It’s another month with five Mondays, and that means a crossover blog post on both Monday Musings and Dear Maggie! In both my literary worlds I’m at an in-between phase with my projects. Dreamwalker is out on submission, and I’m not ready to dive in to writing the sequel or another speculative novel yet. Meanwhile, Maggie’s Moving Target is due to release on June 21st. Since I’m producing this romantic suspense series as an indie author, there’s a lot of busy work happening right now, and I don’t really have the brain power to start writing the next book just yet.

What does a writer do during these ‘in-between’ times you might wonder? Well, after I finish drafting a manuscript, I find I’m elated but also slightly disoriented. I’ve been working on this labor of love for months, sometimes a year or more by the time the speculative novels are ready, and I definitely feel a bit melancholy when I have to say goodbye to that world and my cast of characters. The feeling is similar to a book hangover when I’ve finished reading an absorbing novel. I have to clear my head and make room for something new. As this isn’t my first rodeo, I have a few tricks to help me make this mental shift after I’ve invested so much time and creative energy into a project.

First, I celebrate. I remind myself that I’ve done something many people only wish they could do. Every time I write the last word on a manuscript, it feels like a monumental accomplishment. I try to give myself a few minutes to appreciate the finished product.

I catch up on reading. Reading for pleasure is something I’ve always loved, but once I began writing, seemed to be more and more difficult to squeeze in. I find that when I finish a project, it’s the perfect time to take a break from creating my own words and appreciate someone else’s. I read in every genre, and now, because I’m a writer, I find myself looking for the ways other writers have done their job well. How did this scene build suspense so well? Why did I fall in love with that character so quickly? Why was the ending so satisfying, poignant, thrilling? I believe reading widely helps me become a better writer, and reading for pleasure is still just that – a pleasure.

I clear the mental space for something new. I’ve spent a long time in the world I’ve created with characters I’ve grown attached to, and now I have to let them go. Inevitably, when I’m in the middle of one story, ideas for ten more begin to surface. So, I have a file of new story ideas that I’ve titled ‘It’s Not Your Turn Yet’. Some of these ideas will be discarded, but some have potential. During the down time between projects, I let the ideas swirl, start taking detailed notes, begin an outline. It’s fun and creative, and pretty quickly, I know which story idea wants to be developed next.

I write a short story or experiment with a different platform. In between most novels, I’ve written one or more short stories. So far, I’ve stuck to speculative fiction. I’ve let my imagination go and written high fantasy, hard science fiction, an apocalypse story, and even some horror. Writing short stories allows me to play with voice and genre, experiment a little without committing to something that will take me months to finish. Currently, I’m writing an episodic story on the Kindle Vella platform. Releasing each scene before I’ve finished the whole story and had a chance to edit is a new experience. I’ve plotted ahead of time with more detail than usual and tried to schedule my writing time more rigidly. Each time I work in a different writing space, I learn something, and for that reason alone, the time spent has been valuable.

The amount of down-time I can take between projects varies. If I’m in the middle of a series, I need to jump back in quickly to keep to my release schedule. If I’m truly considering what to write next, I might give my brain a little more time and space. Whatever the case, there’s a magic moment when I’m ready to write the first word of the new story, and that feels almost as exciting as writing the last word of the old one!

IN OTHER NEWS:

If you’d like signed copies of my books, you can order them through my websites: tabithalordauthor.com or ms.maggieclare.com.