How Do I Decide What To Write Next?

There are times I feel like I must be the free floating electron of this group because it seems with a lot of our craft questions, I have no system or structure and I point to my Muse as my fundamental explanation for all my choices. Hint: there is no spreadsheet in the Veronica Scott reality.

OK, here we go again. I write whatever story I feel most drawn to at the moment. Purely up to the Muse. Yes, I am aware there's no vaguely Grecian or even Olivia Newton-Johnish female figure lurking in my brain, telling me what to do. (Referencing the movie "Xanadu." ) I know it's all me but hey, I LIKE the idea of my Muse. She's convenient shorthand and avoids any need for distracting and deflecting psychobabble on my part regarding motivations and influences. Or attempts to dig deeper into my process and maybe upset the entire applecart of How I Do What I Do. And this is just me, talking about myself - I know for some people a more analytical Method is their truth and foundation. We're all different and there's no one right way (or wrong way either) to "author". Thank goodness!

I'm constantly on the quest for new story ideas. I read all kinds of magazines from GQ to Star to Business Week voraciously, and keep notes and clippings in case I need an inspiration. I'm always following research rabbit holes on the internet and saying under my breath, "Wow, that would make a cool story!" With a science fiction twist of course or it wouldn't be me.

Since I'm currently self published, I have no one else's deadlines to take into consideration, unless I'm involved in a group project, like the upcoming PETS IN SPACE anthology, with eight other authors. For something of that nature I do have to work writing the story into my life on a schedule. So since I knew I'd be writing a story with a pet, I made sure to include not one but two animals in Star Cruise: Outbreak, so I'd have something to work with. I enjoy developing short stories and novellas set in my Star Cruise series. I also realized the Cargo Master, Owen Embersson, who has a minor role in Outbreak, would be the hero for the PETS novella. Outbreak was published April 8th this year and the PETS story was due by September 15th. I finished the novella in July, while also getting two other books out in May and June, and it went through its edits in August. Turned it in last week. So I'm right on the schedule.

During that time, I was strongly drawn to tell the story of Johnny, the secondary character from Mission to Mahjundar, and got his book out in June, entitled Hostage to the Stars. Currently I'm finally ready to write the sequel for Khevan and Twilka, who survived the Wreck of the Nebula Dream, and I'm 28K into that. I go with whatever story I'm craving to tell, the one where words are clamoring to be put on the page. The one I wake up in the morning thinking about...

Being Told What to Write Next

Nothing annoys me more than being deep in the guts of a story and having a shiny new idea pop up. It never fails. Never. Used to be, I'd succumb to the siren song of the bejeweled new thing. As a result, nothing ever got finished. My unfinished projects file isn't just a graveyard. It's an entire damned ecosystem.

That changed several years ago when I made a vow to finish a thing. To handle the allure of ideas popping in to seduce me away from soldiering on to The End, I instituted a policy: It takes a number, and it stands in line. This meant scribbling down the gist of an idea - just enough to be able to recapture the feel of the story, then filing it. I'd go back to hacking my way through my WIP.

Now, whether its luck of the draw, a lack of marketing acumen, or the alignment of the sun, moon, and stars, I have two abandoned series of two books each that had been contracted by a traditional publishing house that wanted nothing to do with any further books in either series. Well okay. My obligation to produce the rest of those books went up in smoke unless my contracts allow me to self-publish the follow up books in each or either series (combing the fine print on that point, with someone who speaks legalese.) Until that legal determination is made, I can't be sitting on my hands. I want to write.

No problem, though, right? I had an idea file to mine. I read through everything in that file. I weeded through my notes and incomprehensible (that sounded like a solid story idea? WTH?) tidbits of narrative with no future. I picked the one that I knew needed to be written. Big project with possible longevity. Utterly outside my skillset. Which clearly meant it was exactly what I ought to pursue. Planning, plotting, and research undertaken. Completed. Undertaken again. Completed again. Opening scene written.

And then, I'm embarrassed to say, lightning struck. I was totally sideswiped by a character who insisted his story would be told and it would be told NOW.

That's how Damned If He Does happened. I had no intention of writing paranormal romance. None. But when a hot dude walks into your head, takes up residence and refuses to leave, you either need hardcore medication or you need to write as fast as possible and get rid of him that way.

