I was wrestling with my “next” book last night, just couldn’t get the words flowing. So on a whim I decided to pay a little visit to the sequel to my “first” book. It’s about 40,000 words in (of probably 95k at completion), and I started writing it from the end backwards (I know now that’s because the first book was ending in the wrong place, so I didn’t know how to start the sequel). Conventional wisdom is to let sequels sit and work on something separate in case that first book becomes the dreaded “book that doesn’t sell.”
I was just going to change a character’s name, since the one I’d been using just didn’t quite feel right. I pulled up my file, changed the name. Reread the fight scene and thought “damn that’s good.” Tweaked a few paragraphs. Made a note about a conflict to add. And suddenly I was writing. A thousand words blew out of me onto the page in less than an hour. Good words. Considered words. Not “Draft Zero” words.
I love this world I’ve created so much. And these characters’ voices are so loud and clear … I see very clearly where they want this to go. It’s going to be an amazing journey.
I think I’m going to have to work on this book instead. It’s probably a bad decision but I kind of don’t care. I slept really well last night, and I think it’s because Faith, Arden, Nico, and Yeva were happy.
All right, gang. Let’s go.