I love the luxury of flipping through my writing journal (after copying into it 7 1/2 pages of quotes from P.D. James Talking About Detective Fiction) and seeing all the starts to stories, scrawls of inspiration, and newspaper clippings from everywhere.
I love sorting through a binder and coming across a detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline of Au Contraire, waiting for me if I am ever in need of an ambitious plot.
I love remembering that story I began, Find Her, and going back to read the two chapter-scenes I had typed out and realizing that, gosh, this is a really good story. A really good one. And I might be about ready to dive into it, head-first.
I love writing down new story ideas (Murder, Miss Snubbins), and finding title-ideas for sequels to Fly Away Home that I don't even expect to write (The Lobbyman's Belle and Maralie We Roll Along), but have pegged down just in case.
I love reading the scraps of description and dialog I spread throughout the pages of the much-abused writing journal and remembering where I was and what I was doing when they came to me.
I love looking at my old writing and admiring certain turns of phrase, certain word-choices that I am allowed to admire without fear of vanity because so much water has gone under the proverbial bridge since I first wrote them.
I love listing all the ideas currently in the wings (including stories I don't really intend to write and realizing there is enough material here to keep me busy for years and years:
Driftfire (for the 5 Glass Slippers contest)
Au Contraire (historical fiction)
Murder, Miss Snubbins (romantic thriller)
Find Her (mystery/thriller)
The Green Branding (historical fiction)
Curvy Girls (contemporary fiction)
Jacq of All Trades (contemporary fiction)
Grey Goose Downs (historical fiction-ish)
No Mere Mortals (contemporary fiction)
Sentiment, Durrant (dystopian and thus, probably will never be written by me)
The Glass Half-Full {and a lemon-wedge} (inspirational fiction)
The Scar-Girl (allegorical fantasy)
Hearing, I See (undetermined)
Rockingham Shambles (mystery/thriller)
The Sirens of Baker Street (contemporary fiction)
The Traveler (humorous fiction)
Banbury Cross (historical fiction)
Madeleine (romance)
Butter-Boats (contemporary fiction)
The Lobbyman's Belle (inspirational romance)
Maralie We Roll Along (inspirational romance)
Gloamingswood (fantasy)
The Treasure of Riverly Manor (historical mystery/thriller)
Yes. This is what I love: discovering I'm not anywhere close to running out of ideas, even though I might sometimes feel a bit disenchanted with current projects. And see, too, what a good thing it is to give your plot bunnies attention? If I chased after every story on this list (you'll notice I didn't mention The Baby because it is my current and ONLY project right now. pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasebehave) I might give a teeny bit of attention to the grooming and shaping up of something else, but I intend to finish The Baby, no matter what of a devil it is being. (In fact, soon as this post is done, I'm off to write) What are your works-in-the-wings? I'd love to hear about them!
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11 comments:
Is this some sort of payback?
...You can expect a reply-post in a day or three. ^_^
I think it's good to go back and appreciate our old works - it gives one a sort of confidence that maybe, just maybe, there is hope for our writing skills. *wink*
On a completely unrelated note, all your book titles are staring my wavering 3 most firmly in the face. Jane Fairfax has certainly been bested!
No mere mortals. No mere mortals. Come on girls chant with me! No mere mortals, No mere mortals.
You best ever. In my umble opinion.
All of your books sound very interesting! It's amazing how we authors can have so many ideas ... and yet so little time.
My wings books (since you asked ...):
Silivock (A sorta-kinda Sci-fi. It takes place in my sister's sci-fi world, but before they had technology)
Sing, Aling (See above, this takes place in the same universe as Silivock, but several thousand years later)
Nutcracker's Son (Fantasy/Romance)
300 Dragons (Fantasy ... though it needs a new title)
Stolen Ideas (Fantasy)
HaV Academy (Distopian Superheros)
Part of the Family (Christian Inspirational)
Cayra (Fantasy)
The Land of Numbers (Fantasy/Math)
To Perfect a Fairy Tale (Fantasy)
Jessica's Summer (Fantasy)
RPS (Writerly humor - RPS stands for Rebellious Princess Syndrome, which the main character contracts)
The Fairy Realm (Fantasy)
How to Grow a Tulip in Fifty Thousand Words (Insanity)
No Refuge for a Princess (Fantasy)
Rhoda, 30 A.D. (Historical Fiction. This also has some sequels, but they don't have titles yet.)
Colinda and the Swan's Secret (Fantasy, will have two sequels. It's a Trilogy)
League of Royals (Alternative Earth/Fantasy)
The Nine Gems of Virtue (Fantasy)
Julietaharacenta (Not sure yet, actually. May end up Fantasy or Sci Fi)
The Story of You (Fantasy - but in second person)
Anka Jenifer (Fantasy, sequel to my soon to be released book)
And then there is a short story series I'd like to write for my younger siblings about them having adventures in my books, and one about our bed monsters (friendly monsters - they eat bad dreams). Oh, and there's my top secret series that I holding at bay until I can plunge into it for NaNo this year.