So I guess the answer to the 'how do I decide' question is this: Sometimes I choose and sometimes I am chosen. The last book picked me. No clue why. But it did. When I have the luxury of getting to choose, I pick a story out of my league. One that intrigues me and that can occupy my mind for days. Some day, when I am again under contract, I will giggle at the notion of getting to pick what I write next. But for now, I'm in a privileged position to write what sounds like fun at any given moment.

Rest assured. I've gone back to the big, scary, historical fantasy project. It's on track for a POS draft by 10/31. And yes. I do know what comes after that. NANOing book 3 of the SFR series. Cause that heroine has taken up residence in my brain and she's tapping her foot while waving her number beneath my nose. Apparently, it's her turn.

Perils of the Writer: Deciding What's Next

So, upon the writing of this, I'm putting the final touches on The Imposters of Aventil, getting ready to send that in (along with finalized maps, appendix, acknowledgments), and with that, Imposters of Aventil will be done. Save, you know, copy edits and proofs.  But the fundamental book that will come out next October (i.e., 2017) will be what it's going to be.

Now, what am I going to do next?

Fortunately, I have contracts and deadlines to tell me what that's going to be.  Namely, my top priority is going to be finishing the working draft of Lady Henterman's Wardrobe, the sequel to next March's The Holver Alley Crew.  I'm well along with it, but it is rough, and it's still got plenty of work to go.  That's really not a decision, though: that's what's next.

After that, my decisions and prioritizing get a bit more complicated.  I need to get moving on the third Constabulary book, The Parliament of Bodies.  But part of working that involves redoing the outline.  I'm also rewriting another manuscript-- one that's finished-- and getting that polished (and sold) is somewhat tied to Parliament.  This is the challenge with writing these interconnected stories in the same setting: having that re-write locked down will help me figure out what I need to do in Parliament.  The core story plan won't change, but there are shades and elements that weren't fully anticipated when I wrote the original outline.

Beyond that, I have a few things on the backburner that I will pay more attention to.  I still have a space opera book I'm working on, and it needs a lot of work.  Like, an ending.  And a serious re-write of the first three chapters.  I also have a fantasy project that is well-outlined, but it wasn't coming together.  I realized the problem is in the worldbuilding.  So I'm going back into that aspect and re-doing it in a way I'm finding fun and exciting.  Of those two, I think the latter is going to become my real 'back-up' project for the foreseeable future. 

But still, first things first: Lady Henterman's Wardrobe.  That's an easy choice.

Works in Progress: How to Determine What Now and What Next

Deciding what to work on now and next comes down to backing into dates of a marketing plan.

Want me to try that again in plain English?

I currently subscribe to the theory that the ideal release schedule for a self-published series is one book per quarter/four books a year. (Yes, there are lots of other theories out there, so YMMV.) I have four series I want to publish. Basic math says that equals sixteen books released in a year. Basic sanity says that's never going to happen. Creatively, I cannot focus on only one series because of burn out. (It's like having pizza every day; awesome at first but then you can't stand the sight, smell, or mention of it.) So, more than one series, but less than four. Three series is a book released every month. Again, not remotely realistic for me. So, knowing my personal limitations, I'm going with two series.

Which two? The one I've already launched and the one with the hungriest audience. Both are sub-genres of Fantasy. I don't want to confuse or lose any audience I'm fortunate enough to build by jumping into an unrelated genre. I don't (yet?) have that kind of dedicated following.

Eight books drafted, edited, and produced in a year is...frankly still beyond my abilities. How do I address that? Well, I've already screwed up the release timing of my High Fantasy series, so I'm going to accept that four 150k books a year isn't going to happen. That series is not going to fit the ideal marketing schedule. Not now. Not ever. Fortunately, High Fantasy audiences tend to be more forgiving of long gaps between releases. I'll shoot for one release every nine months.

My second series is Urban Fantasy with half(ish) the word count of the High Fantasy, yet a much higher reader demand for more frequent releases. So, four books per year has to happen for this series to succeed in a glutted market.

Now I'm looking at five books a year. Possibly still unrealistic for someone who's only managed to launch one book in the last eighteen months. How do I give myself a fighting chance?  I'm taking advantage of my foible and I'm stock-piling. I'm writing four books in the Urban Fantasy series before I launch it, so I have one year of work in that series ready to go while I write the next year's planned books.

When I wrap up a series another one can slide into its place.  That is The Plan...and we all know the plan is the first casualty.

