The Shift is About to Hit the Fan!
Weeks away from the launch of a new Timeshifters trilogy, my time for writing new things is stolen away by a project I declared “complete” long ago. And declaring a project complete is not something I take lightly. I fight it with “just one more edit” and “I’m letting it rest before I read it a final time” until I reach a place where I can no longer be objective and frankly want to puke if I have to read the stack of papers one more time. Even then, I walk away from a loved story with two careful steps forward and one long step back until a new idea drives me to embrace the next novel.
No matter how much I love the process of writing, I don’t write merely because the stories will claw a hole in my head if I don’t let them out. I write because I want to share those insistent stories with other people. I write to be read. So naturally I’m excited beyond words for Timeshifters: Mark of the Centipede to meet the world. I can’t wait for other people to follow the amazing journey that sent Jordan Booker to a mysterious ancient past.
Still, with book signings, school appearances, writing groups, conferences, blogs, Facebook connections, Facebook author pages, webpages, merchandise acquisition, sales, and so on, when will I find time to let the next story out of my head before it creates the afore mentioned hole in my skull?
Jordan’s tale is all about survival. And I can’t help but apply the same survival lessons to my writing and promotion process while I travel the crooked path to the bookstores.
Keep your eyes on what’s important. Jordan learned that his little sister Jada was his top priority, but he also learned that he sometimes had to travel dangerously far from her in order to secure her future. He learned about balance. It simply isn’t possible for me to work on the latest new novel every day when I have the day job, kids, the house, hobbies, friends, and promotions to tackle. So in this case, balance isn’t about carving smaller but equal bits of time for each thing on the list. Instead, it’s about alternating which of the list items should go on ice at the moment. Sometimes, giving myself permission to step away for a little while creates exactly the right balance. Promotions this week—decadent writing time to follow.
Finish what you start. Jordan’s story is told in three books, each one with a unique journey to a different time in ancient—previously unrecorded—history. His first journey was filled with injury, fear, mistakes, and uncertainty. Making the decision to carry on with the next journey took a lot of courage. Jordan realized he had to meet his obligations even if it was difficult. When I wrote the first draft of this manuscript many of the characters, who later became my favorite, didn’t even exist. The story took several years and an embarrassing number of drafts before I declared it complete. Even then the work wasn’t done. If I believe the story is worth telling, then it is my obligation to follow through with the same commitment of time, energy, and determination to promote the trilogy until it reaches a wide audience. I intend to see this thing through even while the next story is knocking at the parietale region of my skull.
Never stop dreaming. Anything is possible. Jordan’s personal goal of keeping his sister safe and keeping his family together is his first motivator. He dreams of a better life for them. But what ultimately pushes him forward is his dream for a better future for all of mankind. When he discovers that the past is different than anything he ever imagined, he believes that the future can be even better than anyone has yet conceived. Like Jordan, I have personal goals that push me to stay up late for one last edit or attend one more event. But ultimately my most important goals are the grander ideas that I want to share with a wider audience. They are the dreams to make the world a better place by sharing stories, ideas, and lessons hard learned in my life. I honestly believe that anything is possible, and I hope my stories spark that belief in readers.
So when the shift hits the fan, you’ll find me focusing on the cool air rather than the stinky stuff. I’ll be relentlessly pushing forward until I realize one dream and conceive of the next.
Timeshifters: Mark of the Centipede. May 14, 2013 — This shift’s for real!
Like Timeshifters Books on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/TimeshiftersBooks
