WIPs and Chains
I last mentioned some doubts about what to work on next and that I was giving some thought to various projects I have started. And in this case, thinking was good! I read a couple of good books, thought a lot about my projects, and had a little epiphany! I knew exactly what I needed to do to fix up some of the manuscripts my agent had said were too short. So I went back to Crush, the one that seemed most promising, and did more work on it. I brought in a secondary character and began her story. I thought about her story and the right man for her and got that idea sketched out and MAN! I want to tell that story! It's stuck in my head now! I fleshed out some other minor secondary characters as well as the setting, and the book is now 81,000 words and I like the changes.
And I thought about my WIP about the chef. I stopped working on it, thinking that it's not likely going to sell, but when I had my epiphany above, I kept thinking about it, too, and what I could do to make it better. I have all these ideas, so I've jotted them down, though I haven't actually gone back to writing it yet.
I have another story sketched out, too. If you've read Power Struggle, which came out a few weeks ago with Ellora's Cave, you'll know Gabe, the mentor Dom and Tori's play partner until she meets Dev. I'd had the idea that he should have his own story, but I got a little bit stuck. (One of the reviewers who reviewed the book even said she hopes Gabe has his own story!) And in that rush of creativity and ideas, I knew what his story should be. And oh MAN, do I ever want to tell that story!
I also have my historical story that I've been researching that I really want to get started on. I have set a deadline for this because of an upcoming trip that I will be able to do in-depth research for this story so I really need to have a first draft done by then. So I've gotten started on it, but it's so hard when I have all these other characters and their stories floating in my head, needing to get out. There aren't enough hours in the day to do it all, and it's a wonderful, awful feeling to have all this stuff inside me that I need to get out and not enought time to do it all. It's wonderful when I remember those times when I feel stuck, like I'll never have another good idea agan, but awful that I can't do it fast enough.
I need to learn patience. Patience. I'll get there.