So, I've been getting a few e-mails lately asking where I've been, where the new Traveller chapters are or where the new Speed Demon story is. I've not been responding to e-mails lately (I'll probably do that this weekend, depending on my 'honey-do' list) so I figured I'd write a quick blog post and answer them en toto (versus en loco parentis, which is something completely different).
Traveller first. Traveller isn't really 'on hiatus'; it's more along the lines of I'm streamlining it and re-working certain plot-lines and making sure I know where exactly it's going (because I lost sight of that at the end). My current plans are to work on it this summer (I have a big vacation coming up) and post ALL OF THE REST (because I'm no longer going to post it chapter by chapter) at one time. So, my 'tentative' time-to-complete on that is 9/15/2014 (at the latest; I'm planning on 08/30/2014).
Speed Demon. I have Attention Deficit Disorder. Seriously. I'm self-diagnosed and everything. If you give me some time, I'm sure I can print out a very nice certificate stating that.
I started writing the next Speed Demon story a few weeks ago. I know exactly how it's going to turn out. I know how the story is going to end and I even know EVERYTHING that's going to happen during the story. In my head, it's already written. I even have the basic plot for the next 3 stories in this 'universe' and even have thoughts of life after 'The Order'. Trust Me; I've got this...
The problem arises because as I write up the story, I go off on tangents. The tangents lead my active imagination along different paths...which lead to different stories...and different characters. They, in turn, hi-jack my brain and demand I write down the particulars of the idea so that I don't lose it. So, I end up writing a quick chapter (or two or three), a bunch of notes on characters and what they're doing and so on. The problem is that writing those chapters leads me off on tangents...
It's like shampoo at that point. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
This is NOT necessarily a bad thing. Speed Demon and Traveller BOTH started this way. As did a number of other stories that haven't made the light of day.
I have three story folders: 'Active Stories', 'Inactive Stories', and 'Old Stories'. Everything new goes in 'Active Stories'. When I find time, I write in those stories. About once every 3 months (or so), I go through my 'Active Stories' and anything I haven't touched in that 3 month period, gets moved to 'Inactive Stories'. I then go through 'Inactive Stories' and anything that hasn't been touched in a year (or more) goes to 'Old Stories'. Sometimes, I'll use the ideas in 2 or 3 'Old Stories' and it'll become 1 'Active Story'.
Right now, in 'Active Stories', I have 9 folders and 3 untitled documents (that are so far outside my normal stuff, I haven't even titled them yet). My 'Active Stories' folders are "Drake and Tabitha - NIS" (a Naked-In-School story), "Dyson" (an ESP-centric storyline), "KylTais" (an erotic epic fantasy story), "Making Family" (basic erotic fiction that is already at 8 or 9 complete chapters and might actually get finished...or maybe not), "Sigil Saga" (a non-erotic epic fantasy story), "Titan" (basic erotic fiction), "Traveller" and 1 story I'm not going to name.
My "Inactive Stories" has 92 stories. My "Old Stories" has 327 stories. Some of these are crap. Maybe even most of them. Every now and then, though, I'll go reading some of my 'Inactive' and/or 'Old' stories and decide to work on them...which puts them back in the 'Active Story' list. "Kyltais" is one of those. The NIS one is pure newness.
One of the reasons that I wrote 'arcs' with Speed Demon is so the story was 'complete' enough that I could take some time off and I didn't feel pressured. I wanted to have the capability of following my muse. I like story ideas...I like being creative. It makes me happy.
However, there is a line between going off on creative tangents and failing to be productive. For that reason, Speed Demon Story 4 will probably get some time this weekend (depending, yet again, on that damned 'honey-do' list) and I'm hoping to get it out by the end of next week. Sooner, if I can.
I hope this explains the world I live in...