Trying New Things

Spring is a time of new things, new beginnings and making things grow. It's also a time when authors get tetchy - we want to see some results, dammit. The sun is shining, this means we're ready to go barreling ahead with our goals and dreams, because we sure as hell want to see progress this year! And we're tetchy because March and April never quite move as fast as we'd like it to in terms of the above - in terms of showing us that progress.

I've seen, heard, read about, a lot of authors this month, feeling despondent, doubtful and uninspired by their work. It's okay. Don't panic. It's the time of year - it'll pass :)

Strangely, and sadly, there have been some deaths over the past ten days or so. I can think of three authors from the top of my head, who have lost someone dear to them. What's going on? Not sure, but to those of you it concerns, you have my condolences.

New things: yes. Without planning to, I'm trying something new with my latest project, The Demon Bride. I wrote some weeks back that I was a linear writer. Funnily enough, I'm having to go with the flow here, and write this book in a non-linear way. I'm finding it hard to get the characters just right, to get the plot (and the sub-plots) to mesh in the right places, and so on. This is not an easy book to write. Having said that, I do have the inspiration, so it's just a case of going with the flow. I'm not stuck, I'm just being challenged - then again, so are my characters. Do you find that? That you sort of go through what your characters go through sometimes?

New things: the going with the flow is working. I'm writing a chapter, breaking it up, fitting another chapter between the broken bits, and it's coming together, albeit slowly. I don't think I'm going to be happy with this book until the very end. I keep going back to change things at the moment. But I know that it will be okay, because my characters tell me so ... because it always is, in the end :)

New things: if you're struggling with something at the moment, I urge you to "give in". Go with it. Be challenged and try something new. It's the time of year when new things demand recognition - it's the time of year when doing new things works.

Go for it, and enjoy the Spring :)