Am I doing too much?
From writing the very first pages of the Haven Chronicles, I’ve immensely enjoyed creating the world of this futuristic fantasy series and populating it with a generous mix of characters, both magical and mundane. I’m still enjoying it as I work on the fourth book in the series and I can’t wait to share Steve’s latest adventure with you all.
But there is a downside to dedicating my creative writing time solely to this series. I have all these other plotlines, ideas, and characters vying for my attention and demanding to be written right now. Thankfully, they all tie into the universe of the Haven Chronicles, if not the actual world that Steve lives in.
So I’ve decided to challenge the hardiness of my creative cogs and write them all, together, at the same time. Blimey! That’s four different writing projects that I’ll be switching between. I’ve spoken to other authors who have juggled creative projects for advice (thank you all) so I feel forewarned, or is that forearmed, against the obstacles I might run into.
Of course, you don’t want to know about any of that. You just want to know what I’ll be writing. Okay then. Here we go:
Project One: Book 4 of the Haven Chronicles
I’m sure my publisher is relieved to hear that this is my main focus. I’ve been working on Steve and co’s latest adventure for a number of months now and making good progress. It’s going to be emotional, dramatic, and a return to several familiar faces and places. There’ll be more travel, more peril, and much more at stake.
Project Two: The Ways
This is a fantasy novel for a grown-up audience. Readers of the Haven Chronicles have already had a brief introduction to the main character in The Ways. Jeannie Keg is on the verge of turning 40 as 1999 ticks over into the new century. Still grieving the loss of her parents, a mysterious photo leads her to The Ways hotel in the Welsh countryside. What she’ll discover there – about The Ways and herself – will change her life forever.
Project Three: Short stories (and plenty of them)
If you’ve subscribed to my monthly newsletter, Fi’s Bookish Catch-up, you’ll have received my free short story, The Hidden Ways. I’ve also written a subscriber only novella called A Shadow Falls in Darkacre. And in October 2023, I published Four Old Ladies Walk into a Pub on my blog. Writing short form fiction is a refreshing change from crafting novels and a brilliant way to challenge my creative writing skills.
So my third project is to write (a lot) more short stories to enter into competitions, submit to magazines, and ultimately combine into a short fiction collection or two.
Project Four: A folklore cozy mystery
Did you know that for about twenty years, I wrote murder mystery plays for small fundraisers and amateur theatre groups? I’ve always wanted to turn them into a novel or two and inspired by writers like Bella Colby, I’ve decided to do just that. With a touch of folklore and magic of course.
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So what do you think? Am I taking on too much? Probably, but nothing ventured, nothing written down and published. Watch this space. It’s all about to get very busy.
