As I said yesterday, "Right now, I have to go where the inspiration takes me. And right now, the inspiration is following reader input."
I'm not sure why this is so, but it's reality. Last month, a reader was commenting on one of my book posts, wishing for another SCIU book, so I worked on that. Last week, a reader sent me an email about Song of Storm and Shroud, told me I'd done a good job writing it, and said he couldn't wait for the sequel. And like that, my gears shifted.
Actually, that's not entirely fair. I was getting to a point in SCIU4 where I wasn't feeling it. I was pushing out the words instead of them pulling me. Last week's reader was a nudge I needed to make the words pull me again. Unfortunately for the SCIU book, they're pulling me toward a different story.
I'm not usually that flighty. I start writing a book and I work on it until its either finished or I'm stumped on how to proceed. Since I'm not finished with SCIU4 and definitely not stumped, I'm guessing I'm just not feeling it right now and the reader input gave me the excuse I needed to move onto something else.
Having said that, I am rolling along right now with Shroudlands2. I have stuff happening. I have a good idea where I'm going next. I know what the main thrust of the story is going to be. It feels right. Right now, at least.
I can't guarantee this'll keep going on like it's been going. I'm trying not to question it too much. I'm just going with the flow. If the flow dries up, I'll switch back and see if I can make that work. The point is, I guess, I'm writing again. And I've always said we have to write however we can to get the words out. What works for us one day may not work the next, so we have to go with the flow. Probably not the answer readers are looking for, but it is what it is. I'm going with the flow.
Going with the flow sounds like a great tactic and one that's working well for you! And it's great that you have such supportive readers.
ReplyDeleteInstincts. Writers need to pay more attention to them than we do sometimes. The joy of self-publishing is we don't have those hard and fast deadlines where we HAVE to churn out words on a certain book. I've learned that by following my gut on what to write, I write a better book--one that needs less edits and revistions, one that flows with fewer continuity snags.
ReplyDeleteI'm just happy you're writing. I love all your books so I'll take whatever comes next. Keep going with the flow. It's a whole lot less work than paddling upstream. Just sayin'....