Midway.

I began writing Midway a dozen years ago, as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I always MEANT to finish it, but…

Ironic, huh.

Anyway, when Binda showed up at our last cross and said, “Guess what? We’re midway through Helices!!” I simply could not ignore the invitation.

Writing the beginning to delight Binda helped me to break through my hitherto extremely solid walls of resistance. And my son Isaac said, “Just think of it as an art project. It doesn’t have to be A Novel. It’s just an art project in the shape of a novel. And you can send it to me as you go.” The idea of holding it lightly, and of connecting with my son (who lives in Germany), was strong motivation to keep going.

I folded the initial “welcome packet” for Binda into the first couple of book chapters, and then just… kept writing. I made a mini kind of Helices agreement with myself:

1. Emergence. Don’t plan, just go
2. Finish a chapter a week
3. Enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it, stop. Or get sillier until you enjoy it again
4. Pull in everything, all ideas and references are welcome
5. Share. Send the chapter out every Friday, like Dickens. Be accountable & brave