"Inspiration book."

I'm up to Chapter 8 of Gargoyle Dreams.  I've gotten to that point in the book where things are uncertain and changes are being made, so I've stopped posting the chapters online.  Sorry about that.  The chapters I posted are still valid, though one of them has been moved, but like I said, putting up more would probably just be misleading.  Not that any of you are suffering, I'm sure.

This is my "inspiration" book.

What I mean by that is -- I'm waiting for inspiration before I start writing.  Which normally I think would be dangerous, if not impossible.  But I've been on such a roll, and I've got so much written, that I can take a chance.

One way of dealing with it is to do a small amount per day.  Leaving some psychic energy for the next day.  So the chapters are about 1200 words, and that's all I try to do.  That is still a significant amount, though no where near how many words I can do when I really get rolling.

Another thing I'm doing is giving myself permission not to write at all if nothing comes to me.  That's happened on two writing days so far, though it was mostly because real life intruded in some way.  But I've got to let real life start to "intrude" here and there.

Another way of dealing with it is that I'm leaving it open-ended as to how long it will be. It may very well be a novella, in the 30K range, which is still worth putting online.

Yet another thing I'm doing is not artificially pumping up the action or drama.  This is kind of a tender book, in a way.  My Peter S. Beagle-ish book, and it will have as much action and drama as the story needs and no more.

I've given myself one stricture, which is actually helping me shape and form the book.  I'm going to tell the story from the POV of only two characters, in alternating chapters, in a single setting.  So far, that seems to be working.  No flashbacks, no extra character POV's, no new locations.  All those things are good tricks to freshen up a story, but I'm trying not to do them.

I've decided that if I'm going to be so prolific, I need to challenge myself each time, to try new things.  I'm liking writing a new story each time, instead of a continuation.  I think going forward, that's probably what I'll try to do more of.

I'll keep the series going that I think work, such as the Virginia Reed series and ... maybe ... the Lander series.  But as soon as I wrap up Tuskers, I'm going to try to go one-ups from then on.  (Of course, if any single book were to "take off" I'd be willing to rethink it...:)