ALWAYS THINKING TOWARD THE NEXT STORY

When you’re a writer like me, and no, I’m not saying all of you are like me, I’m always thinking. I’ll admit my mind’s quite a bit in La La Land. I don’t mean “Ellay,” Los Angeles, Hollywood, or whatever you want to call that La La Land. I’m in my own La La Land, which is my dream world, where I come up with all this stuff that goes into my stories.

CURENT WORK IN PROGRESS (WIP)

Since I’m considered a “pantser,” in other words, a “seat-of-the-pants” writer instead of an outliner, I start with knowing A and B and everything in-between is an adventure. In other words, it’s a total surprise that develops as I write. My path to success is that I write so linear, I rarely get myself into a plot issue because I always have B in mind. I’m always working toward that point, so everything I dream (or La La Land) up, is working toward that goal.

I’ve mentioned this numerous times here at Fred Central. I get my inspirations from just about everywhere. It may be the most innocuous thing that strikes my fancy, or something profound. Whatever the case, I catalog that in the back of my brain, or maybe if it’s something I don’t need for a good while, it becomes an addition to one of my post-it notes above my computer monitor. It’s to the point now that a few of my post it notes have the sticky dried up and they’re now falling off, so I have them stacked on the computer tower.

THE NEXT STORY

Though I’m pretty set with Detach And His Search For Gold, with six manuscripts in the can, that doesn’t mean I don’t have room for more. In fact, I started number seven (West Virginia Gold), but got sidetracked with the first Meleena’s Adventures, so number seven of the Gold series languishes with just a few chapters.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas lingering for further adventures. I’ve just saved my energy for more immediate priorities, at the moment. In fact, I came up with a great premise for book number eight tonight at dinner with friends. We’ll see if that one ever comes to fruition.

I’m currently done editing with the publisher on Gods Of The Blue Mountains, book number two of the Meleena’s Adventures series. Though that’s not the end of the process, I’m also writing book three and reading it to my writer’s group. Right now, my focus is on Meleena and my readers are screaming for more of her.

While I’ve had the basic concept for the fourth Meleena story in the back of my head for almost a year now, last night (as I write this), I finally came up with a conclusive A and B. It just happened. It’s not completely refined, but it’s there.

Keep in mind that A and B will never be written down beforehand. I never have and never will. The basic concept will be in my head and stay there until I sit down and start the book. It’ll never be an outline. What it will be is Chapter One and The End, when I get to them.

As for the Gold series? West Virginia Gold also has A and B in the can. I’ve had occasional ideas for further adventures (including the one I just came up with tonight), but they can wait, since I already have five other completed rough manuscripts.

SUMMARY

Now that I have the big picture for the fourth Meleena story, I can let it sit for a while, move on to other things.

You may ask, well…some of you…what about other novels? What about one-offs, or short stories, or whatever? Another series?

Don’t worry. That could very well happen as well. If the muse strikes, I’ll catalog that in the back of my head as well, and save it for a future date.

I just need the time to do it all.

That’s the problem with any writer!

Happy writing!