What have I been doing over the past weeks, you ask? Summer holidays should mean I have all the time in the world to do whatever I want, to make those plans happen and be… productive! Truth is I have been procrastinating more than I should, but I think I needed it. I had a break to catch up on TV shows, to draw and play some games, to do quiet things while recovering from a long year. But this blog post is not about that.
This week I attended an online writer’s conference, Write On Con. It was amazing, I met some great people, and received a lot of positive feedback (two Ninja Agents commented on my manuscript, and my query got requested live!). I recommend it to every writer, and can’t wait for the next conference (which I’m sure will be even better). Here’s Day One and Day Two for those who missed it.
It feels really good to be part of this community, and the overall experience made me think about how I perceived myself as a writer. Just one week ago this blog post was going to be about how I felt ready to move on to other projects, but how at the same time I felt a bit wary of starting another manuscript. SINCERELY YOURS, THE VILLAIN has been getting better feedback that I could have ever hoped for, and I’m not giving up on it. But I can’t get stuck on a single project. The idea of starting a whole new thing from scratch seems scary, but now I finally have the motivation to do so.
So, yes! I’m going back to more familiar grounds, and I’m now planning and outlining a new Sci-Fi manuscript. I’m a mixture of plotter and pantser, and although I can’t throw myself head first without any plans, I can’t outline everything to exhaustion either. I’ve been doing some research, and who knows, maybe in the next days I will actually open Word and WRITE! It’s going to have spaceships, aliens, conspiracies, and a Battlestar Galactica-ish feeling that I’ve been wanting to explore for a long time.
Motivation feels good. I’ll admit I’m using this blog post to push myself further, and by putting this new project out there it makes it more real. Maybe I’ll finally stop wandering about and start putting words into paper. The unknown is scary, but if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be worth exploring. I will never know until I try it.
To infinity and beyond!