I Write

Yes, you know that.  After all, that’s the whole point of having this blog, isn’t it?  But I don’t talk exclusively about writing.  That would become boring for all of us, me included. 

Today however, I think I’d like to ramble a bit about the process of starting a new story.  I recently submitted the book I’d been working on to my publisher and am now faced with choosing a next project. 

There are several options.

1.  Attempt to find an agent for my horror novel, Indiscriminate Slaughter.  This is something I poke at occasionally.  Not at all fun.

2.  Revise something that is already written.  Polishing rough drafts is something I do when all my not-yet-revealed characters dessert me and go on vacation without me.  Sometimes fun, sometimes not.  I’ve already spent time discovering those stories.  There are times when revisiting the characters works but also times when it doesn’t.

3.  Beg Beau to continue on with the numerous stories he and I have started.  I’ve learned in the past year that he has even more mind bounce than I do so sometimes going there is not a good thing.

4.   Start something brand new.  Okay but what story?  In general when doing this, I let my subconscious choose.  I go about my daily life while listening to conversations going on within my head. Usually the loudest is the one I will work on next.  There are times when that works and they reveal the entire story to me as I hope every time I start one. 

However there are also times when a different set of characters barges in and demands instant attention.  Shane and Alyssa from Chaos did that.  Boy, did we have a blast!  Conversely there have been characters who lurk in the background of the story I’m working on, whispering just loud enough for me to catch snippets of what they’re saying.  Eventually this becomes highly distracting, so much so I have to put aside what I intended to write and ask the lurkers what is going on.  Then there are the characters that play hide-and-seek with me.  They pop into someone else’s story, boldly interrupting the flow only to vanish just as quickly as if daring me to come find them.

So.  Nope, not a clue what’s up next. 

I have wondered at times if the conversations within my head are being had by real people and I’ve somehow managed to tap into them, eavesdropping on their personal lives.  Hmm, there’s a thought for you. Next time you’re talking to someone and get that prickly sensation of being watched even though there is no one around it might just be my, spying on you from inside your own mind.