That, ladies and gents, is how I determine on what I'm working now and next.

Juggling Multiple Projects - How to Decide What to Work on Next

Here's me on the Iron Throne (from Game of Thrones, if you're not in the know). I'm feeling like I look pretty natural there. The only thing missing is that I did not yet have my WWJJD? (What Would Jessica Jones Do?) ribbon.

Still pretty kickass, though.

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven (which totally sounds like a superhero group to me, to continue to riff on the theme), is "What next? How do you decide which projects when?"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

What is this "decide"?

Seriously - once upon a time this used to be an issue for me. I remember once making a list of a dozen or so story ideas and using a random number generator to decide which to work on next. Long gone are those days! 

Some of this comes from working with traditional publishing contracts. We end up "deciding" to work on whatever thing has the closest deadline. Due next week? DECISION MADE.

But it's also a natural consequence of writing series. If you have one, two, three, more books out there, then readers are going to be messaging about when the next one is coming out. That's a big decider, too. 

Of course, even with supposedly finished series, I get those messages, so...)

All this said, you know me. I keep a spreadsheet. 

OF COURSE I DO.

This is what mine looks like right now. I cropped so as to make it easier to read. As you can see, the "In My Court" section is the most salient. Right now I have four projects all solidly with me and none in "Someone Else's Court." Which is too bad, really. You'll also note that I classify them as either "Up to Bat" or "On Deck." The irony of me using sports metaphors for these should be lost on no one. On the other hand, the fact that I've mixed tennis with baseball says it all.

Also noteworthy is that THE NOISE OF FUR, which has a later deadline than THE TIDES OF BÁRA and SENSATION, is at bat. It seems counter-intuitive, but this is where my deciding comes in. I *had* planned to do revisions on that story starting 9/12 (which you'd be able to see if you could scroll to the right), but two things happened. First, Grace Draven, who is heading up the anthology, TEETH, LONG AND SHARP, that THE NOISE OF FUR is for, asked me if I could send my story to Ilona Andrews, who's writing the introduction. I didn't want to send it in bad condition. But then, second, I received the content edits from my editor and she thinks the story is in great shape! (Such relief!) So, I knew could both polish this story quickly and give it to Grace for Ilona to read. Thus, I did make a decision within my framework to move that up to being at bat and I'll do that today.

Sharp eyes might note that SENSATION and THE TIDES OF BÁRA share a deadline. This is an artifact of me getting behind schedule, which means the deadlines slid and stacked up against each other. In my head I know that the SENSATION deadline is a somewhat artificial one, and that's the one that will slide if one of them has to.

And if they all slide then... WWJJD?

Flash Fiction Fun with the Classics

With apologies to every lover of The Classics:

The Brothers Karamazov set out on an Odyssey with Great Expectations of finding Anna Karenina, whose Pride and Prejudice had led her to refuse the offer from The Catcher In The Rye. After checking her options at The Foundation Trilogy she’d climbed the Dune and was Gone With The Wind.

Peter Rabbit decided to keep her company and they hitched a ride on Revolutionary Road with Ben-Hur. They were making Pilgrim’s Progress while eating The Grapes of Wrath and talking Of Mice and Men.

Little Dorrit saw them thunder past in the chariot and being a girl with Sense and Sensibility, she talked to the Little Women and Little Men about what to do next. Report Anna? Chase Anna? It seemed the Call of the Wild was upon their friend as she fled her past mistakes.

“I think she’s going to Wuthering Heights,” said The Great Gatsby. “We could send The Three Musketeers after her.”

“What started all this?” asked Jane Eyre. “I thought she was content at Northanger Abbey with A Room With A View of the Bleak House and the Mill on the Floss? She assured me she could enjoy A Hundred Years of Solitude there because it was Far From the Madding Crowd, so what changed? Is it The Time of the Plague or what?”

“Our Mutual Friend received The Scarlet Letter from Oliver Twist, telling her A Tale of Two Cities about The Count of Monte Cristo and Tess of the D’Ubervilles having an affair in Paris and London, under her nose.”  Dracula winked at Frankenstein and sipped his dark red wine. “Now she’s On the Road and going Around the World in Eighty Days apparently.”

“But her true love since 1984 has been Tom Jones,” said Dorrit. “Ever since he sang in those tight pants at the Animal Farm, remember? She was on a date with The Lord of the Flies but she only had eyes for Tom.”

