My Writing Life ~ A New Project

Last week I told you that both my editing project was off my desk and my Hannah #5 manuscript was off my desk as it had gone to the editor. My editor has emailed me to tell me she has started to work on it so I should have it back within a couple of weeks. I’m not sure on the timeline of the other one as my agent is busy and she will get to it when she gets to it. I know she has quite a few manuscripts to read, not just submissions but manuscripts by clients like myself. In the publishing industry, you have to learn to be patient. Luckily as I like to keep busy, this isn’t a problem for me.

I have just started another project.

What is this project you may ask yourself?

Last week my plan for the week was to write the back cover copy for Hannah #5 and the synopsis/outline for the first book in my new series.

I wrote the first draft of the back cover copy and have nearly finished tweaking it. As soon as I do I will release it into the world along with the cover for the book. As for the synopsis, well, I have done the majority of that, but it still needs fleshing out. I know the start of the book, the characters, who they are and what they want, the middle twist and the ending, it really does just need fleshing out a little. And that’s the new project I’ve started because I’ve written the first two and a half chapters of the book as well.

I’m going to keep writing and see if I can fill in the outline as I write. See if it comes to me as I learn more about the characters and their motivations. I’m excited by this book. It’s different to the Hannah Robbins series, it’s not quite as procedurally set, or let’s just say, I’m not as worried about sticking to reality for this book. It’s fiction, I’m telling a story and yes they’re cops, but you might find they don’t quite stick to the rules as much as Hannah does. It’s not flagrant disregard but it’s not as much of a policing manual and for me it’s like stepping out of my comfort zone and so far I’m enjoying it.

So, now I officially have three projects on the go. There will come a time when I have to start juggling books again, when the Hannah book comes back and I have to do the structural edit. When the partial book comes back from my agent and I either have the go-ahead to finish it or I start a new book altogether. But for now I only have the one on my desk and it feels good to work like that. I can immerse myself in this world at the start while I’m finding my feet. Feeling my way around, searching out the world and the characters.

Later I will work out how to run two projects at once again.

My health is holding at the moment. It’s allowing me to get to my desk every day. My GP sorted me out with a new pain management plan and it seems to be working. Fatigue is still an issue but I don’t have to sit at my desk all day every day to keep producing work. Sitting down for half an hour at a time a few times a day is enough to progress everything I need to do and allows for me to rest between. Working with disability is itself a work in progress and at this moment in time I’m optimistic. I’m enjoying what I do, I love creating, I’m happy seeing worlds pop up knowing I created them. It gives me purpose. So yes, it may sound as though I have a lot on my plate, but it’s about being organised. Only doing what I am capable of doing and in the timeframes I am capable of doing them in, but with a clear plan, I can achieve what I want to achieve and I can tell you, it brings me great joy and there’s not a lot more you can ask for is there at the beginning of a new year?

Let me know how your week has been, I’d love to know.