Back in the Saddle
And it feels so good.
It was in January last year that I finished and published the fifth book in my Sacrifice urban fantasy series and decided to take a break from it. I’d been pushing myself to finish the series, throwing up impossible deadlines that I knew would eventually lead to burnout. I was at a good stopping point in the series, so I decided to shift gears and write something different. That turned out to be the dark paranormal romance, The Cruelty of Thorns. I wrote it in four months and published it in August.
After that, I outlined an idea I had for a dark romance trilogy, and while I wrote a couple of chapters in the first book, I just wasn’t feeling it. The general premise was good, I just didn’t have any of the particulars of the story. And that’s when the unthinkable happened.
I stopped writing altogether.
When something normally comes to you as easily as breathing, it can be hard to resolve the feeling of failure you get when that ability suddenly goes MIA. I’m not one to fall back on the excuse of writer’s block, but that’s the best way to describe it. Try as I might, I couldn’t summon the will to write.
I’ve gone through this a couple of times in my writing career; periods of frantic activity followed by bouts of blank pages. As a writer, we’re taught to persevere, to just get something down on paper every day and the story will eventually come to us.
Bullocks. Sometimes the story just isn’t there. Sometimes, no matter how much you may wish otherwise, the well is (temporarily) dry. Sometimes, especially when it comes to creative endeavors, you just need to take a break.
Like I said, I’ve gone through this a couple of times, so I had faith that when the time was right, the muse would favor me again. And what do you know, that faith was rewarded when I finally work up one morning about a month ago with the kind of excitement I hadn’t felt in months.
I had a story idea. Not wanting to spook it, I let it marinate in my head for a few days. Ordinarily, I’d start taking notes. Working up an outline. But I didn’t do any of that. Instead, I just thought about these two characters and what they were like. What motivated them? What defined their relationship? What obstacles were going to hinder them from accomplishing their goals?
When I write, I’m a total plotter. I need an outline. Character sketches. Inspirational artwork. A roadmap that tells me where I’m going and every stop and detour along the way. That’s how I was able to write the five books in my Sacrifice series so quickly, averaging three months per book.
But this time? This time I’m a total pantser. Nothing is plotted. The only thing I know for sure is my two main characters’ names and a little backstory. I’m winging it, and while I always thought that would stress me out, I’m finding I love it. I have no idea where this story is taking me, but the words are flowing so I’m not questioning it. I’m just here for the ride.
Stay tuned for updates and a peek at the first chapter. I want to get this new baby some daylight, maybe a few comments, because I’m really excited about these two characters.