I just completed the first draft of Rain, the short story about a New York man's return to the back-woods of Tennessee where he was raised, his vigil over the dying man who helped him grow up gay in the bible belt, and his search for a baby boy.

I sat in the Starbuck's inside Barnes & Noble and sipped on my mocha as I typed the last gratifying words.

The story's completion stands out to me as a major achievement since it is the first work of any size beyond poetry that I have completed since my return to writing nearly two years ago.

I struggled with the decision to set aside my novel to concentrate on 'Rain' and now I can say I made the right decision. I woke up on Sunday morning two weeks ago with the story complete in my mind. I rushed downstairs, having grabbed the composition notebook I keep next to me to capitalize on moments such as these. Two hours later, I had transcribed the synopsis and I could breathe easy.

In the past, I had relied upon my digital voice recorder, but for an entire storyline, I risked becoming sidetracked. Additionally, the family was still asleep at 4am, so I risked waking someone who was sure to ruin the moment.

Over the next two weeks, with only one notably delay caused by mushiness in the middle scenes, I pushed out around three pages a day. Against all that I had read, I dared to lightly self-edit.

Later on the Sunday I finished the draft, I met up with my parents who had driven from Tennessee to visit me here in San Antonio. Both are avid and intelligent readers. They blessed me with a level of patience I have rarely seen from them: they allowed me to read through all of the 34 pages and offer their wonderful criticism. At points, I actively steered myself away from emotional response and toward mature, silent acceptance. I'm glad to have kept my head. As with any critique, they offered points I agreed with and suggestions I will in all probability not follow.

I'm extremely happy my boys were present for the reading. They will remember that it is possible to begin with an idea and end up with a finished piece of respectable size and quality. They will also understand that first drafts, no matter the skill of the author, are inherently riddled with apparent idiocy in both thought and syntax and that is acceptable for a first draft.