And So It Begins...Again

I've been "off" for most of the past two months.  Some of that has occurred as a result of the exhausting schedule I kept to complete Schism, and some of that has been the result of the events in my life.  Well, no more!

(Revved up and running again!)

Most of you who write will understand this itch, but I've been hankering to start another project.  Therefore, I began my new novel this week.  It's a Sci-fi work initially titled Homecoming.  It tells the story of humanity's return to its homeworld after being driven off thousands of years previously, and it's a return to the science fiction roots I've enjoyed since I was a kid.  Since I consider Salvation Day to be much more of a paranormal thriller - although there are Sci-fi elements thrown in - I haven't been in the realm of Sci-fi in nearly 14 years, and that particular novel will stay in a drawer where it belongs.

I outlined the first couple of chapters last weekend, and I did just over 3,000 words this week.  I have several business trips coming up in the following weeks, and I plan to use these trips as prime writing time since it takes me nearly eight hours to get anywhere productive from where I currently live(Hawaii).  My first trip is next week, and I want to use both the airplane ride and my nights in the motel to get into this thing(goal is 15,000 words, and to be at 18,000 by the end of the month).  Several trips of that size over the next two months have me targeting completion by the end of September(target:  85,000 words).

I'm keeping several lessons in mind, especially the balance between my outline and my writing.  I was tempted to just dive in and get to writing, but knowing me as I do, I knew that was a bad idea and I needed to put together an outline.  I also knew that I couldn't get too far ahead in the outline since ideas and story will change as I write, so I could only outline the first couple of chapters.  I'll have to revisit my outline while I'm on my trip so I stay on a coherent course.

I know some of you might not care - or maybe you do...after all, dozens of you have chosen to read this blog - but I'm excited to be writing a novel again.  This is part of my plan to build an inventory for when I do publish once I return to the mainland in a couple of years(it's too hard to do what I want from this island).  I should have eight or nine ready to go so I can publish something every six months while not worrying about having nothing new to put out.

The story is exciting, and like most of my stuff, it'll focus strongly on one character around whom all of the action will focus.  I hope he's as compelling as some of my previous characters.