w that I'm finally settled into my new home office, I had a rather shocking epiphany while opening my friend Microsoft Word the other day: It's been a little more than TWO years since my last novel, Blessed Are the Meddlers, hit store shelves.And when I started processing that, all I could think was "Wow, time really does fly" because it really doesn't feel all that long ago.
In fact, those 14 hours days of writing and writing and writing to meet my manuscript deadline are still pretty fresh in my memory, which I'm guessing is why I probably haven't made all that much progress on my third novel yet. It's not that I'm afraid of the work, mind you, but I've needed some time away to figure out what I want to invest all of that time in. Writing two books in a year will do that to you, trust me.
After all, it's not merely enough to crank something respectable out. When you're dedicating that many hours to something, you want to make sure it's absolutely, positively worth it. And for me, I couldn't figure out if that was going to be the third and final book in the "Sydney Alexander" series or something new altogether.
In case you're curious, I've opted for the latter and am excited beyond belief—especially after watching one of my favorite writing movies, Miss Potter, the other night. In the opening voiceover, Miss Potter (played by Reneé Zellweger) says, "There's something delicious about writing those first few words of a story. You can never quite tell where they will take you. Mine took me here, where I belong."
And as I've been hammering out the first line of my new novel, tentatively titled Tuesday Nights in Italia, I know exactly what she's talking about because the process has been nothing short of glorious. I must say that it's so much fun being back in the novel-writing groove, and I can't wait to see where the journey takes me, and eventually, when the time is right, my readers.
Ok, Scribble Chicks readers, I'm curious: How do you get your groove back after finishing a novel? And when you've finished, do you already know what's next? Or do you not think that far when you're writing?
The hardest for me is staying on-track with whatever current novel i'm working on! I always have so many ideas that to write about. I'm so passionate about them that I start right away and then lose steam half way through. Though I'm committed to finishing the one i'm working on right now!
ReplyDeleteI've never written a novel, but would like too! The hardest thing for me is I have an idea but my mind keeps swirling with different places to take it & I don't know which one to do so I put it off. How do you decide which storyline is best?
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to what both of you are saying Courtney and Tonya! As creative types, we can't help but have a gazillion ideas, but finding that one you'll actually stick with and love for the long haul is an entirely different matter altogether. There really isn't a precise science to it, unfortunately. But you've got to go with your gut—not only what idea/storylines you'll love enough to commit to, but one your future readers will love as well. :)
ReplyDeleteBest to both of you on working on those novels!!!