Some weeks a topic has jumped up screaming “Pick me, pick me!”. Those are the weeks that I can write a post in very short order. Then there are times like now when I have several ideas to write about, except none of them really reach out and grab me.
I think I’d rather have one idea that excites me than several that say “Meh”. It just goes to show that a wealth of ideas is not always all that it’s cracked up to be.
This week has been an interesting one. I’ve had some highs, some lows and several new story project ideas that I know will turn out well. And, I’ve got some ideas that actually scare the heck out of me.
Has that ever happened to you? You know, you have a great idea except you’re afraid that you’re not a good enough writer to do it justice? I’ve had two or three like that in the past two months and I’ve come to realize that it’s not a bad thing. Something that is tough and challenging can only force you to be a better writer than you are today.
That’s the theory anyway.
The ideas seem so profound that I know I must sit down and work out how to bring them to the light of day. That’s going to mean working out what characters are necessary, what setting, timeframe, etc. It should be a lot of fun.
The way I see it, it should be a no-lose situation. If the story turns out the way I hope it will, it can’t help but be published. If it falls short, I’ll still be a better writer than I am today. It’s just going to be so much work! That’s the part I’m not looking forward to. Still, nothing good happens without some cost.
On another note, the experiment in Query Letters is proceeding well. Tuesday I received a request from one publisher for 3 chapters and a synopsis. You’d better believe I was feeling pretty stoked about that! I know that I’m still a LONG way from being published, but any interest is motivating. That means that I’m going to continue editing rather than focus on writing something new. The plan is to have two books circulating, looking for a home.
Speaking of writing something new, I have been working on a couple things (just not focusing on them). One is a short story I’ve had in mind for quite a long time. I’m envisioning it as a short short or less than 1,000 words. I’m forcing brevity of prose to try and make it really snap. I’ve also got an idea for some episodic fiction that I’ll be writing with the intent to podcast.
Creatively, things have really been coming together the past while. I think I’ve got something like six or seven new story ideas that all feel promising. The fact that I’ve been reading more (Natural Order Master – LE Modisett Jr., Dragon Harper – Todd McCaffery, The Skystone – Jack Whyte) may have something to do with it. I’ve also been listening to Mur Lafferty’s “I Should Be Writing” Podcast the past while (http://isbw.murlafferty.com/). Throw in some writing show and Tee Morris and I’ve been getting all the rah rah that I need to kick things up a notch. It feels pretty darn good.
As it turns out, the lows I spoke of earlier were life-related and the highs were all reading/writing related. Funny how the balance changes sometimes. Still, I feel more certain than ever that I will find a publisher. It may not be tomorrow or next week, but it will happen.
Have a great weekend!
