Writing Updates: Sometimes You Just Have to Write

Sometimes, if you want to write you just have to write. This is a fairly obvious statement and perilously close to cliche, but I mean something far more specific. I recently finished my first novel, a steampunk fantasy currently titled Irons in the Fire. It’s with an editor now, but there’ll be more about that later this month, much more. There’s an odd let down after finishing a project as consuming as a first novel, but I deliberately planned to keep my momentum going and charge right into my next project. And that’s exactly what I did. More or less.

The problem with going from a project that’s nearly done to one that’s still forming is that it’s a very different mindset. From one day to the next, I went from polishing sentences to brainstorming plotlines and fleshing out characters. I went from the micro to the macro in the blink of an eye. I’ve spent the past few weeks brainstorming and outlining. There are holes, and vague areas, but I think I’ve reached the point where holes or no holes, the best way to figure things out is to just start writing. Going over and over the outline can only take you so far. So I’ve decided to just start writing and see if I can fix it as I go along. The results have been mixed so far. it’s going slower than I hoped, but some solutions have presented themselves, which, after all, was the point.