It’s important for me to take a break. I write “all day long” and a lot of times I don’t have word count to show for it. My mind is wandering. I’m stumped. I’m not going anywhere. Spinning wheels, doing other stuff. When my internet isn’t working, I get so much more writing done! So I find it’s better to take a break. Allow for the break! And then, it’s back to the work.
One thing my readers love about my books is they’re different from story to story to story. I have over 60 books out, and yes, that’s WONDERFUL, but it means it’s easy to fall into a rut.
I really make a conscious effort to ensure that every book has a lot of “different” in it because I’ve read reviews for much beloved authors who are HUGE successes, who repeat their stories over and over and just give characters new names. I know, because I’ve read some of those too. I think the most blatant one was by an author who no longer writes, or died, not sure, but we had two of her books at the library where I worked. They were ten years apart, and they were the same meeting/plot line entirely. Even if we wrote the book ten years ago, and I have on some of my books, even longer, they can’t ever be the same story line. In hers–the hero, highwayman, took the heroine hostage while she was riding in her carriage (historical), same identical story ten years later. See? You never know when a reader will read the first book and the last book back to back. lol We are sneaky that way.
Now I can get away with some of that if it’s an entirely different world. Let’s say that I have a space ship in my futuristic world and the guy takes her hostage, and in a wolf story, the woman takes the man hostage, and in a vampire story, the huntress takes the vampire hostage, and…well, you see? If it’s an entirely different world, it will be unique enough that I can get away with it. But same world, same occupation, same method of conveyance, no–unless it’s a whole lot different: she takes him hostage as he’s riding in his carriage, he’s a duke and takes her hostage while she’s swimming in a lake…just something that’s not exactly the same.
So for me, coming up with something new every time, is really important. It means lots of research, and lots of trying to figure it out, which drives me crazy because I just want to dive into the book, but it’s all necessary from the beginning, and from there the world evolves. From crashing seaplanes to falling down crevasses, I give my characters a workout. I’m so glad I’m not them. And they deserve every bit of happiness I can give them in the end.
Now I’m back to the story. Added 3,000 words to Day of the Wolf, made minimum word count, and I finished the final fight scene…Now I have to finish the book! Woohoo!
We had 2 1/2 inches of rain yesterday, and I love writing when it’s raining. It means I don’t have to stress about not weeding the garden.
Have a super, wonderful day. I’m hoping to wrap this wolfie tale up today, if I can!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
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