Wednesday, February 3, 2016

#IWSG: Passion, Projects, and Plans | Cover Reveal Parallels: Felix Was Here

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click here to visit the other IWSG participants.
Today's post seems to be brought to you by the letter P. *laughs*

My writing projects Destined (The Fate Challenges #3) and A Soul to Kill (Soul Reaper #0) have been on my mind a lot lately. I've noticed how I light up when I talk about A Soul to Kill and the Soul Reaper series in general. When it comes to reading, I want to dive into all the urban fantasy books. It's not that I don't enjoy Yssa's story. We've been together for ten years, after all, but I'm all excited about Soul Reaper. This passion has led me to ponder whether I should switch my projects #1 and #2.

And this idea has led to my insecurity for this month. I've made a commitment to finishing The Fate Challenges. People have read Reborn (The Fate Challenges #1) and I'm sure at least three of them are looking forward to the rest of the books in the series. Destined is the last book, and I just have to finish that first draft to have the series written. Will I be letting them down if I take even longer with writing Destined? Will I be letting myself down?

I feel guilty for considering switching the two, yet I also want my main passion to be my main project. It's not that I'll stop writing Destined. It'll just take me a few months longer to finish that first draft than I first thought.

So for this month I'll switch them and see how it goes. If I don't chicken out and switch them back midway through!

What are your insecurities this month?

As you might have seen on the IWSG blog last month, my story "Folds in Life and Death" is one of the ten stories in the IWSG anthology. Thank you so much for your congratulations and kind comments. It had been a few years since I last submitted a story, so I was shocked to find out my story was one of the ten chosen.

We also have a title and cover art! Parallels: Felix Was Here will be out sometime in Spring 2016. Isn't it an awesome cover!?

Science Fiction/Alternate History

Enter the realm of parallel universes!

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Cherie Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

In January, I wrote in Destined and A Soul to Kill and outlined A Soul to Kill. I also edited "Folds in Life and Death" and a friend's novelette and short story. I'm working on edits for another friend's novel. Unfortunately, I keep striking out on finishing the outline for Destined as well as editing Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5).

Here are my goals for February:
Write 30 minutes a day in main project (A Soul to Kill).
Write 15 minutes a day in a secondary project (Destined).
Finish editing a friend's novel. I plan to finish it this week/early next week.
Edit Marked. Seriously! I've put this off for way too long.
Edit "On Day 168."
Outline Destined.

Current 2016 Stats: 29,868 words written and 214 pages edited.

35 comments:

Jennifer Hawes said...

Sounds like you have a busy month. The cover looks fantastic! Congrats again on making the cut!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You know how long I go in between books! Write the one you're passionate about now. If you don't, it will show.
Excited your story made it into the anthology!

Natalie Aguirre said...

I don't think delaying the end of a series by 3-6 months will matter. I agree with Alex tht you should write what you're excited about.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

When one story pulls, you have to go with it. I had 4 stories mostly written for my next book but number 5 jumped at me and just might replace one of them.

Christine Rains said...

You're doing so much in limited structured times. I agree that when one story pulls you, you must go with it. Though you know I really want to read your UF! :)

emaginette said...

Always follow your passion. It's passion that makes reader read and writers write. :-)

Anna from elements of emaginette

M.J. Fifield said...

I agree you should follow your passion. If one story is calling you over another, you have to go with it.

Best of luck with all of your February goals, and congrats on the anthology!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Write what you are excited about, Cherie. Good luck with your February goals!

Nicola said...

Go with your heart, Cherie! Congratulations on all your accomplishments so far and being part of the anthology. Exciting times!

Diane Burton said...

Listen to your heart, Cherie. Best wishes.

Tamara Narayan said...

I would imagine that creativity would flow better on a project you are passionate about.

Juneta key said...

Sounds like a busy schedule ahead of you. Best of luck. Great cover and congrats on having your story chosen. Good goals.
Juneta Writer's Gambit

Unknown said...

Go where your muse takes you and try to silence the inner critic.

And wow - on the plans for Feb.
Tweeted.

Yolanda Renée said...

I keep saying busy is good. It is, isn't it?
I know it keeps me from falling down the rabbit hole, well, most of the time.

Chrys Fey said...

Listen to your gut. If one book/series is pulling you in more, work on that one. It's pulling you in for a reason. :)

Julie Flanders said...

I think you're right to follow your passion right now. Your fans will wait for the next book. And I know there are lots more than 3 of them! ;)
Congratulations again on the anthology. The cover is fantastic and you guys should all be so proud.

L.G. Keltner said...

I'd say following your passion is the best course of action. I tend to produce better work when I do that. Most of your fans will understand.

Congratulations on being in the anthology! I'm excited to be a part of this with you. I know when I got the email, I nearly fell over. Then I wondered if I was dreaming. Then I screamed and accidentally scared my children. Oops. It's okay. They already think I'm crazy anyway.

Mark said...

Can't feel too insecure with stats like that:) Looks like you're getting plenty of writing in:

Tyrean Martinson said...

Your word count and pages written accomplishments rock!
Way to go!

I am one of the many people waiting to read the rest of the trilogy, but I still say - go for your passion! I can wait a little while longer. :)

Sharon Himsl said...

I love the cover of the anthology and can't wait to read everyone's stories. I'm sure you'll sort out which way to go on the book. Your accomplishments already are an inspiration :)

cleemckenzie said...

Here's to those goals! They sound reasonable and doable.

Anonymous said...

I hope your decision works out for the best. Who knows, you may find switching to the one you're more excited about means you work faster and you may not get the other one done later than you thought. ;)

Laura Clipson said...

Congrats on your story being chosen! I can't wait to read the anthology :)

Anonymous said...

You always seem to have so much writing on!

Good luck managing everything.

M Pax said...

Go with what's calling. It will help you finish the other one. Honest.

I've seen my sales pick up for Rifters with the release of #3, so there's that to look forward to. I'm one of your three fans. :)

Anonymous said...

Yay on the anthology. I've known other writers who take longer on projects than expected and their readers don't mind.

Chemist Ken said...

If a different project is calling to you, I'd suggest going for that one. That's where your heart wants to be. The muse is a fickle thing and you never know when your inspiration will show up or disappear.

Cathy Keaton said...

Maybe take Alex's advice and write the one you're bursting to write at the moment. After all, you can write the other one later. It's not going anywhere. Ten years with the same characters can cause cabin fever, so getting outdoors, so to speak, can be just what you need.

dolorah said...

Sometimes it takes a small change to regrow passion. I guess deadlines are good for organizing priorities, but not passion.

Heather R. Holden said...

Some series take years to release a new book, so you shouldn't feel guilty if it takes you just a few extra months for Destined. (I can relate to the guilt, though, since I always feel bad when it takes me longer to release new comic strips.)

And wow, you were busy in January! Hope February ends up being just as productive for you!

alexia said...

I change my mind on what projects I should be working on ALL the time. And yes, now that I published the one, thinking of what my handful of readers would want weighs heavily on me. The joy of being a published author!

And congrats on getting into the anthology! Awesome!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

If you're bored with a book, your reader might pick up on that. I'd work on what interested me.

Misha Gerrick said...

I think it's smart to make your most passionate project your priority. It'll get done faster, which means you can get back to Destined faster. Excellent stats for last month!

Ravyne said...

Good luck with the projects. If it were me, I would go ahead and write the one I am most passionate about first. Get it out of your system and then move on to the other. Best wishes ~Lori~

Michelle Wallace said...

"Folds in Life and Death" is an amazing story!
Good luck with all your projects/goals.