THURSDAY THOUGHTS: JUGGLING STORIES
As an author, I’m at the point now where I’m juggling the stories I want to write. Of course, there’s my first book, Return to Rainbow Ridge, which I’m still trying to finish the final edit round so it can be released and everyone can read it (hopefully).
Then, there’s the second book, Rule Number One, which is in the first draft stage, being reviewed by my critique group members. I’m about 50 pages in, with lots to go. The plot grows with new ideas daily, so I’m not worried about getting to the end. But there’s still a long way to go.
Besides those, I’m still thinking about the next two books and their plots and backstories. #3 is His Kind of Music, about a world-class third-generation cellist and her journey with her high school best friend, after their reunion following fifteen years of separation. #4 is called Something Missing, and is about soulmates who are separated in their senior year of college by a tragic accident which results in traumatic retrograde amnesia for the young lady while studying abroad in Spain, and their re-connection 15 years later at their high school reunion.
Of course, besides these novels, I have plots for at least two or three dozen others, with more ideas being added all the time. I seem to catch onto random ideas related to one of those stories which I have to pursue and capture for future development.
Multi-tasking is not usually a good thing for authors. Most of us need to concentrate on one story until it’s finished. The problem is these days the readers want to see new stories regularly, and the process ends up overlapping them, as I’m doing right now. It just makes it that much more challenging to keep them straight in my mind and to balance the progress on each.
What makes it even worse is that I’ve decided to self-publish. That’s a double-edged sword since I get to decide when things happen, but there is no external pressure to adhere to a specific schedule. I’m in the middle of that right now.
No one said this would be easy. Some days are more productive than others. My goal right now is to accomplish SOMETHING every day. So, excuse me, I have some writing to do.