Every book is a new start.

Came up with another idea for a book.  I like the concept, and it might be fun to write.  Really, at this point I'm just going to let whichever story grabs me and go with it for as long it comes.

But I love the title:  "NOBODY KILLED ME." 

I was amazed that no one else has used this title yet.

The idea is a character who is lost between universes, always trying to get home, pursued by enemies. (Odysseus-like.)  Meanwhile, he gets into adventures in each universe he lands in, and so on. Maybe a bit of Doctor Who vibe, which I think I can pursue because I've only seen a couple of episodes so whatever vibe I arrive at probably won't even be close, which is good.  (Only two episodes of Doctor Who?  I know, strip me of my nerd credentials.)

I've written the first three pages, 1st person, with some elevated language.

Which immediately causes me to doubt.  I feel like Tuskers is such a successful effort, that I wonder if I shouldn't try to replicate the straight-forward simplicity of it.  Good old fashioned 3rd person storytelling.

But the other thing that Tuskers taught me is -- try something new, something unexpected.

I certainly had no plans to write about a Wild Pig Apocalypse, but once I did, I realized it was a new start.

It made me realize that every book is a new start.

Well, writing trilogies and sequels is not quite the same thing as a new start, but I'm mostly finished with the sequels I've so far written, so I can move away from that concept for awhile.  There are advantages to writing sequels, too, and I've fully enjoyed doing them.  But I think the time has come to do some one-ups.


It does seem like every time I challenge myself to try something completely new, I make an advance in my writing, going back to Deviltree, which was a purposeful attempt to get away from heroic fantasy, and felt wonderful to write.

If you keep writing, every book could be the book that everyone likes, that catches on.  You just don't know, all you can do is keep writing.