A Long Time Coming

Confession that you've probably already noticed?

I haven't written here in a very long time. In fact, none of us have, partially (I suspect, though I should probably only speak for myself) because all of us have been adjusting so much over this last year to how much our lives have been changing. But y 'all get that, don't you?

I've moved to Alaska since I wrote here last, and I'm sitting here in the sunlight (it's almost 11pm...) thinking about life and writing and it made me want to say something...Mostly to myself, but I hoped it would help me if I said it to someone else too, so I'm choosing you guys. Here it is.

We all have callings. I really believe that. And while sometimes your calling will change based on where you are in life...Sometimes it won't.

I have struggled lately to be consistent in my writing time. Something that was once so easy suddenly became difficult, spurred by loss in my life last year, then made worse when I had trouble with a proposal that I felt should have been easier to craft than it was. Then we moved, then we were adjusting, then we were helping our son adjust to the move or whatever it was that caused more behavior challenges than usual...

Basically, then there was life, right? =)

But tonight I felt reminded that my calling to write hasn't changed because of all of that. I am a wife. I am a mom. But I am also called to be a writer, to write the stories in my heart, stories that point to God's truth, whether I think anyone will really read them or not.

(Did y'all realized published authors worried about that too??)

The same is true for you, friend. The time you have to give to your calling may change. It may even be put on hold for awhile. But unless you really feel that God has told you to leave it alone and pursue something else, don't let it sit on the side for too long. I'm having to realize that. This writing thing? It's a unique calling. It may not feel like it when you're at a conference, or on an online writing community and you see how many other people have this same dream that you do. But it's unique--it's a job, it's a ministry, it's a hobby...and people won't get that sometimes. They don't have to understand how those things play out, how it fits into your life.

God gets it. You get it.

And you're still called. I'm still called.

I just needed to say that to someone else, and to myself tonight. =)

That Thing About Compassion, Dear Writer

We're emotional creatures, we writers. We don't have to have mood swings or drama or crazy (though I probably have all three) to be creative...

But we do have to feel in order to help others feel. And most of us came into the world feeling deeply.

We hurt for the girl with the tracks on her arms at Old Navy. We are physically affected by others' pain. Some of us become emotionally paralyzed when our own grief hits, reflecting rather than doing.

{I would argue that taking a little longer to reflect is actually healthier than what American culture tells us... which is, move on without processing.}

I was twenty-one years old when I finally heard the words, "There is nothing wrong with you. Deep feeling means deep caring."

I'd lived my whole life believing I was too sensitive. That somehow, some way, I would grow thicker skin and become "normal" as I aged. That eventually my compassion level would switch to average.

A gift.

Dear writer friend, your ability to show compassion is a gift. Your pain, your agony, even, is your gift to the world--one that says, I see your pain. I feel your suffering. You are not alone.

Sound familiar?

God with us... Emmanuel.

His Spirit inside of you.

Keep being you. Keep feeling. Keep loving. And keep knowing when it is time to hand it off to Him... the one who comforts us so that we can comfort others with that same comfort.

I love you, and so does the one who never ceases to be with us...

Word crimes

This is such a fun video for us writerly-types that I just had to share it. :)


Now - 'fess up. What's your BIGGEST pet peeve when it comes to word crimes?? Mine has to be the there/their/they're. Their. I said it. ;) ;)

Have a wonderful Monday!!

First Things First

It's started to distress me how very, very fast I write and how very, very few words I get written some days. For awhile I tried not to think about it, then in classic over-analytical fashion I decided to really ponder it. And I think I've finally figured it out, thereby solving every writing word count problem you or I have ever had.

Ready?

You have to be focused to write your best.

I'm going to give you a minute to soak that in, hold your coffee cup a little tighter, and try to process. Haha.

I know, it sounds obvious. Of course we have to focus to do our best work! But sometimes I think that means forcing myself to sit down at the desk and...stare. And sometimes it does. Inspiration can be forced. But sometimes we're fighting against ourselves.

I know I can't focus on my writing when there's a pile of laundry in my field of vision. I know I can't focus on it when it's 5pm and I have no idea what I'm feeding my family for dinner.

Do the things you need to do first and your writing will actually benefit from it.

