My new favorite spot to write is here: in the grey recliner in the corner of the living room, half-hidden by the Christmas tree but with a good view out the enormous picture window.
Although since downloading the Kindle app for Macs the other day, I’ve been doing less writing and more reading on my laptop. Not sure this was the best idea after all! I’m also having a terrible time not just buying any e-book that catches my fancy. Something about this instant gratification thing that is tremendously addictive, and dangerous. I have to keep reminding myself that this is real money I am spending, even if they aren’t “real” (ie, paper) books.
Sigh.
But back to the writing. I really have been working, even if much of that work does look like I am just sitting and staring into space. After filling out a basic outline for the Celtic YA fantasy (and was I ever surprised to find myself working on that one again – I figured it was going to take much longer before I was ready to even look at that again, given my Frustrations with it on the last round), I’ve been doing much pondering about how things should go, and careful consideration of my writing style for this one (the source of much of my frustration before – no matter how much I wanted to keep a wryly humorous tone, it would insist on taking itself too seriously, and getting Grim and Depressing). I even have part of the first chapter written – and this is actually more progress than one might think, since (for me) as the first chapter goes, so goes the rest of the book. Plus I can reuse a decent amount of material from the last draft, so once I get past these new beginning bits, a lot of what is going on will be cutting-and-pasting with new (hopefully amusing) filler in between the old stuff.
I had planned to work more on my MG fantasy since finishing the first draft of the 1920s ms, but the muse stirred for this one, so I am bowing to her whims. As long as I am working on one of my plethora of unfinished projects, I’m not particularly fussy as to which one.
Especially since recently I found my research notes and partial outline for the story I had planned on writing this year, the one that got shuffled aside in favor of the 1920s story and the Celtic rewrite. Starsong, the one set in a Renaissance world with a heroine inspired by the Maya culture.
And I really, really want to start working on that one again, but with a second draft needed for the 1920s ms, a picture book to indie publish by this summer (that’s the goal, anyway), a Celtic rewrite needing to be finished, and an MG fantasy impatiently reminding me that it’s been the one sitting around waiting to be finished the longest …
I am Not! Starting! Anything! New! Some people (those with sanity) would tell me this is too much as it is. And they would probably be right.
But it’s fun.
I think it sounds fun–even if it sounds busy. 😀 I do my best when I'm writing more than one book at a time. 🙂 (And that chair and window look cozy!)
Our muses make us bow to their whims so often we all look like we've got broken backs, LOL!
I think it's great that you can work on more than one novel at a time. You can't get stuck that way. There's always something to work on. You know what, I think I'll try it.
Not only do I understand the addiction of filling up your ereader (my Sony reader is jam packed with books it will take me AGES to actually get through) but I also support your attempts to keep from making more work for yourself!I currently have revisions for my 1920s alt. history, two assigned gift-fics, one voluntary gift-fic, one half-plotted original work, one unplotted original work and one Wholly Impractical, Mostly Accidental Original Work on the go, right now . . . plus I still peek at the 3-sentence fic page even though I have forbidden myself from contributing more until I get SOMETHING else done :PThere must be a ten-step program for people like us.
It's that time of year again, isn't it, when we start to reflect on the what and why's of what we're doing. 🙂
Laura – I sometimes have a hard time switching between plots and voices, but writing more than one at a time does keep me from getting bored.Lydia – No kidding! Those muses have sick, sick senses of humor.Kirsten – I hope it works for you! At least when I'm working on more than one at a time, if I get stuck on all of them at once, I know there's something more going on than just writer's block.Andrea – my 1920s story started as one of those Wholly Impractical, Mostly Accidental projects (to relieve my mind with something fun and silly as I was getting bored with all the Renaissance research), and then grew and took over all my other projects, and produced one of my favorite MCs I've ever written. So much for plotting and planning!Elle – Yep, about as soon as I hit November I start looking around and trying to figure out where the year went, and how on earth I am going to achieve the rest of my yearly goals in a few short weeks. Yikes!
Yay you for juggling more than one manuscript! I thought that was naughty–like we needed to devote ourselves to just ONE and see it throught to its gorgeous completion. Great idea, though–after I pump out the rough draft of my YA classic retell, I'll head back to my YA realistic fic which I'm sure misses me as much as I miss it. 🙂