Thursday, June 2, 2016

Thinking Ahead

I’m a writer.  I write.

That sounds like an axiom for anyone who enjoys crafting stories.  However, in light of having completed three novels this past year, and in much need of a break, I intentionally decided against plunging right back into the abyss.  I needed a break, I told myself, so I would pursue other projects while my brain took time to sort itself out.  Yes, there was the old saying – one I’ve used many times – that writing was like going to the gym, and you needed to stay at it or you’d lose the habit.  However, I was in dire need of a respite, so I eschewed my own advice.

If only I could put similar breaks on my imagination.

Truth be told, I love to write.  Even now, a solid month after finishing my most recent book, I feel that familiar itch to get back into the process.  It comes out as something I recognize – a new novel starting to bubble up through my psyche.

I think everyone knows that Salvation Day is the work I’m most proud of.  However, I left enough room open at the end for a new story within that canon, and it’s that new story that has started trying to escape.  The novel would start mere moments after the end of Salvation Day, and it would follow a journey through Hell to begin rescuing lost souls.  It’s in nothing more than the daydreaming stage right now, but it’s there, whether I think I have time for it or not.

I’d love to claim that there’s no pressure on my writing this new book, but we all know that’s bullshit.  As I said, I’m extremely proud of Salvation Day, so I want to make sure that any sequel is worthy of being written.  Could that paralyze me?  I suppose, but I can’t just jump into this the way I have with other works.  For one thing, the universe of Salvation Day is already established, so I have to create something that speaks to that.  I already wrote one sequel – for Akeldama – and while the bones are there, the novel will require a massive amount of re-writing before it’s ready for the light of day.

I’ll probably start mapping out this new work in the next month or so, but I can’t get into writing it too much right now.  There’s simply too much going on.  My first book, the aforementioned Akeldama, will be published next May(still deciding an exact date), and I need to establish my imprint, go through copyediting, get the cover designed, and so forth.  Being as this is my first publication, there’s lots to do, and I can’t afford the distraction of a new story, especially one as in-depth as Salvation Day.  So we’ll see what happens.  Maybe I’ll cheat and sneak in a chapter or two anyway.  Knowing me, that’ll probably happen.

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