So what I've learned this week? Making writing schedules and goals is great. We really are capable of juggling everything God is calling us to do, with His help. But we are responsible for taking care of some details about our lives that have to be handled before we can fully immerse our brains in our stories and say what we need to say.

If you're having trouble with making progress today, get up. You heard me. I'm bucking the "sit down until it comes" trend just this once to tell you to unload your dishwasher. Finish that school assignment. Put away the laundry that's been on your sofa for over a week (oh wait, no one does that? hm...). THEN come back to your computer.

And then, if you're like me, I'm betting the words will flow.

Plot, Schmot.

Every writer has their strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are fantastic at dialogue or description, another is a great plotter, still another might be the royalty of research.

My strength is totally in dialogue and totally NOT in plotting.

And as a result, I sometimes have to go back and cut lots and lots of words after I talk myself into a corner storyline-wise. Those cuts hurt.

So, here are some quick, easy and practical ways to work on your plots - even if you are a plot-as-you-go type like I am. These work best if you brew a pot of coffee or a sweet tea first. Just speaking from experience here.

* Start with a very loose outline of what you want to accomplish. It can even be as loose as something like Girl loses job, Girl gets new one; or, Girl is lonely, Girl meets guy.

* Keep a record of what has happened in the story - at least the major points. That way, you aren't repeating yourself later.

* Figure out the ending early and keep it in mind as you write. You don't need all the details, just a loose ending or a loose understanding of where you want the character development to be by the end of the book.

* Every main character should learn something or grow in some way by the end of their story. How is your character going to change? Keep this in mind as you write.

* Have fun and don't be scared to be spontaneous. If your character is taking the story in a direction that you didn't see coming, don't be afraid to explore the possibility of that direction.

How do you plot your stories?

Writing AND...

Anyone else struggle with where you writing fits in your life?

I'm a stay-at-home-mom, a "job" I never knew I would love so much. Seriously. It cracks me up some days how much I enjoy everything about it. But what this means is that people assume I don't work, and when I do tell them about my writing, or when people who know about it bring it up, what I usually hear is "I don't know how you do it" or "where do you find time?" or "I could never do that!"

I know everyone means for these things to be encouraging. (Haha, so if you've said those things to me, don't get angry! I know what you mean. =) ) But weirdly enough, sometimes they get to me. Sometimes my insecure brain twists things around and instead I hear...

You can't possibly be doing both well.

Good moms don't have time for that.

A good mom would give up writing and take care of her kids.

Life is about balance. And as I recently read somewhere...I think Tricia Goyer's book about being a work-at-home-mom, that kind of balance doesn't mean everything is balanced perfectly. It means our top priorities stay the same:

1. God
2. Family

And the rest of them shift. Friendships will shift around at different seasons. Sometimes the laundry is less critical than others. Sometimes we can justify another trip through the Chick-fil-A drive through and sometimes you just need to cook...

But it's a constant process. Whether you're a mom, or a wife (or both) or a student, or devoted to your day job, it's hard sometimes to think about doing that and being a writer. Do you know what that means? I means it's hard. Haha. That's all it means! It doesn't mean you're wrong to pursue both. Do you know what that doesn't mean, friends?

It means that unless God whispers to your heart that you need to lay your writing down for a season (and I know He sometimes does), then you do not.

Sometimes what God has called us to do doesn't make sense to other people.

Sometimes it doesn't make sense to our calendars. Haha. But I really am learning that if we rely on God's guidance to show us what is important when, then we can write and do real life well too.

Is God telling you to write and something else is telling you that doesn't make sense right now? Listen to Him. And share with us so the rest of us (like me!) who sometimes feel that way know we aren't alone.

Types of typers

Sorry for the cheesy title. It's late. ;)

Tonight, I want to talk for a few minutes about the two different routes you can take as an author - traditional publishing or self-publishing (or independent publishing, e-publishing, print-on-demand - I'll talk more about each of these in a minute).

