O Cortisone, O Cortisone, you help me beat bursitis.
O Cortisone, shot near the bone, you help me beat bursitis.
Any icy swab, a puncture hole
A moment gripping on a pole,
And then at last, I stand up straight.
O Cortisone, you’re really great!
Yes, it’s silly. But hip pain is a serious deterrent to sitting down and writing, so it matters, right?
The verdict is in about the Gypsy Pearl series sequel. The answer is to put it on hold for now. While the story idea shows promise, and the opening chapters were solid, it began to bog down and needs some restructuring of the sort I’m just not jazzed about right at the moment. Since the sequel is not essential to the series for a sense of completion, I’m going to let it rest until inspiration regarding it invades my dreams at night and tells me what to do. (I fully trust that will happen.) If I slog away at it now, I’ll end up hating the project and giving you a mediocre story. Neither of us deserve that!
What’s next?
I keep files of story ideas in different genres, adding to them periodically as I get flashes of insight. Of the dozens currently in sketched form, five are vying for my vote like candidates in a debate.
One, an epic fantasy with a pseudo-Asian flair, has been poking me with chopsticks for almost a year now. It’s much bigger than anything I’ve written to date, and I don’t feel like it should be broken down into smaller bites for a series. I’m excited about the world-building and the overall plot idea as well as a new twist on the POV I’d like to try… but it’s a big commitment that won’t yield a published work quickly.
Three others are more in the YA dystopian genre (Have I been watching the news too much lately?). In theory, none of them would be very long (maybe novella or short novel range), but I know these things can get away from me. Each would be a stand alone.
The last is actually Christian fiction, something I haven’t tried yet. I love the premise but may need to research the genre expectations more to make sure I’m going in the right direction.
Noticing a trend on the stand alone thing? Yeah. I’m really feeling the need to stick to smaller portions. (Maybe it’s because I’m also working on my eating habits. Smaller plate, bigger flavor. It’s a good challenge.)
Who knows? I might do all five! For example, I could chisel away at the epic story all year long while writing the four shorter ones in bursts. Either way, I’ll give you all a clearer picture of what lies ahead in the next newsletter.
What? You haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet?
Hurry. Check the sidebar!
We can take care of that for you in about 26 seconds!