It feels a little strange to be sitting between projects right now. It feels like I’m mentally tagging along for the ride and waiting to see where I go.

I’ve spent the last few days since finishing the manuscript for Palladium focused on rounding out Sword and Shield (Sacred Knight book 6). When I was proofing The Missing Thread, I realized I had a few things that needed to happen in Sword and Shield. Most of those things went in easily. Then, I realized, because of the ending of Palladium, that I needed to make a change to the end of book 6. It was a “duh” moment. But even that was just a subtle shift and easy enough to do. I certainly did deepen things though.

But one scene remained critical and I knew I had a choice of how to do it. One of those choices included doing nothing. I couldn’t find a good place to add the scene I wanted in. Every time I tried, it felt unnatural. So for two nights now I’ve gone to bed with the question of how to solve it on my mind. Yesterday morning held no answers.

But this morning as I woke up and had Coville pressing his head against me (he just believes that his human butler should get up and feed him just as soon as she wakes up), I reached out to snuggle with my little black kitty and I realized that I knew what I was going to do. It wasn’t that I was writing a new scene, but I was going to flesh out part of a scene at the end to encompass that. I sat right up in bed.

That only made Coville more convinced that I was getting right up to feed him. Oh, he was so happy.

Until I started talking to him and he realized that he wasn’t going to get fed just yet.

Writers are funny in the morning. Writers with hopeful cats are twice so.

Yeah, he was depressed. But I came up with a short story idea right then too, so I think my jubilation counteracted his dismay. We probably leveled each other out, and the world kept on turning.

Actually, I had decided that I would write the idea for the story down. I didn’t plan on writing it right away.

Until I started working on a new class this week. When I got to the assignment, I realized that it actually fit the part of what I needed to do.

Three birds, one subconscious stone thrown before I went to bed last night.

Now don’t tell me that the universe doesn’t believe in synchronicity!

So I started the story. I actually went a little further than the assignment needed, so I feel like I’m ahead of the game for this story right now. But, sometimes stories need to sit for a while, so we’ll see when I actually get back to it.

I also got the scene adapted. I have always felt that if I could easily go back and add something in, then it was meant to be there. If I have issues, like I have had for the prior two days of trying to figure it out and not finding the spot for it, then I don’t break the tight writing. When I do, it’s never been a good thing.

Now Sword and Shield can begin the going through the publishing process.

Which puts me right back between projects.

And this must have scared me more than I realized because yesterday morning when I woke up without the solution for Sword and Shield, I had an idea about the three book project I had planned on working next. The first book is done and I was about a third of the way through the second book. I know this is a tricky point, but I was bogged down so hard I wasn’t looking forward to getting back to it. I just didn’t know how to proceed. But, the answer came. It does mean a complete redrafting of the second book, which I’m okay with because I really don’t feel like like I was on the right path anyway. I feel like this new direction is what I’m supposed to do. And, if I do it right, it shouldn’t matter what order the books are read in even thought they will be chronological to a timeline.

Okay, and that part does scare me.

Writing in series, not a problem. Writing multiple viewpoint characters, not my favorite thing to do, but I learned a lot when I have different viewpoints in Dragons of Wellsdeep (which I really hope I get back from someone soon so I can get it out!) and I no longer have old myth issues with it. The other thing I could do is go back to the first book and put in multiple viewpoints, which would set the precedent for me to the same in the next two books. That has become a viable solution for me in my mind too, though I admit that I’m obviously hanging onto some of my “one viewpoint character in a book is best” belief. This would have three, and really round out the story I think. There was a lot of stuff going on in heads of other characters that I couldn’t get out onto the page. I might just have to let my creative voice play with it for a bit to see what happens. Again, if I throw words out, at least I made an attempt. The only wasted words are the ones that don’t get put through my fingers.

Of course, if I do that, then the story blurs together and doesn’t become a separate piece from the others.

Yep, I might have to test and see what works best for the story.

Whatever happens, it will be fun.

Until next time when maybe I know what I’ll be doing, happy adventuring!