Traditional publishing is what we typically think of when we think of an author and their publisher. I tends to follow the same steps every time:

* Author writes a proposal.
* Author gives proposal to agent.
* Agent sends proposal to publisher.
* Publishing board meets and decides they like the proposal .
* Publisher signs a contract stating they will publish the book and pay the author a certain amount called an "advance" (typically it comes in two installments - one when the author signs the contract, one when they deliver a complete manuscript or when the manuscript is deemed acceptable by the editor).
* Author submits work.
* Book goes through several edits - an overall edit, a line edit and a copyedit - this takes several months.
* A cover artist hired by the publisher creates a cover for the book.
* After a few more months, the book is printed.
* Publisher hires a publicity manager to get the book into influential people's hands or to arrange book or blog tours.
* As the book sells, you make 'royalties", or a percentage of each book's sales and those are paid back to you after you earn back the advance. Once you have earned enough to cover the advance, you then get royalty checks every few months (typically four times a year).

 If you are looking to be published by a traditional publisher, the absolute, hands down BEST way to get your work into the publisher's hands is to go to a writing conference. I know we say this all the time, but it's true. ;)

Self-publishing is very different. The entire process is a little different but unlike traditional publishing where there is a general framework that most everyone adheres to, self-publishing has a few different forms that are each pretty unique.

Independent publishing is what most people think of when they hear self-publisher. Basically, the steps go like this:

* Author writes the book.
* Author either pays to have the book edited or edits it themselves.
* Author provides cover work or pays for the cover work.
* Author then pays the publisher a lump sum to produce the book (some publishers will provide editing and cover art services as a part of their fee). As a part of the fee, you get an ISBN number and a set amount of copies. Some even provide it on online sellers like Amazon, etc.
* Author can then buy copies of their book at wholesale prices and sell them at retail prices to make money off the book. They also make money off online sales.
* Author is in charge of all of their own publicity.

Print-on-demand publishing follows the same guidelines as the independent publishing, except there may not be a mass production of books - with these publishers you pay as you go - meaning that they will print say a hundred copies and then when you need more, you order more and they print more.

E-publishing is the newest form to hit the market. In e-publishing, there is no hard copy of the book - it is strictly an e-book (Kindle, Nook, etc.). Here are the steps for this:

* Author writes the book.
* Author edits the book or pays someone to edit the book.
* Author creates a cover image or pays someone to create the cover image.
* Author uploads the manuscript onto Kindle publishing or Nook publishing or another online e-book distributor.
* Distributor sells the book and author and distributor earn money from royalty sales.
* Author does all their own publicity.

The biggest difference in independent and print-on-demand books and e-books? Independent and print-on-demand the author pays to have their book published. In e-book publishing, the distributor takes a percentage of the royalties (usually around 30-50%), but the actual publication is free.


So there you have it. A very, very, very quick and basic intro to a few of the different forms publication can take. What are your thoughts on all of this? Is there a form that you respect/prefer more than others? Why do you think you feel that way?

What You Do or Who You Are?

As I write this, my baby’s tucked quietly in bed; the house is a wreck; I’ve been traveling all weekend.

If you were to ask me who I am, I’d say I’m a mother. A journalist. A wife. A terrible housekeeper. An adventurer.

The reality is, these are my roles; they are not who I am.

Roles can be stripped away in a heartbeat. I learned this years ago when a period of chronic illness took away my ability to do much. I found myself lying in bed, wondering... who was I? What had I become?

I was human.

Sometimes I think roles get in the way of how we evaluate each other (a habit I wish we didn’t have at all). We want to hang out with someone if they’re popular, if they’re gifted, if they’re entertaining or if they make us feel good.

But underneath, when we evaluate, we lose the ability to tell... that everyone is valuable. That you and you and you were born into this world the same way as everyone else. That God planned your life before the beginning of time, and nothing you say, do, or do not do will change the value of who you are.

God loved you before there was time.

And today, as I recover from a crazy weekend and a debilitating migraine... as house filth and deadlines and speaking engagements loom...

I rest.

Because I am who I am. Human. Valuable. And loved beyond my wildest dreams...

www.bekahhamrickmartin.com

Sometimes You Have to get your Desk Messy

For at least a week now, I've been trying to make progress on a story that just wasn't...going. Oh sure, I was getting word count. But I didn't feel the satisfaction that would usually bring because while I love this story and I think it has potential, the words I was typing were going...nowhere.

Or at least, if they were going somewhere, I wasn't sure where that was.

To a non-writer, that probably doesn't make sense. But y'all know what I'm talking about. Every scene should do something, so say "they", and I think they're right. I'm not one of those super organized people who can tell you while I'm writing what exactly each of my scenes does, but there's a general feeling I can get when they are driving the story along like I mean for them too. The writing I did this past week? It might be driving the story forward...but I just wasn't sure.

