2017 Writing Goals

So earlier in the week I talked about my ~life goals~ for 2017, but I didn't talk about my writing plans in any of that. For the past couple of years, I haven't really set myself any solid goals. I've agreed with myself that if something is really tugging at my imagination, I should work on it, and that's worked for me for the most part. It has, however, left me with a long list of unfinished projects between my real name and Amber Morgan, and I think 2017 has to be the year I start tackling that list, rather than adding to it.

So my writerly resolution for 2017 is not to start any new projects. I am just going to finish up works-in-progress, under both names. This is probably going to be really hard to stick to, because I adore starting new projects. Nothing thrills me more as a writer than starting something. I have the same problem as a gamer. I endlessly create new characters in Guild Wars 2 because I love starting with a newly-named, freshly-designed character more than I love actually getting those characters to level 80. Starting to create something is an act full of potential and promise and wild anticipation. Seeing something through to the end is where the hard work comes in. I have the HP Lovecraft problem:

It's not that I'm not passionate and excited about all my writing projects. I'm just easily distracted by Shiny! New! Ideas! That's not a completely bad thing. It's why you have the Blood Canticles series, for example. But it is a bit of a bad thing, and it's why there are no more Ethan books at the moment, and why I haven't finished the next Urban Wolf book yet, despite that being one of my 2016 goals.

So this year, I need to knuckle down, straighten up, fly right, etc. and Finish Some Stuff. My to-do list for 2017 is (in no particular order of importance) as follows:

Through Fire (Blood Canticles 3)
Lich Queen (Blood Canticles 3.5)
Mercy's Gate (Southern Gothic urban fantasy book of my heart)
Black Dog (Urban Wolf 6)
Crow Called (Standalone novella)
Flesh and Bone (The Deva Chronicles 2)

I also want to self-publish AFTERLIFE and DEMONIZED. This is just the Naomi Clark stuff. I also have six novels and short stories in various stages of completion as Amber Morgan. That's fourteen projects open and needing attention, stat. That's definitely a year's work for me. I don't think it's an impossible goal, but it's certainly an ambitious one and it's why I can't afford to be distracted by shiny new ideas or other sequels (like the sequel to IN COLD BLOOD which isn't even out yet, and a sequel to Crow Called which isn't even finished yet and isn't even supposed to have a sequel, goddammit).

So yeah. My current goal is to finish Lich Queen since that's coming along well and shouldn't probably turn into a huge unwieldy fantasy epic like Through Fire is threatening to do. Next Wednesday, I'll be back to sharing snippets and putting Dawn through hell. Join me, if you're into that sort of thing!

"A piece of art is never a finished work...

...It answers a question which has been asked, and asks a new question.” - Robert Engman

This morning I finished the final edits on THE NECROMANCER'S APPRENTICE, which, you may remember, is coming to Evernight soon as a free read! Huzzahs! Re-reading the story for the third or fourth time this year, I realised there's a lot of scope for a sequel. Whilst this is definitely a story that stands on its own, there are still questions woven in that spark my writerly interest and make me wonder what happens next in this world...

...And this is bad, because I really don't need to be adding more series to my pile. I'm still working on In Cold Blood (which is clearly not going to be a nice little 30k novella anymore), and then I'm going to move onto Blood Canticles 3 because I am dying to get back to Lola and Tristesse. I want to at least have made a solid start on the next Urban Wolf novel before the end of the year, and I also have an ongoing Amber Morgan series that I'm crazy about. Plus the last two books in the Deva Chronicles trilogy. That's before we even get to Crow Called and Mercy's Gate, which you'll see on the left under the Work in Progress header. I want to finish them too, eventually...

I also want to write some short stories about LESBIAN WEREBEARS because I cannot get that idea out of my head right now. So a sequel to a free urban fantasy short story that's actually already been published once is waaaaaaaaaay down the to-do list. But there are questions left for me with Evanthe and Morrow's story. At one point I did plan a whole series of shorts set in their world, but focusing on different couples. I even had about half of one written, but that story vanished when my first laptop finally gave up on life. I guess the first question that needs to be answered though is, does anyone else want more in this world? I won't know that for a while...So I think any potential sequels can stay on the back burner for a few months yet.

But! The fact remains that THE NECROMANCER'S APPRENTICE is edited, the dedication and excerpt have been sent to my publisher, and I'm eagerly awaiting the spanky new cover and release date. Can't wait to share those with you, and I can't wait to see Evanthe's story back in the world. Fingers crossed it won't be too long now!

Wednesday Snippet - Crow Called

 So I am currently flip-flopping between two projects. Crow Called and an Amber Morgan short story. Experience tells me this is a bad idea and eventually I'll have to focus solely on one or the other, but right now I'm sort of in flux. I can't really seem to commit, and rather than worry about it and do nothing, I've decided to just work on whichever story is foremost in my head at the time. Yesterday it was the Amber Morgan story. Today it's Crow Called. Thanks, brain. 

Anyway, since it's been a while, I thought I'd share a bit of the Banshee Book. Enjoy!

The Inevitable Return of the Great...Wednesday Snippet

So this Monday I found myself at a loose end writing-wise. My current Amber Morgan WIP is finished and needs to be edited before I submit it. I thought I was going to finish off another Amber short story next, but when I started writing, I found myself writing about banshees and vampires.

This was not the plan.

However! I'm kind of enjoying it. Actually I'm enjoying it a lot. Having been eyes deep in MC romance since November, getting stuck into some good old-fashioned urban fantasy is really appealing right now (and this is one of the reasons I like having a pen name and writing totally different genres under that pen name - it keeps my creative juices flowing so well to switch projects up this way).

So I figure I'm just going to see where this story takes me and keep writing as long as I'm having fun with it. And because I love you or something, I'm bringing you along for the ride. So here's a Wednesday snippet from what I believe will be called Crow Called. Enjoy!