I don't think I'll ever get through all of my ideas ...
Oh, and while I'm here, I'm looking for authors with fantasy worlds to feature on my book's release party and would like to include you. All you have to do is send me a picture of you wearing some sort of jewelry (ring, earring, bracelet, necklace ... whatever you want), and the name(s) of your world(s). If you want to include a tag line (for instance, my world, Bookania, will wear the tagline "A fairy tale world within a book") that's entirely up to you. My email is kendraeardnek(at)gmail(dot)com. If you don't want to participate, just ignore my and I'll understand. (The party is the sixth of next month. Send it in before that and we should be good).
You know, it's beginning to be uncanny how many of your recent posts sound like I could have written them...except for your own chipper, witty voice (which I'd never dare to even attempt in nonfiction).
I couldn't begin to list the myriad short-story ideas I've got brewing, but here's just a few of my in-progress or planned novellas and novels:
Corral Nocturne (western, for the Five Glass slippers contest)
Left-Hand Kelly (western)
Based On a True Story: A Literary Comedy (comedy/historical)
One of Ours (historical/western)
Little Mavericks (historical/western)
Land of Hills and Valleys (mystery/historical/western)
Lady's-Slipper Ranch (western/sweet romance)
The Golden Road (western/historical/adventure/mystery/maybe humor)
Cold Country (western)
And yes, I know Willa Cather already wrote a One of Ours and L.M. Montgomery already wrote The Golden Road, but my excuse is that I didn't know it at the time and I simply can't find anything else that suits my stories so well! We'll see if they hold up.
Oh dear goodness! You certainly are wonderful people to jump on such a whisht-brained scheme as this and actually pull off lists of your own in a comments section no less. Bravo!
Bree, I assure you this is NOT payback...at least not intentionally. Whether it sets the record straight or not remains to be seen. ;)
Anne-Girl: Did you like NMM so very much? I ought to finish it, oughtn't I? Soooo many plots. Sooooo little time.
Kendra, wow! What a cool idea for a fantasy-world party! I shall enter, I am sure. :)
And Elisabeth, doesn't this 5 Glass Slippers thingamabobber make you nervous? So many good authors entering. Eeesh. Still, I love hearing about fellow contestants! And by the by, don't worry about the whole double-name-thing. I had the same predicament with Fly Away Home which is apparently a film about geese. Go figure that one out. :P Mine is a *much* better use of the name. ;)
I saw that movie when I was little! I have to admit, the first few times I read your title that's what popped into my head. :)
I'm pretty excited about the Five Glass Slippers...but not really nervous. I guess it's because I'm pretty happy with my story, and being a self-pubber I know I can always do something else with it if I don't win!
Not fair. ;) You have actual TITLES for all your "Yet to be Written" books?!?!?
You have me beat both on titles & by two books. ;) Great to read all these my friend, & may we both eventually pen all these wonderful words & plots spinning around in our sub-conscious!
I do plan to do a more in-depth post on my own blog ... after my book is out and the party's over. It's a fitting time for such a post.
Oh, and I forgot to add my 5 Slipper submission - CinderEddy.
Oh, and to make you feel better about Fly Away's title, Rachel, I happen to know of a picture book by that title about a homeless girl and her dad who live in an airport and evade security. So you're in good company!
Let's see here...
World United (dystopian -- sometimes this one jumps out of the wings and wrests attention from my main project, but not often thank goodness)
Nomad of the Stars (science fiction -- maybe space opera)
The Last Pegasi (fantasy epic poem -- yeah, 'tis my most ambitious idea, I think :P)
Captured (contemporary fantasy short story)
The Origin of Dark Island (Narnia fan-fiction -- my one old work that still has hope for being finished)
That's most of them, though I'm sure there are one or two more so far back in the wings that they do not readily come to mind.
Ah, Meghan, I do seem to have titles for all these ideas, but more often than not that is because I sometimes get titles before I have stories for them. You know?
Mark: Don't you both love and hate it when a project jumps out and starts wresting attention? "Nomad of the Stars" sounds so unique; I would love to hear more about it. And "The Last Pegasi"...while ambitious it might be, it is surely a noble ambition and worth a try.
Thank you so much, all of you, for your replies! This has been such fun.
Indeed. Yet I never need fear a long departure from my WIP -- I can know it will always wrest control back.
Hehe, I wish I knew more about it. Nomad of the Stars did have the beginnings of a plot once upon a time, but since then my muse has slowly revealed to me that that plot wasn't the real plot at all. All that is left from my former exploring is the setting and, of course, the Nomad himself.
I certainly hope so; someday I may even find out!
It has been quite fun. :D
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