The pieces that have been floating around for a while and they finally came together. I have the basis for my next book. It's just an idea right now; very rough and full of gaps, but there's enough pieces in place to know that the gaps will fill in and lead to my next book.

The early stages are exciting, but also confusing. There are so many possibilities. My first step is to research. All writers must face the "suspension of disbelief" factor, and the way to do that is to have a base of truth to the story. Believe it or not, this is true of any genre. Even science fiction and fantasy must have constants in place that can be applied to give readers a basis to hang that suspension on - after all, if there's truth that we can realte to in the world we know, then we can suspend our disbelief when we take it on a path that diverts from that truth. My story is going to be  mystery (big surprise) with an element of urban fantasy. I have a lot of research to do for this one, but it will be worth it. And often, the research helps the story to fill out by giving the writer more pieces to work with and more importantly, to manipulate.

I've started, though, and I'm excited. I have some good, solid brainstorming notes, which provide a great place to start developing the plot and directing my research. And so, my next book project starts.

Welcome to the journey. I hope you enjoy it.

That's all today. Take care, and I hope the rest of your week goes well.

Bye!

I recently had the realization that it's been a long time since I wrote a short story. In fact, I can only recall writing 2 short stories and maybe 2 or 3 flash fiction pieces in the past year. I know I've been working on novels for the past 18 months, but I think this is the longest I've gone without writing something short, be it a short story, flash fiction, or a devotional. And since I completed the final draft of Splinter, I haven't written anything new. I've been working on updating this website and setting up promotional things for the eventual release of Anywhere But Here.

In one way this is normal. I am a novelist, and hitting a dry spell after completing a novel is completely normal for me. My muse is usually running on fumes when a novel is completed and badly in need of a break. Writer's block happens to every writer, and fighting it is usually an exercise in futility. You can't force yourself to write. You just have to wait it out, keep on living, and hope that somewhere in having a life you find something that inspires you and sparks the muse again. It's just frustrating to have the desire to write, but not the ability because you lack - what? Ideas? Inspiration? What's missing?

I do want to write short stories again. I've been eyeing contests and calls for submissions more and more lately, and I'd love to have something to submit. Don't get me wrong. I love writing novels. But short stories are also fun in a different way. There's something just as captivating in weaving a slice of life together as there is in creating an entire world.

*Sigh* This too shall pass. I know. I've been writing for 10 years and I usually hit a dry spell at least once a year. I just hope it isn't a long one. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep researching how to promote my work and become a better writer. 

Have a happy weekend and a great Resurrection Celebration!