SATURDAY: SPACES BETWEEN

Some say writers need to write every day. Every. Single. Day. Hmmm. That puts me in an odd position, not usual for me. I do try to write daily, and with as many story ideas as I have, that isn’t often a problem.

But I’ve also been told I should finish one project before I start another. That’s where the problem comes in. My first book, Return to Rainbow Ridge, is done for the second draft, and I’m pretty much waiting to finish the critique group and beta reader processes, both moving along as I write this. (you beta readers are reading and writing comments—right?) And my second book, Rule Number One, I’ve just entered the synopsis and first 25 pages in the same writing contest I won last year for Return to Rainbow Ridge. That means I’m waiting for feedback for both books. That’s where the “Spaces Between” part in the post title comes in.

So . . . what’s a writer to do? Here are some examples of what fills my time at the moment. I’ve been looking for photos to use as inspiration for future story characters, especially the heroines. Since my stories, for the foreseeable future at least, will be Second Chance Romances, i need to pick a young version, usually a teenager, and an adult version, probably 30-something. I’ve done that for the first four books, and working on good pairings of the two ages for other future stories.

i’ve been doing research for stories (that’s a big topic probably better saved for a future post). I’ve also been doing some research into the actual publishing process on Amazon Kindle. I actually need to do that twice, once for the eBook version and once for the paperback version. There are similarities, but the formatting, covers, file types, etc., etc. are different and have different specifications and creative processes.

So while no actual writing of stories may be taking place, i am just as busy as ever. And, oh yeah, there’s the rest of my life that goes on—family, friends, church, etc.

If my life sounds busy, you’re seeing the picture correctly. I’m busier in some ways than I ever was working at a regular job. But I’m also happier and more content with my life now. That’s the best part of this all.