The Return from Practicality

What was once questionable is now a reality: I have found a proper job. No more time wasted with searching job postings, writing cover letters and tweaking resumes; I'm going to use my free time once again for writing fiction.

Speaking of which, I've come across an important discovery: always keep the drafts you start but think you'll never finish. With my recent writing hiatus, I decided it was best to read through the two ideas I had started back in January/February. The one I was sure would be the better of the two turned out to be weak and lacking in character. The other story, which I had given up on because of the feeling of hitting a "wall", I re-read and loved. The opening scenes draw you in, the pacing is good and you can feel the emotions and frustrations of the characters.

All of that was accomplished in three to four chapters.

The read-through filled my head with ideas and inspired me. I now know that I will continue the story to the end, attempting roadblocks as they appear. The story began as an exercise for myself--could I write something without an outline? I did have most of the world-building completed from the first book I finished (The Secondworld Stranger), but the story takes place not in the past, but the present time. It's a bit more dangerous, a little bit dark and will be a lot more steamy. This will be a paranormal romance, maybe even a romantic paranormal suspense.

Surprisingly that exercise--writing without an outline--was and is more fun than I imagined. Characters come nearly formed in my head, which also mixes up plot elements and makes them work. I know for a fact I'll have to fix things later on, but that's to be expected. All in all I'm just excited to be writing again for me instead of writing letters about me. A world that has an Asylum for Magical Threats sounds a lot more interesting than how stellar a worker I am, right?