I’ve been doing something unusual the last month. Writing.
Not just fitting writing in around all the other things I need to do, but devoting serious time and thought to it, putting it first in my day and agenda of “things to accomplish.” It has been wonderful.
If you’ve followed how writing went with the Gates of Fire & Earth, you’ve heard it was a trial to finish. There were times I thought it might beat me. I had to change how I wrote and organize my writing, moving from an iPad and Pages to Scrivener on a laptop. I finished the first draft with relief, dreading how much work I had ahead to tackle what needed fixed in the edits.
The experience, coming on my twefth book, was unnerving.
Where had my inspiration gone? The flow? Why were descriptions coming like I waded through a bramble patch? I’d never experienced such painful writing.
I’m happy to say that seems to be behind me like I boarded a rocket and planet pain-in-my-writing-arse is disappearing in the rear view mirror (Yes, my spaceship has a rearview mirror. You should always know what is sneaking up on you even in space).
No matter what I write, the story flows like a highly cooperative faucet. And I’ve been writing more than just the final book in the Games of Fire trilogy, A New Goddess. I’ve challenged myself to write more. I’m a writer, a full-time one supposedly. But I seem to keep getting sucked into project after project that only peripherally deals with my writing. Hunh.
So, I’ve begun short stories, flash fiction, even the development of a choose your own adventure book set in the world of Myrrah. In fact, a few cleaned-up stories that helped inspire me to jump back on the “I’m a writer” wagon are already exclusively available to my fans on Patreon! And a lot more will be coming soon.
Writing will be my primary focus for the next four months at least. Hopefully longer! Being a full time writer isn’t easy, and not always profitable. But part of that is my fault. It shouldn’t take a year for a book to come out, especially when I’ve written four in a year before!
So I’ll do my part to write more and write better, and it has been so much better! I’ve fallen in love with writing again and I hope you fall in love with the new stories. Join me on Patreon to access exclusive new writing every month!