“It’s a Catch-22 and everyone is Les Miserables all right.”  Don Quixote stopped jabbing at Charlotte’s Web. “She needs a Time Machine to return to 1984 and have a do over because The Metamorphosis started then.”

Heidi, The Prince and the Pauper rushed into the room, all three hand in hand. “We just read in today's edition of The Pickwick Papers that Anna booked A Passage to India with The Old Man and the Sea! Should we go Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and try to arrive before she does?”

“She’ll run into Moby Dick and end up with The Swiss Family Robinson, or perhaps even Robinson Crusoe,”  Candide exclaimed. “The Idiot, going North and South on The Good Earth, with no clear plan.”

“At least she wasn’t Kidnapped.” Don Q ate a crumpet. “This is A Moveable Feast you’ve prepared for us today, Dorrit; my compliments to the chef.”

Smiling, their hostess said, “Frederica took a turn in the kitchen today, right before she left to attend the Cotillion with the Devil’s Cub."

 “Everyone should relax and stop being A Confederacy of Dunces. I’ll call The Lord of the Rings and he’ll not only find Anna, he’ll bring her to Washington Square, where Doctor Zhivago can examine her. Then he can advise us in The Remains of the Day what we should do next.” Dracula reached for his cell phone.

Dorrit turned to the only person who had yet to weigh in on their friend Anna’s problems. “What do you think? Are they talking White Noise or are the vampire and Don Q making sense?”

Atlas Shrugged.

The Classic that Wasn't

Catcher in the Rye.

I read it. Even finished it. Not because I wanted to. Not because I liked anything I read. I finished that book solely because I had innocent, blind faith that it HAD to get better. Somewhere. Somehow.

It didn't. Ever. How the ever living hell do you write 300 plus pages of some dude whining? I swear to all the gods, Salinger was paid by the word for that piece of kindling. I was (and still am to this day) vastly disappointed that Holden Caufield never DIED in that book.

I get there are people who love this story and this character. Maybe teenage angst wasn't my thing even when I was a teenager.

The other one I loathed and still do is A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Again. Had to finish it. It was on the final. But ye gods and little fishes. Did you know that all of these so called 'classics' by angst-ridden (and now dead) white guys could have been hundreds of pages shorter with just a little Prozac?? Why are despicable characters without any kind of hope of redemption worth any amount of my life energy?

All I can say is these two books totally justified the speed reading course I'd taken in 8th grade. I could not quit those books fast enough and still comprehend enough to write the papers on them that were required. Bleh. Even after all this time, I want to go scrub my hands clean after recalling those stories.

I far and away preferred The Color Purple. And To Kill a Mockingbird. And The Plague. And Wuthering Heights - though how Heathcliff came to be a romantic icon is beyond me. Wrote him up as an illustration of the concept of evil in literature for my English AP exam. All while singing Kate Bush in my head. How did you cope with reading books you disliked for required courses? And do you still force yourself to finish books you don't like?

Ignored Classics

All right, back when I was collegiate, I lived in the Scholar's dorm-- aka everyone here is smart and well-read.  That led to a fair amount of academic posturing.  You had to be all, "Godel's Incompleteness Theorem?  Yeah, of course I know that theorem, who doesn't know it?  Impact of the Smoot-Hawley Tarriff act?  Please, I wrote a paper on that.  For extra credit.  Pride and Prejudice?  Yeah, I read that.  I read that in 7th grade."  

Friends, I did not read Pride and Prejudice.  Never have.  Was supposed to junior year of high school, but... yeah.  No.  Now that I'm not trying to prove anything (you try being a film student in a scholars dorm surrounded by STEM people), I feel no great need to fake it. 

But let's talk about some of the classics in the genre.  Because I'm unlikely to have my geek card revoked for not having read my Austen.  

In genre?  Let's see.  I've never read Lovecraft.  Never read Howard.  Never read Burroughs.  Never read Arthur C. Clarke.  Never read Leiber or Vance.  

But here's the thing: that's OK.  I've had a few moments at conventions, around other writers or fans, where I've felt that same thing creeping up my spine of, "Oh, you can't let them know you aren't an expert", but I've long since learned to beat that down with a stick.  There's plenty of the classics I haven't read.  Plenty of new stuff I haven't read yet, either.  And I'm all right with that.