Changming's first (hyrid) novel just finished

since 23 december 2021, one day after i announced my retreat in my chinese blogsite, i have been working on my first novel, a hybrid or cross-cultural work of fiction. at 5:05 pm yesterday, i finished my last sentence of my first draft after 88 days of consecutive writing, with an average of 1590 words every day. as planned, the whole novel is divided into three parts, the first about 40 k words, the second and third around 50 k words each. i thought it might take me a whole year to accomplish this self-imposed mission, but actually i spent less than three months. in the next three years, i will keep rivising and polishing it until i feel satisfied with it. i believe it will be a success in one way or another, since i have written all my "bests" into the book.


quite to my own surprise, i had no idea what to write about and how to proceed with the project to begin with. all i had been feeling in the few days immediately before i opened up a new file/page in front of my computer was a strong impulse, an urge, a desire to write a book as a way to release my intensive feeling towards my first love, for whom i wrote and got accepted almost one hundred love poems in English in 2021 alone. naturally, the book will be devoted to her as my wellspring of inspiration and encouragement, as well as to my wife for her support and understanding.

tentatively titled Edening, the novel will be published either by Poetry Pacific Press, or by a better established publishing house, hopefully within five years.