Getting Ahead of Myself — My Curse

I’m working on Storm Warning, the fourth book in my Security Specialists International series.  I’m at 53,000 words which is just over half way in the book.  The story is moving well.  I know what is going to happen next and how it is going to end.

So what do I do?  I pull the rug out from under my Muse, hijack her by having a contest to create and name a secondary character in a future SSI Book.  By the way, congratulations to Elizabeth Neal and her winning entry — the hero she created named Levi will be featured in SSI Book 5.

So, of course, I begin to plot and plan how to work this secondary character into An Ill Wind (SSI book 5). Whoa, wait a minute — I’m not done with the fourth book yet, right?

Sigh. I’ve always do this to myself: Get into writing one book and then brainstorm another book taking my focus and energy and time away from the current WIP.

I am a very focused, A-type person in my profession and my day-to-day life, but put me in  front of a computer to write and my brain takes side trips which at times turn into very long vacations.

Example: I stopped working on Vanko’s story, Weather the Storm, and wrote Cold Day in Hell.  Risto Smith took my Muse hostage and convinced me his story needed to come first. I hadn’t even known he needed a story. Risto was an extremely minor character in Eye of the Storm, only appearing at the end. Of course, then Cold Day in Hell led to the novella Storm Front so Vanko’s book got even further shoved back. That wasn’t just a short side trip, it was an around the world tour!

Each time I start a new book, I tell myself not to stray. Stay on task. Finish the damn book. And each time my creative side of my brain bitch slaps my analytical, organized side of my brain into next week.

Good news is — this time I will have to stay the course.  Tweeter and DJ’s book has to come before Trey and Fee’s book.  I am placing crucial lead-ins to Trey and Fee’s relationship so Trey can hit the ground running in his book to bring Fee back to Idaho. There will be no dancing around in their romantic relationship since Trey has been courting Fee long distance and visiting her once a month since the end of Stormy Weather Baby.  But other things will happen that endangers their relationship –outside sources kind of things. And, yes, I know what they are and really really really want to write Trey and Fee’s book!

See?  I’m doing it again.  Getting involved in Trey and Fee’s story before Tweeter’s is even done.

Good news is — Book five is in my head, almost full-blown just as Risto’s was.  And that was the fastest 120K words I ever wrote.

Bad news, or good news, depending on how you approach it — I just need to get Tweeter’s 100K done first. 🙂