So yesterday I decided to forget about word count. I decided to remind myself that I love writing for more than the desire to see the happy little progress tracker in Scrivener move closer towards "the end." I love creating characters that seem real, getting so lost in a story that writing seems natural--more like writing a movie in my head--and I had forgotten that in my quest for measurable progress.

So I got my desk messy. I printed a rough synopsis, brought out my blue highlighter, scrap paper, a pencil, caffeine (coke yesterday, coffee today), and I'm having fun. Is the deadline (aka, the ACFW Conference) sneaking up on me a little and making something in the back of my head whisper that I need to quit "working" on the story on actually write it? Yes. Am I ignoring that for now? Yes.

Sometimes you have to get your desk messy. Sometimes that's all that can make all the parts of your story line up neatly and get organized.

Finding Your Wild Side

Courtesy Wikipedia.com

So I bought a mustang and got my nose pierced all in one week. As I stated on social media--I’m pretty sure this constitutes a quarter-life crisis.

I guess you could say life drove me to it. I’ve wanted to get my nose pierced for years--but some crappy situations finally me realize that there will be no “perfect” time.

So I dragged my two-year-old into a tattoo parlor (God bless my pastors’ kid heart) and consoled myself with the fact that I’d read reviews online with the word “sterile” and “clean”... even though the place looked more like “staph” and “ebola”.

The car? I’m infertile. I figure if I bought a sports car... I’ll get pregnant with triplets next week.

So here’s to you, my friend. What have you always wanted to do? Write a novel? Pitch to a publisher? Why are you still doing the “sensible” thing?

Go find your wild side.

***

Bekah Martin is a small girl living in a small town in North Carolina... who enjoys watching God do big things.

Got time?

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/how-do-you-find-the-time-to-right-6-tips-for-moms-and-everyone-else-too

THIS WAS SO HELPFUL! :)  Great tips. I hope they help you too!

You're Not too Broken

Photo by Microsoft

Anyone else would have felt like half a man, but this guy--the one with no legs--was the one who knew beyond a doubt that he’d been called.

Called to a tribe--remote--godless--dying. Called to bring relief, aid, and a fresh word from a God who loved them enough to send the broken.

They said he couldn’t do it. Time and time again this man came before churches, missions boards, relief organizations. “NO. You would never survive. REJECTED.”

He listened at first. But when you feel like you’re called--you’re called. Eventually the amputee and his wife gathered enough resources to go... alone.

It took days for him to literally drag himself through the jungle.

“Hostile. Dangerous. Cannibalistic.”

The mission board hadn’t sent anyone there, much less a man who couldn’t defend himself.

Unlike Jonah, one of the greatest heroes of the Word, this man didn’t shrink back--even knowing the greeting he could receive.

When he dragged in, dehydrated, starving, exhausted... God showed up too. The people fell to their knees and wept.

“You’ve come. He’s come. The wounded one we knew would come has come!”

The tribesmen explained that years before in a vision they’d seen someone--without legs--who would bring them a message. They’d never known anyone to survive such a wound. What the man had to say was surely important.

God used the one thing that had caused every rejection in this man’s life as the hinge to open the door to save thousands.*

The missionary was truly a “wounded healer”.

I don’t know where you are in your life today. Perhaps you’re a wounded healer. And if everyone’s telling you no--you can’t be used; you’re too damaged, too broken, ________... just let those words sink in. They’re right. But they’re oh so wrong.

Because if you’re truly called, nothing on this earth will shake the deep-down in your core knowledge that God uses the despised, the weak, the undesired to shake His world up and turn it on its head. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

So when the time is right, and you’ve gathered all the strength and resources you can find--you will pick yourself up and drag yourself up through that jungle. And when you get to the other side, your pain will be the hinge that will open the door... to change the world.

*This story is a recounting from a missionary friend. I am currently researching it to uncover the details. Corrections welcome.

****

Bekah Martin is a small girl living in a small town in North Carolina... who enjoys watching God do big things.

Writing advice for Snoopy (and us)

Best-selling authors give writing tips to Snoopy

Published: Friday, November 01, 2002

WAKA TSUNODA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

"Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life," edited by Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz, Writer's Digest Books, $19.99

Charles M. Schulz may be gone, but Snoopy is alive and well, and still striving to write the great American novel. But this time, the beloved beagle of the late cartoonist's "Peanuts" comic strip has help. A lot of help.

