Fantasies, Furbabies, My Job and My *Work*

Work on the new novel, right now, is necessarily organizational rather than creative – what happened when, what bits of research I already have need to go where in the progression?  As much as many writers hate the research (and organizational) phase, and want only to deal with the creative part, I like this part pretty well.  For one, it’s educational, and knowing the subject is naturally fundamental to the creative bits being worthwhile.  For two, once again I’m finding the parallel tracks of my job and this work – as I am learning (oy gevault) a new organization, I seem also to be learning my “new” world, the one I need to build for myself so I can populate it someday with you, my devoted readers.  As has happened in the past, I find the one enhances the other, too – the better I feel about getting my arms around my job, the better goes this process at home.

I’m an admitted pants-er, a seat-of-the-pants writer, whose process took years of learning, creating Ax.  There’s no question I came to understand the value of many things along the way – both in terms of publishing and being a pre-published author, but also about the work itself.  I had no idea what I was doing when I set out to write a historical, so its coming together as well as it has (even as long as the process took) may be a prouder accomplishment even than it will be once I’m agented, sold, shilling this WIP, and working on #3 (or 4 …).

Then again.  Ax will always be my first baby, of course – but, as I am not so precious about my darlings on the granular level of each delicious little word, passage, even scenes and chapters, I’ve never been more precious about one beloved pet than another either, so maybe someday Ax will just be one of my past loves, no more arresting to my attention than a new work in progress – just as Gossy and Pen have me completely emotionally occupied, now that Sweet Siddy La, Gert, Gossy, and Byshe are gone.  As each pet is encompassing, I imagine, each work will be.  But, of course, the books will always be living – indeed, “more” so as they come to life for other people, though my own work will be done by the time that can occur.

I look forward to finding out how that works, emotionally … and professionally.  (Far be it from me to fantasize about the financial benefits, though it’s not beyond me to have *considerations* …)

This is an exciting time.  As an author, and at work too.  Now, I must run and do some more querying – and perhaps query researching.