As many of you are aware, I started a new manuscript a while back. And, as you probably are equally aware, I was
having difficulty making time to write.
Well, I’ve recently run up against another deadly foe of writers…changing
stories.
You see, one of the biggest problems I had previously was that I’d
never finish a manuscript. I’d come up
with a really good idea, start working on it like gang-busters (whatever that
means), and then. . .
And then I’d get distracted by another “great” idea.
I bet I have a couple hundred stories half started on my various
computers.
It’s a major problem with most writers.
We’re really good at coming up with characters and storylines and so
forth. Unfortunately, sometimes we
distract ourselves away from what we should be writing.
Up until this week, I was working on a story called “Academia.” It was going to be a fictionalized version of
my life in higher education. I thought
it would be funny. Kind of a satire
about academics.
Anyway, I wrote four chapters before I began to get distracted. I kept thinking about a character (Abby) from
my second book, Betrayal in the Highlands, and wondering if she could hold an
entire book just by herself. Sub-plots
came to mind. Supporting characters. The initial scenes….
And then I found that I was writing about her. I actually wrote twelve pages today, which is
pretty darn good for the first sitting.
And it isn't too bad, if I don’t say so myself!
But I feel really guilty about leaving the other manuscript high and
dry. Unfortunately, I can’t work on two
manuscripts at the same time. I’d confuse the voice of the characters.
At any rate, hopefully I can keep with this second manuscript. Abby and Becky would be fun to write
about. I just have to keep focused!
FOCUSED! STAY FOCUSED!!
OH! Just as an advertisement…. Riddle
in Stone is currently on sale for $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Tell your friends!!!
This really is the worst thing because once a new idea comes up, the one you're currently writing about becomes a little, I guess... not so shiny?
ReplyDeleteAs a partial panster, what I do is continue writing my current story while going into some in depth planning with my new idea. This seems to curb the urge to start writing it as I still feel like I am, even if it is just short paragraphs of people/places/things!
Eventually I run out of steam planning it and soon it just starts to look like another long story that needs my full attention. And suddenly I'm back to writing my old WIP with verve as I'm sure most shiny new ideas are simply byproducts of hard work in desperate need of a distraction... lol :D
Not so shiny, indeed. Wonderful turn of a phrase. So times I think it's a miracle that any writers finish anything.
DeleteJust finished reading Riddle in Stone, and it's the first fantasybook I really enjoyed in a long time. Well written, lovely plot, unique and unlikely hero. Lately it seemed like all newly released fantasy, both books movies and series, are based upon either violence or sex. Not saying those things are bad, but having 60% vilence, 30% sex, and the rest story that's going nowhere, isn't really my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm getting at is this.
Thank you! I really enjoyed your book, and I hope to read more in a near future.
Martin - Sweden.
Thanks Martin! That's so kind of you! Thank you. Please spread the word about Riddle. The more people who hear about it, the greater my chances of writing more books! So please, post reviews wherever you can (Amazon.com, Goodreads, etc.) and tell your G+, Facebook, real, imaginary friends!!
DeleteBy the way, I've been spending a lot of time in Sweden lately. It's a beautiful country. I really enjoy Stockholm. My grandfather was from a farm not far from there back in the 1910s.
Thanks again!!!
Just finished Riddle in Stone, and I loved it.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first book i've read in years that I can honestly say that I really enjoyed.
Lovely plot, unique characters, and seeing how the unlikely Ed turns hero was great.
It's refreshing to see new fantasybook that focuses on the story, rather than sex of violence. Not that those topics are bad, but having 60& violence, 30% sex, and the rest story that doesn't really go anywhere, isn't really my cup of tea. Everything in moderation.
Anyway, what I'm getting at is this.
Thank you for your book. It was a great read, and I hope to read more from you soon!
Martin - Sweden
Hey thanks Martin!! You're really kind. Hopefully you'll enjoy the second book, Betrayal in the Highlands. :)
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