Barnaby Conrad, a novelist and co-founder of an annual conference of aspiring writers where Schulz used to speak regularly, has asked scores of accomplished authors to give Snoopy some helpful tips from their own experiences. Among the book's 30 responses are tips from such popular authors as Sidney Sheldon, Sue Grafton, Elmore Leonard, Fannie Flagg, Danielle Steel, Elizabeth George and Clive Cussler.

The result is a delightful book, "Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life," with a foreword by Monte Schulz, the cartoonist's son who reminisces about how his father loved literature and had great respect for writers.

The book consists of "Peanuts" panels showing Snoopy in various aspects of the writing life, and the successful writers' reaction to them in essays.

When Snoopy observes, "Good Writing is hard work," Danielle Steel, who seems to turn out enormously popular fiction with such ease, heartily concurs: "I'm glad that Snoopy so early in his career has learned that very important truth — good writing (and even bad writing) — is hard work. Very hard work. This business is fraught with uncertainty. Anyone who tells you how to write best sellers is a sham and a liar."

She confesses that she often types so long, she sees double.

To the beagle struggling to come up with a good title for his new novel, Ed McBain, the crime writer known for his 87th Precinct series, says encouragingly: "You're on the right track, Snoops. I never start a novel until I'm satisfied with the title. Generally, I'll know what the theme's going to be, and I'll know what kind of characters I'll need to keep the plot engine going, but I won't start a book until I have the title firmly in mind."

He then reveals how he goes about constructing a novel.

Seeing Snoopy having trouble with the first sentence, action-adventure novelist Clive Cussler suggests: "Snoopy, try this when you sit down to the typewriter: Just say to yourself, 'What if?' It all begins with 'What if?' What if they let pigs out in a mosque? What if they decide to change the name of Mexico to Shwartz? What if they start referring to whites as European Americans? Then comes, Why would they do that? I have to figure out why. So if I have my beginning I can begin the story."

One author who declined to offer help is John Updike, the author of "Rabbit, Run" and the other Rabbit novels. He is quoted by editor Conrad in the book's introduction as saying: "As Snoopy would tell you, a writer hates to return a check, but I have never been good at giving advice to other writers. If I knew something that would make a crucial difference, I would keep it to myself, since the field is so overcrowded."

Perhaps Updike perceives Snoopy as formidable competition. According to Schulz's 1971 volume, "Snoopy and 'It Was a Dark and Stormy Night,"' the canine author already published his first novel to great acclaim, drawing 2 million people at one of his book signing parties.

The novel, a two-page magnum opus called, what else, "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night," is included in the 1971 volume in its entirety.

Dedicated to Woodstock, it has a colorful jacket designed by Lucy.

But Snoopy isn't one to sit on his laurels. The self-proclaimed "world famous author" keeps pounding on his manual typewriter atop his dog house, aspiring to become a Tolstoy, even a Shakespeare. And who knows? With all these veteran authors falling over each other trying to help him, he may even make it.

And so may some of his human counterparts.

I dare you to open this post.

(sorry for the drama in the subject title. Wasn't sure what else to title it. LOL)


Anyway, I found this link of quotes of writing advice from fiction authors. Pretty good stuff...check it out! :)


http://www.iuniverse.com/ExpertAdvice/20WritingTipsfrom12FictionAuthors.aspx


Here are some of my favs...


"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." – Anton Chekhov


"Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet." — Zadie Smith


"Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money." — Jonathan Franzen  




What were your favs?


Were there any tips you actually didn't agree with on this list?

Lessons from Maleficent

http://writergetsreal.blogspot.com/2014/07/something-you-didnt-notice-in-maleficent.html


The above post is one I put on my personal blog the other day, but it's partially writing related in regards to characterization and the analysis of characters. You might check it out :)  Would love your feedback. Hope it encourages you, as well.

I'm Still Here!

Hey y'all---I'm on vacation in Alaska, so I'm not going to be saying much for the next couple of weeks (that's where I was last week too). But I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you and I hope writing is going well for everyone.

Random questions of the day, just for fun.

