Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What to write?

For the last month, I was sure I knew what project I wanted to work on during January. I have done lots of pre-writing (plotting, characters sheets, all the stuff I never, ever do when I write a book!) on an idea since the summer because it's a little different from the regular Harlequin Romances (HR) I write, and I've always intended to write the entire manuscript before submitting it. That's called writing on spec for all you non-writers out there. I haven't done that since my very first sale to Harlequin Yours Truly.

Of course, now an idea for an HR is keeping me awake at night. I'd asked my editor about making one of the secondary characters from my recent November release a hero of his own book, and last week she said to develop the idea for her. Granted an idea is far from approval to write a book, but at least this one has a great chance of publication since I owe them another book in the fall of 2009. The other idea is something I really want to write, but I can't say anyone will buy that manuscript.

Still I really don't have much on the new idea. If I write this one for JaNoWriMo, I would be flying into the mist so to speak with a hero, his dog and a setting. Nothing else. I wonder if I'd be writing it too soon since I usually let ideas percolate in my head while I write another book.

So today I have to decide which one will be my JaNoWriMo project. Any suggestions on making that decision?

6 comments:

Marianne Arkins said...

Wish I did! LOL...

I have FOUR ideas / partial mss that I'm toying with and I still don't know what to work on.

Guess I'll know tomorrow. Ha.

Amy said...

I say write the spec book. You have MONTHS to write the other one. Use JaNo to play.

Ceri Hebert said...

Which one is poking at you the most? I'd go with that one. I have 4 going at me (oh, wait, maybe that's my kids) so I'm in the same boat.

You have a few hours to think it over ;)

Jen said...

I agree about the spec book - isn't that a lot of what the whole nano idea is supposed to be - writing from the heart and spirit and at a speed which you have to do some experimenting?

Charity Tahmaseb said...

I agree with the others about the spec book. Give it a chance! You never know what might happen because of it.

edeevee said...

I agree about the spec book but I have to admit, a hero, his dog and a setting sounds intriguing too.