For the past three months I have been struggling to write towards my novels because of family issues and other things going on that has taken up my time, such as learning new things, new skills, honing in old skills I have had and going more into my spiritual development.
Not witchcraft, spiritual development.
Along with the failure to add towards my novels these past few months, my Italian and French lessons have also been paused as well as maintaining my Morning Page Journals and daily reading goals.
But Henry and I have learned together how best to get things done, how we can avoid conflicts within the household and how we can both be warmer. We both now spend time together upstairs in my room, whilst I write towards blog posts or research things.
This keeps Henry out of Paul’s hair whilst he cooks and whilst Paul does whatever Paul does.
It not only means that in the past two days I am less lonely, but it means that Henry is more relaxed and calm and is actually starting to smile more!
Henry is deeply concerned I am not writing my stories anymore, because he was looking forward to seeing the potential movies they could become! He is more positive about them becoming movies than I am – but that’s the joy of the naiveté of childhood isn’t it? Extreme optimism and putting ones parent on a pedestal!
So, Henry tersely asked me this question yesterday evening “when are you going to write more on your novel mama”?
I told him that I didn’t know and he then said “why not tomorrow”?
So here I am six hours later at 3:13am on my laptop thinking about writing, now it’s tomorrow – question is, do I write towards the novel now until 5am and not wake up until 2pm or do I force myself to try and sleep for the next hour or so and write around noon when I wake up?
I am tempted to start writing something right now – I am not setting any goals for myself this time, just write what I write when I write it and hope that it’s more than five hundred words a day this time!
No sooner had I had this thought about writing, my brain has woken up and told me to write towards three of my current projects all at once… my brain still doesn’t understand the workings of a mortal two handed body does it?
My AD project, my lesbian steampunk project or my Easter project which should really be Christmas project first because it’s that time of year now I can play Christmas music without being unreasonable!
Though I suppose some of my author friends out there will think that Christmas music is always unreasonable!
So, here’s me sitting here thinking that I would like to rehash project AD from the beginning again, because an old idea is stale and I believe this new one will work better. Thankfully the rehash will only affect the first three chapters of the novel, because the event is not mentioned in the other chapters!
But, I am still struggling with something in regards to this story… how to market it when it’s finished, what genre? For me, I may market it as a children’s dystopian – but it doesn’t feel right.
What’s in the story? The world hasn’t fully jumped into a full out and out post-apocalypse; they are still transitioning through it, creatures are still mutating and they are fighting other mutated creatures in order to survive and in order to maintain personal territory. The story contains various mythological creatures along with this too and some children befriend a group of bounty hunting animals who adopt them because they are orphans.
It is stylised around being a steampunk world, filled with the innovations for survival with the relics around them – the storyline is set primarily on vengeance and survival of the fittest.
There are comedy elements as well as mild-for-children horror.
It’s an idea that has been frustrating me since Easter 2022 because I just want to write it down quickly, but circumstances have got in my way.
Once I manage to get back into writing regularly, I can see this novel being written rather quickly and what’s more, it’s a series that I had originally intended to be a comic or graphic novel – but as I am not confident in writing in that format just yet – it will have to do as a novelisation instead… perhaps the novel will come later?
But me being me, I have always had a good head for business – I don’t just see this as a novel or a movie or a bunch of comics, I see it for the potential merchandise it could have – toys etc. The artist in me can see where this could lead and I do this almost for every story idea I have.
I know I shouldn’t, but I always think about the marketability – I do write for pleasure, but if you knew me well enough you’d know that I have always loved work and working things out and making things bigger than average!
Henry has already been helping me since the summer, design toy ideas based on characters I’ve told him about!
Upon reflection, this story is very much on par with the ideas of a superhero genre, which is why my inner business woman struggles to place it.
Steampunk dark fantasy or children’s horror or superhero or middle grade dystopian… getting this right is vital for its success!
If I am honest I am much swayed to call it a superhero genre as it is very reminiscent of Batman and the league of super pets! But the characters are so far removed that they have their own unique stance – in fact a friend once thought they sound like a mix of Mad Max meets The Island of Dr Moreau for kids!
Which made me smile as I never saw it until they said it!
Thanks for reading!
tardycreative.com 