1. What's your favorite place to write?

2. What's the weirdest place you've ever written? (ex. bathroom floor? a moving vehicle?)

3. What's the strangest thing you ever took notes on? (ex. candy bar wrapper anyone?)

4. Do you have any weird pen preferences? (color, brand, etc)

5. Do you only use your computer, only use paper, or both for different reasons?


I'll try to remember to come back and answer for myself in the comments in a day or two, but I don't want to steal anyone else's creativity by answering first. ;)

Have a good weekend!

When Dreams are Delayed... or Dead.

It's been really hard lately.

Dreams that have nothing to do with writing have seemed so far away.

I've been praying for something very specific and dear to me for almost three years now... something that has been so, so elusive...

So lately I've been soaking up this book {again} by Holley Gerth.

And I'm reminded... sometimes dreams don't look like I imagined them. But the Dream Giver is still good. He is still working it all together for good.

So... how can we pray for you today?

What's YOUR story??

Sometimes as writers I think we get so caught up in writing other people's stories that we forget to draw from our own experiences as well. And I totally and completely believe that God has given us our individual stories to use for His glory - often as writers, that means using what He's done in our lives to minister to others.

Anyone up for a little writing exercise?? :)

Grab your computer, stretch out your fingers and spend a few minutes remembering what has happened to you!

1. Describe your favorite memory with one of your family members. Be sure to mention sights, sounds, tastes, etc. How did it make you feel??

2. Describe the funniest thing that has ever happened to you. Why was it funny? Who was there to witness it? How did it make you feel??

3. Describe the saddest thing that has ever happened to you. Who was there with you? What sights, sounds, colors, words do you remember from that moment? How did it make you feel??

When we learn to describe our own feelings in a way that shows and doesn't tell, we get better at describing our character's feelings in a way that shows and doesn't tell. Do you keep a journal or a blog? If not, I highly challenge you to do so!! The best writers are the ones who feel.

I'd love if you'd share one of your writing exercises in the comments!! Let's encourage each other in this! :)

Have a happy Monday!

Long time coming!!

Hello friends!!

I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to get back into the groove of things over here! Here's what has been happening in the past three months for me:

* We were so excited and blessed to welcome our second son, Parker, into our lives!! He turned three months old on the 16th (WHERE does the time go???!!) and we could not be more in love.

* Both of my brothers got married! Wedding season was such a crazy, wonderful time - and made even crazier with trying to corral a very active ring bearer and a newborn. ;)

* I released my newest e-novella...which was also on my to-do list from before Parker's birth. ;)

Now that we are sleeping through the night again and operating on a little more rest, I'm finally feeling a little less foggy.  I'm so looking forward to getting back into the swing of things on this blog! What have you all been up to?? I have missed you!!

-Erynn :)

Multi-Tasking

Anyone a big multi-tasker?

I multi-task a lot. Sometimes to the point of seeming kind of ADD...Clean a little of this, clean a little of that, write a blog post, think about dinner, finish putting laundry away...

It's a little crazy as far as any kind of cleaning "schedule" goes. But I've discovered after however-many-years of adulthood that order only works for me if it's a little unordered.

Totally clear as mud, right?

It occurred to me just now (as I'm in the middle of one of those ADD cleaning phases--and am now standing at my half-clean kitchen island to write this) that I do this with stories too. I rarely ever have one story going that has 1000% of my focus. If I'm under contract, then it has ALMOST that much of my focus, because that's what fair to my publisher. But if I'm not contracted on a story at the moment, I have to have several projects going at once.


Here's a little peak into my brain right now.

1. Another Love Inspired Suspense story. I'm writing this one currently.

2. A full length Romantic Suspense set in the Alaskan wilderness. I'm writing this one currently.

3. More LIS stories--at least two in the I-have-a-synopsis-done stage.

4. Another full length RS--this one is a list of story "clues" right now. Nothing solid.

5. Several series ideas (or at least story ideas/setting ideas) for the future.


This is how my brain works--while it looks crazy to some, I'm sure (but seriously? I'm a writer. Crazy is normal, yes?), I do better if I can multi-task, if I can have a lot of stories in my brain so that I have options. Ways to get my mind occupied when it's stuck on another story.

What about y'all? Are you one-at-a-time people? Some variation? And if you get a shiny new story idea, do you abandon your old story for a few days? Or are you one of the super-commited who won't even touch the new idea until the old one is done?