Ramblings

The last couple of weeks have been hectic and busy with parties, edits, non-writing work stuff, and life in general. Today I have nothing...that's right, nothing I have to do. It feels glorious and a little uncomfortable.

Our canoe race party was a great success...lots of good food, good people, fun and laughter. But it was also a lot of work and I'm glad it's over with...at least for now.

Last night I saw the new Terminator movie. I'm a big fan of the series and enjoyed the latest entry for the most part. However I hated the ending. I'm all about redemption...I love the concept and think it has wonderful, emotional story potential. But this ending took it too far, beyond the scope of believability in my opinion. And that undermined everything that came before. I was bummed.

I finished the final read-through and edits on Scared Stiff a couple of days ago and sent it to my agent for a first critical read. As always happens when I finish a project, I'm happy, proud, and scared. Happy it's done, proud that it doesn't suck (at least in my opinion) and scared that others will think it does suck.

And that leaves me pondering the next book in the series. It's an equally scary prospect, but also an exciting one. It's like planning a road trip with no set destination in mind. What roads should I travel? What detours should I take? Where do I want to end up? And what adventures will I have along the way? There are so many potential journeys to choose from. What if I pick the wrong one? How can I know which way to go?

For me the process is one of exploration. I'll try different roads, take many a detour, and backtrack now and again. Eventually my gut will help me map it all out. Not that logic and business sense don't help...they do and are always a part of the mix. I'm constantly studying publishing industry trends and changes, but I've always operated and created on gut instinct. Most of the time it works, but not always. It's those rare failures that keep things interesting (and keep my hard disks and closets filled with writing mishaps). And while failure is not the goal, I embrace it. It keeps me going. It gives me an edginess. It makes me try harder. It forces me to take risks. And, hopefully, it will lead me down the right path.