I hadn’t planned to write anything this spring. I had been working on my short story compilation when the lockdown began and, doggedly, I’ve continued to put it together: editing, doing a little rewriting, formatting, etc. Quite a lot of it is done and I fear that it will be finished too soon – before the end of the lockdown, before summer, before I have a cover ready for it (whichever comes first). I really hadn’t intended publishing this book before September, so there’s no particular rush.
My next big job (I’ve got this whole year pretty well mapped out) is to once again edit my Prizewinner and begin preparations for submissions to agents. In the meantime, I’m still approaching agents for my fantasy series (though I seem to have stalled a bit during the lockdown). And then – the big prize at the end of the year, or autumn, or just...later on – I will sit down and write the third Honeysuckle novel. But between here and then...that’s a lot of time not doing any writing. I started the year struggling with my writing and felt it was a good idea to take a break, doing something really constructive, such as working on the short story collection.
It’s just that I couldn’t possibly have known how I was going to feel in this lockdown. I want to write. I need to write.
But what, exactly?
I have PLENTY to be getting on with. I’ve got five series on the go. Yes, really. How did that happen? I think it’s because I’m one of those people who love starting new things, who have endless ideas, whose imagination flies in every direction. The five series are:
The Exodus Sequence: White Shadows, Last Exit, Golden Queen, Merlin – a gloriously huge tale spanning millions of years, crossing several genres and experimenting with style. (Finished 12. Unsure of end total)(short stories/novellas)
The Fleet Quintet: Mindwalkers, the Fleet, the First, Gomenzi – an alien invasion of a most peculiar kind. (Finished 4 out of 5)(novels)
Honeysuckle Rage: Lightweight fantasy set in modern England with only one door left to a magical realm, about to be invaded. (Finished 2 out of 7)(novels)
Tales of Everlast: Short stories set in the magical realm first introduced in the Honeysuckle Rage novels. (Finished 3 out of however many I feel like writing)(short stories)
Jacaranda Jane: Autobiographical short stories. (Finished 1 out of however many I feel like writing)(short stories)
I also write the occasional short story that fits into no series at all. And of course, there are any number of novels in my head all clamouring to be written too.
I should really do another Jane story but they are hard to confront, seeing as how they are about me, albeit in the third person. I’d rather do something more escapist, at the moment. Having just finished an Everlast story, I might do an Exodus one instead. But there are so many to chose from! I want to write more about Zipp (the heroine of SPOOKED) but the next part of her tale is quite complex and I actually can’t get my head around it out right now. Also, I need a different kind of challenge. Which may involve reading Plato. Urgh, really? Must I? Can’t I just cheat and read the Wiki page instead?!
As an entry in The Exodus Sequence (volume two), it stands slightly outside of the general plot line – not that the reader so far would be aware that there is a plot line, but trust me, there is one! Volume Two will be much more explanatory, compared to Volume One which, for the most part, concentrated on introducing readers to the characters and the aliens.
Let’s see how far I get with Plato…
My next big job (I’ve got this whole year pretty well mapped out) is to once again edit my Prizewinner and begin preparations for submissions to agents. In the meantime, I’m still approaching agents for my fantasy series (though I seem to have stalled a bit during the lockdown). And then – the big prize at the end of the year, or autumn, or just...later on – I will sit down and write the third Honeysuckle novel. But between here and then...that’s a lot of time not doing any writing. I started the year struggling with my writing and felt it was a good idea to take a break, doing something really constructive, such as working on the short story collection.
It’s just that I couldn’t possibly have known how I was going to feel in this lockdown. I want to write. I need to write.
But what, exactly?
I have PLENTY to be getting on with. I’ve got five series on the go. Yes, really. How did that happen? I think it’s because I’m one of those people who love starting new things, who have endless ideas, whose imagination flies in every direction. The five series are:
The Exodus Sequence: White Shadows, Last Exit, Golden Queen, Merlin – a gloriously huge tale spanning millions of years, crossing several genres and experimenting with style. (Finished 12. Unsure of end total)(short stories/novellas)
The Fleet Quintet: Mindwalkers, the Fleet, the First, Gomenzi – an alien invasion of a most peculiar kind. (Finished 4 out of 5)(novels)
Honeysuckle Rage: Lightweight fantasy set in modern England with only one door left to a magical realm, about to be invaded. (Finished 2 out of 7)(novels)
Tales of Everlast: Short stories set in the magical realm first introduced in the Honeysuckle Rage novels. (Finished 3 out of however many I feel like writing)(short stories)
Jacaranda Jane: Autobiographical short stories. (Finished 1 out of however many I feel like writing)(short stories)
I also write the occasional short story that fits into no series at all. And of course, there are any number of novels in my head all clamouring to be written too.
I should really do another Jane story but they are hard to confront, seeing as how they are about me, albeit in the third person. I’d rather do something more escapist, at the moment. Having just finished an Everlast story, I might do an Exodus one instead. But there are so many to chose from! I want to write more about Zipp (the heroine of SPOOKED) but the next part of her tale is quite complex and I actually can’t get my head around it out right now. Also, I need a different kind of challenge. Which may involve reading Plato. Urgh, really? Must I? Can’t I just cheat and read the Wiki page instead?!
As an entry in The Exodus Sequence (volume two), it stands slightly outside of the general plot line – not that the reader so far would be aware that there is a plot line, but trust me, there is one! Volume Two will be much more explanatory, compared to Volume One which, for the most part, concentrated on introducing readers to the characters and the aliens.
Let’s see how far I get with Plato…
My new short story starts here...
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