How I’ve progressed from The Book
In the beginning it was easy – there was just The Book. The only writing decisions I had to make were within that book; would she have straight or curly hair, would he be cocky or shy? When friends asked how The Book was going, I knew exactly what they were referring to.
Then I got hugely lucky and gained a publishing contract with Choc Lit. Now I was writing books, plural. Not all at the same time, I wish I was that clever, but slowly things became more complicated.
Here I am, two years on, and I’m in the fortunate position of having three books invading my headspace. There’s the one I’ve signed a contract for and hope to start working on next year (sexy racing car driver, inspired by you know who).
There’s the book I finished drafting several months ago and asked a kind friend and my husband (who is kind in many ways but not always when he’s reading my books) to read and critique. They have both come back to me with their thoughts and I’m dying to step into Crumbs again (yes, it’s based in a biscuit company) and sort out the snags.
But … I’m half way through writing another book.
What do I do? My head wants to return to Crumbs, address the issues and get it submitted because that’s the ultimate goal and I’ve always been one for getting the task done. Writing isn’t like decorating a room, though. There I can cheat and cut corners, hiding the dripping paint behind a picture and the smudged skirting behind the sofa (yes, you wouldn’t want me helping you with any DIY). If I cut corners in my writing, there is nowhere to hide.
So I’m shelving all the comments on Crumbs, just for a while, and focusing on finishing my work-in-progress. That’s where my heart is, after all. The characters are alive in my head and I need to get them home.
Submitting a book may be the goal, but for me the satisfaction comes from writing The End.