Recent writing: well, that was unexpected

So, last week I re-read the 100 pp of my current WIP (The White Road of the Moon, a YA for Knopf) and started moving ahead with it and it was all going fine. In fact, I started to see how I might be able to avoid dividing the pov, which would be excellent, since the book is complicated enough without that and I’m afraid it’s going to way overshoot the length I would prefer and sticking to just one pov would definitely be better. If I do that, it will be only the second book ever that I’ve written with a single pov protagonist. Interesting if that is starting to get easier and more natural for me.

Anyway, out of the blue I suddenly had this great idea for a story set after Pure Magic and before the third book (Shadow Twin), with Ethan as the pov character — Ethan kind of gets short shrift in the novels — so I thought what the heck, that wouldn’t take long. So I wrote that and it didn’t take long, two days or so, and all was well. The story actually sets up an important detail for Shadow Twin and clarifies a plot issue that was bothering me.

But then I unexpectedly had a serious urge to write a story set AFTER Shadow Twin — which, remember, isn’t written yet, so it is a bit ridiculous to mess with short stories set after that. Yet . . . I’ve had that story in my head for a while and it was kind of getting obtrusive. This is in spite of the fact that I actually am kind of keen on my official WIP and was not trying to avoid it.

FINE, I said, IT WON’T TAKE LONG. Well, that short story turned into a novella. 58 pages, a hair over 18,000 words. The pov is divided between Ezekiel and a character you haven’t met yet. Took four days (which is pretty darn good for 58 pp, in fact).

Now. Now I am going back to The White Road.

Incidentally, the cover artist says she is pretty sure she can finish the cover for Pure Magic this month. I sure hope so. Next time I am going to want a firm delivery date in the contract.