The Apocalypse Project has been giving me trouble, which is really no secret. I’m a firm believer in feeling a project or shelving it when you aren’t feeling it. So, I think I need a break from fighting with the Apocalypse Project right now. So, for November, I’m shelving the Apocalypse Project and picking a new one.
Today, I thought it might be fun to let you tag along with me and see how that process goes.
First, check the idea journal. What’s been brewing lately that may turn into a decent idea?
- Story about time travel I once tried to outline. It was shelved because I can’t think of a non cliche reason for someone to travel back in time to contact someone. Still can’t. Better leave that shelved for now.
- Story about a housewife who gets the opportunity to do one event over in her life and see how it would be different. Reminds me of a LOT of things in this genre and shelved it when I couldn’t think of anything to make it stand out. It may be worth looking at again.
- Story about the most unlikely person ever to be visited by a birthday fairy and granted three wishes and how they use them. Shelved because I can’t think of a way to use the wishes that balances the character’s desire for world issues with her desire for personal issues. Honestly, the current political climate has made that worse … not better. Leave it on the shelf.
- Notes about a character I truly love. Still have no idea what story she fits in or what’s happening in her life that is worth writing about. She continues to be shelved for now.
- Story of a teenager in a bad neighborhood who finds poetry is his ticket out. Shelved because this really isn’t my story to tell, even though it echoes stories I witnessed.
- The story of a woman who experiences blackout periods and her desire to truly experience things in her life, which she makes a list of. Shelved because there’s too many unanswered medical questions to really delve into this one. It may be worth picking up again after research.
- The story of a seemingly religious town that turns out to be more than it seems. Has Village vibes, so I have to find a way to break it out of that. Actually, this may be a fun one to come back to. This one has true potential, which is funny because it’s been kicking around in my idea journal for DECADES without any progress. My fear with this one is that it would be too similar in problems to the Apocalypse Project that I’m shelving. They’re a similar genre and would require similar twists.
- OMG another character I love with no idea where she fits. Still don’t have any ideas. She will have to stay shelved.
Clearly, some of these have potential. One even jumped out at me but I’m a little leery because it feels awfully similar to the one I just shelved. My concern is that I will get hung up on similar places for this one or that I will start to borrow from the one I’m shelving, which I don’t particularly want to do.
My process is really that a project has to FEEL right.
So, my next move is to jump into the fully drafted projects that need revising. Perhaps what will feel right is working on one of those.
- GhostlyYA. This has actually already had it’s revision in 2021. It’s been simmering for a bit since then because I needed to know if the changes worked. I’m thinking it’s been long enough, I could dive back in. I have decisions to make about this one including whether to add more of the antagonist into the story AND it needs a solid title.
- YA Contemporary. This was an old NaNo project, I think. It would be sort of fitting to dig into this one during another NaNo (one that I’m not participating in) and see if I can work out the kinks. My biggest issue with this one is that I need to make the theme clearer to give the book an obvious “point”. I remember thinking it was muddled, which is why it was simmering. It could be time to bring this one back and make that happen. As always with me, this one also needs a proper title.
- Fraun 5. So if you’re at all familiar with my series you know it’s already finished. This is a collection of short stories from around the kingdom that may delve into questions readers have. Unlike the rest on this list, this one already has a title (just one that is a secret for now). I’ve actually fully drafted the biggest story in the collection, which is how it ended up on this revision list. But I now know that I want to include other stories, only one of which I started. I may be able to bring this one in and work on drafting it more. I would like to get this one finished. I remember shelving it because I didn’t know how long I wanted it to be, which would drive how many stories to include. I also didn’t want to skip stories people really cared about. This may be the next project, actually. It’s grabbing my attention pretty good right now.
- Hitman. This had its first revision already, I think. Yes, I remember beefing up the connection to the main character and adding a few tweeks to the timeline. This was a NaNo project too, wasn’t it? Anyway, it’s probably ready for another readthrough. It needs a proper title (although I sort of like Hitman) and I need to make sure the ending doesn’t feel too cliche.
- Romance. This is the oldest completed draft on this list and would therefore require a lot of work. My concern with this one is completely the fact that what the romance genre demands is at odds with my writing style. I’d love to give this one a shocking ending, but the genre demands happily-ever-after. Honestly, although the story has shades of things I think I like, it’s not a genre I read enough in to be writing.
Alright, I think I’m diving back into Fraun, folks. It’s a risky choice because the success of my brand needs to rely on other things than Fantasy and Fraun … but it’s what is grabbing me right now and THAT is something I can’t ignore.
Thanks for tagging along while I picked a project for November.