The Twins Are Jealous

So I took the month of June to work on a totally different project. It was mostly an exercise, a chance to try and pull a Nanowrimo move in the middle of the year. For most of this month, William and Thomas stayed quiet.

Not anymore.

The twins are pulling hard at my writing strings, demanding attention. This puts me in a weird place: I want to finish my June Project, and I don't really know what to do with the twins right now, but they do not care. They want my attention, NOW.

I think writers have this issue sometimes, especially when they have more than one work in progress. If the stories are character-driven (as I feel they should be), and if the characters are solid, you will know when they are speaking to you. Their voices will be easy to identify in your mind, and you will know when it is time to return to them.

So, my twins are now jealous of the energy I have directed toward this short story. They may have to hold out for a few days longer, but it not going to be easy. I do love the short story I am finishing up, but the truth is, the twins are my favorites.

I never neglect the favorites.

Back On Deck

Okay, after a VERY long break from this blog and my main story due to a zillion things going on, I am finally starting to get back into the swing of this series.

I think authors need to do this sometimes; step away from their biggest project for a little while and get things in order and in perspective. There were too many distractions, and that was making it impossible to really get anywhere with the story. I wrote a second possible climax, one more in line with the twins' personalities, but I still wasn't totally sold on it. That's when I decided to take a break.

The really good parts of Forbidden Children seem to all be in the beginning, up until they prove themselves worthy of respect. After that, I realized that the rest of the story was nothing more than fodder. Was it interesting? Yes. Was it necessary to the series? No.

Herein lies the toughest part of writing; you have to know when the story ends. Books Two and Three are solid because they are hard hitting from start to finish. There are no dull moments, no flashbacks, nothing of the sort. My problem with Forbidden Children is that the twins' background does not need an entire book. It pains me to say that, but it is true. A lot of Book One can be blended into Tainted Blood, the first half mostly. I realize now that the second half of FC was for my own personal amusement. The most important parts of the twins' journey had already been told.

This is what really hindered me for the last month: I didn't know what to do about Book One, and once I started to realize what had to be done, I freaked out. The idea of basically throwing out an entire book of a series scared me to bits.

So here is what I think will happen: Book One will be saved, but I will now focus my energy into Book Two and see if the two can be weaved together. More than likely, most of FC will be saved for a novella or something similar. Maybe it will be posted here eventually. In any case, I am done with FC for now; the best parts have been written.

On to Tainted Blood and Book Three: War Of The Undying...