September’s Goals

I have two primary goals this month of September 2018:

1) Develop better self-care habits (with which I’m on a great start, eh?) in order to make meeting my writing goals easier in the coming months.

And,

2) Read through all the incomplete projects I think I have a good chance of completing in order to choose 2 or 3 to focus on beginning in October.

In my sorting the other night, I determined there are 13 stories I feel I have a good grip on. What this means is that I have a firm idea of their endings. This is necessary because I have difficulty completing a story of any length if I don’t have any idea of the ending, and sometimes a merely vague idea of the ending is also a hindrance, although that tends to give me something to write toward, which generally translates into me being able to complete the story. The 13 stories fall into two categories: Those with some sort of outline (2), and those without any sort of outline (11).

Outlined Stories:

• Unwritten Letters – A novel which is currently a standalone with potential for a sequel, revolving around estranged lovers; this is by far the most complete of all my projects.
• Jodalur Investigative Division 1: Masks – The first novel in a planned series of mysteries set on a science fantasy world.

Without Outlines:

• Mongrel – A fantasy novel rife with political intrigue, about a former temple prostitute forced into a situation he’s unprepared for.
• “Pruuch’s Story” – A fantasy short that is a sort of prequel to another story on the same world.
• Exemplar – First novel in a planned trilogy, revolving around an unrequited romance, set on my Science Fantasy world of Chraest (where the Discordant Harmonies series is set).
• Precedent Mage 1: Scourge – Another first novel of a series set on Chraest, which is not actually started but has something of a precursor in an unaccessible format on a thumb drive somewhere.
• “Pipperelle 1” – First novel in a planned fantasy trilogy, which revolves around a young (relatively speaking) wizard.
• Heirs of the Crystal Throne – A standalone fantasy novel full of political intrigue, about a ruler’s efforts to strengthen the presence of magic within his country.
• “Incarnadine and Shadow” – A standalone fantasy novel with potential for a sequel, set on a world where magic is broken.
• Married to the Moons 1: Unfathomable Medium – A somewhat dark fantasy novel that initiates another trilogy. More political intrigue here, concerning a young man chosen by the Gods to rule his people.
• Mirrorsoul 1: Revelations – The first novel in a planned trilogy about a man who helps end a tyrant’s rule.
• Brother Exile and Brother King – A standalone fantasy novel with lots of political intrigue, about an estranged mundane prince invited home to reconcile with—and perhaps usurp—his twin brother.
• The Messenger – A standalone fantasy novel about a man sent by a God to prevent his nation’s fall into another war. Lots of political intrigue here too.

As of this post, I’ve completed reading what I have of Unwritten Letters. This is likely going to be one of the stories I choose to work on, primarily because it’s so near completion and I’ve got some one-liners about the final plot cards I need to write for the project.