Navigation tools in plain sight

While I check my email for what feels like the 20th time today -- nothing, btw -- let's take some time to talk about what happens when things don't work out like you want them to.

No, this isn't commentary on the struggles to be a professional writer (though I supposed in my current mood, that is an obvious undertone) nor is it a look at life shortcoming in general.

This is about writing, pure and simple.

A few months back, I shared with all of you my own personal joy of finishing my second novel, 'Arcane.' And what a novel it is, too. Too quickly (2 days), I began work on my third novel, the paranormal romance 'Glow.' I'm entering the second month, and I am sad to say I'm losing interest in the thread. 60 + pages in, the story just isn't holding my attention like I'd like it to.

So, dramatic shift in gears! I've taken some time to outline and storyboard my fourth novel -- a daring sci-fi medico-thriller about a widow who must follow in her virologist husband's footsteps to cure the world from a virus-induced stasis. I call it 'Pause.' Still not comfortable giving the web a free preview into the writing or characters, but suffice it to say I've gotten down the first 6 pages of the book with ease, and a little tweeking/editing has put me in good shape to keep moving forward.

Talk about things not working out as I planned them.

Alas, the moral of my super-short post is that taking a moment to re-assess where you are in projects is a great navigation tool for determining where to go next.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check my email again. Sigh.

PS -- I just wrote a rather scathing review of Dan Brown's newest, 'The Lost Symbol.' on Captivate's Book Break blog. Depending on when you check it, it might not be posted yet, so give it a day and check again. I promise it's worth the read :)