New Novel Coming Soon
Although I am working on two other novels to bring them up to publication standard, I have that feeling I now recognise as the desire to get on and draft a new novel. This is probably going to see me do NaNoWriMo in September or October.
I’ve written enough novels over the last decade or so to know that when the time comes to write, I have to do so. I have some control over this, but not a great deal. I become agitated, constantly jotting ideas down on paper as they come to me, my thoughts mainly on deciding what story to write out and getting a plan together to give myself the best possible start.
I’ve blogged previously about writer’s block as something I don’t experience. At the time of writing this post, I have several possibilities for a new novel, and part of the struggle today is determining out of all the ideas I have, which one is likely to give me the best chance of drafting it within four weeks. It’s a good position to be in. I’m not having to stress too much with coming up with a brand new idea. I already have ideas. The question to answer is which of these ideas is going to be one to go with.
One decision to make is whether it is going to be another book following on from a previous one. For example, another book in the Clockmaker series, or Copernicus, or Canongate. I already have drafted a follow-up to The Kill Chain, and have further ideas for subsequent books here. Then there is the possibility of writing something else. This could be a standalone novel, but I like to consider if I can get more than one book out of the world I create. I also have plans for several novellas.
I’m fortunate I have choice here. Over the last year or so I’ve been making an effort to finish more of my writing with a view to publication. I have been guilty of moving on to the next novel without putting in the effort to do a deep dive and ensure the story is as good as it can be, that there are no loose ends or odd asides that don’t really fit, and that the writing flows and is ready to be read. There is nothing like the excitement of starting a new book, and I can easily be seduced by that. However, I am making good progress and will have new novels to either query or publish in the coming year.
Right now, I’m having to deal with the desire to write new books, which I really want to do, while accepting the reality of having back catalogue that does deserve my attention. I’m sure I will convince myself that I am doing enough with previous drafts, and manage to draft a new book before the end of the year. A further complication is that the ideas I have for novellas may in fact turn out to be full-length novels, so I have to keep them in mind when making a decision.
At the time of writing this I still have no idea of what I’m going to tackle next. I was hoping while writing this post, it would become apparent, but looks like I’m still waiting for that lightbulb moment when I know for sure what I will write next. Exciting times.
The Fiction Factory 