The Next Story

I think I've decided on my next novel. I've been weighing the options for some time now and, last night, I did a little character development. I went through the whole huge cast and laid out just about everything but names. Bit by bit I pieced together the skeletons of these characters and now, I'm happy to say, I think I have a my next cast of characters.

Obviously I'm not ready to announce anything. The Paladin is still in editing and I don't think I'd be ready to announce anything about this next book until it was already out in the world, in whatever shape that takes. Still, it's refreshing and reassuring to have a game plan. It's good to know what my next step will be and to know that I've taken the time to research, evaluate, and consider all my options. Kind of like life in general, I suppose.

So now what? Do I start writing? Probably not. With so much work left to do on The Paladin, fleshing elements out, clarifying relationships, and even completely rewriting scenes, I'm probably a year or more away from chapter one of the next novel. But that doesn't mean I can't start a rough outline. Now that I know which way I want to go, this mean that my creative juices have a proper outlet. 

Prior to this tacit decision, my creativity went everywhere. An idea for a character would surface and I'd throw it at everything. Now, I'm going to try focusing squarely on this new story. Of course, if something good comes up that isn't suitable for this story I'll still consider it for the others I have in the wings, but at least having a priority list help immensely. 

Oh, yeah, and I still have that short story to finish. Jeez... so much writing. So little time. So many cliches. 

Be Excellent to Each Other.