(vol 3) PROLOGUE – “This Is What's Going To Happen”

WELCOME BACK

It’s a whole New Year, and that can mean only one thing; time to make a writing plan that will have no resemblance to what my 2016 output ends up being (though I hope not).

My first year here ended up a mess of not really knowing what I wanted to do as I found my feet, took in a lot of info, and discovered a new way to write.

Last year I had my ideas and a more focused plan, but new things popped up and took over, leaving me with nothing close to completed.

I really hope that this year is THE year that I finally get something out there before you, the general book buying public. I want to release my own book.

THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON

Last year ended on a downer with my two main sources of output (Flash! Friday and Micro Bookends) closing down. These two sites kept me writing, making sure that no matter what else I was/wasn’t doing, I was always creating something on a weekly basis. Fifty two weeks in a year, and in 2015, I wrote something in every single one of them.

But they are gone now.

Sure, there are other Flash Fiction sites out there, but I’m standing back at the moment. Because I’m going to use this space I’ve now found myself in to do just one thing; write. Or more specifically, concentrate on writing one project.

METHOD

It was because I was writing a couple of Flash Fiction stories and a blog post every week that I never really noticed I wasn’t following my plan(s). When you’re not writing something, you kinda notice. But when you’re always writing, the big project just hides behind all the little ones until it’s too late.

It’s because of this that I’ve made some changes. First off, I will be altering the regularity of these blog posts from the weekly to the fortnightly. I’ll also be focusing more on the stages of the project I’m currently working on as opposed to the actual work itself. Because who wants spoilers (and until it’s out there, who knows what the hell I’m talking about anyway)? So as I edit, and revise, and design a cover, and upload for purchase, I’ll talk about these stages each step of the way, sharing my experiences; the pros and the cons. Hopefully this will help new fellow writers in the same way that other blogs have helped me.

MAN WITH A PLAN

So what is the plan for this year? Simple. One novella, somewhere between now and December 31st. 

Nothing else.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. I’ll actually be working on three novellas, the first three CHRIS AND MIKE vs THE WORLD adventures (I hope you’re not sick of me talking about these guys yet). These three are parts of a whole, as it were, so I want to work on all three close enough that I can drop little bits throughout them all, keeping them nicely linked. But at the end of the day, it’s that all important first novella that is my main focus. Because I need to get a book out there. I need to get over that first hurdle.

And that’s all there is to it. I’m not planning anything else. Nothing. No other projects, no short stories, no compilations.

Okay, again I lied. These things are all in the back of my head. I have two ideas for compilations, and two standalone projects that are itching to get written. I’m thinking about them, sure. But that’s all. Not a written word will be for them, not until CHRIS AND MIKE vs THE RISING DEAD is released. Because I’m fed up of talking about it. I’m not getting any younger. I have so much sat in tatty first draft versions, so the first big step is done. Now I have to punch The Fear of Editing square in the face and just stomp through it.

I need to write. I need to edit. I need to publish.

And 2016 is the year it all happens.

That’s a fact.

How about you? What are your plans for 2016? Is there a project you know you need to get out there in the next twelve months? Will 2016 be the year you lose your publishing virginity?

I’d love to hear from you either in the comments below, or on twitter (@BrianSCreek).