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It’s
that time again. All the current projects are done (or at a phase where I don’t
need to do my bit again until later) and that means…duh duh duh…time to start a
new project.
Oh
boy.
This
stage of a book is both exciting and scary. For me at least. Some authors just
feel one or the other, I suppose. I love diving into a new project; feeling the
energy stirring as the ideas come together, finding the bits and pieces that
will eventually come together like one giant picture puzzle. But it is also a
little overwhelming to look ahead at all the work yet to be done and wonder if
my Brilliant Idea will actually work out the way I want it to.
Of
course, the process is different depending on whether I am working on a nonfiction
book for Llewellyn or a novel. At the beginning stage anyway, the nonfiction is
a lot easier. I figure out what the book is about, write up an outline/table of
contents, and then start plugging away at it. (Assuming that my editor Elysia
is at least potentially interested. If she’s not, I come up with another idea.)
Novels
are a lot trickier. A LOT trickier. I have to come up with a basic plot and the
primary characters, and then figure out what I’m doing with them. Luckily, the
novel I’m about to start working on is one my agent Elaine and I discussed
months ago, right before I got the contract with Berkley for the Baba Yaga books. I’d given her three
options for what I might work on next and thankfully we both liked the same
idea best. But just as I got ready to work on it, I signed with Berkley and
ended up spending the next few months working on revisions for Wickedly Dangerous (Baba #1), and
writing Wickedly Wonderful (Baba #2)
and Wickedly Magical (the prequel
novella), as well as two books for Llewellyn.
Now
all that is done and I can finally dive into work on One Born Every Minute. This new book is quite the departure for me.
It’s not a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy. There aren’t any witches in
it whatsoever. (That’s right—NO witches. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be
okay.) In fact, it is a humorous contemporary romance. It is going to be quirky
and snarky and fun to write, but still a major change from my usual, so that’s
a little intimidating too. Still, I expect to have a ball writing it, as soon
as I get to that stage of the game.
Before
I do, however, I have to take my current basic three page summary and expand it
into a longer general outline (not everyone outlines, and I don’t outline on
every book, but I do find that writing goes a lot faster if I have one). I’ll
be creating character studies for my two major protagonists as well as a whole
slew of secondary characters, figuring out where they live and what motivates
them and all sorts of background information that may or may not ever show up
in the book, but which I need to know before I can start writing about them.
I’ve
already found “pictures” of the two main characters (something my critique
partner Lisa got me into doing in the last couple of years) and started a Pinterest
board for the book where I can store them and any other pictures I come up with
related to the manuscript. [Thanks, Mindy Klasky!]
Here’s
P.T. “Petey” Parker (short for Pearl Topaz, of all things, but if you were
named Pearl Topaz, I’m pretty sure you’d go by a nickname too) and Nathan
Chandler.
The
next week or two will be spent in the “Discovery” phase of the book—finding out
what the book is about and who these characters are, doing some research on
places and some basic facts, and mulling…letting the story start to stew in the
back of my brain until I am ready to sit down and start writing in earnest.
Mind
you, this isn’t the way everyone starts a new project. It isn’t even how I
start every single novel, although I use this approach more often than not.
I’ll also be reading (and in some cases rereading) books in the same general
genre with the same basic feel. Not every author does this either. Some of my
writer friends won’t go near anything that is even vaguely similar to their
work in progress until it is done; if they’re writing a paranormal, they may
read romance, for instance.
The
theory here is that they don’t want anyone else’s writing to influence theirs,
usually. I don’t worry about that much and I
like to immerse myself into the kinds of worlds I’m going to be writing about
to get in the zone, so to speak. So I’m rereading Jennifer Cruise (who is
probably closest to what I’m attempting with this book, and whose writing I
adore) and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Tawna Fenske, and reading a few
authors who are new to me that friends have recommended.
And
mulling, musing, and dreaming until I am ready to sit down and let this book be
born.
What
about you? Have you started any interesting new projects lately? If so, do you
start by plotting and planning, or do you just jump in and go?
BTW--stay tuned, because I should have a cover reveal for Wickedly Wonderful coming up soon!
