The War Zone Returns

You know, I need to teach Cayle a sense of timing, or this is going to turn into a long year. At present, his timing is worse than, well, mine. Trust me, I usually pick the worst possible time for things.

You’d think, after writing 120k words for Cayle in Unmasked that he’d let me have a day off. And you’d be right. Almost exactly a day. Yes, he’s back to being insistent that I need to keep writing him. Just about 24 hours after I finished writing Unmasked, as I was on my way home from the day job, suddenly the opening lines of Book 2 of Masques popped into my head. Worse, they’re really good, just about the perfect way to start the book from where I’ve left off at the end of Unmasked. 24 hours, people. Picture me tearing my hair out in frustration, not to mention grinning like a fool.

I’m nowhere near ready to write the next book, having only the loose notes I used to block out the whole quartet and a few other scraps of the story, but apparently Cayle doesn’t care. He wants more. He wants the next book now. Not next week, and certainly not a month from now. He doesn’t give a damn about the fact that I have a short story to write this week, and other work that needs to be edited. He cares as much now about the editing I need to do as he did at the end of November (Hint, I ended up starting to write him like three weeks after NaNo was over with virtually no editing done, so I don’t think he gives a damn at all).

I think I’m going to have to be firm with him this time and not just given in, racing ahead to build the next book. I really do need to write this short story, as it’s for a project I’m doing with other writers. As it has sort of a deadline, I need to write it now, so I can stick it in a drawer and polish it before that deadline. Then I need to get working on all that editing. I need to make a pass through the novella I wrote, and there’s two novels. All Stitched Up is, as I recall, ready for it’s last round of editing, the out loud pass. I’m not going to think about sending it for test readers though, not until after Ether Flows is back with comments. And of course there’s also Still they Watch, the conclusion of the Necromantic trilogy. Having just finished that at the end of November, I think it’s about time for me to do the first round of edits on it, to see what came out of NaNo 2012.

I’d like to get through at least most of this done before I start building the next Masques book, let alone writing it (btw, I can almost guarantee you I’ll be changing that series title, though I don’t have any ideas what to yet). I do have a general idea, as I said, and more bits and pieces are coming to me slowly. I’ll keep writing down what comes and hope it’ll be ready when I’m ready to outline it. Cayle’s going to have to learn some patience in the meantime, and also to share my brain. I’ve got too much on the go for him to totally take it over. There just isn’t time for that. Besides, the story needs time and thought to mature, to be ready for writing. Maybe if I repeat this to him enough, he’ll listen. A girl can hope, right?

~ by Julie on January 22, 2013.