I’m frequently asked if I’m working on anything new. I’m also asked when it is exactly that I write and, honestly, I have no idea. I mean, I can tell you that write blog posts at the playground while my kids play or when I’m driving them around here and there (no worries—it’s at least 85% safe to do this) or when they’re at their various activities. But novels? No idea. Do I have a disciplined practice? Oh, you sweet, sweet silly reader. That sounds like a very fine idea with such a lovely organize-izy bit to it. But, no, alas, I do not possess such a discipline. I did accomplish quite a lot during a few NaNoWriMos, and there must have been a few late nights here and early risings there and a Saturday or two thrown in when I wrote my books. Who knows.
Yet somehow the writing gets done. In much the same way as the bottomless pile of laundry and the endless stream of meals. Like all of life, I suppose.
To address the original question, yes—I am working on something new. Two new novels. One I started when my son was a baby. I remember sitting on the living room floor with him, he propped up in his Boppy on one of those play mats, toys strewn around him, as I worked on character sketches for a novel that was just forming in my mind. He’s almost 11, so you see my process? Exactly. This novel—as yet unnamed—plays around with archetypes. I didn’t recognize that at first, though. I simply wanted to capture the many facets of women’s experience embodied in a few ordinary female characters. With the distance that time grants, I realize now that these characters are archetypes which has really broadened the scope of what seemed at first a simple story.
The other manuscript is one I wrote in (I think ... ) 2011 during NaNoWriMo. I recently printed it out and gave it a read-through and it seems to be more of an outline that reads like a young adult story than a literary novel. But even so, it holds a great deal of promise. I’m cobbling together a new outline, adding complexity to the characters and identifying the novel’s driving theme.
I am in love with all of these characters! And that’s a good sign for how it will all turn out. It’s also good because I spend a great deal of time with them. They are always moving about in my head. Yes, they are imaginary, but I still really like them. Imaginary people can be a load of fun, but I’m glad you’re real and I wish you a lovely Thursday!
Find my novels, THE MOSQUITO HOURS and TALKING UNDERWATER, online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And don’t forget your local independent bookstore! I’m curious about something: would you like to stay up-to-date on news about my books as well as have my latest blog posts conveniently delivered to your inbox? Then subscribe to my newsletter! Click on that little box right over there on the right. See how easy I made that for you? (You’re welcome.)