I’ve been working on the current novel for about a month, now. I just checked the date.

It feels as though I’ve been working on it a lot longer than that. This is mainly because I’ve been so frustrated with this thing, kind of from the start.

I knew what the first chapter was supposed to be. And I understand how the last chapter ties into the first chapter.

I had no idea what the middle chapters were going to be.

That was okay. I often “write into the dark” as it were, figuring out everything and making it up as I went along.

Except that I kept running into walls with this book. I didn’t know where I was going, and I couldn’t just figure it out.

I kept trying. Believe me, I was trying all the damned time. I kept poking at the novel, trying to get it to reveal itself to me. I’d write a bit, but I felt as though I was just meandering along.

Some looseness when it comes to writing a novel is good, at least for me. That gives me the opportunity to be surprised by the writing, and to enjoy the ride I’m going on.

If I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and it delights me, I always assume that the reader will have the same experience.

Two weeks ago, I caught COVID. That really put the kibosh on the writing for a while.

Even through the haze of being ill, I figured out that there were two major plot points that I needed clarity on regarding the novel.

One I was finally able to come up with. And it ties in well with the novel and the world and everything.

The other…I still haven’t figured out.

In the meanwhile, I kept thinking about this other fantasy novel that I wanted to write. Possibly it’s a single, one-off novel, and not a trilogy or a series. It’s all about a dragon.

I’ve never really written a novel about a dragon, particularly not from the dragon’s point of view.

So I kept poking at that novel, even though according to my “schedule” that wasn’t the next novel I was supposed to write.

Ooopps.

I’ve figured out much of that novel. Everything to a certain point. After that, I’m not sure where to go. It will in part depend on how long it takes me to write to that point. Is that book one? Or the first third of a single book?

You can see where this is going.

Because I couldn’t write the novel I’d been working on, I figured, eh, might as well try to write the other one.

The words just flowed out. Even though I’m still recovering from being sick.

Ooopppss.

So I’m going to be moving on. Putting the current novel to the side. I’ll get back to it. I want to finish it, as well as the third novel in that trilogy.

That wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve been struggling with it for quite a few days now. I don’t want to put down the other novel. I want to finish it!

However, I also need to be realistic with myself. If I’m struggling to write it every day, that means there’s something wrong. Something I need to fix.

I’ve been trying to figure out what’s wrong. I know what the sticking point is. I just have to figure out how to fix it, and no brilliant plan has shown up yet.

In the meanwhile, I’m moving on to the next, new! shiny! novel. It makes me laugh. A lot.

Fingers crossed I can stick with this novel and actually finish it off before the end of the year, then maybe I’ll be able to get back to the other novel.

But sometimes you just have to move on. For better or for worse.

# # # # # # # # # # #

Thank you so much for being a patron of mine! I truly appreciate you.

If you’re reading the free version of this, posted two weeks after the Patreon essay gets put up, maybe think about supporting me for as little as $1 a month.

https://www.patreon.com/leahcutter